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Keyran-Solo

Recommended WADs for Average Players?

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I think I'm a decent Doomer, and then I saw people like Zero Master and Decino play and realized I'm not THAT great. So I'm looking for WADs that the average Doomer could enjoy. Thanks!

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38 minutes ago, NaturalTvventy said:

E3M6 and the entirety of E4 say otherwise, me thinks ;)

 

Thread tax:

 

Doom The Way id Did and its various spin-offs.

 

Jan Van der Veken's work

 

Lunar Catastrophe

 

All of the above are, for the most part, similar in difficulty to Ultimate Doom or Doom 2, and are some of my personal favourites.

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33 minutes ago, NaturalTvventy said:

 

NaturalTvventy recommendation is excellent for sure, but don't take it lightly, for your understanding, playing it on Hey! Not Too Rough feels like, on some maps, playing Ultimate Doom on Ultra Violence.

 

For a mild challenge, if you not already, you can play all the iwads, i personally love Ultimate Doom and TNT: Evilution. Left The Plutonia Experiment for last as its the hardest iwad, with some nasty traps even on HNTR.

 

Then, if you like more story driven mapsets with good challenge, i recommend this thread here, with lots of really awesome stories told on Doom:

 

Aside from that, if you only want to play and challenge yourself to the limit, read this other thread:

That list is kinda curated by the most hardened players on the community and so, it gives a good mapsets difficulty progression to become a really good player.

 

My recommendation is that, instead n trying to become a great player, try to enjoy playing Doom.

As you play different mapsets, you will be learning the different situations and how to get through them.

So even if you don't push yourself into the fry, you will become a better player as you enjoy the different mapsets as most are designed to be played from easier to harder on their map order.

 

Hope you can have a great time playing with us and sharing your experience ;)

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i'd recommend Serenity trilogy, and today i started playing a set called Realm of Chaos, which seems, after first five levels, appropriate for an average player (like me, too).

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@Keyran-Solo

 

I am wholeheartedly an average (more likely below-average) player. Remember, nothing says you have to play on UV. If you find a map or mapset to be too difficult, you can reduce the difficulty level. Obviously, for mapsets without difficulty settings implemented (Sunder may be the most well-known example), you're limited to dropping to ITYTD for double ammo and half damage from enemies, but for most mapsets, reducing the difficulty will serve you well.

 

The other question is, what sort of mapsets are you interested in playing?

 

Anyway, here are some mapsets that I played and enjoyed. All are for Doom 2, unless otherwise noted.

 

Flashback to Hell

Operation: Biowar

Absolute Dishonor

Back to Basics (Doom 1 E2 replacement)

Fava Beans (Doom 1 E1 replacement)

The Classic Episode (Doom 1 E2 replacement)

 

I would also refer you to this post by rd (and subsequent posts are worthwhile, too).

Edited by Pegleg : Corrected a name.

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I'm not good at single player Doom, so Bourgeois was made to accommodate lesser skilled players, with fully implemented skill difficulty changes. Map01-02 might be daunting but they are probably the hardest maps of the pack to be honest. It tries a bit more to reflect the iwads rather than slaughtermaps or anything like that.

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I first played the original games + various wads in roughly this order, if I recall correctly:

Ultimate Doom

Doom 2

Final Doom

Hell Revealed (quit after map13, it was a bit too much for me at the time, I don't recommend this wad to beginners)

Scythe

Lunatic

Japanese Community Project

Going Down (some of these maps seemed extremely difficult to me at the time, but they're short)

Alien Vendetta (I'd seen more hype about the difficulty of this one, but it wasn't that hard after playing some of those other wads).

 

All of this was on UV with frequent saves, in GZDoom, with freelook (gasp!) and no infinite height. I had never tried another source port at that point, didn't even know infinite height was a thing.

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I'd support the Alien Vendetta recommendation.

 

I'm new to community WADs too, and not a great player, but I found that playing AV on HMP was the right balance for me. The difficulty progresses fairly well, so that by the time you reach the crazy stuff I was getting some skills. When I got stuck or stressed that it was too hard, I check playthroughs on YouTube to help me out - there are several for Alien Vendetta. Plus it's a great set and I felt like I was getting a feel for the history of community maps without playing something very outdated.

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I suggest Zone300

 

Short maps, not too tough, great music. May be my favorite wad, and I like vanilla difficulty or a little higher.

 

I usually play it on HMP, and it is a little tougher than vanilla.

 

I'm due for a playthrough, actually. But first I have to check out Lunar Catastrophe (thanks @Omniarch)

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Heh, maybe I'm just rusty, but AV strikes me as a bit of a mean recommendation for a newbie.. Try something like these!

 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/d-f/doomcity

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/p-r/puppy

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/p-r/phobos

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/a-c/area51

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/Ports/p-r/ph_mini

 

Some easier stuff I've made:

 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/m-o/mohawks

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/p-r/rwdyrudy

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/s-u/sinseven

 

And here's a mod I designed to specifically cut all enemy health in half. If you want to play some of the "big, grand" wads but don't have the skills, this is what you're after!

 

 

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I would caution that Episode 4 of Lunar Catastrophe on UV is no walk in the park, taking distinct inspiration from the first two maps of UDoom's E4, and keeping that streak of absolute spite throughout. The first 3 episodes are mostly reasonable, but be warned that the boss fights are very nastily designed. (Though I can't speak for the lower difficulties, and the rest of the maps are still worth checking out).

 

I'm shocked no one's mentioned one of my all-time favorites and a Cacowards Classic: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/megawads/tvr

Also, if you want something short and sweet: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/megawads/dmonfear

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Difficulty settings are very relevant here. You might not be able to beat, for example, Alien Vendetta on Ultra-Violence, but on Hey Not Too Rough it might get a lot easier.

 

Regardless, some of the less difficult WADs I've played:

  • Freedoom Phase 1 and 2 (Ultimate Doom and Doom 2 IWAD replacements, similar difficulty but slightly harder)
  • SIGIL (John Romero's E5 for Ultimate Doom - about as much of a difficulty hike from E4 as E3 to E4)
  • Japanese Community Project (there are some really hard levels, but nothing ridiculous and the average level is relatively easy)
I have also heard that Scythe 1 and 2's early maps are easy (I can only vouch for Scythe 2 here), though the difficulty curve is very steep and both MegaWADs increase to extreme difficulty in the final levels.

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If you haven't played it already, I'd strongly recommend The Plutonia Experiment. It can be a tough SOB even on the lower difficulties, but stick with it. It requires you tackle every fight with much more care and strategy than pretty much any Doom 1 or 2 map (except maybe E4M6), and gets you familiar with what every enemy and every weapon can really do. It won't be easy, but you will be a far better player by the end of it, and much more prepared for the kinds of fights that most wads will spring on you.

 

Aside from that, Deathless is an excellent Doom 1 wad with a lot of tight and well-rounded maps - I don't even like Doom 1 combat and I had a blast with it. Both of the Back To Saturn X episodes are pretty tough when they want to be, but they never get crazy hard and would be a pretty good next step up from Plutonia.

 

You could also just play back through wads you've already beaten, but raise the skill level up a notch or two. Wouldn't be getting into anything super unfamiliar, but the new placements and combinations of enemies could take you out of your comfort zone just enough to improve. It's a journey for sure - but ultimately what's important is you play how you want to. Games are supposed to be fun, after all.

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i agree with alien vendetta. i s2g, that wad is like a rite of passage. i legitimately became much better at the game after finishing it. it was hard and some levels (especially map26, holy SHIT) are hard af, but it's 100% worth it

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I'd play Ray Mohawks Manic Monday, it's very good, it's awesome and has pretty good gameplay and has awesome midis (the link is in doomkid's comment)

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Here's my Recs:

  1. Revolution!
  2. Darkening 1 + 2
  3. Perdition's Gate
  4. Japanese Community Project
  5. DTWID 1 + 2
  6. Any of the Doomer Boards Projects
  7. Reverie
  8. UAC Ultra

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10 hours ago, Keyran-Solo said:

I think I'm a decent Doomer, and then I saw people like Zero Master and Decino play and realized I'm not THAT great. So I'm looking for WADs that the average Doomer could enjoy. Thanks!

 

If you can handle Doom 1, Doom 2 and TNT: Evilution, I recommend you to try:

  • DTWID and D2TWID
  • FreeDoom phase 1 and 2
  • Deathless
  • JiffyBag
  • NRFTL
  • Fava Beans
  • The darkening E1 and E2
  • Icarus: Alien Vanguard
  • Memento Mori 1, 2 and Requiem
  • Perdition's Gate
  • TVR: Revolution

 

If you can handle Plutonia, I recommend you to try:

  • Lunatic
  • Vanguard
  • Eviternity (hardest levels in this wad are hard, but an average Eviternity level isn't much harder than an average Plutonia level)
  • TNT: Revilution (a bit harder than Plutonia, but still manageable if you can beat Plutonia)
  • BTSX E1 (BTSX E2 gets harder but still doable if you can beat Plutonia)
  • Sigil
  • Bourgeois: Deathmatch (note that the wad also supports SP. Short and punchy maps)
  • Doomer Board Projects
  • Scythe 1 (last few maps will get crazy hard though)
  • Alien Vendetta (I agree with Pseudonaut that the difficulty of this wad is overblown. The hardest levels in this wad are really hard, but an average AV level isn't much harder than an average Plutonia level)

 

 

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This is why Doom II: 25 Years on Earth exists.

 

I’d also recommend The Rebirth, TVR!, most of Jimmy’s work and recent works by Doomkid, off the top of my head. These megaWADs and episodes can get difficult by the end, but picking lower difficulties (where implemented) should take the edge off. Generally speaking, stuff for The Ultimate Doom has easier combat than things for Doom II, due to the limited bestiary, but environmental hazards, resource limitation and confusing layouts tend to feature more to make up for it, plus shotgunners become ubiquitous to devastating effect when the difficulty is stepping up.
 

Thanks to @Doomkid for shouting out Mini Doom, by the way!

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It's interesting how still to this day people debate over which wads are easy and which are hard, but to help things out with what wads to try if you're an average Doomer, I can give you a quick rundown on which wads I recommend.

 

Easy wads (Roughly around the same difficulty as Ultimate Doom and Doom II)

  • The Twilight Zone
  • Project X
  • Icarus: Alien Vanguard
  • Dimensions of Time
  • Revolution!
  • Fava Beans
  • Perdition's Gate
  • The Darkening Episode 1: The Nameless Project
  • The Serenity Trilogy (Serenity, Eternity and Infinity)
  • Slaughter Until Death and The Evil Unleashed
  • Phobos Revisited, Deimos: Slight Return, and Infernos
  • Death Tormentation 1
  • The Raven Series
  • Demonfear
  • Chris K
  • BF_THUD!
  • Doom the Way Id Did & Doom 2 the Way Id Did
  • Dawn of the Dead
  • The Classic Episode
  • No Sleep For the Dead

 

Moderate wads (Slightly harder than Doom II, but still accessible. TNT Evilution and Master Levels for Doom II difficulty)

  • Obituary
  • The Trooper's Playground
  • Memento Mori 1 & 2
  • Requiem
  • STRAIN
  • Eternal Doom
  • The Enigma Episode
  • Back to Basics
  • 2002: A Doom Odyssey
  • The Darkening 2
  • Jenesis
  • Japanese Community Project
  • Doom Core
  • Reverie
  • The Wicked series

 

Hard wads (Not recommended for beginners, but doable if you have no problem with Plutonia)

  • Hell Revealed 1 (Pseudonaut may say it's too difficult, but it's actually doable if you can beat Plutonia. A warning though, it's not pistol start friendly on UV)
  • Alien Vendetta (I used to think it was much harder, however after going through it, I can say that it's equally as hard as Plutonia and Hell Revealed)
  • Scythe 1 (first 2 episodes are mostly on the easy to moderate difficulty side, but it gets crazy hard in the third episode, hence it's placed here)
  • One Bloody Night
  • Kama Sutra (another wad I thought was harder, but the average KS map is about as hard as Plutonia/HR/AV, and Map28's not as hard as HR Map24)
  • Whispers of Satan
  • 3 Heures d'Agonie series
  • TNT Revilution (surprisingly as hard as Plutonia despite being a sequel to Evilution)

 

And that's pretty much all the wads I could recommend for average players. I know there are others out there, but I haven't played them yet. Everything else harder than the hard wads I listed, stay away from them.

Edited by T-Rex

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13 hours ago, ReaperAA said:

 

If you can handle Doom 1, Doom 2 and TNT: Evilution, I recommend you to try:

  • DTWID and D2TWID
  • FreeDoom phase 1 and 2
  • Deathless
  • JiffyBag
  • NRFTL
  • Fava Beans
  • The darkening E1 and E2
  • Icarus: Alien Vanguard
  • Memento Mori 1, 2 and Requiem
  • Perdition's Gate
  • TVR: Revolution

 

This list right here is pretty tight, but idk so much about Memento Mori 1 and Requiem. While both are pretty easy, the quality of the two aged like a gallon of milk that's been left out in the sun for too long... and ran over by a car.

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1 hour ago, VoanHead said:

This list right here is pretty tight, but idk so much about Memento Mori 1 and Requiem.

 

I haven't played Requiem myself yet (only watched a few vids), however I do agree that MM1 hasn't aged as well. However, if OP ends up liking TNT: Evilution, then they might get some enjoyment from MM1 as well.

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22 minutes ago, NaturalTvventy said:

No one can find E3M6. I hid it too well! 

100%-ing E3M5 still gives me nightmares (finding E4M6's ZDoom secret exit takes the cake, though)

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5 hours ago, T-Rex said:

(list)

Good list, seems pretty accurate from what I remember of the wads I've played. I'd say Perdition's Gate and Jenesis could drop down a layer and Icarus could be bumped up though.

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