Pinky rider

A pinky rider.

The pinky rider is a combination of two monsters which occur in Doom: The Dark Ages, a demonic rider equipped with a bow and mounted on a large quadrupedal breed of pinky demon.

Tactical analysis

The pinky rider will keep its distance from the player, firing arrows from its bow that can be parried to send them back at the rider. It can also release a group of three energy waves followed by a group of two; one of the waves in the second group will be a green Hell surge which can be parried.

After taking a sufficient amount of damage, the rider will be stunned and vulnerable to a glory strike. At this point, the pinky will act on its own and fight with charges, bites, and claw swipes.

Pinky riders can also be equipped with armor which must be destroyed before the pinky can be injured. At long distances, armored riders can release groups of shield walls; most of the shields can be sidestepped or blocked, but the final shield will be a Hell surge (green by default) and should be parried to send it back at the rider.

Lore

These horned quadrupedal reptilian demons are known by the Sentinels as the "Pinky Riders". Born from the Umbral Plains' flaming pits, they bring speed and ferocity to Prince Ahzrak's invading horde. However, if they should fail, they are discarded at that moment by the demon prince. The demonic archer riders choose their mounts personally, hoping to achieve glory in Hell's halls, but the beasts are not loyal companions. Many of the Sentinels have witnessed horrific scenes where the beasts turn against their riders, devouring them in the midst of battle.

Inspiration and development

The earliest sketches of the monster were created by former id Software artist Jonathan Lane; according to the artist himself, he was inspired variously by the classic incarnation of the monster and by the modern incarnation from Doom (2016). Also in Lane's sketches, the rider is armed with spear or staff, not with a bow like in the game. According to art director Emerson Tung the pinky rider was one of the first demons approved for game. Also Tung used Lane's sketches as a starting point for his final concept art of this enemy.

The in-game model and textures for the rider were created by id Software senior artist Angel Bedolla. The in-game model and textures for the standard and armored variants of the pinky were created by id Software principal artist Philip Baily.

According to game director Hugo Martin, during development the pinky's bite was parryable, but because it was its only attack without a rider, the ability to parry it was removed.

Concept art

All concept art by Jonathan Lane and Emerson Tung.

• 

  Early ideation sketch in armor, inspired by Doom 2016 incarnation.

• 

  Early ideation sketch inspired by classic incarnation.

• 

  Rider ideation sketches.

• 

  Pinky final design.

• 

  Armored pinky with rider.

Pre-release

The pinky rider was first seen in the reveal trailer of the game, along with the revenant, in footage of the Abyssal Forest. Some time after the trailer was released, a screenshot of the Slayer equipped with impaler against this monster was subsequently released.

The pinky rider could also be seen on the game's cover art, from afar on the right side.

The armored version of this enemy, and one of its concept arts, was first seen during the Developer_Direct event on January 23, 2025. After the premiere of the showcase, screenshots were released, one of which showed the pinky rider with other monsters in the background of the Harbor of Souls facing off against the Slayer equipped with the pulverizer.

The concept art of the rider siting on top of the pinky could first be seen between 34 and 43 seconds into the first episode of The Art of Slaying. The enemy's name was revealed in footage of its toy being found in a secret, part of press footage of Siege - Part 1 released on March 31, 2025. In the final game, pinky rider's toy can be found in the next level. In other footage the leader and enforcer variants of this monster were also revealed.

The regular pinky rider also appeared in the final trailer, in footage showing a grenade launcher in action in the Sentinel Command Station hangar bay. This sequence showed the monster taking damage from the weapon in slow motion.

Gallery

• 

  The pinky rider's collectible toy.

• 

  The codex entry image.

• 

  The size comparison of the Slayer and armored pinky rider in the Ripatorium's encounter manager.

Trivia

Warbeast concept art by William Bao.

• According to id Software concept artist William Bao during early development cycle, the idea of ​​a bigger and stronger counterpart of pinky rider with some cybernetic augmentations was considered. This monster would have been called the "warbeast".
• The Doom 3 version of pinky is also quadrupedal.
• This iteration of pinky resembles the Sirian Werebull from the Serious Sam series.