Dante's Gate

Dante's Gate
The starting area of Dante's Gate
Author	John Anderson
Port	Vanilla Doom
IWAD	Doom
Year	1994
Link	See below

Inferno maps
Dante's Gate Crossing Acheron Virgil's Lead Minos' Judgement Nessus Geryon Vesperas Chiron

This level occupies the map slot E1M1. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E1M1.

This level occupies the map slot MAP02. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:MAP02.

Dante's Gate is a single-level PWAD designed by John "Dr. Sleep" Anderson. In an era when level editing tools were fairly primitive, it distinguished itself by a strong emphasis on theme and mood, as well as by technical soundness. It is now considered an all-time classic.

At least five versions of the map are widely available:

• Version 1.0 (DANTES.WAD), released May 17, 1994.
• Version 1.2 (DANTE12.WAD), released July 16, 1994.
• Version 1.666 (DANTE666.WAD), released November 23, 1994.
• Version 2.0 (DANTE2.WAD), released October 17, 1994.
• Version 2.5 (DANTE25.WAD), released February 21, 1996.

The first three WADs replace E1M1; the other two replace MAP02. The level appeared in Maximum Doom as DANTE2.WAD, DANTE21.WAD, and DANTES2.WAD.

Walkthrough

Map of Dante's Gate v2.5

Letters in italics refer to marked spots on the map. Sector, thing, and linedef numbers in boldface are secrets which count toward the end-of-level tally.

Essentials

This map has an expansive layout and a certain degree of complexity, however, most of the areas it presents are optional, and the main route to find the exit of the map is quite simple. The only key you need is the yellow key.

You start the map in a small area with some former humans in front of you. Eliminate them and pick up the shotgun. Follow the straight path. You will reach a midpoint on the map. On the left side, to the west, is a door. Enter the area and take a right turn. Enter through the two pillars into the light hall, it appears to be a disco. Follow the path and you will reach the yellow key area. Be careful in this area, as there are a lot of enemies of all kinds guarding the place. The key is in a small room at the back. Press the lion-shaped switch and two doors will open side by side. Inside is the key protected by a baron of Hell and two former sergeants. Once you pick it up, you can go back the same way.

Now simply go to the middle of the map again, and you will see the exit clearly marked on the south side. Open the door, kill the revenant guardian and press the switch to finish the map.

Other points of interest

The west side of the map is an optional area with a lot of enemies and a BFG9000 in the central structure. To reach it, go to the west from the midpoint of the map. You will clearly see a soulsphere floating over an edge. Press the lift in front of it and you will enter inside the area, guarded by a multitude of enemies.

On the north side of the map, right behind the hall of lights, there is a door that leads you to an optional marble room (tagged as a secret), where you can find a blue key and invulnerability powerup.

Secrets

V2.5:

1. North of the exit is a pit with a partial invisibility and a chaingun. Walking towards the invisibility opens up a secret room in the south-east corner of the pit containing a cacodemon and a switch which lowers the chainsaw platform near the start. (sector 75)
2. Approaching the chaingun mentioned in #1 opens up a secret room in the south-west corner of the pit containing an energy cell and some monsters. (sector 100)
3. North of the crushing ceiling just before the southernmost area (which contains the yellow key in hard skill) is a lion switch which opens a door leading to a room with a blue key and (on hard skill) an invulnerability. Both the door (sector 347) and the sector immediately after it count as secrets.
4. This is the normally untouchable sector immediately north of secret #3. See the Bugs section. (sector 87)
5. The stairs north-east of the crushing ceiling mentioned in #3 leads to a door leading to a small room containing a box of bullets, a medikit, a zombieman and a revenant. The eastern wall of this room is a secret door leading, via another door, to a ledge overlooking the yellow key area with 2 imps, a plasma gun (hard skill only) and a supercharge (multiplayer only). Both the sector immediately after the secret door (sector 166) and the sector immediately before the door to the ledge count as secrets.
6. See #5. (sector 222)
7. The large western area (which contains a building which contains a BFG9000 and the yellow key on easy and medium skills) has a trench in the west containing a radiation shielding suit. This leads north to the area across the trench. En route is a short techno floor lamp, across from which is a secret door leading to a room with a medikit, a megaarmor and (on easy and medium skills) a rocket launcher. (sector 214)

On version 1.666, #4 is not secret, so 100% secrets is achievable by normal means.

Bugs

Secret #4 is too narrow to trigger normally, as standing over it makes the player step over onto the secret door frame instead. By exploiting the medium and hard difficulty only pain elemental and the thing flickering glitch, it is possible to obtain this secret; lead the pain elemental (thing 181) from the outside over the lift in the middle of the map (sector 167) and further to the secret, stand in the open secret's door frame hovering above the problematic secret sector, let the pain elemental spawn a lost soul inside your hitbox, then press the door while you are stuck. This will snap you down to the secret sector, triggering it.

Demo files

The v2.5 release includes a separate demo file, DANTE25.LMP, by the author. It requires Doom II v1.9 to be viewed and runs for 15:08.34 (31792 tics), showing off the level on Ultra-Violence.

Areas / screenshots

• 

  Soulsphere room

• 

  The lights hall

• 

  The yellow key area

• 

  The yellow key after the battle

• 

  The archvile domain, inside a BFG9000

• 

  Blue key room

• 

  The exit door

Speedrunning

Current records

The records for the original map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

Run	Time	Player	Date	File	Notes
UV speed
NM speed
UV max	7:01.03	Michael Novikov	2003-11-08	dantes_mn.zip
NM 100S
UV -fast
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist

The records for v1.2 of the map are:

Run	Time	Player	Date	File	Notes
UV speed
NM speed
UV max	8:07.69	Michael Novikov	2003-11-08	dante12_mn.zip
NM 100S
UV -fast
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist

The records for v2.5 of the map are:

Run	Time	Player	Date	File	Notes
UV speed
NM speed	0:37.46	Serge Marudov (Never_Again)	2010-06-20	dante25nm_na.zip
UV max	6:17.74	Serge Marudov (Never_Again)	2009-11-30	dante25uv_na.zip
NM 100S
UV -fast	9:52.03	Serge Marudov (Never_Again)	2001-12-20	dante-gm.zip
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist

The data was last verified in its entirety on December 6, 2021.

Deathmatch

Player spawns

Version 2.5 of this level contains eight spawn points:

1. facing west. (thing 145)
2. facing east. (thing 146)
3. facing north. (thing 147)
4. facing east. (thing 148)
5. facing south. (thing 263)
6. facing north. (thing 264)
7. facing west. (thing 265)
8. facing east. (thing 352)

Statistics

Map data

	v1.0	v1.2	v1.666	v2.0	v2.5
Things	362	389	363	371	392
Vertexes	871	942	973	984	1314
Linedefs	1030	1132	1132	1142	1540
Sidedefs	1470	1604	1604	1616	2152
Sectors	252	279	279	279	348

Things

Dante's Gate contains the following numbers of things per skill level:

Version 1.0 Monsters 1-2 3 4-5 Zombieman 20 21 21 Shotgun guy 30 37 38 Imp 14 25 27 Demon 2 6 8 Spectre 1 4 4 Lost soul 3 8 8 Cacodemon 0 4 7 Baron of Hell 0 1 4 Powerups 1-2 3 4-5 Armor 1 Armor bonus 19 Backpack 3 Berserk 1 2 2 Computer area map 1 Health bonus 31 Invulnerability 1 2 2 Light amplification visor 1 Medikit 20 Megaarmor 3 4 4 Partial invisibility 3 Radiation shielding suit 2 Stimpack 3 Supercharge 4 Weapons 1-2 3 4-5 Chainsaw 1 Shotgun 5 Chaingun 2 Rocket launcher 2 2 3 Plasma gun 2 BFG9000 0 1 1 Ammunition 1-2 3 4-5 Clip 1 Box of bullets 4 4 shotgun shells 4 Box of shotgun shells 9 Box of rockets 4 Energy cell 5 6 6 Energy cell pack 8 Keys 1-2 3 4-5 Blue skull key 1 Red skull key 1 Yellow skull key 1

Version 1.2 Monsters 1-2 3 4-5 Zombieman 20 Shotgun guy 33 40 41 Imp 21 29 30 Demon 8 13 15 Spectre 5 6 6 Lost soul 6 11 11 Cacodemon 3 5 8 Baron of Hell 0 1 3 Powerups 1-2 3 4-5 Armor 1 Armor bonus 19 Backpack 4 Berserk 0 1 2 Computer area map 1 Health bonus 31 Invulnerability 0 0 1 Light amplification visor 1 Medikit 20 Megaarmor 3 Partial invisibility 3 Radiation shielding suit 2 Stimpack 5 6 6 Supercharge 2 Weapons 1-2 3 4-5 Chainsaw 1 Shotgun 5 Chaingun 2 Rocket launcher 2 2 4 Plasma gun 2 BFG9000 0 1 1 Ammunition 1-2 3 4-5 Clip 1 Box of bullets 7 4 shotgun shells 8 Box of shotgun shells 10 Box of rockets 3 Energy cell 7 8 8 Energy cell pack 6 Keys 1-2 3 4-5 Blue skull key 1 Red skull key 1 Yellow skull key 1

Version 1.666 Monsters 1-2 3 4-5 Zombieman 20 Shotgun guy 33 40 41 Imp 21 29 30 Demon 7 12 14 Spectre 5 6 6 Lost soul 6 11 11 Cacodemon 3 5 8 Baron of Hell 0 1 3 Powerups 1-2 3 4-5 Armor 1 Armor bonus 13 Backpack 4 Berserk 1 2 3 Computer area map 1 Health bonus 26 Invulnerability 0 0 1 Light amplification visor 1 Medikit 9 Megaarmor 3 Partial invisibility 3 Radiation shielding suit 2 Stimpack 2 Supercharge 2 Weapons 1-2 3 4-5 Chainsaw 1 Shotgun 5 Chaingun 2 Rocket launcher 2 2 4 Plasma gun 2 BFG9000 0 1 1 Ammunition 1-2 3 4-5 Clip 1 Box of bullets 7 4 shotgun shells 8 Box of shotgun shells 10 Box of rockets 3 Energy cell 7 8 8 Energy cell pack 6 Keys 1-2 3 4-5 Blue skull key 1 Red skull key 1 Yellow skull key 1

Version 2.0 Monsters 1-2 3 4-5 Zombieman 17 Shotgun guy 29 36 37 Heavy weapon dude 7 Imp 21 29 30 Demon 6 11 12 Spectre 4 Lost soul 6 9 9 Cacodemon 3 3 5 Pain elemental 0 1 1 Baron of Hell 0 1 2 Revenant 2 5 6 Mancubus 0 1 1 Arch-vile 0 0 1 Powerups 1-2 3 4-5 Armor 1 Armor bonus 12 Backpack 4 Berserk 0 1 2 Computer area map 1 Health bonus 26 Invulnerability 0 0 1 Light amplification visor 1 Medikit 11 Megaarmor 2 Megasphere 1 Partial invisibility 3 Radiation shielding suit 2 Stimpack 2 Supercharge 2 Weapons 1-2 3 4-5 Chainsaw 1 Shotgun 1 Super shotgun 5 Chaingun 1 Rocket launcher 2 2 4 Plasma gun 2 BFG9000 0 1 1 Ammunition 1-2 3 4-5 Box of bullets 7 4 shotgun shells 8 Box of shotgun shells 11 Box of rockets 3 Energy cell 7 8 8 Energy cell pack 6 Keys 1-2 3 4-5 Blue skull key 1 Red skull key 1 Yellow skull key 1

Version 2.5 Monsters 1-2 3 4-5 Zombieman 17 Shotgun guy 29 36 36 Heavy weapon dude 9 Imp 25 31 30 Lost soul 3 6 6 Demon 7 13 14 Spectre 6 7 7 Revenant 4 7 8 Cacodemon 5 7 10 Pain elemental 0 1 1 Hell knight 2 3 3 Baron of Hell 0 1 2 Mancubus 0 3 3 Arch-vile 0 0 1 Powerups 1-2 3 4-5 Armor 1 Armor bonus 12 Backpack 3 Berserk 0 1 2 Computer area map 1 Health bonus 26 Invulnerability 0 0 1 Light amplification visor 1 Medikit 11 Megaarmor 2 Megasphere 0 1 1 Partial invisibility 3 Radiation shielding suit 2 1 1 Stimpack 2 Supercharge 2 Weapons 1-2 3 4-5 Chainsaw 1 Shotgun 2 Super shotgun 2 Chaingun 2 Rocket launcher 3 3 1 Plasma gun 1 BFG9000 1 Ammunition 1-2 3 4-5 Box of bullets 11 10 10 4 shotgun shells 8 Box of shotgun shells 11 Box of rockets 9 Energy cell 7 9 9 Energy cell pack 5 5 4 Keys 1-2 3 4-5 Blue skull key 1 Yellow skull key 1

Technical information

Version 1.666 of this map was created to accommodate an obscure engine bug in Doom 1.666, which affected floor triggers tagged to multiple sectors.

Inspiration and development

Versions

Version	Released	File	Map	Link
1.0	1994-05-17	DANTES.WAD	E1M1	???
1.1	1994-06-14	???	E1M1	???
1.2	1994-07-16	DANTE12.WAD	E1M1	Dante's Gate v1.2 at Doomworld/idgames
1.666	1994-11-23	DANTE666.WAD	E1M1	Dante's Gate v1.666 at Doomworld/idgames
2.0	1994-10-17	DANTE2.WAD	MAP02	???
2.1	1994-12-15	DANTE21.WAD	MAP02	???
2.2	1995-07-05	???	MAP02	???
2.3	1995-08-08	???	MAP02	???
2.4	1995-11-11	???	MAP02	???
2.5	1996-02-21	DANTE25.WAD	MAP02	Dante's Gate v2.5 at Doomworld/idgames

Maximum Doom included DANTE2.WAD, DANTE21.WAD, and DANTES2.WAD.

Trivia

In the readme file for version 2.5, Dr. Sleep lists no fewer than eleven editing tools (and two image processing programs) as having "had a significant effect" on the WAD.

See also

• Master Levels for Doom II
• Works of the Masters

Sources

• Dante's Gate v1.2 at Doomworld/idgames
• Dante's Gate v1.666 at Doomworld/idgames
• Dante's Gate v2.5 at Doomworld/idgames
• The Maximum Doom Reference v1.0, by FunDuke
• Dante's Gate demos at the Doom Speed Demo Archive
• The Subjective History of Doom Editing, version 0.1 by Raphaël Quinet (archived)

External links

• Dante's Gate v1.2 demos at the Doom Speed Demo Archive
• Dante's Gate v2.5 demos at the Doom Speed Demo Archive
• Review at ONEMANDOOM: WAD Reviews
• Review (4/5) at Doom Underground