E4M3: Ravine of the Damned (Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder)

E4M3: Ravine of the Damned is the third map of Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder. It was designed by Matt Powell (cannonball) and uses the music track "Ded", originally composed by Kevin Schilder for Heretic.

Essentials
Follow the path to a marble brick building which is guarded by imps and demons, along with a cacodemon and two lost souls to the north. Go inside the building and press the gargoyle switch to lower two pillars holding a shotgun and a chaingun, and open a metal wall to the north revealing one or more shotgun guys. Step past this wall and drop down a hole to land in a wooden room containing a few zombies, then continue north through a doorway to reach the ravine - this area is heavily guarded so kill as many enemies as possible from this location while using the marble walls as cover. Follow the path east over a damaging blood stream until you get to the very end, then turn right to go through a metal archway.

Head south down the steps to a room with a wooden block in the ceiling, then proceed east through a junction with a wooden column until you drop down a hole. Kill the approaching spectre then continue east to three white pillars that you can step across to reach an opening in the wall on the other side. Press the gargoyle switch on your right to lower a lift, then get off at the bottom floor and follow the tunnel past some imps to a large blood pool containing the red skull key, which is placed between the two eastern blood-falls - kill all the enemies you can see, drop into the blood (which is damaging) to get the key then run south to some red skull bars that you can open to return to dry land.

Press the gargoyle switch in front of you to lower a lift and ride this up, enter the next room then go up some gray steps to a ledge. Walk left at this point to find another set of steps leading up to the blue skull key, but use caution - as soon as you walk between the second pair of red columns a monster closet containing shotgun guys will open on your left (plus two barons of Hell on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare skill levels), and if you do not step back immediately at this point a barrier will shut behind you. Once the path is clear, get the blue key and kill the cacodemons ahead then drop into the pit below to dispose of some imps and demons; after clearing the pit, press the gargoyle switch in the south-west corner to lower a lift so you can get out.

Head north-west and north up two sets of steps to get back to the ravine, then follow the path all the way west until you pass a vine-covered building (it contains a radiation shielding suit which is recommended for the next section) and reach a blue key door. Open the door and kill a waiting spectre (on Hurt Me Plenty or higher) then press the gargoyle switch on your right to lower a lift which leads to the top of the blood-fall at the west side of the map. Kill the imps ahead and go forward to a cavern with demons and shotgun guys, then turn right to reach the north side of the ravine; drop to the ledge below then fight your way east until you reach some steps leading up to a wooden platform with red torches on either side. Go up the steps and open the red key door at the top, kill one or two approaching spectres then equip a strong weapon before entering the next room; the door will close behind you and a wall ahead will open to reveal four more spectres along with some barons. Kill them all then dispose of one more baron at the top of some steps to your left, press the gargoyle switch at the top to raise another set of steps behind you then go up and follow the path north until you reach a green door. Open it and press the skull switch on your right to finish the level.

Other points of interest
When taking the lift down to the red key area, get off at the middle floor and head north-east to a marble room with three alcoves that contain a berserk pack, a plasma gun and a megaarmor. Entering the middle alcove will activate crushers above all three items, and entering the north alcove will open five closets in your vicinity containing various monsters.

Secrets

 * 1) When you reach the first wooden room, look on the west side of the column to find the skull here is lit. Press on it to lower the east fire wall, finding health bonuses and a megaarmor. (sector 36)
 * 2) Go to the marble room with three alcoves and enter the north alcove, which contains a megaaarmor. Press the back wall to lower it, revealing two energy cells and a radiation suit. (sector 614)
 * 3) After taking the blue key, go along the wall to the west to the closet where the cacodemons came from, then open the wall in the back to find an energy cell pack and two boxes of rockets. (sector 567)

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 February 21, 2022.

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