MAP05: Rites of Passage (Memento Mori II)

MAP05: Rites of Passage is the fifth level of Memento Mori II. It was designed by Paul Noble and uses the music track "Anchor" by Mark Klem.

Mission briefing
According to both the text file and the Infopack:


 * Ok marine, here is the mission based in sector 5 of the combat zone, we'll go through it step by step so you don't miss anything....


 * Infiltration. We have sent three scout marines into this area and only one has managed to make it back with what looks like a very disturbed combat senario, [sic] there were update reports from the marines who didn't make it back about several varying areas, spanning deadly molten lava to a semi civilised area. Marine 002002345 who was second into the zone managed to setup the Close Range Teleporter Enhancement Pad (CRTEP) which will allow you to beam directly to the area and bypass the initial enemy sentries...


 * Enemy deployments. The scout marines encountered varying forms of depraved fiends and also several zombified marines who are to be looked out for - see if you can appeal to their human side and then they may help you. The 1st scout in was quickly dispatched by what looked like what we know as imps but the image was very badly effected by the site locations [sic] interference. Scout 2 managed to make it to a moat of burning lava before he was exploded by a massive energy discharge - viewing his bod-cam the bolt of energy seemed to emanate from over the moat. Third in managed to make it a bit further before he request [sic] evac, but his exploration has left him a jibbering wreak [sic] and it was only with intense electroshock therapy that we managed to get any real information out of him. It seems that the self destruct switch for this bunker system is actually beyond the moat - how to get to this or excatly [sic] where it is, is what you'll have to discover...


 * Armament. It seems that the demons have wised up to our CRTEP as they have scrambled the signal some what, when we beamed down your supplies the equipment was spread through the combat area, so you'll have to go in with just the bare minimum as the CRTEP does not allow us to download you with too much mass so you'll only have your pistol and the faithful knuckle dusters.


 * Priority. Kill as many of the Hell Spawn as possible, and get out of there... Come back alive and you'll be awarded ice cream privilages [sic] for two whole weeks, oh and a medal I suppose.


 * Good Luck Marine, and Kick ASS!

Essentials
Red Key

You begin in a small room. Head up the stairs to a large wooden door. Beyond this wooden door is a hall open to the sky, with an imp or two ready to greet you. You will see a number of shotgun guys and at least one chaingunner in cages at the side of the hall, but they cannot see or hear you for now. Look for the small wooden door in the northwest of this hall, and go through it.

The passage leads to a room with a burning barrel and a shotgun guy. On Hurt me plenty and above, watch for a demon that will emerge from a false wall in the southeast corner, marked by a demon face on the wall. Proceed towards the wall with the crucified corpse. The floor near it will lower, leading to the red key. If the floor raises before you can step back on it, flip the switch next to where the red key was to re-lower it.

Backtrack to the hall, and go through the red door in the southeast. It leads into a corridor with a darkened portion in the middle. Kill the imp in front of you and continue forward, but pay attention to the darkened part of the room and the long metal panel to your right. As soon as you pass the far end of the darkened portion, the metal panel will open, revealing two (Hey, not too rough and below), five (Hurt me plenty) or seven (Ultra-Violence and above) shotgun guys. A chaingun will come in handy here.

Continue down the corridor to an alcove with a marble demon face. Look for the wooden door south of it and open it. This leads into a darkened square room. As you cross the middle of the room, a platform lowers in the east side of the room. On lower difficulties, you get the jump on two (Hey, not too rough and below) or three (Hurt me plenty) imps with their backs turned, but on Ultra-Violence, a Hell knight gets the jump on you. Kill them and ride the platform up to some goodies (two rockets, a super shotgun, 4 shotgun shells and a medikit), if needed.

Crossing to the platform lit up a switch in the southeast corner. Flip this switch, and backtrack to the corridor. Notice that a switch next to the red door has become unblocked. Do not use that switch first. Instead, open the red door and fire a shot. All the former humans in the hall open to sky can see and hear you now, so awaken them and lure them towards the door, where you can easily pick them off.

Once ready, flip the switch next to the red door. This lowers the metal wall (which is actually a segmented platform) at the south of the hall open to sky. Open the red door and run through to a new room.

Yellow Key

Whenever you see lava (RROCK05) floor in this next part, remember that the brighter it is, the more damaging it is.

In this next room, there is a lava-filled hole in the floor with a cacodemon. You can either lure it out, fight it and collect the armor in the hole (press use on the hole's walls to lower the floor and get back up), or you can use the gargoyle switch on the wall to crush the cacodemon, at the expense of greater difficulty of collecting the armor. Whichever choice you make, go up the stairs in the west once done.

You are now in a lava-filled cavern. Most of the lava has cooled into rock and is safe to walk on, but avoid the bright parts in the northeast. Beware of a spectre and up two demons. A pair of imps in a corner will probably blow themselves up by hitting barrels, so they should be no problem. The pair of demon faced-panels in this room can be walked through, but every time you walk through one, the pillars on either side are lowered, revealing a cacodemon and on Hurt me plenty and above, a Hell knight. However, you also get a box of ammo and box of shells - useful considering that ammo is somewhat tight on this level.

Once ready, head for the metal wall with skulls in the northeast and open it. Walk through, but as you cross into the sunlight, immediately turn around - a huge trap has opened in the lava-filled cavern, with a large number of assorted monsters. You probably don't have a rocket launcher yet, so the chaingun will have to do. Try to hit the barrels behind the enemies, which might do the rocket's launcher's job for you instead.

When the enemies are all dead, proceed north towards the grey platform. There are signs marked "exit" on nearby walls, but no exit opening in sight. As you step onto the grey platform, two alcoves open ahead - each has an imp (Hey, not too rough and below) or a Hell knight (Hurt me plenty and above). Dispose of them. Look on your automap, and notice an arrow next to the platform. Drop into the lava around the platform, and head to the alcove the arrow points too - it contains a radiation suit. As you pick up the radiation suit, turn around and kill the imp emerging from the trap.

Exit this alcove and head to another alcove in the southeast of the lava. Run through to a circular room with the yellow skull key on a pedestal and some healing items. Head into the passageway extending south from this room. At the corner, beware of up to three spectres lying in ambush behind a false wall. Continue forward and head down the stairs at the end of this passageway.

You are now in a room with tech walls and a star-shaped structure in the middle. Head to the back of the star-shaped structure and flip the switch. This raises bars blocking access to the next area, but also opens three traps in this room. On each difficulty, you face:


 * Hey, not too rough and below: Three demons.
 * Hurt me plenty: One demon and two Hell knights.
 * Ultra-Violence and above: Three Hell knights.

You have little room to move. Use your super shotgun and tear these monsters up. Fortunately, each of their alcoves has a stimpack to heal back up if you were badly hurt in the encounter. Backtrack to the circular room, and remember to grab a fresh radiation suit on the way out.

From the circular room, proceed north. Kill the imp ahead, then go up the stairs to a room with up to two cacodemons and plenty of items. Flip the switch and head back down to the circular room.

The eastern part of the circular room has opened up, revealing a new area. The floor has two demons (spectres on Ultra-Violence and above), a Hell knight (baron of Hell on Ultra-Violence and above) is hurling plasma from a perch, and up to two cacodemons are hunting you down. Kill them all, then head up the stairs in the east to the Hell noble's perch, where you can run onto the yellow key pedestal and grab the yellow key. Head back up the stairs, and take the teleporter in the room east of the perch.

Blue Key

The teleporter takes you to the "drop trap" where you picked up the red key earlier. Use the switch and ride the floor back up, then enter the yellow door in the south.

This leads you to a circular catwalk in an open area, surrounding a central metal structure. As you progress around the catwalk, parts of the metal structure will lower, revealing significant amounts of enemies. On Ultra-Violence, a Hell knight may also wander out from the next area onto the catwalk. In order, the metal structure will reveal a large amount of former humans, up to seven imps and up to seven cacodemons. Be careful with the cacodemons - they can use the teleporters in the lava, designed to help you get up if you fall in, to get behind you instead! Continue clockwise until you reach a doorway.

This next area can be made easier with a bit of stealth (at the cost of 100% kills and items). To do this the stealthy way:


 * Run through the marble corridors until you reach a metal wall, and lower the wall.
 * Continue down the corridor (the alien face wall is non-blocking)
 * At the end of the corridor, flip the switch and collect the blue key. Do not overshoot onto the metal plates!
 * Backtrack and run out of this area.

On the other hand, if you desire 100% kills:


 * Run through the marble corridors until you reach a metal wall, and lower the wall.
 * Continue down the corridor (the alien face wall is non-blocking)
 * At the end of the corridor, flip the switch and collect the blue key, running through onto the metal plates.
 * Backtrack to the curved corridor, and notice that a new alcove has opened. Enter and flip the switch (mind the mini-crusher on the way out!)
 * The six alcoves in this room have been raised to floor level, and their grilles have been raised. You now have to fight six cacodemons (Hurt me plenty and below), or four cacodemons and two pain elementals (Ultra-Violence and above).
 * Return to the darkened room near the entrance of this room. Flip the newly revealed switch, which raises part of the floor in the curved hallway to the height of the alcoves.
 * Collect your armor bonuses and health bonuses. Each one is five stacked on top of each other.
 * Backtrack and leave this area.

Once either one is done, drop into the lava near the metal structure, and look for an alcove in the east. Go through it and flip the switch ahead, which raises arrow-shaped steps that lead back to the starting room.

Exit

Go back to the outdoor area after the lava-filled cavern. Look for the alcove in the southeast, and press use on the metal wall with a skull at its end. It is a blue keyed door, and will open to reveal a switch. Flip this switch.

This switch raised a small section of the grey platform. Head to its northern side and find a tiny switch. Flip this switch to raise a bridge across the lava. As you step onto the bridge, the wall ahead opens, revealing a Hell knight. The two traps nearby refresh with new monsters, releasing eight lost souls (Hey, not too rough and below) or two cacodemons (Hurt me plenty and above). If you fall into the lava, lower the bridge and ride it back up.

Cross the bridge and flip the lion switch to open the two big wooden doors. In the exit room, your final opposition is two lost souls (Hey, not too rough and below) or a cacodemon (Hurt me plenty and above). Flip the switch to exit the level.

Official

 * 1) At the beginning of the level, the steel door (sector 3) just behind you can be opened to reveal a chaingun.
 * 2) From secret #1, shoot the northern wall with the upside-down cross on it to reveal a stairway with a trooper. Climb up the stairway to find a secret room (sector 93) with a teleporter. Enter the teleporter to be warped to another room. Flip the switches, taking out the enemies (among a sergeant on easy or a chaingunner on medium and hard skill levels) along the way, until you find another teleporter. Enter this one to be taken to the north of the previous room, where you can obtain a backpack and two bullet boxes. Flip the switches to lower the barriers, and also to obtain two shell boxes.
 * 3) After lowering the segmented elevator south of the first hallway, enter the eastern opening. In the room east of the one with the two sets of shells and stimpacks, a part of the eastern wall is aligned differently; open this wall (sector 254) to reveal an elevator up to a passageway (press against the next metal wall to reveal it) lined with seven armor bonuses leading over a stimpack to a room with a clip, four sets of shells, three health bonuses, and, on Ultra-Violence or higher, a super shotgun and a chaingun. At the south of this room is a switch floating in mid-air; press this to raise a stairway leading down into the room with the exit.
 * 4) In the passageway leading up to the blue skull key, there are fake, passable walls bearing gargoyle faces on them. These cover a passageway containing nine armor bonuses, a stimpack, two clips and a Hell knight. The very top step (sector 288) of this passageway counts as a secret.

Non-official

 * 1) In the yellow door room, you get ambushed by an imp on easy or a demon on medium and hard skills. He comes through the fake wall under the gargoyle stone face in the southeast. Enter this place to find a set of shells.
 * 2) When facing the lava pit with the "exit" signs for the first time, drop down into its northwest and enter the passage marked with an arrow on your automap to get a radiation suit, releasing an imp. Enter the pit's southern passage. Facing the yellow skull key, enter the southern hallway, where you get ambushed by skill dependent one/two/three spectres (and a demon on easy skills). They come through the eastern wall's southernmost part that has blood between the bricks and is actually a fake wall. Enter it to find a super shotgun and a passage leading to a gargoyle switch. Pushing it changes this whole area's lava floor into a non-harming stone floor, making live a lot easier down here.

Bugs
On the way to the blue skull key, right after secret #4, there is a long curved hallway with six compartments with cacodemons (and pain elementals on Ultra-Violence or higher), health and armor bonuses. It is possible to get trapped in each of them with no possibility to escape other that activating the cheat. Trapping the player requires the following sequence of movements and pressing the switches: Since the compartments' unraised floors still have a height of -128 map units while the adjacent sectors have a floor height of +160, entering any of those will trap the player.
 * 1) Do not step on the elevator-like looking floor right north of the blue skull key. (Stepping on it triggers (Linedef 1778, Type 130 - W1 Floor Raise to Next Higher Floor (fast), Tag 68) the compartments' floors (sectors 357, 360, 363, 380, 381 and 416) to raise.)
 * 2) Go back to the curved hallway, pressing a newly revealed gargoyle switch (Linedef 1794, Type 103 - S1 Door Open Stay, Tag 70) between the third and fourth compartment. It opens the compartments and reveals yet another gargoyle switch (Linedef 2696, Type 15 - S1 Floor Raise by 24 (changes texture), Tag 46) in the dark room south of secret #4 that raises the floor in the curved hallway, allowing to enter the compartments.

Demo files

 * [[Media:m205bug.lmp|Short demo]] (file info) showing the red skull key grab (see below), as well as the bug trapping the player.

Routes and tricks
At the beginning of the level, you can straferun off the steps and through the window. It is best done if you start at the eastern side of the steps, and then strafe run toward the window from that location, going across the second and first steps. After that, you can obtain the red skull key through the grate by straferunning against it. This is performed in the record-holding UV and NM speed runs of this level, as well as the record-holding UV max and NM100S demos. Following this, you can take the northern teleport in the pit and head for the blue skull key as usual. After that, you can drop back down into the pit, take the eastern teleporter to return to the start of the level, unlock access to the segmented elevator as usual, and then finish the level as you normally would.

In addition, as also shown in that run, you can flip the switch raising the bridge to the exit without exposing it first, although it's a bit tough to find due to its small size. To find this, face outward into the brown stone area, standing along the center of the platform, and head toward the outer end while pressing "Use" repeatedly. Once you remember the location, doing this quickly will be easier.

Finally, if you run onto the exit platform from its sides instead of its southern end, the enemy-holding compartments will not open, reducing the number of foes you must face upon reaching this location, and thwarting the trap sprung when you cross the raised bridge.

Current records
The Compet-N records for the map are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on May 9, 2014.

Player spawns
This level contains six spawn points:
 * 1) facing south. (thing 239)
 * 2) facing north. (thing 240)
 * 3) facing east. (thing 241)
 * 4) facing west. (thing 242)
 * 5) facing west. (thing 243)
 * 6) facing north. (thing 244)

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