E3M9: Pit of Nightmares (Doom: Damnation)

E3M9: Pit of Nightmares is the ninth and secret map in the third episode of Doom: Damnation. It was designed by Ofisil and uses the music track "Awaken". The par time defined in the DEHACKED lump is 4:20.

Essentials
This level is comprised of sections of levels from episodes one and two, which have been given a hellish twist.

Blue key
From the start, step into the white teleporter on your right to reach an area resembling E1M1, go through the door in front of you then turn right to go up some steps leading into a wide passage. Turn right at the first junction and you will come to another junction - do not turn left as you will be teleported elsewhere, but go straight on and head round the corner to find some shotgun guys around a silver piston. Go round the piston and step on the red teleporter pad to get past the teleport trap, then head north to some steps leading down to a circle of candles that will teleport you to an area resembling E1M2. Head down the steps on your left to the bottom and go round the corner to find a skull wall, kill the monsters that teleport in then approach the wall to be teleported to its other side. Kill two imps ahead and approach another skull wall with a medikit in front of it, which will lower a wall behind you revealing a candle teleporter leading to the area resembling E1M3.

Head forward and go up the steps on your left, go through the wall that lowers in front of you and head straight forward to a green door. The floor will lower as you approach the door, dropping you into a room with imps and shotgun guys; kill them then enter the ring of candles to reach the area resembling E1M4. Go forward and kill the demons blocking the stairs on your right, descend them to reach an outdoor area with shotgun guys then take the backpack which is surrounded by pools of blood. A platform will rise behind you - press the skull switch on the section of east wall that is jutting out to lower the platform, kill the imps and baron of Hell that are standing on it then ride the platform and enter the north-west passage to find a ring of candles that will teleport you to an area resembling E1M5.

Turn left or right then head west down some large steps to a doorway with a lava pool behind it. Kill the imp blocking the doorway (or cacodemon on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare skill levels) then take a radiation shielding suit and follow the trail of health bonuses to a button. Pressing the button will lower three walls behind you revealing cacodemons and shotgun guys - kill them then step through the walls to a ring of candles that will teleport you to a room resembling the barrel hall from E1M6. Walk straight forward (some crushers will activate on either side of you) until you reach a chaingun; the door in front of you will open to reveal a cyberdemon surrounded by barons. Let them fight each other then kill the survivors and enter their chamber to find an unlit skull switch, which will lower a barrier in the west wall revealing a candle teleporter leading to the area resembling the start of E1M7.

Open the door in front of you then go straight forward to find the blue skull key. Go up either set of steps to your left or right, then head east into a dark tunnel that will teleport you back to the starting room.

Yellow key
From the star, step into the white teleporter on your left to reach an area resembling E2M1. Head straight forward to a wooden door which will open automatically, then continue through two more doors until you reach a room with a skull switch inside a lava pool. Press the switch to lower the platform it is attached to, pick up the supercharge behind the platform, then stand on the platform and jump out of the pit once it rises again. Go back to the room where you first teleported in to find that the east door has opened to reveal a baron; go past it and climb some steps to find a patch of sky that will teleport you to an area resembling E2M2. Press the skull switch in the north-west corner then quickly head west through the "exit" door and north to a pair of blue staircases guarded by zombiemen and imps. Go up either staircase and head north through a door before it closes. The sky teleporter behind this door will send you to an area resembling the east side of E2M3.

Head straight forward and follow the passage to a blood-filled storage room, then head north (collecting a berserk pack on the way) until you reach a marble tunnel which has one or more barons hiding in its alcoves. Head forward to confront some shotgun guys then enter the sky teleporter on the top step to reach an area resembling the starting room from E2M4. Take the backpacks either side of you then leave the room through the south doorway, before heading west and south past a staircase - remember this for later. Continue heading south until you climb a staircase to a room with a cage then press the gargoyle faces in the north-west and south-east corners; kill the monsters that are released, then go back to the staircase room and climb the steps - most of the bars have lowered allowing you to reach a sky teleporter leading to the exit area of E2M5. Take the BFG9000 in front of you then head straight forward until you reach a teleporter leading to the volcano from E2M6.

Collect one of the nearby radiation suits then follow the white ledge south to a plasma gun sitting on a white teleporter pad; you will be teleported to the lava pit below which contains a spiderdemon. Kill it with the BFG you just collected, then climb the steps by the east wall to reach the final sky teleporter leading to the exit area of E2M7: The Legion (Doom: Damnation); you will telefrag a cyberdemon as you enter. Take the yellow skull key in the middle of the room then head north into a dark tunnel that will teleport you back to the starting room.

Exit
With both keys, return to the starting room and flip both switches. You will open two chambers that each contain six backpacks, a megaarmor and a supercharge, as well as two walls at the north end of the room - step past these walls and flip the switch directly in front of you to finish the level.

Other points of interest
After reaching the E1M3 area, head forward and go down some steps on your right to find a chainsaw guarded by a lost soul.

When you enter the E2M2 area, head east into the neighboring room and follow the passage round to some shotgun guys guarding a door. Open the door to find a rocket launcher.

Secrets

 * 1) In the area that resembles E1M1, before stepping on the red teleporter, follow the trail of blood in this room to the north-west wall. Open it to find a berserk pack. (sector 124)
 * 2) In the area that resembles E1M2, when you reach the teleporter with five candles, head through the wall north-west of it to get a supercharge. (sector 157)
 * 3) In the area based off of E1M3, open one of the satyr faces to see into the room below. Shoot the switch at the back of the room to open the door, then once inside, use the wall in the north-west corner that is damaged. This lowers the stack of brown crates in the hall, revealing a megaarmor. (sector 224)
 * 4) In the area that resembles the central part of E1M4, collect the backpack to raise the bridge, then lower it and ride it up. Get to the south end of the bridge, face south, and shoot the skull eyes here. Fall off the bridge to the north and enter the small compartment to get a rocket launcher. (sector 283)
 * 5) In the area resembling the western part of E1M5, press the switch in the lava, then quickly run all the way east past the lowered walls to the teleporter with candles, but do not enter the teleporter. Instead, touch the north-east corner (this will cause a wall to lower to the north), then touch the north-west corner to teleport to the start of this area. Quickly run north-west and north into the compartment to get an invulnerability. (sector 369)
 * 6) In the hall resembling the hall with barrels from E1M6, go to the north-east corner, where stepping on a brick that juts out lowers the corner and reveals a plasma gun. (sector 439)
 * 7) In the area based off of E2M1, head all the way to the west side and use the lift in the lava. Ride it up and face north. Shoot at the tiny skull switch recessed into the north wall, then leave the room and head south to find an open compartment with backpacks and a megaarmor. (sector 538)
 * 8) In the area that looks like the south-east part of E2M3, flip the switch at the south end, then re-enter the teleporter back to the section of E2M2. Head all the way south to pick up a supercharge. (sector 661)
 * 9) In the E2M3 section, once you find the crates, head to the south-west side and use the single crate there to find a teleporter. This takes you to an invulnerability. (sector 594)
 * 10) In the area that resembles E2M4, climb the steps to the caged teleporter and go through the cage at the south side to teleport to a supercharge. (sector 684)
 * 11) In the area that resembles the main volcano of E2M6, fall into the lava at the north-east and go through the wall to get an invulnerability and energy cell packs. (sector 772)

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

Player spawns
This level contains thirty-three spawn points:
 * 1) facing south. (thing 31)
 * 2) facing north-west. (thing 82)
 * 3) facing east. (thing 83)
 * 4) facing south-west. (thing 84)
 * 5) facing north-east. (thing 86)
 * 6) facing south-west. (thing 103)
 * 7) facing south. (thing 104)
 * 8) facing south-east. (thing 105)
 * 9) facing north-west. (thing 147)
 * 10) facing south-east. (thing 190)
 * 11) facing north-east. (thing 191)
 * 12) facing north-west. (thing 192)
 * 13) facing south. (thing 214)
 * 14) facing south-west. (thing 257)
 * 15) facing north-west. (thing 260)
 * 16) facing south. (thing 401)
 * 17) facing east. (thing 402)
 * 18) facing north-west. (thing 403)
 * 19) facing north-west. (thing 404)
 * 20) facing east. (thing 405)
 * 21) facing south. (thing 406)
 * 22) facing south-west. (thing 491)
 * 23) facing north. (thing 494)
 * 24) facing north-west. (thing 506)
 * 25) facing north-east. (thing 525)
 * 26) facing south. (thing 526)
 * 27) facing south-east. (thing 527)
 * 28) facing south-east. (thing 620)
 * 29) facing east. (thing 621)
 * 30) facing west. (thing 622)
 * 31) facing west. (thing 673)
 * 32) facing south-east. (thing 674)
 * 33) facing south-east. (thing 675)

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