MAP31: The Express Elevator to Hell (Master Levels)

From DoomWiki.org

This level occupies the map slot MAP31. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:MAP31.

The Express Elevator to Hell is a map that is part of the Master Levels for Doom II. It was designed by Sverre André Kvernmo (Cranium), and is contained in the file TEETH.WAD, along with the secret level, Bad Dream.

In the version for Doom + Doom II, this level uses the music track "untitled".

Walkthrough[edit]

Map of The Express Elevator to Hell
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]

You start on a round lift that immediately lowers as the monster standing in front of you crosses a line to activate it. There are eight floors in total, which must all be visited in order from bottom to top to reach the exit. The entrances to each floor are indicated by a number on the floor and ceiling, which can be seen on the automap. There are also three optional keys in the level that are used to access the secret level.

Normal exit[edit]

When you enter the first floor, a set of bars will automatically close in front of you. Wait 30 seconds for the bars to open, then follow the passage past a couple of chaingunners to enter the room with two windows, flip the switch inside and quickly kill the Hell knight/baron of Hell that is released, then flip a second switch behind it to open the bars to the second floor.

On the second floor, enter the dark room and kill one or two shotgun guys, then enter the red teleporter to go inside the structure on the fifth floor. Press the button at the center to unlock the bars to the third floor, then return to the teleporter to go back to the previous room.

On the third floor, open the door and kill any mancubi overhead, then press the button on the east side to lower the block in the center. Get on the block and wait for it to rise, then run east to land on top of the first button, where you can press a second button to open the fourth floor.

Upon entering the fourth floor, open the side door and follow the passage to a floor button with two arrows—stepping on it activates a crusher that can help kill the remaining mancubi, but will make it harder to get the medikit under the crusher. Go through the open bars and head through two more doors to get to the mancubus ledge, then head east and south into a dark passage guarded by zombies to find the switch for the fifth floor.

Go to the fifth floor and open the door to reach the pit surrounding the cross-shaped structure you entered earlier. Lower the two platforms on the north-east side and ride them up to the button that unlocks the sixth floor.

On the sixth floor, kill any shotgun guys waiting in the room ahead then flip the switch on the south-west wall to open the seventh floor. Watch out for zombies, including one or more chaingunners, appearing inside the cages in this room, as well as revenants and knights/barons appearing on all the floors.

On the seventh floor, open the western door and kill some zombies, then lower the silver lift to go up to the floor above and face more monsters. Use the stairs on the west side to get to the top of the room, then go to the skull lever in the north-east corner and pull it to open the eighth floor.

On the eighth floor, clear out any monsters then climb the steps and try to open the exit door at the top; this will open the walls on either side to reveal one or more imps, revenants and arch-viles. Flip the switch at the end of the western (left-hand) closet to lower a lift, ride it up and flip the switch directly above to open the exit door. Go back down and enter the blinking gate behind the door to finish the level.

Secret exit[edit]

To find the secret exit to Bad Dream you will need all three keys hidden throughout the level.

  • On the second floor, open the south wall of the dark room to reveal another teleporter, which goes to a hidden room on the fifth floor. You can see the red keycard in this room.
  • From the red key, drop to the floor below and look at the south-eastern wall of the cross-shaped structure. You can open the dividing pillar between the windows using the red key to reveal a switch. Flip it, then go back to the windowed room on the fourth floor to collect the blue keycard.
  • On the fifth floor, activating the two lifts in the north-east corner also lowers two platforms in the north-west corner. Ride those platforms up and open the wall at the top to find some shotgun guys guarding the yellow keycard.

With all three keys, go to the eighth floor and release the arch-viles, then use one of them to perform an arch-vile jump to the south-west ledge with the supercharge and BFG9000; use the invulnerability sphere from secret #3 to help you. Open all of the locked doors here to find the secret exit, and get a megasphere and a computer area map.

Other points of interest[edit]

Secrets[edit]

  1. After visiting the third floor, two platforms on the fourth floor will start moving up and down. Go to the fourth floor and get on the northern platform, wait for it to lower then open a wall at the bottom and go around the corner to find shotgun shells and a button. (sector 155) Press the button to go down to a supercharge.
  2. In the cage room on the sixth floor, open the south-east wall that has metallic bars on either side to find health bonuses, shotgun shells, a plasma gun and a medikit. (sector 252) You can also open the south wall with the light to find another medikit, shotgun shells and three more health bonuses.
  3. Trying to open the normal exit door will open two closets. Enter the northern (right-hand) closet and open the back wall to get an invulnerability sphere. (sector 286)
  4. The floor under the blue door before the secret exit is classed as a secret. (sector 270)

Bugs[edit]

One of the rockets on the fourth floor (thing 150) is placed outside the map. It can still be obtained, but is not rendered when using software rendering.

An imp (thing 15) snaps up through the ceiling when the fake exit trap is triggered, trapping the arch-vile behind it as well. Fortunately, this imp can still be killed.

The door at the entrance to the fifth floor has an invisible trigger in front of it (linedef 1275) blocking use attempts until the player gets closer than usually required, making the door seem unresponsive.

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 7:27.60 Phoenyx 2021-08-30 teeth_727.zip
NM 100S
UV -fast 7:32.69 Coincident 2020-05-04 teeth31-f732.zip
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist (normal exit)
UV pacifist (secret exit)

The data was last verified in its entirety on January 15, 2023.

Deathmatch[edit]

Player spawns[edit]

This level contains four spawn points:

  1. facing west. (thing 121)
  2. facing south. (thing 122)
  3. facing south-east. (thing 123)
  4. facing north. (thing 133)

Statistics[edit]

Map data[edit]

Things 417
Vertices 1415*
Linedefs 1385
Sidedefs 2110
Sectors 290
* The vertex count without the effect of node building is 1127.

Things[edit]

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

Technical information[edit]

Inspiration and development[edit]

Trivia[edit]

See also[edit]

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]