When director Hugo Martin described the guiding philosophy behind *Doom: The Dark Ages* as “stand and fight” during Xbox’s Developer Direct earlier this year, I was immediately intrigued. It's a concept that sharply contrasts with the breakneck, constantly mobile combat of id Software’s previous title, *Doom Eternal*. While most enemies in *Eternal* encourage aggressive movement and dynamic positioning, there was one exception — the Marauder. One of the most divisive foes ever to appear in a *Doom* game, it divides players right down the middle: hated by many, but cherished by me.
The moment I realized that *Doom: The Dark Ages* leaned into the same kind of responsive gameplay mechanics that make fighting the Marauder so intense — reacting to bright green visual cues — I knew I was fully invested. But rest assured, *The Dark Ages* doesn’t trap you in an endless duel with an enemy as fast and demanding as the Marauder. Although the Agaddon Hunter is a shielded, combo-heavy brute, the spirit of the Marauder isn’t just carried by one foe — it’s embedded into the entire combat system.
Reimagined, refined, and restructured, the principles behind the Marauder have been woven into the very fabric of *Doom: The Dark Ages*’ battle design. Every enemy behaves like a puzzle requiring specific timing, positioning, and reflexes. As a result, each encounter delivers the strategic depth of a Marauder showdown without any of the frustration.
The Marauder is unique in *Doom Eternal*'s bestiary. Most fights involve darting around arenas, slicing through lesser demons, and juggling larger threats. In fact, *Eternal* has often been described as a resource and mobility management game — where speed, positioning, and weapon selection are key. That all changes when the Marauder appears. This axe-wielding powerhouse demands your full attention and often appears in one-on-one duels. Even when he shows up in larger battles, the optimal strategy is to evade his strikes, clear out weaker enemies first, and then go in for the kill.
Doom Eternal's Marauder is one of the most controversial enemies in FPS history. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Of course, “stand and fight” doesn’t mean standing still — not in *Doom Eternal*, at least. It means asserting control over space through precise positioning. Get too close, and the Marauder can blast you with a near-undodgeable shotgun blast. Hang back, and he’ll pepper you with projectiles. However, those projectiles are easier to dodge, and more importantly, they give you time to position yourself within axe range. The only time the Marauder is vulnerable is during the wind-up of his melee attack — signaled by his eyes flashing a bright green. That flash is your cue to unload every bullet you’ve got before he swings again.
That same green signal plays a crucial role in *Doom: The Dark Ages*. Paying homage to the original *Doom*, demons now fire barrages of bullet-hell-style projectiles. Among them are special green ones that can be parried using the Doom Slayer’s new shield — sending them flying back to their source. Early on, this mechanic serves mainly as a defensive tool. But once you unlock the shield’s rune system, parrying becomes a powerful offensive move, capable of stunning enemies or activating your shoulder-mounted auto-targeting cannon.
As you progress, your journey through *The Dark Ages* becomes a series of intimate, one-on-one duels against increasingly powerful demons. Unlike the Marauder, survival doesn’t solely depend on spotting those green indicators. Your other tools remain effective, but mastering the parry system gives you a significant edge. And if you incorporate it into your playstyle, you'll find that *The Dark Ages* builds upon the core ideas from *Eternal*’s Marauder encounters. You must maintain the correct distance — since demons won't fire projectiles at point-blank range — and position yourself precisely when those green orbs appear. Just like catching the Marauder mid-swing, timing your parry requires quick reflexes and total focus.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Marauder was how it disrupted *Eternal*’s pacing. You couldn’t rely on the same fluid movement and gunplay that worked for every other enemy. For many, this inconsistency felt jarring — but for me, it was what made the Marauder stand out. While the rest of the game asks you to dance, the Marauder forces you to breakdance. It broke the rules in a way that challenged both skill and mindset, which is exactly why I loved it — even if I understand why others didn’t.
*Doom: The Dark Ages* solves that issue by making varied forms of engagement part of the overall rhythm of combat. Each major demon type comes with its own unique green projectile or tell, meaning your tactics shift depending on the enemy. The Mancubus fires wide bursts of energy "fences" with green pillars at either end, forcing you to weave between them for a successful parry. The Vagary launches rows of deadly floating spheres, compelling you to dash toward the ones you can reflect like tennis volleys. Meanwhile, the skeletal Revenant channels the Marauder closely — remaining invulnerable until you deflect one of the green skulls fired from its shoulder launchers.
The Agaddon Hunter may be the most Marauder-like enemy in The Dark Ages, but every demon has a little bit of Eternal's most fearsome foe in them. | Image credit: id Software / Bethesda
Because each demon demands different movement patterns and reactions, no single enemy feels out of place or disruptive. Sure, the Agaddon Hunter and Komodo present steeper challenges due to their relentless melee combos — but by the time you face them, you’re already accustomed to adapting on the fly. That wasn’t the case with the Marauder, whose appearance in *Eternal* felt like a sudden rule change players weren’t prepared for.
Ultimately, the Marauder’s flaw wasn’t its design — it was that it introduced a completely different style of play without proper preparation. *Doom: The Dark Ages* avoids this by making reaction-based mechanics a fundamental part of the experience from the start. While the challenge may feel less punishing — thanks to a more forgiving parry window — the underlying idea remains intact. Lock eyes with your enemy, wait for the perfect moment, and strike when the light turns green. That’s the essence of the Marauder, and it lives on in *Doom: The Dark Ages* in every battle. You stand. And you fight.
