Chainsaw (Doom Eternal)

The chainsaw about to be used against a mancubus in a press-release screenshot.

This article is about the weapon in Doom Eternal. For other versions of this weapon, see:

• Chainsaw
• Chainsaw (Doom 3)
• Chainsaw (Doom 2016)

The chainsaw returns as a weapon in Doom Eternal, with much of its functions and appearance based on its previous counterpart from Doom (2016). It remains a limited-use "power weapon" which can be used to kill even powerful enemies quickly, so long as sufficient fuel is available. Kills made with the chainsaw reward the player with ammo drops; as ammo is much scarcer and ammo capacities are noticeably reduced compared to the previous game, it is vital to use the chainsaw regularly. It has a special key assigned to it to make it easier and quicker to use it against demons to get ammo drops. It is introduced near the start of Hell on Earth, as a mandatory pickup required for the game to continue.

The blade of the chainsaw refers to itself as the Mixom Bucktooth Dopesaw. This is a reference to Doom 3, where Mixom chainsaws had been delivered erroneously to Mars, and to the Dopefish, which is also seen as a secret in the polar Cultist Base level.

Tactical analysis

Like in Doom (2016), the chainsaw instantly kills enemies it is used against but requires fuel to be used. It causes slain monsters to drop large quantities of ammo, so it is a key part of the basic combat loop in Doom Eternal alongside glory kills and the flame belch.

In some contexts killing a demon with the chainsaw counts as a glory kill, but in others it does not. For example, the chainsaw will activate the Blood Fueled rune but will not recharge the Sentinel Hammer.

Unlike Doom (2016), pressing the chainsaw key will not pull out the weapon like any other one, but rather immediately perform an attack, similar to grenades. This can be activated from a deceptively long range, flinging the player towards the target. The only exception to this is when there is no ammo remaining for any other weapon, then the chainsaw will automatically be equipped and will perform an attack by pressing the regular fire button.

Fuel usage

The chainsaw now has a maximum of three fuel units, with one always recharging on its own. This makes it possible to regularly use the chainsaw against fodder-tier enemies without need for fuel pickups, greatly increasing its value as a way of obtaining ammo for other weapons.

• Fodder: 1 unit (weak enemies like imps or gargoyles, but also including tentacles, even though the game classifies them as ambient).
• Heavy: 3 units (most of the game's demons except fodder, mini-bosses and bosses).
• Super Heavy demons (arch-vile, tyrant, marauder, Doom hunter, and the baron of Hell), all ambient demons except the tentacle and bosses can't be killed with the chainsaw.

Ammo drops

Ammo type / Upgrades	0	1	2	3	4
Shells	10	10	10	15	15
Bullets	30	50	60	80	90
Cells	75	90	105	120	135
Rockets	4	5	5	6	6

Lore

The Night Sentinel weapon-masters had a saying: "it is the warrior that makes the weapon great". The Doom Slayer's unconventional choice of adding a chainsaw to his arsenal has proven this adage right time after time thanks to its capabilities for dismemberment.

Pre-release

QuakeCon 2018/GDC 2019

• At the presentation of QuakeCon 2018 and in gameplay from Google Stadia from GDC 2019, chainsaw had max capacity of 7 units of fuel like in Doom (2016) after full upgrade of ammo capacity, and also the loot was yellow, just like the previous game, on the hud she has it the same icon as in the game predecessor.

Quakecon 2019 and E3

• Chainsaw has 5 fuel units as max capacity, and ammo loot have a different color corresponding to each weapon's ammo type like in the final game.
• In Quakecon 2019 fuel charges of chainsaw on hud were red, and the same icon but yellow colour like in the footage from the previous presentation and in Doom (2016), but later in E3 of the same year fuel charges were already yellow like icon.