E3M2: The Cesspool (Heretic + Hexen)
From DoomWiki.org
| Heretic re-release maps |
|---|
| The City of the Damned |
| Hell's Maw |
| The Ossuary |
| The Stagnant Demesne |
| Fate's Path (deathmatch only levels) |
| This level has an original version |
E3M2: The Cesspool is the second map of episode The Dome of D'Sparil in the enhanced Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders re-release, included with Heretic + Hexen. It uses the music track "Drive" by Kevin Schilder.
Contents
Walkthrough[edit]
_E3M2_map.png)
Essentials[edit]
You start in a blue mosaic room which has two cages on either side containing ophidians. Go straight forward (north) into a room with some gargoyles, noting the yellow key on the altar at the north end of the room, then go through either of the doorways in the south-west and south-east corners of the room to face one or two sabreclaws. Go down the steps to a water-filled tunnel with more gargoyles as well as some pods, then go to the north end to find a switch that will lower the altar holding the yellow key. Watch out for the two sabreclaws hiding behind the columns in front of the altar when you go to collect the key.
Go back to the starting rooms and pass through either of the yellow doors in the north-east and north-west corners, then follow the passage past a couple of sabreclaws into another water-filled tunnel—the eastern tunnel is guarded by weredragons and golems, while the western tunnel is guarded by ophidians and gargoyles. Whichever tunnel you choose, you must go to the north end to find a teleporter that will send you to an isolated room with disciples of D'Sparil and a firemace. The green key is on a wooden step at the north end of the room, but watch out for the wall behind the key opening to reveal one to three ophidians.
Enter the teleporter in the north-east corner of the room to go back to the eastern tunnel, then go south until you reach a green door and pass through it to enter a storeroom. The blue key is on top of the eastern stack of boxes, but you should collect the other items in the room first as taking the blue key will open five closets containing disciples. Enter the hallway south-west of the storeroom to see two doors on either side, then open the northern door to find an ophidian protecting Gauntlets of the Necromancer and a switch that will reveal the exit door. Leave the chamber and go west to a Tome of Power, then open the exit door using the blue key to find an iron lich protecting the exit teleporter.
Other points of interest[edit]
An ethereal crossbow can be found below the steps east of the yellow key room, while a silver shield can be found below the steps west of the yellow key room (on bringest them oneth skill level or lower). There are two alcoves in the eastern tunnel which hold a Tome of Power and a Wings of Wrath.
A dragon claw can be found at the top of the steps in the north-west corner of the map. The eastern tunnel behind the yellow door has an alcove with a hellstaff and one or two quartz flasks.
An enchanted shield can be found in the south-western room, behind some barrels next to a crystal geode.
Secrets[edit]
- Just before going down the water tunnels after having entered the eastern yellow door, use the trident banner to open a room with a Bag of Holding and a silver shield. (sector 80)
- Inside the small yellow floor room in the south-west corner of the map, open the wall with the trident banner to enter one of the two ophidian cages you saw in the start of the level, containing a phoenix rod. (sector 142)
- In the south-eastern room with wooden boxes, climb up to the map scroll by the west wall. You can open the trident banner behind the item to enter the second ophidian cage, containing a Ring of Invincibility. (sector 111)
Bugs[edit]
If you use the Wings of Wrath to fly into the small space behind the yellow key altar before lowering it, and the Wings run out, you will trap yourself.
Demo files[edit]
Comparison of versions[edit]
Room design[edit]
- Some additional sectors were added to create more realistic lighting.
- The light level in the storeroom was reduced from 192 to 160, and the large monster closet was split into five small ones.
Texture changes[edit]
- The yellow key room and the southern areas of the map were changed from gray bricks to orange ones.
- The westernmost water tunnel was changed from green bricks to mossy gray ones.
- The easternmost water tunnel was changed from green bricks to mossy gray bricks and damp stones.
- The missing upper textures in the corners of the green key room (linedefs 521 through 528) were fixed.
Thing placement[edit]
- Only one firemace is present in the level, appearing in the green key room. Because the firemace is guaranteed to appear, the other spawn spots were redundant.
- The switch to reveal the exit door is protected by an ophidian instead of a fire gargoyle.
- Comparison of maps
E3M2 (original)
E3M2 (Heretic + Hexen)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SM speed | |||||
| SM max | |||||
| BP speed | |||||
| BP max | |||||
| NM speed | |||||
| NM 100S | |||||
| Tyson | |||||
| Pacifist |
The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on August 10, 2025.
Deathmatch[edit]
Player spawns[edit]
This level contains four spawn points:
- facing south. (thing 140)
- facing west. (thing 141)
- facing south. (thing 142)
- facing south. (thing 143)
Statistics[edit]
Map data[edit]
| Things | 571 |
| Vertices | 1164* |
| Linedefs | 1279 |
| Sidedefs | 1783 |
| Sectors | 251 |
Things[edit]
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:
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