E1M4: Withered Gardens (Return to Hadron)

E1M4: Withered Gardens is the fourth map of the first episode in Return to Hadron. It was designed by Matt Powell (cannonball) and uses the music track "Under Death" by Mark Klem.

Essentials
All three keys are present on the level and all are essential. You start facing a large building in the center. Visiting it is not required but it contains rockets and rocket launcher which will obtained later.

Blue key

At the start, large enemy groups infect the whole area even on easy skill] levels. Start by picking the [[shotgun and armor in front of you. Slay all the enemies to make them not hinder you. After this, head left (west) and up the stairs. Turn left at the top and you will see a long building having two entrance doors. While the brown door will lead you to an optional room where you can access the rocket launcher in the mentioned building and secret#, the silver door is what you need now. Go there. You will come to a room where you can choose one of three other rooms to enter. The dark room in front of you is locked by barriers, so take the room to the left (east). Walk around the panel and you will meet a staircase on which you have to walk. Press the switch there, and you will unlock the barriers (but beware two shotgunners here). Return to entrance and visit that room (south). The blue keycard is right ahead. Take it and prepare for three enemy traps and two fast crushing ceilings. Exploit the crushing ceilings to kill the enemies and do not forget to gather items.

Red key

Return to the center of the map where you started the level. This time, take the route to the right (east) where a waterfall and pool are. Open the blue barriers to the left (north). Enter the room in front of you and to the right there must be a raised platform with the red keycard.

Yellow key

Get back to the water pool area (east of the map) and open the red barriers (south). You will arrive a hall with silver columns (spare the barrels for further fight). Reach the end of the hall towards the room with yellow keycard. Turn back and fight the ambush monsters.

Exit

The exit is located at the top north of the map. Since you have got the yellow key, you can open any of the three yellow doors on the level to reach the final room:
 * 1) The north west building, which is optional to visit, has yellow door and contains chaingun and other items.
 * 2) At the starting room, you can open the yellow door to the north.
 * 3) The north east building where you found the red keycard has a yellow door.

Once you arrive at the room with silver walls, enter an alcove where a switch will be. This switch lowers a lift leading to the exit door. Step on the lift when it is lowered and head through the door to end the level.

Secrets

 * 1) This requires blue key. Open the blue barriers in the waterfall area (east) and enter the room where the red key is found. Step on the platform the key is and turn left. You will notice a switch on the wall. Shoot it and a wall at the bottom of the water hall will open. Drop down and head into the open alcove. Press the switch and return back to the hall. The lift in the north of the room is lowered. Head to it and collect armor bonuses and soulsphere. (sector 34)
 * 2) In the center area, head left (west) and up the stairs. Turn left and head through the brown door into the building. Go right and you will notice a green poorly aligned brick wall. Open this and you can collect stimpacks, helmets, rocket boxes and backpack. Open another wall at the end of the room and you will be in a computer room. You can also access this secret from this room. (sector 187)
 * 3) Enter the building in the south west where the blue keycard is. Enter the computer room (east). Immediately to your left once you enter there is a computer whose display is visually different. Press use on the display. Head to the west room of the building and you will see an open alcove. Enter this and walk on the stairs to the items, including combat armor, seen earlier. (sector 244)
 * 4) In the starting area, head right and into the south east building. Two computers are here and like in secret#3 one of them unlocks the secret. Once you arrived the room, turn right and press use on the computer's display. A platform in this room will lower and you will be able to collect berserk and computer map. (sector 305)

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

The data was last verified in its entirety on December 16, 2021.

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