Doom The Dark Ages: Best Slayer Build Guide

This guide explores the best build for the Slayer in Doom The Dark Ages and uses the Shock mechanic to infinitely deal increased damage.

Doom The Dark Ages Best Slayer Build Guide.
The Doom Slayer can be even more ruthless against the demons with this shock-based build (Image via Bethesda)

Even without a proper build, the Slayer is powerful enough to destroy demons with any weapon in hand. That said, the addition of the Shield and its special Shield Runes has made it possible to create some unique synergies between weapons in Doom The Dark Ages. Since the Slayer has a plethora of weapons up his arsenal, the best build for him needs to have all of them, especially since specific weapons work best against some particular demons. That said, it is possible to determine the best upgrades and which weapon from a particular class you should choose.

Our best Slayer build in Doom The Dark Ages revolves around the “shock” attribute, which in general is great against mob fights in Doom The Dark Ages. If you are familiar with the franchise, it is often these mob fights that pose more of a challenge than the bosses. With this best build, you should be able to make short work of all fights, both mobs and bosses, without breaking a sweat.

This guide explores the best build for the ruthless Slayer in Doom The Dark Ages.

Best Doom The Dark Ages Slayer Build Overview

Best Doom The Dark Ages Slayer Build Overview.
The key aspect of this build is to chain shock enemies and defeat them easily (Image via Bethesda)

Against mobs, mostly any weapon is good if you know how to use it. Pair that with the Shield Saw, and you can come out victorious, with or without struggling much. This effect is only amplified once you unlock Shield Runes, since parrying becomes a staple mechanic after this in Doom The Dark Ages. The basic idea of combat is simple: when up close to an enemy, use shotguns or high-damage, high-spread weapons like the Pulverizer to deal damage. At long range, stick to guns that have better precision.

However, once you unlock the Heaven Splitter Shield Rune, you can focus on an entirely shock-based build in Doom The Dark Ages. Shock renders enemies immobile for a few seconds, which is often more than enough to give you breathing room. Moreover, with this best build in Doom The Dark Ages, you can chain the shock effect to form a massive reaction and easily kill enemies. Keep reading to find out more about the best build that you should use on the Slayer in Doom The Dark Ages and how it works in-game.

Doom The Dark Ages Best Slayer Build: Weapons

Doom The Dark Ages Best Slayer Build Weapons.
Here are all the weapons that you should use in this build (Image via Bethesda)

Here are the weapons that you should use for the best Slayer build in Doom The Dark Ages:

  • Combat Shotgun (primary) / Super Shotgun
  • Shredder (primary) / Impaler
  • Plasma Cycler (primary) / Accelerator
  • Skullcrusher Pulverizer (primary) / Ravager
  • Chainshot
  • Grenade Launcher (primary) / Rocket Launcher
  • Shield Saw
  • Power Gauntlet
  • BFC (once unlocked)

For the list above, entries that have two weapons signify that both weapons fall under the same class. As such, you can only have one of those equipped, but you can swap out to the other one mid-fight. For our best Slayer build in Doom The Dark Ages, we will only focus on the weapons that are marked “primary” and their upgrades. For the others, you can choose to not upgrade them as well.

Weapon Upgrades for Best Slayer Build in Doom The Dark Ages

Here are the upgrades for the weapons that you should have for the best Slayer build:

Combat Shotgun

  • Incendiary
  • Smelt
  • Tune Up
  • Eat This!

Shredder

  • Ricochet
  • No Frills
  • Barbed

Plasma Cycler

  • Shock
  • Amplify
  • Fulmination
  • Overload

Skullcrusher Pulverizer

  • Runic Skull
  • Runic Strike
  • Flay

Chainshot

  • Eldritch Blessing
  • Gravitation Flux
  • Cosmic Breach

Grenade Launcher

  • Fragment
  • Rupture
  • Cataclysm

Shield Saw

  • Base Upgrades:
    • Retaliation
    • Power Surge
    • Extended Range
    • Steadfast
    • Harvester
    • Blade Master
  • Shield Rune:
    • Heaven Splitter
    • Induction
    • Mega Burst
    • Gigawatt

Power Gauntlet

  • Finisher
  • Duelist
  • Jolt
  • Encore

Doom The Dark Ages Best Slayer Build Explained

As mentioned before, this best Doom The Dark Ages build revolves around the “shock” attribute. As such, there are three main players in this build who form the perfect synergy:

  • Plasma Cycler
  • Shield Rune: Heaven Splitter
  • Power Gauntlet

Why Use Plasma Cycler in the Best Doom The Dark Ages Build?

Why use Plasma Cycler in The Best Doom The Dark Ages Build.
The Fulmination upgrade is the key reason for using the Plasma Cycler in this build (Image via Bethesda)

Dealing enough damage to an enemy with the Plasma Cycler automatically applies the shock status to them. When an enemy is shocked in Doom The Dark Ages, they automatically take more damage from your attacks. However, the key point to note here is that you need to damage an enemy for long enough to apply shock. This automatically means that fodder demons cannot be used to apply this status. During a fight, your target should always be to start with the mini-bosses or mob bosses, ones who take a few hits before going down.

Once the Cycler is upgraded, its shock abilities are only increased. The primary player here is the Fulmination, which automatically passes the shock status to other enemies after being killed in a chain reaction. Once you have applied shock to one enemy, it’s an endless chain. Keep killing an enemy, and the shock is infinitely passed on till there’s nobody left. Paired with the fact that Shocked enemies take more damage by default, this is a free win condition in most mob fights.

Why Use Shield Rune Heaven Splitter in the Best Doom The Dark Ages Build?

Why use Shield Rune Heaven Splitter in The Best Doom The Dark Ages Build.
The Gigawatt upgrade also shocks enemies that are stunned (Image via Bethesda)

As you progress through the levels, the enemies will gradually become stronger and more offensive. Enemies that hurl projectile attacks at you will increase, and this is where the Heaven Splitter comes into play. At base level, the Heaven Splitter “stuns” enemies, rendering them immobile for a few seconds. As you upgrade this to its final level, Gigawatt, these stunned enemies are also shocked by default.

Once an enemy is shocked, simply take out the Plasma Cycler and chain enemies with the Shocked effect, defeating them easily. Parry, swap to cycler, defeat everything – this three-stage cycle becomes your staple with this best Slayer build in Doom The Dark Ages.

Why Use Power Gauntlet in the Best Doom The Dark Ages Build?

Why use Power Gauntlet in The Best Doom The Dark Ages Build.
The Power Gauntlet can also apply the Shock status (Image via Bethesda)

The Power Gauntlet might not be the best melee weapon in Doom The Dark Ages, but it fits perfectly in our best Slayer build. This is possible owing to the Jolt upgrade, which also applies the Shock status to an enemy with the first hit. Essentially, you can initiate a fight with the melee attack as well, and it will shock them. After this, simply bring out your trusty Plasma Cycler again to chain enemies with the Shock status indefinitely and win the fight.

How To Use the Best Slayer Build in Doom The Dark Ages

How to Use The Best Slayer Build in Doom The Dark Ages.
The Gigawatt skill in effect, stunning and shocking enemies (Image via Bethesda)

Using this shock-focused build is fairly easy. The easiest way would be to initiate the fight with a melee attack and then use the Cycler to let your unlimited shock works do the talking. That said, here is the general flow that you should look to achieve with the best Slayer build in Doom The Dark Ages:

  • Once in a fight, look for a mob boss or a mini boss who will take a few hits to be downed.
  • Initiate the fight with your Power Gauntlet to instantly apply the shock status and start chaining enemies.
  • Use the Plasma Cycler to shoot at enemies, as it will deal increased damage while also charging itself up.
  • Use your Shield Saw to parry any Hell Surge projectiles and trigger the Gigawatt effect.
  • If you are in a main boss fight and the enemy is close, switch to other weapons like the Pulverizer or Combat Shotgun to deal massive damage.
  • Depending on the situation, use any other weapon in your arsenal to deal effective damage.
  • Use the BFC as a last resort.

Doom The Dark Ages Logo

Thank you for reading the article. We provide the latest news and create guides for Doom The Dark Ages. Also, watch Deltia play on Twitch or visit his YouTube channel!