Doom Weapons Guide

Note: The pistol was not included in here because the author of this weapons guide hates handguns.

REMEMBER: NO WEAPON IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. Each weapon has their own attributes and uses, and they are all equal to each other.

FISTS

Pros: Your fists are always with you the entire game, and give promise that you will never be defenseless. Whenever all your ammo runs out, this is what you end up with. It is also very good with conserving ammo: You can punt down a former human if you are careful, and you can make short work of some heavy resistance with the berserker power up if you have the skill.

Cons: Your fists, of course, require you to be very close to attack your enemy, which can often lead to disaster. That and your fists do very little damage without the berserker power-up. Generally, if you're going up against anything beyond a lone former human soldier/sergeant, you're most likely toast. If you're stuck with just these, it is almost always best (unless you have the berserker power-up, in which you should think if you would be able to get by well enough with it or not) to either do a hit-and-run or simply run off altogether.

Ammo Capacity: n/a

SHOTGUN

Pros: The shotgun is generally the most versatile of all weapons, and is the default weapon recommended to be in your hands if not the super shotgun. Best used in all out, front line assault and/or close combat. Perhaps the most commonly necessary weapon.

Cons: Though good at close range, the shotgun's power and accuracy can diminish over distance, and isn't really recommended for medium range or long range attacks. That and sometimes the reload time, while not all that bad can still be sometimes annoying and in some cases a little dangerous.

Ammo Capacity: 100 shells, 200 w/ backpack

SUPER SHOTGUN (FOUND ONLY IN DOOM 2)

Pros: The super shotgun packs an even better punch than the normal shotgun, especially up close. Generally adds on damage.

Cons: However, there are some detractions from the original as well. The super shotgun is even more inaccurate than the shotgun. That and it has an even slower rate of fire since its loading mechanism is the "open up, take out, put in new one, close" technique rather than pump action loading mechanism like the original.

Ammo Capacity: Same as shotgun

CHAINGUN

Pros: The chaingun is the best with hit-scanning out of the entire arsenal. Best for any situations requiring rapid fire. It is also the best weapon for dealing with fast enemies, especially if they are the enemies with no projectile attack (such as pinky demons). Also an excellent sniping weapon.

Cons: The chaingun really guzzles its ammo, and you can sometimes end up wasting an awful lot of bullets from missing. After a big battle, you could end up completely out of chaingun ammo, which can often be annoying to say the least. If you run out of ammo and you're stuck with just this other than your fists you could end up turned to haggis on the spot.

Ammo Capacity: 200 bullets, 400 w/ backpack

ROCKET LAUNCHER

Pros: The rocket launcher is capable of combining power with pin-point accuracy. The rocket launcher is very good for taking out groups of weak enemies and/or slow moving tough enemies from a distance. Also has a rather effective blast radius, which is able to inflict damage to other enemies nearby once the rocket has impacted.

Cons: The rocket launcher can be very harmful and in some cases suicidal up close because of its blast radius, especially when near toxic barrels. That and the rockets can move very slow as well as the rocket launcher's rate of fire, despite its dead-on accuracy.

Ammo Capacity: 50 rockets, 100 w/ backpack

PLASMA RIFLE

Pros: Take the chaingun and add plenty more firepower and ammo capacity.

Cons: However, there are some drawbacks as well. The plasma rifle still is not quite as fast as the chaingun. It does not have instant hit like the chaingun does. That and it shares the same ammo as the BFG 9k, and so if you encounter a situation where you need the plasma rifle, you may end up using a lot of the ammo, making there be little or no ammo left enough to fire your BFG 9k when you need it.

Ammo Capacity: 300 cells, 600 w/ back pack

BFG 9K (Abbreviation for "Big Fragging Gun 9000")

Pros: The BFG 9k is the biggest and most powerful weapon of all. The green electric bolt projected from this weapon not only does great damage on impact but has a wide and very destructive killing radius as well: Any other enemies within the radius are also done harm and possibly killed. The absolutely best for dealing with the tough and slow enemies such as spider masterminds and cyber demons.

Cons: Though the most destructive weapon of all, it is still at quite a cost. It shares the same ammo as the plasma rifle, and that can often mean trouble. The firing rate of this gun is very low, and so is the speed of the projectile's movement. The gun consumes 40 energy cells when fired once. Because of such costs, when not used with skill and precision, you could end up making a big waste. Whether or not you miss can so much as easily determine the outcome result: Life or death.

Ammo Capacity: Same as plasma rifle

CHAINSAW (FIND SOME MEAT!)

Pros: Except for when you have the berserker power-up, the chainsaw is superior to your fists. This is an excellent weapon for when you are backed into a corner or if you are cornering someone (he he, I sort of stole that tip from planetdoom.com, but oh well). It is also very good for dealing with melee enemies or sneak attacking others.

Cons: Still requires you to be very close to the enemy, and it still does not offer damage increases like the berserker power-up you are able add to your fists. Also, when you are using this against pinky demons, it sort of locks you onto it until you kill it, which can sometimes leave you open to attacks without the ability to retaliate until it the pinky demon is dead.

Ammo Capacity: n/a

Um, ok.

Columbine said:

REMEMBER: NO WEAPON IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. Each weapon has their own attributes and uses, and they are all equal to each other.

So that means the unbeserked fist is equal to the SSG, right?

Darkman 4 said:

So that means the unbeserked fist is equal to the SSG, right?

Dude, I use my fists to smack down zombies and demons to save ammo.

Columbine said:

Ammo Capacity: 100 shells, 200 w/ backpack

Um...what?

BBG said:

Dude, I use my fists to smack down zombies and demons to save ammo.

I, personally, use the chainsaw for my ammo conserving, unless it's early in the map and I can't get one.

Hm, I don't why, but I somehow found a few elements in your guide misleading.

Note: The pistol was not included in here because the author of this weapons guide hates handguns.

Get outta my face and never come back! j/k :-P

Hmm, now I'm tempted to do my own weapons guide (although I'm sure there are plenty of weapons guides out there that are better, more professionally done and which give more useful info). Mind you I'm only covering the sp aspect of the game here.


1.a. Fists:
It's...a fist...with brass knuckles on 'em. You punch stuff with them.

Pros: Does not require ammo. With a little bit of skill, they can be used effectively against imps and pinkies to conserve ammo. Can also be used against zombiemen, but it is not recommended if you want to avoid taking any damage. When powered by the berserk, the fist packs an earth-splitting wallop that can kill imps, and even gib them, with one punch - but watch out for those occasions where the imp actually survived!
Cons: Does very little damage without berserk and is melee only. You don't want to be stuck with that one when you go up against groups of gun-toting, projectile-throwing enemies unless you're an elite Doom player (berserk helps a little bit too).

1.b. Chainsaw:
Just what it sounds like (yep, it does a lot of noise...and damage). Now cut some meat.

Pros: Does constant damage and is highly effective against lesser enemies like possessed troops, imps and pinkies if you can get close to them. latches onto the victim you're cutting up, making it easy to finish the job. Does not require ammo.
Cons: Latching onto targets makes it difficult to dodge attacks from other enemies in the room. While it does constant damage, the damage rating isn't too remarkable and the weapon is melee only.

2. Pistol:
Handgun - just point and shoot with it.

Pros: A quite accurate ranged weapon and decent at taking down most of the weaker enemies. Does not consume ammo too quickly and is capable of effectively harassing bigger enemies (and if you have enough ammo, you can often kill a bigger baddie without too much trouble depending on the environment). Can be used as a finishing weapon.

Cons: The pistol is quite weak and is rendered almost completely useless once you get the chaingun. It is not recommended for close-quarters combat.

Ammo capacity: 200/400 bullets.
Ammo pickups: clips and bullet boxes.

3.a. Shotgun:
A nice, beefy pump-gun that fires scatter shells, but require pumping after each shot.

Pros: Sounds freaking badass. Powerful gun that kills most weakling enemies with one blast at close to medium-long range. Fires a spread of pellets making it easy to hit targets as well as making it possible to kill/damage multiple targets. Is decently effective against even tough enemies.

Cons: Ammo capacity is more limited than that of the pistol. The shotgun has a pretty slow rate of fire, which punishes failure to down an enemy with one blast and makes combat against groups of ranged attackers quite dangerous.

Ammo capacity: 50/100 shells
Ammo pickups:loose shells and shell boxes.

3.b. Super Shotgun:
A double barrelled duck hunting gun that's a bit more powerful than a regular duck gun.

Pros: Sounds freakin' badass. Is more than twice as powerful as the regular shotgun. Fires a wide spread that is insanely effective against groups of weakling enemies, which also makes it easy to hit targets with it when at close range. Is remarkably effective against even the biggest of baddies.

Cons: It's rate of fire is slow, very slow - not the weapon of choice against a group in cramped space with no cover and nowhere to run. Its spread is so wide and its shot pattern so loose that it's nearly completely useless at medium to long range and farther. Uses two shells per shot instead of just one.

Ammo capacity: 50/100 shells
Ammo pickups:loose shells and shell boxes.

4. Chaingun:
A small minigun with a regular machinegun rate of fire. Get those demons dancin'.

Pros: Does constant damage. Is accurate and effective at long ranges. Is capable of putting weaker enemies in a constant state of pain so that they can only rarely (if ever) counter attack, can delay pinkies in their attempts to run up to you and it can push flying enemies back. Chews up weaker enemies pretty good. Can often get you out of hairy close-quarters situations where you're surrounded.

Cons: Uses ammo fairly quickly. Damage rating is not too remarkable. The weapon is quite weak against really tough enemies and chews medium-tough enemies up fairly slowly.

Ammo capacity: 200/400 bullets.
Ammo pickups: clips and bullet boxes.

5. Rocket Launcher:
Launches rockets that explode in big, fiery balls - weee!

Pros: Does very high amounts of damage, capable of blowing most enemies away fairly quickly. Has a blast radius around the impact point that damages everything around it. Very effective at reducing groups of enemies to a piles of gibs. Constant rate of fire, letting you throw a lethal barrage of destruction at the enemy. Very effective against big toughies. "Tracks" targets a little (but don't expect the rocket to change its course and don't expect it to go after targets off screen).

Cons: Fires slow-travelling projectiles. The rocket launcher's tendency to track targets often means that you can't always best them by firing ahead of them. Blast radius damages you as well and damages you a LOT - you don't want to use this in close quarters combat!(!)
Small ammo capacity.

Ammo capacity: 50/100 rockets.
Ammo pickups: individual rockets and rocket boxes.

6. Plasma gun: A "machinegun" that fires plasma balls instead.

Pros: Take the chaingun, now increase the damage rating of each bullet and give it pin-point accuracy - oh yeah, and make each bullet a lot wider so that it's easier to hit targets - and then you have the plasma rifle at its best. Effective against...well...everything really. Chews up everything that crosses your path. Huge ammo capacity.

Cons: Plasma balls often clip with nearby walls, causing them to explode (in a non-player-damaging energy ball) instead of flying past - this, combined with the fact that the plasma gun fires slow-travelling projectiles makes it undesirable, not only against targets that are far away, but particularly against targets that are far away and move between cover. Eats through ammo quickly.

Ammo capacity: 300/600 cells.
Ammo pickups: Cells and cell packs.

BFG 9000:
It's big, it's bad and it's a Big Fuckin' Gun 9000. The demons better not mess with you now!

Pros: Capable of clearing entire rooms with baddies. Has a huge, 'invisble' blast radius that damages almost everything in your line of sight even if you didn't hit them with the plasma ball. Does insane amounts of damage, capable of killing even the toughest non-boss enemies with a single blast. Blast radius does not damage the player - ever. Big ammo capacity.

Cons: Takes a second to charge up before it lets loose. fires a slow-travelling projectile. Eats up 40 cells per shot. Player must have targets in his line of sight, otherwise the shot is wasted (and that's one BIG waste, dude!) - as a result of this, the BFG can be very dangerous and undesirable to use when you're in a room with many projectile-flinging enemies (unless you've got good dodging skills) or with a few gun-toting dolts.

Ammo capacity: 300/600 cells.
Ammo pickups: Cells and cell packs.

The author of this thread has a fucking weird nickname :/

Umm.. Supa Shotgun good for close-range, bad for long range. Shotgun nice as a semi-sniper rifle. Plasma gun good, but monsters can avoid projectiles easilly when far. Rocket Launcher-don't use in tight spaces. Never fire BFG at floating cacodemons, lost souls or PE's (heh) when close to sky or Your projectile disappears in the sky. Chainsaw-excellent for stunning enemies, especially several demons in a row.

There already exist far better, more accurate and less misleading sources of information on the weapons than "Columbine"'s.

This page has links to weapon FAQs, including the famous BFG FAQ.

dsm: Line of sight is not relevant to the BFG's traces. Unless you just mean that the traces don't go through walls, etc.

Darkman 4 said:

I, personally, use the chainsaw for my ammo conserving, unless it's early in the map and I can't get one.

depends on what monster you are facing. the chainsaw works well on cacos, since it stops them from firing back (mostly), but tends to get stuck in stronger enemies, like barons, so it's wiser to punch them.

as for the guide, it's not so new.

http://www.doom2.net/doom2/toolstart.html for example

@ grazza: thx. i knew some of those faq's from the idgames ftp's, iirc it started with the bfg faq and some people felt like writing a faq for each weapon ;)

Sorry for my errors.

I also made a couple mistakes from when I was very tired.


Well, I would indeed understand that my survival guide may in fact not be as professional and less misleading as the others. But it's been hard for me to find a more reasonable weapons guide out there.

Yes, indeed, the exclusion of the pistol was very rash, but its just that once you pick up the chaingun, adios. ciao. sayonera. auf wiedersein.

Though not exactly matching in quality as well as other weapons guides, I have somewhat found other weapons guides to be very misleading. Here is an example of the type of weapons guides I would find:

Fists: A crappy last resort weapon. Actually a little good once you get the berserk powerup.

Pistol: Does okay with weak enemies, but practically useless once you get your hands around a big gun, especially when you get the chaingun.

Shotgun: Does excellent with weak to semi-weak enemies, but has a terrible reload.

Super Shotgun: Does much more damage, but has an even lower rate of fire.

Chaingun: This can rip through weak enemies and keep pinky demons at bay! Guzzles ammo, though.

Rocket Launcher: This is the first of the REAL weapons! Can send groups of enemies to the ground, as well as Cyber Demons! Don't use it up close, though!

etc, etc.

Sorry for the disappointment, however.

Columbine said:

Note: The pistol was not included in here because the author of this weapons guide hates handguns.

REMEMBER: NO WEAPON IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. Each weapon has their own attributes and uses, and they are all equal to each other.

...

CONTRADICTION ALERT CONTRADICTION ALERT :D

insertwackynamehere said:

...

CONTRADICTION ALERT CONTRADICTION ALERT :D

Sorry, you know what? That was said very, very poorly. I was making it sound like the pistol was not equal to the rest of the arsenal. This isn't true.

I'm sure all this effort is appreciated, but I'm not sure if it's really necessary, you know? We've all been around the game long enough to know which weapons to use in whatever situations.

Columbine said:

REMEMBER: NO WEAPON IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER.

Except for when you have the berserker power-up, the chainsaw is superior to your fists.

Right......

BTW I always thought the Chainsaw was better then the fist, even with beserk

And the Chaingun is always better then the pistol.No exceptions.

And I always thought the rocket launcher was the best weapon of E1, too. Silly me.

DoomDan said:

BTW I always thought the Chainsaw was better then the fist, even with beserk

In Tyson demos (i.e. only weapons 1 and 2 may be used), players generally prefer the berserk fist over the chainsaw when they have the choice (and quite often even avoid picking up the chainsaw to avoid having to switch between them). The chainsaw can be a safer weapon on, e.g., cacos though, since their pain chance is low and the chainsaw hits at a rapid rate. The berserk is the more effective of the two against most monsters though.

And the Chaingun is always better than the pistol. No exceptions.

What if you need to shoot two switches and only have two bullets left?

Columbine. Great name.

Grazza said:

What if you need to shoot two switches and only have two bullets left?

Heh, I never though of that.

Aside from the BFG and Fist, I don't really see a reason to write a strategy guide for the weapons (unless your target audience is the people who live by their strategy guides, FAQ's, and cheat codes). The rest of Doom's weapons really lack any kind of depth. I can see where writing a guide for, say, HL2, UT2004, or Gunman Chronicles would be needed; but it's just unnecessary for Doom.

rofl @ your STUPID FUCKING USERNAME

The pistol is acctually better for sniping than the Chaingun. and since many consider the Chaingun the "Sniper Rifle" of doom, that makes the pistol the Sniper Rifle. I downed the spider demon from accross the arena in Inferno by Pistol Sniping.

My understanding is that if you tap on the fire key, rather than holding it down, the chaingun is just as accurate as the pistol. I can't point to documented evidence for that offhand, but maybe some exists...

... OK, there's this.

Yeah, the chaingun-tap trick can be quite useful at times, especially in deathmatch. If you get good at it, you only lose a little bit of time on the firing rate.

The chaingun is a faster sniper weapon than the pistol. Since individual pistol shots are about worthless, the chaingun is more effective. The initial firing frames run through 2 shots before refire inaccuracy is applied, so if you let the weapon reset by having only tapped your trigger, you can fire pretty fast and accurate.

Well berzerk fist is most of the time better than chainsaw. For cacos it's a lot simpler to just hit them with chainsaw and latch on but this is not 100% effective. Also if you have to fight multiple cacos then another caco can hurt you while chainsawing a caco. Even non-berzerk fist in some situations is better than chainsaw because chainsaw has the feature of moving you closer to the enemy. This means punching barrels is much safer. Also on et04 I used a trick where I stun the hell knight by getting it stuck on a lift. Then I proceeded to punch it from a little ways away. However with chainsaw it doesn't work so well because when you get too close the monster is still able to attack.

Any single monster lower in the hierarchy than a Baron or Hell Knight has a high enough pain chance that the chainsaw becomes the superior melee weapon. There are special cases where either the fist or chainsaw are superior. I can NOT agree that the berzerk fist is better than the chainsaw most of the time.

The trick to using the chainsaw, is that when you start using it, when it would normally pull you in and let the monster attack you, take a tiny step away and you'll be out of range from thier melee attacks, but the chainsaw will still hold him/her/it there.

The pull-back technique does help against smaller monsters, but even then your mobility is reduced when you're battling many foes.

Ultraviolet said:
I can NOT agree that the berzerk fist is better than the chainsaw most of the time.

Silly man, it is; you can punch relatively fast and each punch does a great amount of damage, and you have more mobility, like xit-vono explained.

I'm sticking with it; it can be a superior weapon lots of times, but I won't say it is the superior weapon MOST of the time.