MAP31: Fireking Says No Cheating (BTSX-E2)

MAP31: Fireking Says No Cheating is the secret map of the second episode of Back to Saturn X. It was designed by Josh Sealy (Joshy), Sarah Mancuso (esselfortium), and Boris Klimeš (dew), and uses the music track "Vinefort," composed by James Paddock (Jimmy).

This level is accessed from.

Essentials
Despite its appearance, none of the orange lava in this map is harmful.

Keys
As the level starts you will see one or two cyberdemons along with mancubi and arachnotrons, which start facing away from you; you are also standing on a megasphere and backpack that will be collected when you start moving. Run due north between the monsters to a staircase and duck into the doorway on your left to enter a room full of imps and barons of Hell, then enter the lava pool and pull the yellow switch on the south wall; this will lower a wall behind you containing an arch-vile (or three on Ultra-Violence (UV) and Nightmare (NM) skill levels) along with a megasphere, as well as another wall to the north that hides more arch-viles. Step through the north wall and kill any Hell knights, pain elementals and revenants waiting ahead before picking up the red skull key, then step through the gap in the fence to drop into a lava moat with demons; you will also see two locked doors that require all the keys to open.

Head east along the moat until you see a spiderdemon on a platform to your right; opposite this monster is an archway that leads to a vine-covered ledge. Head up the steps on the west side of the ledge to a platform with imps and chaingunners, then pull the switch here to open some bars blocking an archway on the other side of the moat. Step through these bars and follow the path up to the spiderdemon's platform, then go up the steps that are revealed in front of you to a room with imps and knights. Ahead are four small platforms that lead to a room containing more imps as well as the yellow skull key; arm yourself before approaching the key as twenty more knights will teleport in behind you. Drop into the lava below and head north and west to get back to the moat, then head to the door on the north side (with yellow skulls on either side) and press the diamond button to open it. As the door lowers, watch out for knights, barons, revenants and three arch-viles teleporting in.

Once the door opens, head through it to a pool overlooked by shotgun guys, chaingunners, pain elementals and arachnotrons, then head due north and look left or right for revenants who are guarding a pair of teleporters. Enter either teleporter to find yourself in an enclosed space, then pull the switch in front of you to reveal an arena with many imps, as well as a spiderdemon on a platform to the north and two or three arch-viles on a second platform to the south. Ignore the spiderdemon for now and head east along a stone path, then go down either staircase in front of you to a dark chamber with chaingunners and spectres who are guarding another staircase; climb this staircase, noting an arch-vile that teleports behind you, then pull the switch at the top to lower it and open a flame wall teleporter in front of you. Enter this teleporter to go to an empty corridor, then run straight forward until you teleport back to the arena - if the spiderdemon is still alive, you will telefrag it as you land. Take the supercharge then drop into the lava - the west wall will lower, revealing a cyberdemon (and one or two arch-viles on Hurt Me Plenty or higher) guarding the blue skull key.

Exit
Kill the arch-viles and other monsters that teleport in, then head back to the lava moat and go to the west door indicated by red and blue skulls. Press both diamond buttons next to the door to open it then go through to a cavern with many demons, cacodemons, knights and arachnotrons - there is a cyberdemon inside an alcove next to the door and you should use it to provoke infighting. Activate the lift on the west side of the center block and ride it up to find a switch, which will lower a larger lift on the south side of the cavern, then ride this lift up to the top and (on HMP or higher) kill two arch-viles that ambush you before going outside to a hollow tower. Deal with some spectres, revenants, imps and one or two arch-viles, then look inside the tower to see a spiderdemon and more arch-viles blocking your path; once they are killed, climb the tower steps to a raised path and follow this back inside the main building.

Follow the hallway past chaingunners/arch-viles to a room with mancubi and revenants - the room also holds a megaarmor and supercharge, but when you approach them a cyberdemon will appear behind you. Head east into another hallway, which loops around the starting room, and push past more revenants and arch-viles to a fenced walkway - halfway along this walkway you will be ambushed by a flood of imps that teleport in, so use the plasma gun to clear them out then pull a switch that is revealed at the west end to clear your path. Continue following the walkway east and north, then leap across a gap to land on a small ledge with an energy cell pack; the wall will lower to reveal a ledge with several revenants, but when you push past them a spiderdemon and several arch-viles will appear around the lava pool to the east, so quickly head north and west to find a cyberdemon guarding a large yellow switch. Pull the switch then go back to the revenant room and kill a couple of arch-viles that have appeared before running north across a square pillar and dropping down a hole.

Step forward until you hear a monster closet containing two revenants open behind you, then go forward to a room containing more revenants along with chaingunners, mancubi and knights. Climb the steps in the center and turn right to see an arch-vile guarding a switch, then pull that switch to open two closets behind you holding chaingunners, revenants and three more arch-viles. Pull the switch inside the north closet to lower a platform at the south end of the room, activate the lift behind that platform to go up to a curved hallway then head west and north across some ledges until you land on a right-angled ledge. Pull the switch to your left to reveal three revenants guarding a berserk pack, then walk round to the north end of the ledge and push past a couple of revenants to reach the top level where you will see another switch. Pull the latest switch to open two archways behind you, then run through those archways to land on a tiled ledge before walking round to a lift protected by a revenant and chaingunner.

Ride the lift up then run across the gap in front of you to land in a red-floored chamber, where you will find a zombieman guarding a button; the button opens the east wall to reveal a seemingly empty room, but when you go inside it the surrounding walls will lower to reveal many mancubi ahead along with one to three cyberdemons to your left and right. Fight through the mancubi to a large red-columned keep, then head around the outside of the keep to its west wall where several arachnotrons are protecting a diamond button. Press the button to open the door on the west side and look through it to see a spiderdemon on a distant platform; when you step through the door a crowd of revenants will appear that you can use as shields. Go to the spiderdemon's platform (watching out for two arch-viles hiding on either side on UV and NM), activate the lift to get on top of it then run forward across three platforms to a yellow switch guarded by more revenants. The switch will lower a barricade just below but will also allow two or three cyberdemons to teleport in; fight your way back to the east end of the keep then cross the bridge to a lava-fall and step through it to end the level.

Secrets

 * 1) As you start the map, run north until you reach the long lava moat with the skull key doors. Turn right, then go through the passage marked by the blocks in the lava. Approach the alcove with the red torches to lower the wall in front of you (sector 212), revealing a megasphere.
 * 2) Beyond the yellow key door, head up the western steps. At the end is a lift, and to the right of it the wall with rune-like markings can also be lowered like a lift. Ride it up to a niche high up in the wall with two energy cell packs; when you jump off it to the rampart below, the merlon with a supercharge (sector 145) will lower for you to collect.
 * 3) In the hollow tower at the south-west of the map, you can jump over the windowsill from the second-to-last stairstep to reach a rocky ledge (sector 552) with a medikit and six energy cell packs.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on February 21, 2022.

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

Trivia
Likely an error, the map is referred to as "The Spirit World" with regular font on the pre- and post-level intermission screens for the official add-on. Other levels do not exhibit this behavior.