MAP12: Altar Of Pain (Doom 64)

MAP12: Altar Of Pain is the twelfth map of Doom 64 and has the secret exit to MAP30: The Lair. It is designed by Tim Heydelaar and uses the music track "Lamentation Of The Forgotten".

Walkthrough
Player starts off being dropped into a shallow blood moat which surrounds a large fortress-like structure with elevated walkways, pavilions, alcoves, corridors, and spur alleyways. Additionally, a very tall stone wall encapsulates the map which has imps and mancubi positioned atop on patrol. The sky is dark and stormy, and immediately after appearing, the player has imps and a cacodemon attacking him. As the player makes his campaign of death around the moat, he alerts many more demons including pinkies, hell knights on the elevated walkways, and barons on the upper tiers of the fortress. After taking out these initial swarms, he heads back to near where he started, and heads into an entrance hall where he encounters one last baron before taking the teleportal to the front of the red door that will eventually take him inside the fortress.

Steps down the edge of the walkway from the red door lead down into a spur alleyway which is occupied by imps, pinkies, and a cacodemon along with imps that appear from each end of the walkway that goes around the lower tier of the fortress. Towards the left of the spur alleyway is an area where the blue skull key is stored, but two small pylons with rotating demonic artistry block the player from reaching the key. To make these pylons retract into the floor, the player must activate the switch located on the far section of the walkway located in front of a stone platform with a soulsphere resting on it. The player will have to battle more imps, and avoid the fireballs thrown by hellknights and barons while making his way to the switch. After the switch is activated, the player can now access the blue skull key and then head for the blue door located around the left corner from the red door.

Inside the blue door is a narrow, tight, green corridor system that is occupied by three hellknights. Go past the yellow door, kill the last hellknight, and head into the dead end until you hear a wall open up in the corridor you just passed. There will be an armor pickup and a switch behind it, which causes steps to form in the dead end you were just in, revealing a plasma gun and another switch that drops down directly in front of you. This switch retracts the bars that blocks the elevators from access to you that take you to the top tier of the fortress where the barons you avoided before lurk. As you make your way around the top tier, be aware of any hellknights, imps, or mancubi remaining on the outer walls and walkways that can still fire their projectiles at you, along with dispatching the barons on the top tier as well. On each end of the tier are two switches. They activate staircases and open up walls which allow you to traverse a section of the elevated walkway. At each end of the walkway are switches which raise the staircase leading up to the red door and open another section of the elevated walkway on the other side of the fortress. In the middle of this section is a switch that lowers an elevator that takes you into a confined area where the red skull key is found. Kill the imps and any monsters outside the window, collect the key and head for the red door.

Through the red door is the chamber where the alter of pain is located. In front of the altar is a large pentigram star that flashes on the floor. In addition, there are five barons which lurk inside that need to be taken out. Killing them will cause a switch to raise from the floor in front of the altar which opens a window and reveals the yellow skull key is accessible. On the altar itself lies the legendary unmaker, a mysterious weapon of demonic origin which uses energy rounds as ammunition. Picking up the unmaker triggers the appearence of two more barons which need to be dealt with before exiting the chamber.

Head back to the top tier of the fortress and pick up the yellow skull key. Then make your way to the yellow door which is located in the tight green narrow corridor beyond the blue door. Beyond the yellow door is a short, open ended section of the elevated walkway that leads toward a pavilion that houses the exit switch. To get there, activate the switch at the edge which raises a small platform that allows you to jump into the pavilion. The corridor in the pavilion is dimply lit and a hellknight lurks around the corner. Take it out and then you can see the exit switch, however as you approach it, it will become barred off and the lights will shut off. A wall will open up and another hellknight will ambush you. Take him out and the lights will come back on and the bars in front of the exit switch will retract and you can hit the switch and end the map.