E1M3: Dissolution (Phobos: Anomaly Reborn)

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Phobos: Anomaly Reborn maps
This level occupies the map slot E1M3. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E1M3.

E1M3: Dissolution is the third map of Phobos: Anomaly Reborn. It was designed by Christopher Lutz.

Dissolution was featured in Doomworld's Top 100 Most Memorable Maps, placing 50th.

Walkthrough[edit]

Map of Dissolution
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[edit]

The objective in this level is to flip switches dotted around the level that will grant access to a crane. You can use this crane to reach the freight room which contains the level exit.

Follow the vent to a room with some large fans and kill the shotgun guy blocking your path before crossing the metal beam - do not fall into the fans as this will be fatal. Enter another vent at the other end of the beam, then walk through the hole in the wall just ahead and turn left to see some zombiemen guarding a lift. Ride the lift down to a room with a pit full of crates, drop into the pit and climb up the ladder on the west side, then open the door ahead to enter a damaged building with a tall control booth. Go up either set of steps on the north side of the room to a lift shaft and pull the lever inside it to go up to a ledge with a detonator switch. Activate the detonator to blow up the north wall, then step through it to find a cacodemon guarding another switch - pulling this switch opens the water pipe just behind you.

Go back to the crate pit and kill the monsters that have teleported in, then flip the switch that has appeared on the pit's west side - water will fill the pit and raise the crates, letting you step over them to get back to the other side. Open the east door to enter a hallway lined with columns, then open another door at the east end to reach an octagonal junction with a cacodemon. Drop down the south lift to get outside with some demons, then look east and west to see two destroyed buildings that contain generators. Flip the switches on both generators, then go back up to the columned hallway and open the north door to find a path leading to another lift. Ride the lift up to the crane control room then flip the switch on the north terminal - the screen behind it should change to say you have access to the crane.

Go back down to the flooded pit and kill the cacodemons, imps and shotgun guys that have appeared, then step across the crates on the north side of the pit to reach an open set of bars. Go through them then follow the path east to a lift and ride it down to the crane, then press the button in the silver cage underneath the crane to be taken up into it. Run east along the crane's scaffolding to a broken wall straight ahead, kill the cacodemons waiting behind it then climb into the room and enter the vent in the south wall to get back outside. Head due north to the door leading to the freight area and flip the switch opposite it, then open the door and immediately face north to see a lift ahead. Ride the lift up to a control room, kill any waiting shotgun guys then flip the switch here to drop some scaffolding on the conveyor belt below. Take the lift back down and walk north to get on the conveyor belt, then head east and navigate past the crates until you pass the scaffolding. Look south now to see an open crate with an "EXIT" sign inside it, then run into this crate to go to E1M4: Railbender.

Secret exit[edit]

Follow the directions for secret #7 below to find the secret exit to E1M9: Lost Barracks.

Other points of interest[edit]

In the columned hallway, enter the hole in the north wall to find a shotgun, a chaingun and a box of shotgun shells. Watch out for the baron of Hell hiding in the darkness to the east.

A rocket launcher is placed at the east end of the freight room, between the two sets of rails.

Secrets[edit]

  1. In the big room on the western side of the map, take the lift up to the tower in the center of the room, then look towards the broken glass at the south-east end. Jump out of this window towards the red pipe. If you land there well enough, you will get a megaarmor hidden inside the pipe. (sector 270)
  2. After detonating the rock wall in the north-western part of the map, move behind the rock column on the western side and press on the south-west wall to lower it. This small cave has another detonator switch, which will detonate a side of the wall outside near the large crane which leads to secret #5. (sector 295)
  3. In the south-east part of the map with the two switches, there is a clearing in the trees, directly north of the western switch. Shoot the brown, north-western wall at this clearing to find a radiation shielding suit. (sector 960)
  4. Go into the nukage pool at the eastern part of the map (it helps to get the nearby radiation suit from secret #3 first) and go to the south-east end to find a supercharge. (sector 958)
  5. If you had found the detonator switch in secret #2, go outside to where the large tower crane is, and go through the cave to the west of the crane. Eventually, you will find a pool with a megaarmor inside. (sector 57)
  6. Walk onto the vent just south-west of where the large tower crane is and go along the south side of it. You will eventually see a translucent part of the rock wall to your right (west). Go through this piece of wall to find a rocket launcher and a box of rockets. (sector 542)
  7. Near the end of the level, the switch that allows you to access the freight room where the normal exit is will also blow up the wall in the room before it. Go back to the crane and ride it up, then jump back across to the broken wall, where you will see a new opening to the north. Jump down here and enter the vent in the north-east corner to access the secret level. (sector 1008)

Bugs[edit]

Demo files[edit]

Areas / screenshots[edit]

Speedrunning[edit]

Routes and tricks[edit]

Current records[edit]

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

Run Time Player Date File Notes
UV speed (normal exit)
UV speed (secret exit)
NM speed (normal exit)
NM speed (secret exit)
UV max 8:50.77 vdgg 2010-04-18 parlmps.zip
NM 100S
UV -fast
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist (normal exit)
UV pacifist (secret exit)

The data was last verified in its entirety on December 9, 2021.

Deathmatch[edit]

Player spawns[edit]

This level contains four spawn points, all of which are behind the vent west of the crane:

  1. facing north. (thing 3)
  2. facing north. (thing 4)
  3. facing north. (thing 5)
  4. facing north. (thing 6)

Statistics[edit]

Map data[edit]

Things 650
Vertices 16848*
Linedefs 13649
Sidedefs 24841
Sectors 1040
* The vertex count without the effect of node building is 11061.

Things[edit]

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

Technical information[edit]

Inspiration and development[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • The blue door in the freight area cannot be opened as this map has no keys. It is used to return to the freight area from E1M9: Lost Barracks.

See also[edit]

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]