Cultist Base, also known as the "Cursed Citadel," is an Arctic facility that was owned by the UAC that Deag Ranak took over to build his Doom Hunters. It serves as the third level of Doom Eternal.
Overview
The UAC Cultists operate from a remote facility located in the Arctic tundra of Greenland. The entire region is filled with ruins, and remains of demonic skeletons of various types of enemies -- including Doom Hunters, the skull of a Baalgar demon, what is apparently a Titan skeleton under the sea, and the crucified skeleton of a giant four-armed demon in one room that the Slayer knocks over. These skeletons and ruins appear to be dug up, and used in the research at the citadel.
Built over the ruins of an ancient Argenta settlement, the Cultist facility has been designed as both a gothic monument to the ancient architecture and a state-of-the art science facility. Tablets and memory banks found at the settlement indicate that the Order of the Deag discovered Earth millennia ago and found it to be populated with powerful, primeval beasts. They named these creatures 'Agaddons', due to their similarity to the mythic cyclopean giant from Argent D'Nur's past, the Aggaddian. An ancient Argenta colony from around 60 million years ago sits below this facility.
The Facility also manufacture numbers of demons type most notably the Revenant, Mancubus, and Doom Hunters that have been mass produced.
History
After retrieving the celestial locator and powering it up, VEGA directs the Slayer to a citadel in the Arctic where Deag Ranak has taken refuge. The Slayer is teleported into the ruins of the location and fight his way to the facility. When he opened the shutters of one area, the citadel itself was presented in front of him, after that Deag Ranak confronts the Slayer via a hologram taunting him before disappearing. Throughout the Slayer's fight inside the citadel, Deag Ranak encourages the demons to fight him, while saying he's weak, probably to motivate them into facing him head on before being killed by the Slayer. Once he entered the facility, Deag Ranak gives a speech to his cultist promising them a new world in exchange for eating his soul with words suggesting he might know some personal information about the Slayer and a shared history between the two, nonetheless they continue to die by his hands. VEGA later informed the Slayer that his Super Shotgun is nearby and describing it as a relic from his past that the Priest had kept it hidden from him thought this remote location. The Slayer then attempts to reclaim his Super Shotgun via a Revenant drone since there was no way the Slayer could reach his weapon from where he is. He successfully reclaimed the Super Shotgun and proceeds further through the facility, Deag Ranak yet again taunts him when he reaches a big corpse of an Aggadon hunter on a cross that Slayer must push to unlock a path forward. Deag Ranak taunts him again then dares him to come find him and that he'll be waiting, the Slayer then fights his way to the terrordome locating in the other side of the location, he slew all the demons then heads towards the train to advance on his quest to kill the Hell priest.
Objectives
- Infiltrate the Cultist Base
- Obtain your Super Shotgun
Mission Challenges
- Pull the Crystal - Just find the Sentinel Crystal.
- Armored Rain - Can easily be obtained by just flaming the Possessed Cultists on the metal bridge. Just burn at least 4 in one blast.
- Master of Turrets - Use either the Shotgun's sticky bombs, or Heavy Cannon's precision bolt against an Arachnotron's turret.
Enemies
Level
| Type | Name | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Fodder [1] | Cultist Zombie | 37 |
| Mecha Zombie | 46 | |
| Soldier (Blaster) | 26 | |
| Soldier (Shield) | 28 | |
| Imp | 14 | |
| Gargoyle | 22 | |
| Lost Soul | 8 | |
| Heavy | Cacodemon | 9 |
| Hell Knight | 6 | |
| Arachnotron | 9 | |
| Revenant | 15 | |
| Mancubus | 16 | |
| Whiplash | 9 | |
| Ambient | Tentacle | 4 |
| Cueball | 8 |
- ↑ Sometimes fodder enemies respawn until the heavy demons are taken down.
Slayer Gate
| Type | Name | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Fodder [1] | Soldier (Blaster) | 4 |
| Imp | 3 | |
| Heavy [2] | Cacodemon | 2 |
| Arachnotron | 3 | |
| Mancubus | 3 | |
| Prowler | 2 |
Exploration
New Weapons
- Rocket Launcher - After the first shield soldier battle, and jumping to the next battle encounter, the Rocket Launcher is found just before said encounter.
- Super Shotgun - Obtained right after controlling the Revenant.
Items
Level
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Health Vial | 32 |
| Medkit (small) | 2 |
| Medkit (large) | 22 |
| Armor Shards | 139 |
| Armor (small) | 6 |
| Armor (large) | 7 |
| Shells | 35 |
| Bullets | 20 |
| Cells | 17 |
| Rockets | 45 |
| Fuel | 4 |
| Mines | 29 |
| Dash Refill | 2 |
| Haste | 1 |
Slayer Gate
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Armor Shards | 18 |
| Shells | 7 |
| Fuel | 4 |
| Barrels | 10 |
Upgrades
| Upgrade Type | Location |
|---|---|
| Praetor Token | Right after the first Mancubus fight, just before the gate jump. |
| Rune | After the battle where you first obtain the Rocket Launcher, on the way to the Whiplash debut arena, the Rune will be hard to miss. |
| Modbot | After opening the door after the first Whiplash battle, the modbot is right inside. |
| Praetor Token | After the modbot, in the same corridor as the squad of shield soldiers, there is a breakable wall to the left above a hard-to-see edge, it will lead to the token behind a closed gate. |
| Sentinel Crystal | After the pit battle, and the floor lifts back up, go around and press the skull switch, and the middle pillar will open, revealing the crystal. |
| Praetor Token | At the room with the lifts on the two sides, once you go down to a corridor with a Cacodemon, and a box that leads to the punchable button that lowers the swinging pole, go to the other side of said box to find the token. |
| Praetor Token | In the room with the spinning Deag Ranak heads on a rectangular metal mold, after reaching the top of the mold, jump to the side of the room that has the token. The other side leads to the next climbing wall area. |
| Praetor Token | Just before the final battle, after taking the lift when Deag Ranak says he doesn't fear you, go right of the large horizontal corridor, towards the armor shards and medkit, and find the token at the end. |
Collectibles
- Toys
- Gargoyle - After the first jumping / climbing area, just before the first first with Revenants and Possessed, turn left, break the wall, and you'll find the toy on top of a giant hanging demon skull.
- Soldier (Blaster) - In the middle of the axe hallway, there's a breakable vent on the right side where the toy is. After picking it up, the door on the other side opens containing three blaster soldiers.
- Codex Pages
- Cultist Base - Found at the right area of spawn.
- Cheat Codes
- IDDQD - In the Super Shotgun testing arena, after all the pillars have been lifted, swing on a swinging pole on either side, circle around the pole while in the air, and claim the cheat code on a platform above the exit.
- Albums
- DOOM II - Into Sandy's City - In the gooey room with the Tentacles and Gargoyles, as you go through the crusher that leads to the shootable button that activates the lift, go left of the crusher, on top of the deactivated one, and it leads to the album.
- Sentinel Battery - After fighting the two Revenants, and many Possessed, find a ledge to the left of where you came in, break through a wall, and punch a button. A gate will lower, and the boost will lead you up to the battery.
- Sentinel Battery - After the huge fight outside, and the bridge opens up the base, there's a corridor with a Cacodemon to the right. On the left end of the hallway is the battery.
- Secret Encounter 1 - After the pit battle, and going around to press the skull switch to open the pillar revealing the Sentinel Crystal, the gate to the left also opens, accessing the encounter. The battle consists of two Cueballs, three shield soldiers, a Cacodemon, and a Revenant.
- Sentinel Battery - At the room with the lifts on the two sides, once dealing with the two Revenants and Mech-Zombies, before moving on, go over the center with the Medkit on it, take the open lift higher, and it will lead to the battery on the other side of a gate.
- Secret Encounter 2 - After the room with the climbable pillars, right before the area with the crushers, turn right where there's two red mines and a large armor, to the left of that is a breakable wall with a secret encounter. The battle consists of two Mecha Zombies, one Mancubus, and two Whiplash.
- Slayer Gate - The Slayer Gate is located in the large room after Deag Ranak taunts the Slayer for being tired. To get to the key, climb downward towards the ledge, and follow the swinging poles, climbable walls, and dash refill.
Extra Lives
Cultist Base contains six extra lives.
- After fighting the two Revenants and Possessed near the beginning, just across from the booster behind a gate, down the ledge is Dopefish hanging on a reel. Shoot the bomb near it to have an extra life be reeled up.
- After the first Arachnotron fight in the level, and before obtaining the Cultist Key, to the right is another button-jump gate. Going through it, and performing a wall climb will lead to the extra life. If you haven't obtained the Cultist Key yet, just go back around the way you entered the Arachnotron arena.
- After fighting the shield soldiers for the first time, find a lower ledge down to the right, jump towards a nearby swing pole to find another Dopefish on the wall. Punch the wall around it to find the extra life.
- After the huge fight outside, and the base opens up, leading to a long horizontal corridor. Go towards where the Cacodemon came from, punch the lever, and swing on the swinging poles until you reach the climbable wall; after that, jump across the room, and try to reach for the extra life. The poles are only out for 5 seconds, but the wall is safe.
- After going passed the crusher, after secret encounter 2, climb up, and before you leave, turn around, and jump to the other side, avoiding the crusher again, to obtain this extra life.
- In the Promenade of Culling, look down the ledge and find a cave to the right down below. Inside is yet another Dopefish; press the skull, and it will turn into an extra life.
Fast Travel Points
- Grotto of Penance
- Station of Inquisition
- Basilica of Adjuration
- Forge of Transfiguration
- Promenade of Culling
- Station of Annointment
Trivia
- The cold arctic conditions and sci-fi aspects of the level recall the VEGA Central Processing level in DOOM.
- With its ancient gothic architecture, desolate setting, and oppressive sense of evil transcending provided by Deag Ranak, this level brings back a spirit of Lovecraftian horror recalled by the original Quake which, while an interest of John Romero, was never really developed any further until now.
- The Master Level version of this level can only be played if the game was pre-ordered, or if The Rip and Tear Pack DLC is bought.
