E3M6: Anomaly Retribution (No End In Sight)

E3M6: Anomaly Retribution is the sixth map of the Woe episode of No End In Sight. It was designed by Emil Brundage (NaturalTvventy).

Blue key
The start of this level resembles an already-completed Phobos Anomaly; however, when you step on the exit teleporter you will be sent to a dark room containing various corpses as well as a megaarmor, a shotgun, a chaingun, a rocket launcher and other supplies. When you grab the weapons the floor will lower and reveal a doorway in the south wall; step outside to enter an arena with a large number of monsters. Go round to the north side of the arena to find two paths leading to a chaingun and rocket launcher, then head east or west respectively into a dark chamber with lava and climb the steps up to some imps. Head east along a path blocked by barons of Hell, imps and zombies until you see a staircase on your left leading down to a red flesh platform. Head east across a bridge and push past some cacodemons to a teleporter.

You will arrive on a small platform with one to three more cacodemons in front of you; kill them and step on another teleporter, then go down some steps and open a wooden door on your right to enter a maze populated by many monsters - watch out for ambushes as you proceed. Follow the passage to the center of the maze to find four trails of gore leading away from it. Follow the south-west trail first until you reach an alcove containing a health bonus and, on I'm Too Young To Die (ITYTD) and Hey Not Too Rough (HNTR) skill levels, a blue skull key. Watch out for some zombies that are released behind you when you enter the alcove.
 * On Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) skill level or higher, the blue key will be elsewhere in the maze. After taking the health bonus in the west side of the maze, go back to the center and follow another trail of gore north-west to a second alcove with a health bonus. Enter this alcove then fight your way back to the center and follow a third trail of gore east until you reach another alcove with a health bonus. Take the item then go back to the center and follow a fourth trail of gore south to find the blue key (on ITYTD and HNTR, this alcove will contain a supercharge instead).

Red key
After getting the blue key, return to the maze entrance and use the teleporter to return to the flesh platform. Go back up to the path around the central arena and follow it round to the south-west side, where you will find a doorway blocked by a blue skull barrier; open it using the blue key then follow the stairs down to a walkway leading to a yellow flesh platform with a teleporter that is guarded by some imps and a baron. Approach the teleporter and push past one to three more barons that appear in front of you, then step on the teleporter to reach a tower surrounded by eight "spokes" - the yellow skull key is at the top of this tower. Shoot the eye switch directly in front of you to raise a bridge leading into the tower, then walk along it and step across to a second bridge on your right which leads to a candle.

Approach the candle to be teleported to a small arena with a lava pool in the center. Follow the walkway around the lava to an eye switch and press it to lower a teleporter which will return you to the tower of eye switches - as before, shoot the switch ahead of you to raise a bridge then cross it and step left to another candle which will teleport you to a circular cavern that has an eye-shaped structure in the center holding two supercharges and a megaarmor. There are four red skull keys inside the cavern that must all be collected to leave the area - each time you find a key, closets containing monsters will open around you.
 * From the starting point, enter a passage on your right and follow it round until you find a shotgun guy guarding the first key.
 * Retrace your steps to reach the center of the cavern then climb up some steps which have risen to the second floor. Turn left and follow the passage, ignoring any turnings, until you are forced to turn left to find the second key.
 * Backtrack to the center of the cavern, where another set of steps leading up to the third floor have appeared. Enter the third-floor passage and turn right, then follow the passage over two pits to the third key.
 * Head clockwise around the cavern (avoid stepping in the blood as it is damaging) to return to the center, then climb all the way up the stairs to the fourth floor - there is only one path to follow, which will lead you over three pits to the final key. After taking the fourth key, return to the center of the cavern and step on the teleporter in the middle of the eye to return to the yellow flesh platform.

Yellow key
Go back up to the path around the central arena and follow it round to the south-west side, where you will find a doorway blocked by a red skull barrier; open it and go down the stairs to find another teleporter guarded by a few enemies. Step on the teleporter to be placed on a platform above the small arena you walked through earlier - drop to the red ledge below then carefully step north across some platforms until you reach a dark fenced area. Step into this area then drop down a hole and head north to a teleporter which will put you on the south-west spoke of the eye tower - as before, shoot the eye switch directly ahead to raise a bridge, cross it then step right to another bridge leading to a candle teleporter.

You will find yourself on a ledge on the east side of the small arena - follow the ledge to a teleporter leading back to the eye tower, shoot the switch ahead to raise the bridges again then step across to the east spoke where one or more barons are guarding the final candle teleporter, which will send you to an arena with several false walls; take the megaarmor in front of you (and supercharge on HMP or lower), kill any monsters that emerge from behind the false walls then head north until you see a green star on the floor (as well as an invulnerability on ITYTD and HNTR). A cyberdemon will teleport in - kill it, then go back to the south side of the arena to find a skull switch that will lower a lift by the green star. Step past the lift to find a teleporter that will send you to the top of the eye tower, where you can find a BFG9000 and the yellow skull key.

Exit
Drop to the ground and step into the teleporter here, then return to the central arena and go round to the north side - at the top of the steps you climbed early in the level is a lift that will take you down to a large star-shaped structure surrounded by lava, along with a cyberdemon on HMP or two on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare skill levels. You can press a skull switch at the north end of a narrow walkway that will lower some lifts and allow you to get on top of the star; alternatively, you can simply run through the lava, collecting a radiation shielding suit, a berserk pack and an invulnerability on the way, to the north point of the star to find a dark passage. Follow the passage past some imps and lost souls to a yellow key door, open it to reveal the exit and step on the white teleporter behind this door to finish the level.

Other points of interest
An invulnerability pickup can be found at the south side of the central arena on ITYTD and HNTR. If you climb on to the path around this arena and go to the south side, you will find a skull switch that lowers a lift with a plasma gun.

Secrets

 * 1) Inside the bloody maze area where you get the blue key, after picking up the health bonus on the eastern side of the maze, go back to the center of the maze and go north-west, but do not follow the trail of gore north-west. Instead, take the path to the right and there will be an opening here with a berserk pack and a light amplification visor. (sector 322)
 * 2) Follow the path past the red bars to the teleporter and you will wind up in the south-east section of the level. Enter it and jump off to the north, then maneuver around to the north side of the structure. Face south and flip the switch here to raise the ceiling, which reveals powerups in the middle. There are two supercharges and an invulnerability stacked on this platform. (sector 6)
 * 3) At the south-western section of the level with the fake walls, the switch at the south end reveals the teleport out of this place, but the wall also rises up after a few seconds. Hit the switch, then go to where the wall is, riding it up. Then go right for a computer area map. (sector 469)
 * 4) At the star-shaped area in the northern part of the level is a cage with barons in the center. Fall into the lava around this cage and head for the south-east end of the cage to see a piece of a teleporter jutting out. Step onto it to teleport into the cage itself. You can find a radiation suit, a supercharge, a megaarmor and some energy cells and energy cell packs. Grabbing the BFG9000 in the middle wakes up some cacodemons, and the unlit gargoyle switch allows you to leave. (sector 377)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doomed Speed Demos Archive are:

Miscellaneous demos
This information was last verified in its entirety on August 15, 2021.

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

Trivia

 * The first part of this level looks like Doom's, but it has been extended, hinted at by the fact that there are dead pinkies, no barrels, the soulsphere secret is empty, the walls at the end are already lowered and the staircase to the "exit" is raised.
 * In this level the blue key appears in different locations depending on skill level. This mechanic is also used in Doom's, which occupies the same map slot.