MAP16: Whispers of the Gnarled King (Sunder)

MAP16: Whispers of the Gnarled King is the sixteenth map of Sunder. It was designed by Insane_Gazebo and uses the music track "Gate of the Ancients," originally from . The MIDI was edited by Scotty to remove a "whooping" sound effect.

Essentials
You are given the chaingun, rocket launcher, and super shotgun at the start along with a megasphere, a backpack, and ammo for each gun. Never fall into the brown sludge at any time on this level as there will be no way to leave it.

Proceed north and shoot the switch, the head down the steps going west. Head north and prepare to fight a mancubus in the middle, Hell knights and one baron of Hell to the southwest, and revenants teleporting in from the west. Press the switch at the southwest end to continue on. Four revenants and a baron of Hell will appear here, and Hell knights will be on the platforms to the west. Get rid of them and carefully traverse the platforms northwest until you reach the door. Open the door and get rid of the Hell knights, revenants, and three mancubi inside. Note the blood pit at the south end and be careful not to fall in it. Go to the northwest corner for a soul sphere and a switch. Press it and you will have to fight two arch-viles that show up on the revenant platform at the northeast, revenants and cacodemons coming from the middle, and cacodemons and a pain elemental showing up from the blood pit. The next switch is east of the blood pit, raising a lift to the revenant platform and allowing you to leave the building.

Outside, you will be presented with a mini-arena with several catwalks you need to stay on to survive. Press the switch to release imps and barons of Hell. The switch reveals another one at the northeast end, which will open the way further to the west past where the barons of Hell will appear. Keep going and in the next area, press the switch to the south. A block will lower revealing a mancubus, revenants will come from a square to the west, and imps will appear in a square to the north, which is near where the next switch is. Press this one, and then go to the switch at the southeast end and press that one as well. You will lower the wall past the first switch allowing you to proceed south and west to the large building.

This building will have the plasma gun in front of a switch. Upon pressing it, be prepared to fight off revenants, Hell knights, barons of Hell, pain elementals, cacodemons, and three cyberdemons inside. A switch will eventually be accessible at the south end, to the west of a megasphere. This switch will eventually reveal one at the north end, and this switch opens the south door. Go south and then east across the catwalk. Pressing the switch will reveal a large, terraced room with revenants, chaingunners, and Hell knights on the higher ledges. The switch at the base will allow you to continue south on the catwalk from before, allowing you to head to the backside of the building. Use the switch there for a lift to the top, grab the soul sphere in the northwest corner, then drop to the center switch. After pressing it, quickly re-enter the previous building to get rid of three arch-viles and any resurrected enemies. Continue north through the open door.

Traverse the platforms going north, then head east, being mindful of the hole in the middle of the steps. At the next area, press the switch next to the steps, and prepare to fight cacodemons coming out from the boxes as well as revenants at the top of the steps who will come from a yellow square. The next switch is near this square, and it raises a lift to the east to get to a switch on top of the boxes. You will then be able to continue east on a walkway with six barons of Hell, who may have been throwing fireballs at you from earlier. The next building only has a small trap with seven chaingunners and three revenants. Press the switch and continue on to the next small building, where upon pressing the switch in the back you will have to fight three barons of Hell and a revenant surrounding a central switch. Press that and continue to the last of the small buildings. Grab the soul sphere inside and battle the arch-vile and pain elemental, then press the switch where the latter was and continue east to a larger building.

You will want to clean out this building's initial inhabitants before moving on. Grab the megasphere and deal with the nearby arch-vile, then find another in the room to the north. There is another arch-vile in the southwest corner along with a barred-off switch, and two arch-viles are inside the larger room at the south end of the building. Two cyberdemons are in the center, and two more arch-viles are just to the north from where they are. The northeast and southeast corners of the building have two arch-viles each, with the northeast corner also having a barred-off switch. Finally, enter the northwest corner to find eight arch-viles and the switch you need to press. Revenants, a cyberdemon, six arch-viles, Hell knights, and spectres will teleport all around this building, so get rid of them as you please. Go to the northeast corner and use the switch there, then go to the southwest corner and the barred-off switch here should be accessible as well. This switch will open the doors out.

Outside again, head east and press the switch near the box with the pentagrams on it to open it. Inside is a megasphere and boxes of rockets. Traverse the platforms going southeast to the next destination, where you will deal with revenants, Hell knights, and cacodemons. There are several holes here, so be careful not to fall in. Press the switch in the middle, then the one on the east end, then continue southeast across the platforms to the next big building.

Open the door to be greeted by a cyberdemon and Hell knights. Arachnotrons are further to the southeast, and revenants are further to the east. Four arch-viles are in the room to the south, and the first switch here is up the steps. After hitting it, the switch inside the room with revenants will be available, but you will also have to deal with lost souls, revenants, Hell knights, cacodemons, and two cyberdemons. Be extremely mindful of the holes scattered in this building as well. Hitting the switch in the room with revenants will cause six arch-viles to come in, as well as two cacodemons and two pain elementals on the top box in the southeast corner. The next switch you need to press is near the entrance to the building, in the northeast corner. This will open up the entrance door as well as the exit door at the northeast end of the building.

Hop the platforms going north to the next arena. Cacodemons will show up from the boxes to the west, revenants will appear at the east end with the next switch, and mancubi will be at the southeast end. The switch where the revenants come in reveals a switch where the mancubi come in, which in turn reveals a switch where the cacodemons come in. Afterwards, you can continue north, hopping the platforms, and entering the next big building.

This big building will have several inter-connected rooms and will currently have lots of revenants at the east end along with two arch-viles and two barons of Hell near the north end. The switch at the west side is guarded by two arch-viles, and upon pressing it, you will have to deal with chaingunners, mancubi, Hell knights, revenants, two cyberdemons, and three arch-viles who will teleport all around the building. The next switch is to the northeast of where you entered the building, and it will open up the northern door leading outside.

A huge gallery of imps awaits to the west, so carefully go west over the platforms getting rid of all the imps there. To progress, enter the red teleporter you see. The next teleporter you need to go is at the north end, so hug the walls until you reach it. Go north to the next teleporter, then southwest. Make note of the metal bar here as you go south again. Jump to the switch you see and use it, then backtrack to where that metal bar is. The switch raises a lift to the south, allowing you to continue westward. This area will be difficult to survive, as after you hit the switch, six arch-viles will appear, three to the north and three behind you. Keep watch of where you are going to survive. Afterwards, go southwest, past the two Hell knights and two barons of Hell, and go west all the way to the enormous building that awaits you.

The welcoming committee here consists of shotgun guys to the southeast, barons of Hell straight ahead to the west, Hell knights and revenants to the north, and imps and chaingunners to the northwest, and that is just the monsters that are on ledges. On ground floor you will find a cyberdemon to the south, three mancubi a bit to the west, and a lot of demons to the northwest near a trench with ammo in it. There is another high ledge to the west with revenants and three spider masterminds on it as well. If you go south to where the cyberdemon was, another one will be to the west, and going part of the way towards the blue door will reveal a wall in front of you with Hell knights and barons of Hell. There are pain elementals to the southeast, and behind you will be cacodemons, revenants, and four arch-viles. If you go south of the blue door, you can find revenants and four arch-viles guarding a megasphere and an energy cell pack. Remember the blue key door for later.

From the entrance, take the steps to the west to the ledge where the barons of Hell were, then go through the tunnel to the west. You need to jump to the platform with the spider masterminds, then go to the big door to the south. Open it and fight off the cacodemons and Hell knights. The inner room here contains demons and a soul sphere. When you go further ahead a huge wall of revenants shows up. Three arch-viles are to the immediate left, and no less than four spider masterminds are to the north. The switch next to the bars at the northeast does not remove the bars, but rather opens up a room near where the arch-viles were. Inside are eight arch-viles and another switch, and this one will open the bars to the northeast. Get rid of the Hell knights and barons of Hell and pick up the blue key.

Now return to the blue door and go up the steps past it. Get rid of the cyberdemon and three revenants, then go north and west. This next section has platforms over damaging blood, and you cannot escape if you fall in. Revenants are on the tops of the platforms, and on the distant ledge you can find imps, Hell knights, an arch-vile, and two spider masterminds are. Where the spider masterminds are is your next destination, but you will have to work to get there. Maneuver across the platforms going southwest until you reach a corridor of lost souls. Take this corridor to a platform with revenants and a switch, then backtrack and take the platforms going north to reach more Hell knights along with chaingunners. The switch at the end will allow you to reach the area behind where the spider masterminds were, where revenants and Hell knights will start attacking.

When you enter, the southwest corner will be revealed with pain elementals, cacodemons, and revenants behind it. Going east will open the small corridor to the west, with six arch-viles and numerous lost souls inside, but nothing else of interest. Get the megaarmor and soul sphere and hit the switch to the north. Continue east to find two arch-viles next to two switches, and also to release four revenants, a cyberdemon, eight barons of Hell, and two more arch-viles. Press both switches and return to where the spider masterminds were. The door to the west will be open.

In the room past the door, go north into the next room, but backtrack to face cacodemons and two arch-viles. Afterwards, go back north to face six pain elementals. You will find a switch where they came from, opening the room to the south with two more pain elementals and seven cacodemons. The switch here lowers the northwest wall with two arch-viles and two cacodemons, as well as the east wall with a cyberdemon and four barons of Hell. Press the switch at the east wall and take the north corridor to find an arch-vile, four mancubi, and a switch. After using this one, go back south through the previous two rooms and then east to a previously-barred area. To the south are two cyberdemons to the west, six revenants and two arch-viles further to the west along with a switch, and eight pain elementals to the east. Use the switch in this area, backtrack to the previous room, and you will be able to continue west. To the south are more platforms with revenants, while barons of Hell are on a platform to the west. Traverse the platforms south, but look back north to spot two mancubi and eight cacodemons coming in. Enter the corridors and find the southwest room with three arch-viles, then head north from there to where the barons of Hell were. Use the switch here to open the west door.

The next area is massive and will have numerous connecting catwalks for you to traverse. First things first, get the soul sphere to the south of the entrance and get the BFG9000 all the way to the southwest. There are two megaspheres in the northeast room as well. Enter the middle section and press the switch to proceed. A cyberdemon will be in the northeast room, and hordes of cacodemons will show up to the southwest and north, while pain elementals appear to the northwest. The next switch is near the southwest cacodemon spawn point, and the switch following that is at the north cacodemon spawn point. After you get these two switches go to the northwest where the pain elementals spawned to continue. Take the long passage up and take the sets of steps up to appear back outside.

You will be hopping platforms again, do so to reach the next platform where imps will spawn in. Get rid of them, press the switch, and continue eastward. You will fight several revenants on several platforms next, do so and reach the next big building. Open the door and scout the area, taking note of the barred-off switch to the left and the small trenches with supplies in them as well as other supplies scattered in the outside sections and the interior rooms. A lone cyberdemon is all the way to the north from the building entrance, and the yellow key is at the northeast end of the building. The yellow door is at the east end. A megasphere is at the outdoor portion along with several round lava holes which you should avoid. Another megasphere is to the southeast, and if you climb the steps, you will see a barred-off switch in a room.

This barred-off switch becomes accessible after pressing the first switch here, which is located at the north end of the building in a separate room. There are two large, round lava holes nearby too, so make note of these so you will not fall in. Get ready to battle once you press it. Lost souls, pain elementals, and cacodemons will emerge from the round lava holes, with some cacodemons showing up at the west end of the building. East of the round lava hole nearest the switch will be a spawn point where revenants, Hell knights, and barons of Hell will come in. A cyberdemon will come in to the room with the previously barred-off switch mentioned in the last paragraph. Press this switch, then the one near the entrance, and you will finally get the yellow key.

Continue east past the yellow door picking up supplies on the platforms. You will confront a horde of revenants who will be going up the steps, so use the wall for cover as you get rid of them. Go northeast, then look south for a switch. Afterwards, wrap around to the other side to find another switch, then go back and south to the next platform. Grab the megasphere on the next platform and keep heading south to the large, round building. Inside is a soul sphere at the center and a switch at the east end. You will have to fight lots of barons of Hell inside this circular structure. When it is available, press the switch at the north end, then the one at the south end to leave. Use the lift to go up, then go clockwise around the building, then northeast. You will now be at the entrance to the final building.

Right at the entrance, you will find lots of Hell knights and mancubi waiting for you, some of which may have already starting firing at you well before you entered the building. Most of the enemies are on the high ledges, which include some revenants at the northeast. These enemies can take the steps down to attack. There are three cyberdemons at the top of some big steps to the north, but refrain from going up these steps until you are ready.

When you are ready, you can go up these big steps, or you can alternatively go to the northwest and go up these steps or use the lift to go up to the higher floor. Whichever way you use to get to the top floor, you will have to contend with the final batch of enemies. To the northeast are four spider masterminds, and west from their location you will find lots of Hell knights and barons of Hell. You will find the red key to the east, guarded by lots of revenants and two arch-viles. All the while, monsters will teleport all around this building, including more revenants, barons of Hell, pain elementals, cacodemons, seven arch-viles, and eight cyberdemons. This final battle will be excruciatingly difficult, so keep enemies confined (particularly the flying monsters) and use monster infighting as much as you can. Be sure not to fall into any blood pits with skulls around them, as there is no way to escape from them (the exceptions are the blood pit near the entrance, the one north of it with the megasphere, and another one to the southwest with two energy cell packs in them, these you can escape from). An escape teleporter is in the southeast room with three blood pits, taking you to the base of the big steps in case you need to get away from surrounding enemies.

In order to get the red key, you must find the first switch which is at the northern end of the building, in the area where the Hell knights and barons of Hell emerge from. After you use that switch, the next one is far to the southwest, near the blood pit close to the entrance. The last switch is next to the red door at the north end that the spider masterminds were guarding. After you use this switch, the red key will have lowered. Grab it and use it on the red key door, then follow the path all the way to the exit.

Secrets
There are no official secrets on this map.

Speedrunning
As this level does not contain official secrets, the NM 100S category is redundant.

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 April 4, 2022.

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