The best Doom The Dark Ages upgrades

What are the best Doom The Dark Ages upgrades? id Software has gone back to the drawing board with its approach to making the Slayer an even more unstoppable force, stripping back its systems.

As noted in our Doom The Dark Ages, as well as the full list of upgrades you can unlock for your gear.

Best Doom The Dark Ages Upgrades

The best Doom The Dark Ages Upgrades are:

Cannibalism (Rocket Launcher)
Eldritch Blessing (Chainshot)
Flare-Up (Combat Shotgun)
Speed Loader (Super Shotgun)
Chronospike (Impaler)
Pincushion (Shredder)
Overload (Cycler)
Retaliation (Shield)
Gigawatt (Heaven Splitter Rune)
Engulf (Flail)

Cannibalism (Rocket Launcher)

Cannibalism is the best Doom The Dark Ages upgrade, and for good reason. As soon as you parry a Hell Surge attack, the launcher will stop dealing self-damage and, instead, heals you for a short period. This turns it into an explosive shotgun that, combined with the near-infinite ammo regenerated by melee swings, turns the Slayer into an absolute demon.

Make sure you have a Wraithstone for the Bloodlust upgrade, as this will make Cannibalism last much longer.

Eldritch Blessing (Chainshot)

The Chainshot is already a fantastic weapon for shredding armor and dishing out damage, and Eldritch Blessing allows you to get the most out of it. Parrying a Hell Surge attack instantly fully charges the next shot, guaranteeing maximum DPS without having to wait around. Bosh.

Flare-Up (Combat Shotgun)

Although the Combat Shotgun is far from the best weapon in the game, it stands out as a utility tool due to its ability to generate armor shards with its upgrades. Incendiary is the most important get first in Doom The Dark Ages because of this.

However, the best upgrade in the Combat Shotgun line, and one of the best in the game, is Flare-Up, as it allows you to instantly apply burn to fodder, creating an instant burst of armor regen in a pinch. This has saved our bacon multiple times, so get it locked in.

Speed Loader (Super Shotgun)

If you've ever played a Doom game, you'll know just how good the Super Shotgun is. It's 'super' for a reason, and the good news is that you can get to unlocking its potential early on in The Dark Ages. Initially, the shotty is painfully slow, and with Eternal's quick-swapping gone, you can't simply escape the downtime window between shots. Speed Loader is a must-buy upgrade because of this, and it makes the Super Shotgun experience so much smoother.

Chronospike (Impaler)

As Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda once famously sang, "time is a valuable thing," and this is especially true for Doom The Dark Ages. In the heat of battle, it can be prudent to take a moment to figure out your next move, and the Impaler's Chronospike upgrade offers that breathing room. What's more, your bullet time moment empowers its next shot, making those guaranteed headshots even juicier.

Although we found the Impaler to be outclassed in the late game, it's a mighty mid-game option that you should be making liberal use of.

Pincushion (Shredder)

Doom The Dark Ages has a couple of solid long-range options, and the Shredder is an early game pickup that can also provide some much-needed splash damage at that point in The Dark Ages. Pincushion, similarly to Cannibalism, fundamentally transforms the Shredder's scope, enabling it to clear out mobs after you fill up a big demon with lead and proc its effect.

Overload (Cycler)

The Cycler is another favorite of ours, and its upgrade path is all about chaining shock, making enemies more vulnerable to your attacks, and ramping damage – two things that go together beautifully. At the top of the upgrade chain is Overload, which builds charge off of killing demons. At max charge, the Cycler glows red and starts dealing way more damage.

If you're playing on higher difficulties where the larger demons are much meatier, this is a great tool that lets you get some extra value out of the fodder hanging around the arenas. Simply mow down the dregs, chain shock to the big guys, then eviscerate them with your fully-charged Cycler.

Retaliation (Shield)

The basic shield upgrades have some great pickups, and you'll naturally accrue them throughout your playthrough. Retaliation is the first of these, and it's arguably the best of the lot due to the disruptive power of the much larger shockwave your Hell Surge parries send out. If you're getting mobbed a lot, this can save you from having to pop a Life Sigil.

Gigawatt (Heaven Splitter Rune)

Though we do love the raw firepower of the Auto Turret shield rune dearly, Heaven Splitter's stunning performance makes it a must-use. At the end of the upgrade chain sits Gigawatt, which shocks stunned enemies, making them even more doomed than they already were.

Engulf (Flail)

Striking the perfect balance between the Power Gauntlet's swift strikes and the Dreace's crushing blows, the Flail is our go-to melee pick in Doom The Dark Ages. The Flail also operates as a great duo for the Combat Shotgun, as both provide armor-yielding burn effects, ensuring you always have a method of topping yourself up, regardless of which weapon you have out. Engulf is amazing simply due to the splash value it provides each melee charge, allowing you to quickly farm tons of armor with a single swing.

All Doom The Dark Ages upgrades

Doom The Dark Ages lets you upgrade your arsenal of guns, melee weapons, and shield. Eternal's Praetor Suit upgrades are a thing of the past, and with this new system, things are a lot more streamlined. Head to our Doom The Dark Ages Demonic Essence guide to find out how you can enhance your health, ammo, and armor stats.

There are three currencies of increasing rarity that are required to upgrade your gear: Gold, Rubies, and Wraithstones. While Gold is commonly found across The Dark Ages' maps, you'll have to do a little bit more legwork to find and unlock the shinier resources.

You'll be presented with two potential mod upgrades at certain weapon tiers. Don't worry, you won't have to pay double to unlock both, and you can simply switch between them from the Arsenal menu at any time.

Doom The Dark Ages weapon upgrades

Combat Shotgun

Tier	Upgrades
1	Incendiary – Dealing enough damage with the Combat Shotgun applies burn. Affected enemies drop armor pickups.
2	Smelt – Enemies affected by Combat Shotgun burn drop more armor pickups. Or Blast – Enemies affected by Combat Shotgun burn and explode on death.
3	Tune Up – The Combat Shotgun fires three-round bursts. Or Flare Up – The Combat Shotgun instantly applies burn to fodder enemies.
4	Eat This! – Increases the number of Combat Shotgun projectiles fired per shot.

Super Shotgun

Tier	Upgrades
1	Speed Loader – Reduces the time between shots.
2	Shatter – Increases damage dealt to armor.
3	Eat This! – Increases the number of Super Shotgun projectiles fired per shot.

Shredder

Tier	Upgrades
1	Pincushion – Dealing enough damage with the Shredder applies Pincushion. Hitting an enemy with a shield throw or parrying a Hell Surge attack detonates it, dealing damage in a wide area. Or Ricochet – Shooting an enemy affected by the shield saw with the Shredder causes the round to ricochet, hitting one extra enemy.
2	No Frills – Increases the Shredder's rate of fire.
3	Barbed – Increases damage dealt by detonated and ricocheted Shredder projectiles. Hitting an enemy with shield charge now also detonates Pincushion.

Impaler

Tier	Upgrades
1	Stalwart – Hitting an enemy with shield throw, shield charge, or parrying a Hell Surge attack drops Impaler ammo.
2	Salvage – Empowers your next Impaler shot when picking up ammo for it. Or Chronospike – Increases Impaler shot damage when fired during slow time.
3	Lobotomy – Impaler headshots refill a portion of your melee charge.

Accelerator

Tier	Upgrades
1	– Shooting an enemy with the Accelerator builds charge, increasing its damage at max charge.
2	Stabilizer – Reduces the Accelerator's spread at max charge. Or Modulator – Increases the Accelerator's rate of fire at max charge.
3	Heatblast – Releasing the trigger at max charge fires a damaging heatblast that consumes all remaining charge. Demons killed by the blast drop Accelerator ammo. Or Mega Cell – Increases the time it takes for the Accelerator to lose charge.
4	Overload – Supercharges the Accelerator when shooting an enemy at max charge. Supercharge increases Accelerator and charge-related effect damage.

Cycler

Tier	Upgrades
1	Shock – Applies shock after enough damage is dealt with the Cycler. Shocked enemies take increased damage from your attacks. Killing a shocked demon with the Cycler arcs lightning to nearby enemies.
2	Amplify – Increases damage dealt to shocked enemies with the Cycler.
3	Fulmination – Increases Cycler shock duration. Killing a shocked enemy generates more lightning arcs.
4	Overload – Killing a shocked enemy with the Cycler builds charge based on its size. Increases Cycler damage at max charge.

Pulverizer

Tier	Upgrades
1	Runic Skull – Killing an enemy with the Pulverizer or melee builds charge based on its size. Increases movement speed and the Pulverizer's rate of fire at max charge.
2	Runic Strike – Melee strikes now build and maintain charge.
3	Flay – Increases the number of projectiles per Pulverizer shot over a wider area.

Ravager

Tier	Upgrades
1	Vampirism – Enemies damaged by the Ravager while at max fire rate drop health pickups.
2	Ignition – Reduces the time to reach max Ravager fire rate, and removes the firing movement penalty. Or Slow Burn – Increases the Ravager's max fire rate, but it takes longer to achieve. The firing movement penalty is more significant.
3	Supplier – Enemies damaged by the Ravager drop Skullcrusher ammo.

Chainshot

Tier	Upgrades
1	Eldritch Blessing – Parrying a Hell Surge attack instantly charges your next shot.
2	Gravitational Flux – Increases Chainshot damage to armor at max charge.
3	Cosmic Breach – Max charge Chainshot projectiles explode when hitting an enemy.

Grenade Launcher

Tier	Upgrades
1	Fragment – Every third direct hit with the Grenade Launcher drops cluster grenades that deal area damage.
2	Rapture – Hitting a demon affected by the shield saw with the Grenade Launcher drops cluster grenades.
3	Cataclysm – Every second direct hit with the Grenade Launcher drops cluster grenades.

Rocket Launcher

Tier	Upgrades
1	Cannibalism – Parrying a Hell Surge attack temporarily causes self-damage to heal you.
2	Cooked – Parrying a Hell Surge projectile empowers your next shot. Or Blood Sacrifice – Increases Rocket Launcher splash damage at the cost of more self-damage.
3	Bloodlust – Significantly increases the duration of Cannibalism.

Doom The Dark Ages shield upgrades

Base

Upgrade	Description
Retaliation	Parrying Hell Surge attacks triggers a larger shockwave that causes nearby enemies to heavy falter.
Power Surge	Shield throw bounces off energy shields to nearby enemies.
Extended Edge	Extends shield throw's reach against fodder.
Steadfast	The shield recovers faster from taking damage and after breaking.
Harvester	Killing multiple fodder with shield throw empowers your next shield charge, increasing its damage against the primary target.
Blade Master	Increases the shield saw's stun duration.

Runes

Rune	Description	Upgrades
Ground Fissure	Summons a ground-splitting fissure in front of you, damaging and faltering enemies in its path.	Aftershock – Increases Ground Fissure travel distance. Wavefront – Scorches enemies hit by Ground Fissure, causing them to drop armor. Megathrust – Increases the size and damage of Ground Fissure.
Holy Swarm	Unleashes a swarm of ethereal daggers that seek nearby demons.	Outbreak – Summons additional daggers and increases damage. Upsurge – Summons even more daggers and increases damage. Plague – Summons maximum daggers and increases damage.
Auto Turret	A shoulder-mounted turret that fires ballistic rounds at a single target in front of you.	Extended Magazine – Increases Auto Turret duration. Health Extractor – Enemies damaged by the turret drop health. Rapid Fire – Increases turret rate of fire and damage.
Heaven Splitter	Transforms Hell Surge projectiles into a lightning-heralding energy bolt, stunning nearby enemies.	Induction – Increases Heaven Splitter stun duration. Megaburst – Increases the area affected by Heaven Splitter. Gigawatt – Heaven Splitter also shocks enemies. Shocked enemies take increased damage from your attacks.

Doom The Dark Ages melee upgrades

Melee Weapon	Description	Upgrades
Power Gauntlet	Focuses on single-target damage. Escalates power with each combo strike. The Power Gauntlet has a short recharge time and gains a full charge after successfully parrying a Hell Surge attack.	Finisher – Increases the damage of the final hit in the combo. Duelist – Parrying Hell Surge attacks speed up melee charge regeneration. Jolt – The first combo hit applies shock. Shocked enemies take increased damage from your attacks. Encore – Grants the combo a fourth hit, accessible only when acquiring a melee charge from a parried attack.
Flail	Deals significant damage to armor and generates a radial blast on . Each combo hit triggers the blast, making it very effective against groups. The Flail has a medium recharge time.	Conditioning – Reduces Flail charge recovery time by five seconds. Ignite – Scorches enemies hit by the flail, causing them to drop armor. Resonant – Flail strikes deal additional damage to metal shields and armor. These strikes also generate armor pickups. Engulf – Flail strikes scorch nearby demons and causes them to drop armor.
Dreace	Deals massive damage to the target and nearby enemies. Instantly replenishes all gun ammo. The Dreace has a long recharge time and only a single charge, but parrying Hell Surge attacks accelerates its recharge time.	Reaper – Enemies killed with the Dreace drop health pickups. Obliterator – Increases damage dealt to nearby enemies. Riposte – Parrying a Hell Surge attack when the Dreace is charged grants a second charge for a limited time. There is a short cooldown on this effect.

And those are the best Doom The Dark Ages upgrades, as well as the complete selection you have available to you. Now you're equipped to slay, whether in Argent D'Nur or the depths of hell. While you're here, check out Doom The Dark Ages missions list. If you've found a particularly devious upgrade combo, let us know over on the PCGN community Discord server.