E3M5: The Ophidian Lair (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 |
E3M5: The Ophidian Lair is the fifth 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 "Ded" by Kevin Schilder.
Contents
Walkthrough[edit]
_E3M5_map.png)
Essentials[edit]
Press the switch in front of you to be lowered into a square hall which is overlooked by ophidians; there is also a cage in the north-east corner holding iron liches (or a maulotaur on smite-meister skill level or higher). Go to the south-west corner of the room and kill one or more ophidians that are released from a closet to the south, then go east up a staircase guarded by sabreclaws to reach a door at the top. Open the door and go round the corner to enter a hall lined with braziers, kill the gargoyles waiting inside it then go to the west end of the hall to reach the yellow key. Watch out for three closets containing more gargoyles that open when you take the key, along with another closet to the east containing one or more disciples of D'Sparil.
Go back to the starting room and open the south-east door behind the yellow gizmos to enter a mosaic room where one or two ophidians are guarding a column with four switches—the switches will open different closets containing more ophidians along with sabreclaws, but only the north switch, which opens the south wall, is mandatory. Go through this wall and look east to see a mosaic column with the green key underneath it, then open the wooden door behind the column to enter a gray corridor with some gargoyles. Follow the corridor north past some gargoyles to a dragon claw (taking it opens a closet with one to three disciples and a Chaos Device), then continue south past a couple more gargoyles to a switch. Press the switch and kill any disciples that are revealed behind you, then backtrack along the corridor past some sabreclaws to return to the mosaic column, which has opened allowing you to take the green key.
Go back to the starting room and open either of the doors in the north-west corner, destroy any waiting sabreclaws then head east up a staircase to reach a tan ledge. Take the blue key sitting on the step at the north end of the ledge, then go back down the stairs before proceeding south up a second staircase. Open the blue door at the top of the stairs to find a disciple protecting the exit teleporter.
Other points of interest[edit]
Taking the yellow key will open a passage in front of you containing gargoyles. Follow the passage round to a lift that will take you down to a Tome of Power.
Taking the green key opens several chambers around you. The chamber to the west holds Gauntlets of the Necromancer, while the south chamber contains a Bag of Holding. Taking the latter item will release two or three sabreclaws behind you, along with an ophidian on smite-meister or higher.
After going through the green doors, you can go east or south to two adjoining chambers. The east chamber contains a mystic urn and mace spheres, while the south chamber contains a map scroll.
Secrets[edit]
- Just before the yellow key is a hall lined with braziers. Press the switch hidden in the south-west column to open a compartment to the south, which holds one or two sabreclaws along with a hellstaff, a crystal vial, and one to three lesser runes. (sector 101)
- In the same hall as secret #1, press the switch hidden in the north-west column to open a compartment to the north, which holds one or two sabreclaws along with a torch, two lesser runes, and two or three crystal vials. (sector 335)
- Taking the yellow key will open three closets around you with gargoyles. Enter any of the closets to open a stained-glass window to the east, revealing one or more disciples guarding a teleporter. The teleporter will send you to the cage north-east of the starting point, which contains a variety of ammo pickups as well as a phoenix rod, a Ring of Invincibility, a Tome of Power, and an enchanted shield. (sector 73) The cage also holds a mystic urn on yellowbellies-r-us or lower.
- In the stone corridor on the east side of the map, enter the center alcove on the west side to open a skull wall in front of you. Go up the steps to a ledge with various items including a firemace, Time Bombs of the Ancients, and a pile of mace spheres. (sector 251) The teleporter here will take you to a hidden closet containing a shadowsphere.
Bugs[edit]
Demo files[edit]
Comparison of versions[edit]
Room design[edit]
- Additional sectors were added throughout the map to create more realistic lighting.
- The switch to open the exit door was replaced with a blue key, which performs the same function.
Texture changes[edit]
- The central hall was changed from a sand floor to green blocks, while the walls were changed to gray triangular stones and tentacles.
- The east and west ledges overlooking the central hall were changed to orange brick floors and gray brick walls.
- The southern hall with the yellow key was changed from a stone floor to black and white tiles.
- New mosaic textures were used on the walls of the green key area.
- The walls of the easternmost corridor were changed from gray triangular stones to blue-gray slabs.
Thing placement[edit]
- The firemace in secret #4 was changed to appear in single-player.
- A third gizmo was placed by the green doors, to make them easier to see from the center of the hall.
- Comparison of maps
E3M5 (original)
E3M5 (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-west. (thing 44)
- facing south-east. (thing 45)
- facing east. (thing 46)
- facing north. (thing 47)
Statistics[edit]
Map data[edit]
| Things | 545 |
| Vertices | 1826* |
| Linedefs | 2059 |
| Sidedefs | 3149 |
| Sectors | 342 |
Things[edit]
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:
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