E1M7: The Crypts (Heretic)

E1M7: The Crypts is the seventh level in the City of the Damned episode of Heretic.

Essentials
From the start, head straight forward to the base of the stairs. Go up and grab the Gauntlets of the Necromancer. Continue up the stairs to a platform that will lower temporarily and lift you to the yellow key. Turn right and pass through the yellow door. Collect the Ethereal Crossbow and continue forward. You will notice a lower section of ceiling marked with beastly faces, and a green door to your right. Hurry forward under the ceiling, as it will lower to crush you if you are not careful. Now head up the short flight of steps. When you see the blue door, go up the stairs to your right, then turn left and locate a switch. Pull it to raise a second set of stairs. Drop down and go right, then right again to climb this new stairway. You will come to an outdoor area with a central structure. Collect the green key on the opposite end of this area. Drop down into the center of this area and lower the central platform with the switch to find a Dragon Claw. Take the passage bordered by a slime river and follow the stairs up to find another green door. Pass through and press the switch to lower one of the coffins. Follow the passage to a large room containing the blue key on a raised platform. In the southwest corner, locate a carving of a skull and bones. Open this wall and pass through, then turn right to locate a switch. Pull it and return to collect the blue key that has been lowered. Head back to the blue door and pass through. When you turn left, you will see a row of crushers. Dash under them while they are raised and continue forward. An ambush will trigger as you pass through the room beyond, revealing two thrones. Press the switch behind them to lower a section of the floor and head down. Go forward, dropping down a little way and then heading up the steps. Turn right and head to the exit that, like in the third level, is guarded by an undead warrior ghost.

Official

 * 1) Just after passing under the big crusher near the green door, take the left-hand passage and press the wall that appears to be a dead end to open a secret area. (sector 136)
 * 2) In the upper level of the Dragon Claw area, run across the bridge and locate a wall of stone blocks that does not match the others.  Open it and go through, then cross the second bridge to a secret area containing a Quartz Flask on the two hardest skill levels. On the easier ones, a Ring of Invincibility can be discovered instead. (sector 216)
 * 3) From the secret above, drop into the southernmost slime pit and follow the stairs up to a Tome of Power. (sector 222)
 * 4) After collecting the Dragon Claw, go north through a small passage and hurry up the stairs. Ride the temporarily lowered platform and pass through the teleporter to reach a raised area near the outer green door. If you miss the platform, backtrack until you hear it lower again. (sector 314)
 * 5) After getting the blue key, go outside and find a new passage opened just to the east of the yellow door. Inside you will find a Silver Shield, a Claw Orb, and a teleport to the Dragon Claw platform. (sector 32)
 * 6) Just before the exit, step up on the red platform to open a passage to the south. Head through to reach a chamber containing many bonuses. (sector 76)

Non-official
The following does not count as a secret:


 * 1) After getting the blue key, return to the switch that lowered its platform.  A wall will have lowered and you may collect a Torch.

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

The data was last verified in its entirety on February 23, 2023.

Player spawns
This level contains five spawn points:
 * 1) facing east. (thing 8)
 * 2) facing south-west. (thing 22)
 * 3) facing west. (thing 38)
 * 4) facing east. (thing 39)
 * 5) facing north. (thing 40)

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