MAP28: The Absolution (Doom 64)

MAP28: The Absolution is the last level of Doom 64, designed by Randy Estrella. It uses the music track "Aspects Of The Vile", the same heard in level 11, Terror Core.

Essentials
The layout is simple: You start off in a room containing all the weapons including the Unmaker, and a nearly full stock of ammunition. Leaving the room (the door cannot be re-opened after leaving), you will enter a large, circular courtyard with a pillar-like object in the center and three open portal buildings, each with a colored Demon Key crest etched at the top along with a unique corresponding switch near them. The three unique switches are positioned due west, northwest, and southwest of your position of entry to the courtyard. The focus of the map: survive an onslaught of enemies, and then fight the Mother Demon.

The key strategy is to have collected the three Demon Keys earlier on from the three main secret maps in the game (,, and ). The artifacts, along with upgrading the Unmaker, also act as keys for activating the switches which close the portals, stopping the advance of the overwhelming demon horde. Any switch for which the corresponding artifact is missing will simply display the message "You lack the ability to activate it" if pressed.

Grab the invulnerability upgrade, head into the arena, and if possible, close off the teleports before too many monsters arrive. Use the rocket launcher to destroy any enemies that might have spawned into the arena, reserving cell ammo for later. Destroying all the monsters (either by closing the portals and then killing any that remain, or killing all the monsters manually) will cause the pillar in the center of the level to open up, revealing a soulsphere that respawns indefinitely. The soulsphere is also occasionally replaced with megaarmor. The Mother Demon follows shortly after the pillar lowers.

To kill the Mother Demon, use the fully-powered Unmaker or the BFG9000. She should be killed easily provided you have both weapons in your arsenal. The rocket launcher is also an effective weapon against her if you run out of ammunition for the two aforementioned weapons, but be prepared for a far more difficult battle as she is relentless with her attacks and has more health than the cyberdemon. After she is killed, the map ends automatically.

Secrets
There are no official secrets on this map.

Bugs

 * It is occasionally possible for enemies to escape destruction by the Demon Key switches and then be unable to teleport into the main area. The cause for this is currently unknown. If it happens, the Mother Demon will never spawn and the level cannot be successfully completed.

Routes and tricks

 * It is highly recommended that you possess all three demon artifacts, as you will not have to fight the monster gauntlet before battling the Mother Demon, which will save you a lot of time and ammunition.


 * If you end up having to fight through the gauntlet, the best strategy is to be passive aggressive and run circles around the entire arena to cause infighting amongst the demon horde, while occasionally using the chaingun to kill any rogue lost souls attacking you. Afterward, you can pick off the straggling demons and prepare to fight the Mother Demon. This will allow you to save your ammunition for your more powerful weapons, but you should still expect to take a few hits. This will take a few minutes at the most, since many of the demons that emerge from the portals are higher tier, and therefore take more hits from each other to kill.


 * The Mother Demon is exceptionally tough. She has 5000 hit points (1000 more than a cyberdemon) and she relentlessly chases and attacks you with homing missiles and flame sweeps, all while screaming horrendously. It can take up to 30 super shotgun blasts or six BFG shots to kill her, but if you have all three artifacts and the Unmaker with full energy ammunition (600 rounds), she can be effortlessly destroyed.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: