Ultra-Nightmare is the true test of skill for Doom Eternal players. If you can conquer Doom Eternal on its hardest difficulty, you’ve automatically secured your place as a legendary FPS player — the best of the best in a game that’s already ludicrously hard. Not everyone is going to want to take on this grueling, disheartening challenge. But, for those that think it’s completely impossible… it really isn’t. Ultra-Nightmare is beatable, and for most of your playthrough, there’s only a few basic tips you need to survive.
It all comes down to a few basic tricks that Ultra-Nightmare players use regularly. You don’t need to memorize specific enemy layouts or read guides covering each individual section of the game. Your Super Shotgun and Ballista will do most of the hard work for you.
We aren’t going to talk about the basics of the game here. This is for players that have finished the game at least once — even if you’ve beaten the game on the easiest difficulty, you’ll have enough knowledge to take on Ultra-Nightmare. Yes, really.
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#1: Quick-Switching Basics | Ballista, Super Shotgun & Heavy Cannon
Once you learn the power of Quick-Switching, you’ll instantly make the game far easier. Quick-switching is simple — it just means swapping between two weapons. Doing this allows you to instantly swap between two weapons, speeding up their fire rate. This is especially useful for the Super Shotgun and Ballista which both have long cooldown time between shots.
For a basic go-to combo, use the Ballista + Heavy Cannon. This is useful for almost any encounter in the game — use Precision Bolt on weaknesses, do damage with Heavy Cannon, then the Ballista to finish most enemies off. Certain enemies require different weapons, but this basic combo is enough for 75% of your encounters.
When Marauders show up, you’ll want to swap to the Ballista + Super Shotgun. Stun them, then rapidly swap between the two abilities. It’s the fastest way to kill these guys without wasting your precious BFG ammo with the Unmaykr.
#2: Replenishing Armor & Health With The Super Shotgun
Glory Kills are too slow in Ultra-Nightmare. Instead of wasting time on Glory Kills, use the Super Shotgun hook for a constant stream of armor. Use it on fodder enemies to earn +30 Armor and a little health. Chain a few together to completely refill yourself.
Seriously. Using the Super Shotgun hook is the easiest and fastest method for armor in the game. It’s also much safer than the flamethrower — if you’re not great at remembering to use the flamethrower constantly, this is a good alternative.
#3: How To Deal With Cyber Mancubus
The Cyber Mancubus is one of the most annoying enemies in the game. It generates area-of-effect spots on the map for constant damage, and blasts you with an AOE when you get close. It has no weak spots. Taking them out is a very high priority.
To kill the Cyber Mancubus very easily every single time, hit him with Grenades / Ice Grenades, then hook him with the Super Shotgun. Blast him at close-range, then quick-switch Ballista shot. Use a Blood Punch, then hit it with a Glory Kill. It works every time.
#4: When To Use The BFG / Sword
Save the BFG / Sword for big threats. Arch-Viles? Use the sword / BFG. Get rid of them instantly. Multiple Tyrants hanging out together? Use the BFG. Two Pain Elementals? Use the BFG. Save your super weapons for Super Heavy enemies to get rid of them before they make the battle even more hectic.
#5: When To Use The Plasma Rifle / Rocket Launcher
Most of the time, there’s no reason to use the Plasma Rifle in Ultra-Nightmare. Save your energy ammo for the Ballista — except in these rare occasions.
- Use The Plasma Rifle Against:
- Shield Soldiers.
- Spirits.
- That’s it.
The Rocket Launcher has way more uses. The Lock-On Burst is one of the deadliest weapons you’ve got in your arsenal. It kills Hell Knights in a single burst. Save your rocket launcher ammo for these threats.
- Use The Rocket Launcher Against:
- Whiplashes. Dead in one burst.
- Hell Knights. Very weak to.
- Barons of Hell.
- Riot Soldiers. Use the Remote Detonation mod.
Rockets generally have plenty of use. You’ll want to use these whenever you need to deal extra damage to single-targets.
And that’s really it! Keep moving, keep getting glory kills, use the Super Shotgun hook for armor, and quick-switch while focusing on one Super Heavy / Heavy monster at a time. You don’t need to get fancy. You just need to really, really master the basics.
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