MAP21: Bulldog Skin (BTSX-E2)

MAP21: Bulldog Skin is the twenty-first map of the second episode of Back to Saturn X. It was designed by Adam Woodmansey (Khorus) and Sarah Mancuso (esselfortium), and uses the music track "Stormwater," composed by James Paddock (Jimmy).

Essentials
The blue and yellow keys can be collected in any order, but both are needed to reach the red key that opens the exit.

Blue key
As the level starts you will see a plasma gun to your right and a super shotgun to your left; the weapons are overlooked by two revenants, a mancubus and an arch-vile, and taking the latter weapon will open a monster closet with a revenant, a megasphere and a box of shotgun shells. Head east to a tunnel blocked by three arachnotrons and follow this until you enter a large cavern with a brick building and blood pool - the pool is overlooked by revenants, imps, mancubi and arachnotrons, as well as a cyberdemon that will repeatedly teleport between the north and south ledges. Drop into the blood and go to the east side to find a crucifix button, press it then climb out of the pool to find that the door of the brick building has opened. Go through and press the button behind it to lower a lift, ride it up and kill two Hell knights waiting on either side then enter the next room to see two cyberdemons; they will teleport around the room so stay on the move.

Go to the north-west corner and climb the steps to a round platform with one or two mancubi, then head through a doorway and turn left to enter a room with some chaingunners. Go up the steps in this room and dispose of some imps that teleport in, press the diamond button on the east wall then leave the room and turn left to see that some bars have opened, letting you reach another crucifix button that is defended by a few monsters. Press the button to open the west door, which will allow various monsters to teleport in (though they will probably infight with the cyberdemons), then go through the door and push past some arachnotrons to reach the blue skull key. After taking it, go back to the lift to find that two teleporters have opened, which will send you back to the blood pool.

Yellow key, red key and exit
Return to the starting area and go to the south-east corner to find a rocket launcher and a diamond button that will lower the lift next to it. Ride the lift up and clear some imps, shotgun guys and a cacodemon waiting at the top, then enter the passage on the west side to find another diamond button - this is one of two needed to reach a nearby teleporter, but it will also release an arch-vile right behind you. Return to the lift and take the east path this time, which you can follow past a revenant and chaingunner to a second crucifix button; after pressing it, kill the revenants and imps that teleport in behind you then return to the lift to see that a stone has lowered to reveal steps leading down to the aforementioned teleporter. This teleporter will put you on a ledge in the starting area, which holds the yellow skull key.

With the blue and yellow keys, go to the door in the north-west corner and press the buttons on either side (which require those keys) to open it. In the next room are various enemies including one or two pain elementals; fight your way up the steps and press the diamond button in the north-west corner, which will lower the red skull key next to it but will also release an arachnotron and some revenants around you; a spiderdemon will also teleport into the starting room, along with the cyberdemon from the blood pool area. Return to the starting area and open the red bars in the south-west wall, then press the diamond button behind them to end the level.

Secrets

 * 1) In the large room in the north-western section of the map where a fight with two teleporting cyberdemons takes place, the wall on the southwestern-most corner of the room (directly opposite the stairs that can be used to reach the higher level of the room) has the lower section offset from the upper part. This can be lowered to reveal a cranny (sector 283) with a stimpack, three rockets and three energy cells.
 * 2) In the northwestern-most room containing the blue key, four blue niches with an inscribed pentagram can be seen on the walls. Run towards the south-eastern niche (the only one with no bricks hiding parts of the pentagram), which can be lowered to reveal a hidden teleporter to a hole in the altar (sector 225) with the blue key, where you can collect a supercharge. Press the switch to raise the floor so you can leave.

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: