When Doom: The Dark Ages launched, it redefined the Doom Slayer’s origins with a heavy-metal, dark-fantasy crunch that swapped hyper-agile verticality for overwhelming, wall-like momentum.
Now, with the Revelations DLC, id Software returns to double down on that medieval carnage. Far from a light, cash-in expansion, Revelations delivers a tight, punchy, and surprisingly robust addition to the campaign that feels like a victory lap for the Slayer’s darkest era. Adding in a new weapon, a massive arena and some new story that dives deeper into Doom lore.
Unearthing the Lore: The New Story
Where the base game set up the grand, mythic backdrop of the Sentinel wars, Revelations narrows its focus to answer some of the darker, unresolved chapters of the Slayer’s early campaign. Without spoiling the major beats, the expansion dives deep into ancient Sentinel ruins and forgotten Hell-breached keeps, uncovering hidden truths behind the demonic invasion’s true architects.
If you are thinking about just jumping straight into the DLC without playing the campaign, I would have to advise you against this. Knowing how to use your arsenal (and have one built up!) to mow down enemies is almost required to be able to be successful with this DLC. You’re looking at about 10-12 hours of story-based content here in this expansion, which, when adding in the Ripatorium, it is a decent addition to this already massive game.
The pacing is delightfully lean. It doesn’t bog down the action with exposition dumps; instead, it uses environmental storytelling and brief, cinematic cutscenes that hit with maximum impact. You’re dropped straight into high-stakes conflicts across vast, crumbling gothic landscapes that feel as imposing as they are gorgeous.
An Instant Classic: The Chain Spear
If the base game’s Shield Saw was all about devastating defence turned offence, the new Chain Spear weapon is pure, unadulterated aggressive satisfaction. Yes, you no longer have access to the Shield Saw, but the Spear is powerful and gives you that same satisfaction of mass destruction.
It integrates seamlessly alongside the existing arsenal; you can parry while still striking, and the Dash Return brings back the mid-air dash, which gives you more speed and feels in keeping with Doom Eternal.
Endless Carnage: RIPatorium 3.0
If you have finished the main campaign and are craving pure, uninterrupted combat loops, RIPatorium 3.0 is the crown jewel of this DLC.
id Software has taken feedback from previous iterations and built a definitive arena combat mode that will put you through your paces. The massive arena includes dynamic arenas that allow for maps to completely reconfigure mid-fight. It forces you to adapt to changing your sightlines and puts a ton of enemies in your way.
The custom wave modifiers allow you to control the enemy spawn rates as well as influence some of the environmental hazards. Lastly, the mastery leaderboards are there for those score-chasers; it really is for the most hardcore of players to push your efficiency to the limits and earn bragging rights. It serves as the ultimate training ground for mastering the new Spear mechanics, and let me tell you, it took me quite a few goes to get my head around it, but when I did, it was incredibly satisfying.
There was also a main spot of testing complex weapon rotations against brutal end-game demon combos that really shows how hard this game is willing to rip.
Final Thoughts
Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations is a textbook example of how to expand an already phenomenal action game in all the right ways. It throws you a completely new weapon mechanic and gives you time to learn how to use it.
The difficulty is adapted too, so don’t try jumping straight into this DLC if you haven’t finished the campaign; Revelations has no problem dropping you straight into the action with no training wheels.
By offering a compelling narrative bridge, a deeply satisfying new weapon in the Spear, and endless replayability via RIPatorium 3.0, it gives us precisely what we want from a Doom game: more heavy, visceral, highly polished demon-slaying.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: New weapon that gives you a fresh feel for the game; Fully customisable battles; Matched difficulty mode
Lowlights: Minor story additions that could be fleshed out further
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
