MAP18: The Singing Void (Sunder)

MAP18: The Singing Void is the eighteenth map of Sunder. It was designed by Insane_Gazebo and uses the music track "Plasma," originally composed by Lee Jackson for Duke Nukem 3D.

Essentials
Shoot the switch to begin. Head towards the building and grab the super shotgun, backpack, and megasphere before entering. Now enter and drop down to be greeted by imps. A revenant is to the east, and a cyberdemon will be far to the northwest on a rising and lowering platform. As always, you do not want to fall into the void below. Traverse the platforms to find another revenant behind the crates. You will need to clamber up these crates from the south end, and then keep traversing the platforms and climbing the tiny steps up, being mindful of the cyberdemon's rockets as you go along, so move quickly. When you find a switch, use it to take a lift up, then up the next set of steps is another lift switch. The switch at the top will remove barricades that block the platforms going north, and the teleporter will take you back to where you started.

Now continue northward and get the rocket launcher along the way, moving along the path and avoiding the cyberdemon's rockets. Grab the plasma gun at the east end of the next area and use the switch to the south. You will find several revenants, Hell knights, and an arch-vile on the boxes here, while two cyberdemons teleport into the area. You will want to press the switch at the base of the box near where the arch-vile is to lower a lift up to another switch. This will open up the way further to the north, where six barons of Hell are teleporting to. Here is a hub region, where you can go to three different paths to get the three keys. Note that the north path also leads to the three-key switch. Also use the northeast teleporter here to telefrag the cyberdemon from earlier.

Red key path:

Take the right path and go all the way northeast to the switch, being mindful of each gap as you go. Turn around after flipping that switch to fight various enemies on the blocks. Go back the way you came for the next switch, then go back northeast to reach the next area. Follow the trail of hexagons to reach an interior area. You will have to fight the incredibly tough hive mother enemies in this area, four of which are currently in the room. Press the switch on the left side of the room to reveal two arch-viles to the south and another switch. Use that switch to open up the east area, where you will have to jump in to the middle from above to reach the next switch. After pressing this switch, follow the teleporting imps as you go up. You will eventually fight revenants and an arch-vile at the entrance. Back at the bigger honeycomb room, another switch is at the southwest, allowing you to continue westward.

Grab the health bonuses, soul sphere, and megaarmor ahead, then press on the terminal in front of you. An arch-vile will teleport behind, to the north will be four barons of Hell and two cyberdemons, and to the south will be nine hive mothers. Once you deal with them, there is a terminal to the southeast you can use, which in turn allows you to access a terminal to the northeast. You can then continue southwest.

Here is the hardest challenge of this area. Take note of the supplies here, including the green armor, megasphere, and soul sphere, before pressing the switch. The switch will reveal the red key, but will also cause Hell knights and cacodemons to teleport to the north, six arch-viles to teleport onto a hexagon further to the north, and no less than twenty-four hive mothers will come from the south end. Try to get the enemies to infight, the hive mothers will likely make short work of everything else, but try not to get surrounded here. When done, make sure to get the key, then head to the south end and use the terminal, then go to the north end and use the terminal there. The teleporter will take you back to the hub, and you can then choose your next destination. You will not have to deal with any hive mother enemies anymore at this point.

Yellow key path:

Take the west path from the hub, following the platforms all the way to the next building, then onto the crates to the building after that. Enter the building and scout the area, but do not go up the steps until you are ready. Note that you will not fall into the pits here, so do not worry. There are alcoves to the north and east with skulls in them. These will have arch-viles pouring out from them. The pedestal that says "PRESS TO ALERT THE GUARD" will have three switches in front of it, and each switch will release a cyberdemon onto the pedestal. Another switch is present next to a crate saying "CONTAINS 1 X CYBER" which of course means that it contains a cyberdemon. When you are ready, go up the steps and press the switch at the top. Three towers will have arachnotrons in them, the southernmost compartment will have Hell knights and barons of Hell coming out, the westernmost compartment will have revenants pouring out, the eastern compartment will have cacodemons and three pain elementals coming out, and the three arch-viles will emerge from the skull walls. You will want to have released the cyberdemons at this point to help with monster infighting. When done, enter the southern compartment and use the switch, then go to the east compartment and use the switch inside. Then go back to the southern compartment to find a switch (which opens the bars out if you want to head back) and a corridor.

As the ceiling states, you will have to run, because once you get past that sign, the wall behind you will reveal sixteen arch-viles. These arch-viles will not only try to attack you, but will try to ambush you at certain points, so move quickly. Move east, south, east, past the revenant, north, getting past the revenant if you can, east, north (you will have to kill this revenant as it is directly in your path), south (dodging these three revenants), west, south all the way (get rid of the revenant in your way here), west (two revenants in front of you here), and south to the switch. This will open the north wall. The area to the north is a nice sanctuary with a megasphere and ammo, but note that the other walls around it will be lowered, which will allow any enemies to converge here. Take the teleporter to be taken to the area where the arch-viles came from, then use the switch here. Now go back to that first switch that you pressed and you will find another one leading to a room with a megasphere and ammo.

The next area is a small village, and like before, there are crates that contain cyberdemons in them, which should be used wisely for the next battle. Get the supplies if needed and press the switch on the gallows to the east of the fountain to proceed. The crate next to you will lower, revealing a cyberdemon, while another crate at the northeast end will also contain a cyberdemon and the next switch. In the meantime, you will have to deal with the teleporting hordes, consisting of revenants, Hell knights, barons of Hell, cacodemons, an arch-vile, and imps. When ready, hit the switch to the northeast, then quickly head northwest to deal with the two arch-viles. Use the switch there and go to the southwest end to find two more arch-viles and another switch. This switch opens the way southward.

This is the final room of the yellow key path. Straight ahead on the thrones you will find the yellow key and a megasphere, so pick them up. There are three crates here with cyberdemons in them, which as always should be used wisely against the monsters that will appear. Press on the switch between the thrones. To the northwest and southeast you will see cacodemons come pouring out, while revenants and Hell knights will teleport all around. The two small cages will have a revenant in them, but killing that revenant teleports an arch-vile in. Try not to get surrounded here. When you are done, go to the northeast corner and use the lift, then go up the steps to the west, grab the soul sphere, and flip the switch. Quickly head back down to deal with four arch-viles in the room and a cyberdemon near the thrones. Then go to the northwest corner, use the lift, take the steps to the east, get the green armor if needed, and flip the switch here. You can then use the teleporter to the right of the thrones to get back to the hub. You can then choose your next destination.

Blue key path:

Take the north path, and go northwest (going northeast will lead to the three-key switch) going across the platforms until you reach a large room. Drop down, and do not worry about falling into the sludge below, you will go over it. Take notice of the supplies here, you are in for a rough fight. To the northeast you can find a soul sphere and a megaarmor if you go up the steps. Near the start of those steps, you will find another set of steps, which leads up to a megasphere and the next terminal. You really do need to be prepared for this one. Once you use the terminal, walls will lower while revenants and Hell knights teleport in to the orange squares at the northwest and southwest. At the northeast end where the soul sphere and megaarmor are, revenants will teleport into the separate cages, while arch-viles show up at the outer cage. Nine cyberdemons will emerge from the east walls, while revenants, Hell knights, and barons of Hell show up in the southwest corner. More of those enemies along with two arch-viles and twelve cacodemons are in the large compartment to the north. When you clear out everything, the switch is in this compartment. Afterwards, head to the southwest compartment and use the switch there, then head westward.

Head to the northwest and use the terminal next to the soul sphere. Imps will teleport into this small area, and two arch-viles will come from the southeast corner with another switch that opens the path past the terminal. While fighting the imps here, watch out for a surprise arch-vile that shows up at each of the spawn points. When done, take the path north, west, and south past the television screens to the next area. Fall down and scout the area to get a feel for it. Note that there is a big sludge pit near the west wall at the middle of the area, which you will want to avoid when fighting the enemies here. There is another pit near the southeast part of the room.

When you are ready, the terminal is at the north end; you can take any of the steps to reach it. Hell knights and barons of Hell will teleport all around, with some of them teleporting to the opposite end should they touch the orange lines in the middle of the area. Arch-viles will teleport into the cage at the northeast end, while pain elementals will show up in a wall on the left side, along with revenants behind a cage. At the south end a wall to the south will have revenants teleport onto it, and to the west will be eight cyberdemons and a soul sphere. To the southeast will be lots of Hell knights and barons of Hell who will join the teleporting ones by crossing the bridges over the sludge pit, and three arch-viles stay behind here. Past the western sludge pit are two arch-viles. When finished fighting, the next terminal is past the southeast sludge pit, which unlocks a terminal past the western sludge pit. After using that terminal, go back across the southeast sludge pit and get rid of the two arch-viles in front of the next switch. This switch allows you to continue north to the final room of this path.

This final room will be an all-out fight. There are five cyberdemons in a room to the northwest who will shoot rockets, but you cannot reach them yet. To the southeast, if you climb the steps, you will find an invulnerability, which you will want to save. Up the northeast steps is a megasphere and the next terminal. Press it and the wall will lower. To the north is the path leading to a terminal that will free the cyberdemons. While you can shoot them here, if you let them follow you north, they will teleport into the bigger room, which can come in handy if you want them to infight with any monsters you may have kept alive. To the east, the wall reveals Hell knights and barons of Hell. To the south, the wall reveals the same thing plus cacodemons. To the west will be lots of demons plus four arch-viles. The next terminal is in here. Use it and go to the east compartment and use that terminal before going north. Back in the cyberdemon room, the west corridor is now accessible. Follow this path, across the blocks, and you will reach the blue key and a teleporter back to the hub. If you have been following this walkthrough up to this point, you should have all three keys now. Otherwise, go back to a previous section and get the remaining keys.

Exit:

With all three keys, head north and northeast at the fork. Use the three key switch, and the wall to the west will lower. Follow the path north. You will go up some invisible steps all the way to the exit.

Secrets
There are no official secrets on this map.

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

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