Primary Excavation: Artifact Dig

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Doom 3 maps
Primary Excavation: Artifact Dig
Map name: game/hellhole
"So you've made it this far."
― Malcolm Betruger [source]

Primary Excavation: Artifact Dig is the twenty-seventh and final level of Doom 3. The player must defeat the fourth and final boss, the Cyberdemon, in order to seal the Hell portal. Imps, Maggots, and the Cyberdemon are the only enemies in this level. An exploratory player may find the hidden "id Software" PDA, containing messages from several id Software employees.

Summary[edit]

Spoiler Warning: Plot details follow.

The marine descends to the Primary Excavation Site where he finds an enormous cache of supplies waiting for him. After taking as much as he can, the marine heads into the Hero's Burial Chamber. A wall opens up to reveal a passageway leading to a stone chamber that takes the marine down into another secret passageway aligned with candles and demonic icons. Coming to the end of this passageway, the marine enters an enormous cavern. Here is the Hell Hole and as well as the game's final boss: the cyberdemon.

The marine battles the cyberdemon and its imp and maggot minions which come pouring out of the Hell Hole. Despite the odds, the marine defeats the massive demon after striking it four times with the Soul Cube. The Cube kills the cyberdemon by slicing off one of its legs, then impaling its blades into its head. The Soul Cube then flies into the Hell Hole, causing lava to boil over and solidify, sealing the portal and ending the demon invasion at last.

Days later, the Fleet from Earth arrives. Marines and sentry bots enter the Delta Complex to find the entire base in ruins with everyone dead. They manage to locate a single survivor - the marine - who is promptly evacuated off the planet. Counselor Swann is also found, but he has died from his wounds. Dr. Betruger is nowhere to be found...

The final scene of the game reveals that Betruger is in Hell and has been transformed into a giant dragon-like demon: The Maledict. The Maledict swoops down at the screen which cuts to black, and the credits roll.

Spoilers end here.

Areas[edit]

PDA Room
Sub Level 4 Excavation
Sub Level 4 Junction 1
Heroes Antechamber
Chamber of the Hero
Unidentified

Characters[edit]

PDAs[edit]

  • Id Software. Found in a secret chamber near the Hell Hole.

Statistics[edit]

Enemies[edit]

Monster Amount
Imp infinite
Maggot infinite
Cyberdemon 1

Items[edit]

The amount of items is the same on all skill levels.

Item Amount
Shotgun 5
Machine gun 4
Chain gun 2
Plasma gun 2*
Rocket launcher 3
Bullets (small) 1*
Bullets (large) 3
Shells (small) 12
Clip (small) 4
Clip (large) 17
Ammo belt 3
Grenades 3
Cells (small) 8
Rockets (large) 3
BFG cell 1
Med kit (small) 2
Med kit (large) 3
Security armor 4
Backpack 1*

The backpack contains bullets (40), shells (20), clip (100), ammo belt (50), hand grenades (4), cells (25), rockets (4), BFG cell (4), health (25), armor (25).

The two plasma guns on the level are actually multiplayer pickups, and thus will give the player 30 cells instead of 50.

The single pistol clip is located in the Hell's starting area (the one that is shown in the ending cutscene with Maledict), which is inaccessible to the player without cheats.

Starting inventory[edit]

If the player starts the level via a console command, they will start with these items:

Item Amount
Flashlight 1
Shotgun 1
Machine gun 1
Chain gun 1
Plasma gun 1
Rocket launcher 1
BFG9000 1
Chainsaw 1
Soul Cube 1

Secrets[edit]

  • As you leave the first room with all the supplies, turn right to see a collapsed passageway. It's possible to climb up on top of the blockage and find a hidden BFG cell.

Trivia[edit]

  • When the player enters the cyberdemon's arena, they will receive the ability to sprint indefinitely, just like in Hell.
  • This level contains the various models and rooms that appear in the endgame cutscenes. As a result, it is considerably larger than the area that is normally visible. If the player uses the noclip cheat to pass through the walls surrounding the hellhole, they can find the Mars City starting area where Recon Zulu enters the base with their sentry bots; a wall of green camera static reserved for Recon Zulu's bodycam footage; and a copy of the Hell starting area where the Maledict sits perched atop a demon skull, complete with Dr. Betruger's head sticking out of its mouth.

Gallery[edit]

External links[edit]