E5M2: Rapids (Heretic + Hexen)
From DoomWiki.org
| Heretic re-release maps |
|---|
| The City of the Damned |
| Hell's Maw |
| The Dome of D'Sparil |
| The Ossuary |
| Fate's Path (deathmatch only levels) |
| This level has an original version |
E5M2: Rapids is the second map of episode The Stagnant Demesne in the enhanced Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders re-release, included with Heretic + Hexen. It uses the music track "Atlas" by Kevin Schilder.
Contents
Walkthrough[edit]
_E5M2_map.png)
Essentials[edit]
As the name suggests, this level includes many fast-flowing rivers.
Kill the gargoyles in front of you then go down the steps to an open area with sabreclaws and weredragons, noting the yellow door on the east side. Enter the tunnel next to the yellow door and follow it round to a set of bars, then go east to find a weredragon guarding a switch. Press the switch to lower something nearby, then go back through the tunnel to find that the ledge holding the yellow key has lowered. Go back to the yellow door and pass through it, head down the steps to enter a green room with gargoyles, then press the switch at the south end to open the bars you saw earlier in the tunnel. Approaching the switch will raise the bottom step you just walked down to trap you inside the room, and pressing it will also open the east wall to reveal sabreclaws along with a dragon claw. Press the second switch to lower the bottom step so you can leave, watching out for the weredragons that are released behind you.
Go back to the tunnel and pass through the bars you opened to enter a cave with sabreclaws, weredragons and respawning pods, then go through the north tunnel to enter a smaller cavern with gargoyles. Go up the north-eastern steps to get a hellstaff then drop into the water below and follow the path west and south to an overlook with the green key. Step through the window to drop back into the cavern, then open the green door on the east side and go up the steps to another overlook with a switch. Press the switch to open the bars on the west side of the cavern, then go through those bars and head south up some steps to reach a pedestal with the blue key. Go back to the starting point and open the blue door here to reveal a switch, which will raise a staircase behind you, then go up the stairs to find a pair of weredragons guarding an exit teleporter. The teleporter is fake and stepping on it will lower the surrounding walls to reveal disciples of D'Sparil—you can then go back down the stairs to find that a wall has lowered, revealing another disciple and the real exit teleporter.
Other points of interest[edit]
Secrets[edit]
Official[edit]
- Taking the yellow key will open a junction to the east leading to three lava pools. The junction counts as a secret and holds a torch, a quiver of ethereal arrows, mace spheres, and ethereal arrows. (sector 90)
- In the room at the bottom of the steps past the yellow door, approaching the east switch will open a compartment behind you with weredragons. Go into the compartment and walk through the false north wall to find a switch, press it to lower a lift in the previous room, then ride the lift up to a Morph Ovum overlooking the southern lava pool. (sector 155)
- Above the path leading to the green key are three ledges with a shadowsphere, a hellstaff, and Time Bombs of the Ancients. Step off any of these ledges into the water below then go south into the small cavern, where the south wall has lowered. Step under the south wall to activate a lift that goes down to an enchanted shield. (sector 223)
- Go through the green door and climb up to the top of the steps, then open the south wall behind the ethereal arrows to find a Ring of Invincibility overlooking the northern lava pool. (sector 244)
- At the top of the steps leading to the blue key are a pair of hanging skulls. Open the wall between the skulls to reveal a sabreclaw guarding a phoenix rod, as well as a second chamber behind you with an iron lich and a Wings of Wrath. (sector 255)
Non-official[edit]
- In the northernmost room near the shadowsphere, open the south wall between the hanging skulls to find steps leading down to a Bag of Holding.
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 stairs leading up to the fake exit are now controlled by a switch behind a blue door. In the original level, the stairs rose after stepping off the ledge overlooking the yellow door, but this was not indicated to the player.
Texture changes[edit]
- Patches of fast-flowing water were added to several rapids.
- The walls of the starting area were changed to moss-covered bricks. Moss walls were also added to the yellow door area.
- A different rock texture was used on the walls of the yellow door area, and in the lava caverns.
- Green walls were added to the room behind the yellow door.
- A missing upper texture in the small cavern east of the green key (linedef 377) was fixed.
- A waterfall and some fast-flowing water was added to the ledge with the blue key.
Thing placement[edit]
- A blue key was added to the level.
- Every firemace, except the one in the eastern lava pool, was changed to only appear in multiplayer.
- Some additional wall torches were added in the northern area of the map.
- Comparison of maps
E5M2 (original)
E5M2 (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 five spawn points:
- facing west. (thing 16)
- facing west. (thing 17)
- facing east. (thing 18)
- facing south. (thing 19)
- facing west. (thing 20)
Statistics[edit]
Map data[edit]
| Things | 615 |
| Vertices | 1561* |
| Linedefs | 1512 |
| Sidedefs | 2249 |
| Sectors | 268 |
Things[edit]
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:
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