E5M9: Skein of D'Sparil (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 |
E5M9: Skein of D'Sparil is the ninth and secret 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 "Olkin" by Kevin Schilder.
Contents
Walkthrough[edit]
_E5M9_map.png)
Essentials[edit]
You begin on the east side of a maze which has sabreclaws hiding throughout it. Go to the green block on the north-west side of the map, which has a different texture to the other blocks, and press either of the trident walls on it to lower the block, then ride the block up to get on top of the maze. Leap to the stone ledges on the north and south sides of the maze, which have Gauntlets of the Necromancer and a Ring of Invincibility on them, then go east through a curving passage with more sabreclaws until you reach the ledge on the east side of the maze, where ophidians guard a Morph Ovum and a switch. Press the switch to lower the red banners to your left and right, revealing more ophidians and sabreclaws, then go through any of the openings in the east wall to enter a wide hall and go up the steps to the yellow key. Taking the key will lower the ledge it sits on, revealing some fire gargoyles.
Go back to the ledge that held the Ring of Invincibility and go west into a twisting passage, then follow the stairs down past more sabreclaws to find a yellow door at the bottom. Go through the door to enter a room with lavafalls, then go to the switch on the platform at the south end and press it to lower the lavafall in the middle of the room, revealing an iron lich and the green key. Take the key to lower the other lavafalls and release ophidians, then go back to the maze area and go to the northern ledge that had the Gauntlets. Go west into another twisting passage and follow the stairs down to the green door, which leads to an octagonal room with disciples of D'Sparil. Press any of the gold symbols on the central column to lower it and reveal the blue key, and lower the four lavafalls to reveal more liches. Taking the blue key will close the entrance door; you can escape either by using a Chaos Device (which will lock you out of the room), or by stepping on any of the liches’ platforms to reopen the door.
Drop back down to the maze and open the blue door behind the metal wall on the west side to enter a cross-shaped hallway with fire gargoyles. Go to the north-east side of the hallway and open the western door to enter the center chamber, which contains a phoenix rod, then destroy the sabreclaws around you and press the switch inside the southern alcove to open the exit. Go back to the hallway and open the larger door at the west end to enter a hall with fire gargoyles and disciples, then go up the steps at the west end of the hall and press the blue switch at the top to end the level.
Other points of interest[edit]
Entering the green and blue key rooms opens two chambers to the south and north of the maze area. Each chamber contains a Wings of Wrath.
Secrets[edit]
There are no official secrets on this map.
Bugs[edit]
The green door uses linedef type 33 (D1 Open and Stay Open) on its south side, but has no door type on its north side, meaning that it can only be opened once from the outside. Stepping on the platform with the blue key will close the green door and lower the surrounding lavafalls to reveal liches. If you cross the platform with the blue key, and then use a Chaos Device to escape the room before reopening the green door, you will lock yourself out of the room and potentially make the blue key unobtainable.
Demo files[edit]
Comparison of versions[edit]
Room design[edit]
- Additional sectors were added around the map to create more realistic lighting.
- Some false doors were added to the cross-shaped hallway behind the blue door.
Texture changes[edit]
- The walls of the maze were changed to green leaves. The block that lowers to take players up to the top of the maze was not changed, making it easier to identify.
- The walls of the twisting passages above the maze were changed to gray and orange blocks.
- Maulotaur murals were added to the green key room and the exit area.
- Skull walls were added to the green and blue key rooms.
- The ceilings above the steps in the exit room were raised, removing the missing upper textures that were present in the original level.
Thing placement[edit]
- Some wall torches in the passages above the maze were moved or removed.
- Comparison of maps
E5M9 (original)
E5M9 (Heretic + Hexen)
Areas / screenshots[edit]
Speedrunning[edit]
As this level does not contain official secrets, the NM 100S category is redundant.
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 | |||||
| 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 west. (thing 17)
- facing north. (thing 18)
- facing south. (thing 19)
- facing east. (thing 20)
Statistics[edit]
Map data[edit]
| Things | 836 |
| Vertices | 2440* |
| Linedefs | 2435 |
| Sidedefs | 3704 |
| Sectors | 423 |
Things[edit]
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:
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