MAP30: Haunting Dreams (Scythe 2)

MAP30: Haunting Dreams is the thirtieth and final level of Scythe 2. It was designed by Erik Alm and uses the music track "Church of the Machine" by.

Overview
Unlike most MAP30s, which show the player down against the Icon of Sin, this attempts something different. The layout consists of a main area hub (in the style of the hell episode) packed with monsters. From there the player must, in order, visit five subsections via teleports. Each subsection is an area from one level of the previous five episodes, but with very different monsters. The player must return to the main hub area every time between areas. After clearing the fifth side area, the boss room, which is a group of afrits, becomes accessible. From there the player teleports to a harmless Icon of Sin and is killed upon its death as the game ends.

Essentials
This level is all about fighting the massive hordes of monsters as there are no real puzzles.

Once you have cleared huge outdoor area for the first time, find the one teleporter you can reach and go through. You will enter the revisit of the first (gothic) episode. Just kill the enemies, hit a switch, and teleport out. You are back in the main area. A new teleporter will be available. It takes you to the Egyptian flashback. Pass it and leave with the teleporter on the other side once again. You will need to repeat this process three more times - use the newly available teleport each time. Besides monsters, getting through the areas will be no hassle. The most you ever have to do is find an easy-to-locate switch. After you are done with the green jungle area, go to the far end of the main room and you will be able to get into a structure with afrits in it. Kill all the afrits, then use the teleporter behind them. You are now staring at the Icon of Sin. It is harmless, so just pump a shell or a rocket its way and watch the explosion, which you will die in the process of. Wait a couple of seconds for the game to end. Congratulations, you have beaten Scythe 2!

Other points of interest
As mentioned earlier, each of the five main teleports leads to a cut and pasted area from one of the first five chapters of the megawad. They are from MAP05, MAP08, MAP12, MAP18, and MAP24; there is no way to revisit a level from the sixth episode but the main area of the map has the same theme. Architecturally there is virtually no change to the areas except there is always a red sky. Monster placement is what has changed, and you will find yourself in a slaughter of some type each time.

Secrets

 * 1) Go up the steps to the portal that is first on the right (on the map). Go along the red rocks as you do so and around to the backside of the portal to find another portal guarded by a baron of Hell. Enter this portal to reach an icy secret area containing a chaingunner, two partial invisibilities, three boxes of rockets, three energy cell packs, and a megasphere. (sector 840)
 * 2) If you look to the left of your starting point, you will spot an arch leading back into the castle at your starting point. The only way to reach this opening is via arch-vile jump. When you enter this opening, go down the passage and use the lift to get a megasphere, energy cell packs, and an invulnerability. (sector 1654)
 * 3) In the Gaia's Temple area, from where you teleport, look right and open the wall where the face is to find an invulnerability. (sector 1665)

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