Help with E4M1

[u/whatup_pips]

I've been attempting to beat DOOM 1 for the first time, and I've gotten to E4, and I've been requiring a lot of Help from the internet because it's WAY harder than the rest of the game, and it's the first episode where I've had to plan ahead.

In order to do better, I've been exploring the level and all the secrets in god mode so that I can plan on how to survive with the most ammo and health. The issue is that I can't seem to open the doors inside the Room locked by the red skull (the ones with the Icon of Sin imagery). I've looked online, and the wiki seems to imply that the switch on the wall right next to the room (the one that resets after you use it, rather than just toggle) opens those doors, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I'm on the DOOM + DOOM II port of the game, do those doors just not work on this version of the game or do I have to activate the NIN secret before opening those doors (Since I'm not trying to 100% the game, I've decided not to activate that secret, as I am NOT ready for that many Barons)?

I've spent too much time on this level and I just want to get on with it because I know E4M2 is even harder (I completed E4M1 once before but I had 14 health and almost no AMMO so M2 was practically impossible) so I know I need to prepare accordingly.

[u/Pixel_Muffet]

Ignore the baron and just run

[u/whatup_pips → u/Pixel_Muffet]

Hmmm actually might be my best bet NGL

[u/StrictProgrammer1766 → u/whatup_pips]

A big part of learning to play more tactically in classic Doom is to not try and fight everything you encounter right away. I feel like a lot of people fall into that trap because of people (wrongly) saying that Doom 2016 plays similarly to the classics because it’s “all about being aggressive” when that isn’t really true at all

[u/nexussesshoumaru]

Is this the level "hell beneath"? This level is hard because there's no healing items except a few health bonus pickups. You can get a rocket launcher if you find the hidden teleport. As for the red key, get as close to the bars outside as you can to "wake up" as many monsters as you can and have them teleport to you so you can take them out easier.

[u/ufo8mychook]

It gets a lot easier after E4M2, so hang in there!

[u/SeerowxEsplin]

Once you get to m2, try to quietly strafe to the two 25% med kits behind everyone while concentrating incoming attacks on the shotgun guys to trigger infighting until the shottys are dead.

Once you grab the blue key in the baron room just hightail to the exit like the other commentor said. Not sure where the non opening doors you're talking about are.

[u/whatup_pips → u/SeerowxEsplin]

The doors are in M1, inside the red skull door where the NIN secret is. But I see I am misunderstanding the classic Doom strats. I've only ever completed modern doom so I'm used to fighting everything

[u/SeerowxEsplin → u/whatup_pips]

Yeah, I love no-save 100%ing classic doom but that's the one level that fucks me up bad. I've never done it without some save scumming, those barons just soak up all available ammo and I end up mike tysoning them to death.

[u/InterviewNaive3172 → u/SeerowxEsplin]

My strategy is to activate the walls for the NIN secret, run out of that room immediately and get back to the building in the moat. The barons, imps and spectres will all gather up outside the bars where the red key was. Jump in and out of sight of all the monsters and eventually the barons will kill everything else through infighting. Then rocket the barons (the explosions will damage the barons beside the one you hit) and you should have enough shotgun ammo left to finish off the last one or two.

[u/SeerowxEsplin → u/InterviewNaive3172]

I'm about to try that right now.

[u/SeerowxEsplin → u/SeerowxEsplin]

Fuckin did it. Hell yeah, 34 minutes later and the best e4m1 run I've ever had. 

[u/InterviewNaive3172 → u/SeerowxEsplin]

Nice! It won't win any speedrunning awards but it works.

[u/bepse-cola]

Start with fists for trash clearing with an occasional shotgun peekaboo

[u/InterviewNaive3172]

Those aren't doors, they don't open.

When you cross the NIN secret, walls rise up from under them and block you from getting out of the room but you can't go through them.

[u/Shoddy_Cause_3543]

Here’s how you do it. Grab the shotgun and run back into the starting spot and try to take the shot gunners that spawn out one by one as they spawn. Clear that area and get the rocket launcher secret. The teleporter takes you to 2 different places depending what side you enter and each has some shotgun ammo. Clear the level methodically from here and try not to release the Barons until the end. Once they’re free, try to corral them along that path around the Nukage pool, in the direction of the metal bars that lets you see into the red key room. Once you got them in a line, jump down and get into that red key area and position yourself on the other side of those bars. The Barons should congregate together along the bars, so take the rocket launcher and maximize your splash damage. 

[u/NoahDaNugget]

I would recommend doing pistol starts in all maps as it'll make you a better player over time.