MAP15: Dark Entries (Doom 64)

MAP15: Dark Entries is the fifteenth level of Doom 64, designed by Randy Estrella. It is one of the smallest, but it contains some seriously brutal battles. It uses the music track "Wait For It".

Essentials
The level begins inside of a small nook, with faces on the walls staring at the player. One of these lights up the next area, while the other blocks one of the fireball launchers. Upon exiting this nook, the player is greeted with a horde of nightmare imps and lost souls, and to make matters worse, homing fireballs pour out of launchers, which happens each time the player re-enters this room.

After leaving through a side door, the player finds themselves in a room with a few pillars and an open ceiling, and concealed arachnotrons take potshots at the player. A switch activates a puzzle in which the player predicts where a soulsphere will end up, after which a flock of lost souls appear, and so does the blue key.

Back in the main chamber, more lost souls appear, as well as more fireballs. Using the blue key to open a barred area, the player finds what looks to be a castle, surrounded by arachnotrons, barons, and Hell knights, both loose and caged. The castle itself is filled with lost souls, and the player finds a red key for their troubles.

After going back to the main chamber, the player is attacked by not just lost souls and fireballs, but arachnotrons, too. Using the red key opens up the exit, guarded by a number of barons.

Official

 * 1) In the room with the blue key, from the teleport pad turn left and press against the wall to open up a secret cache containing a backpack, two box of rockets and a box of shells. (sector 183)

Non-official

 * 1) In the starting room, activate the face wall panels to the left and right. This will cause a super shotgun and a box of shells to appear on the small pedestals close by.

Routes and tricks
The fireball trap in the main hall can be turned off by simply running into the unblocked teleporter niche without going into the teleporter instead of waiting it out.

When doing the soul sphere puzzle in the area with the concealed arachnotrons and blue skull key, activate the switch corresponding to the column in which the sphere first appeared after it is done shuffling.

To get the soulsphere and blue armor powerups that sit on top of the pedestals inside of the fortress in the large open area after killing the hoards of arachnotrons, Hell knights, barons, and lost souls, go inside the fortress and run to the pane in the back facing the two ground level switches that sit outside. Use either your pistol or shotgun to shoot the switch on the left first, then the right one (the switch on the top center is for lowering the teleporter which will bring you out of the area). The pedestals will drop for a few moments giving you time to run up and collect the powerups before they return to their normal position.

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