Secrets in DOOM

 DMSECRET.TXT    v1.0 by Eugene Cohen eugene@rover.bsd.uchciago.edu

Legal Rules:

FRANKLY, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO WITH THIS DOCUMENT.

(If you want to include this in the DOOM FAQ, that's

cool too.  Just gimmie some credit. :) )

This file documents every secret there is in the nine levels of the shareware

version of DOOM.  This does not document things that you may consider to

be secrets, it only tells you what is required to get a 100% secret ratio,

and a little bit more.  I found all these secrets myself; I didn't rely on

anyone else to tell me anything, so all the vagueness and mistakes are mine.

On this quest to find all the secrets, I found a bug in DOOM (that's right)

that most people would never have noticed.  In level 6 you can get a 100%

secret ratio without finding the secret computer area map.  I don't know

where other similar bugs may occur, but I feel proud to find such a rare

case in a game so excellently coded.  So, without further delay...

Level 1

1-1     At the end of the room of ooze, check the discolored wall on the

        right.  This leads to a blue armor suit.

1-2     When you cross the barrel in the room before the exit room, the

        ledge that the pesky imps were shooting you from in the ooze room

        lowers.  Go back and check it out.

Level 2

2-1     After entering the level, check the right side of the little complex

        in the middle.  There is a discolored wall.  Check this to find

        goodies and a button.  This button opens a wall in the room with the

        red keycard that lets you outside to a supercharge!

2-2     When you open the red door, take a right into the room of ooze.

        Cross the ooze quickly and flip the switch behind the pillar.  This

        opens a secret door back in the hallway that leads to a giant

        computer room.

2-3     In the computer room, you will find a place with two vertical strips

        of silver on the wall.  Check the wall between these strips to find a

        backpack full of ammo.

2-4     In the room with the annoying slow flashing light (the one that goes

        to black), shoot the outside wall next to the green armor.  This

        leads to a room with your first chainsaw.

2-5     The staircase to the above-mentioned room has a silly secret too.

        Check the walls of this staircase to find a room with a few armor

        powerups.  Big deal.

2-6     Later on, the staircase going to the room of ooze with the winding

        path, has a small nook on the left.  Stand in that nook and you'll

        find a secret elevator.

2-7     Before the big elevator, there is a discolored wall on the left.

        Check this for a secret passage to the big room.  Be careful on the

        harder levels, however.

Level 3

This is the level that contains a "warp" to the famous ninth level.  Don't

use this warp right away though if you intend to get 100% secret.  Read on.

3-1     The red button in the room with the short down-going staircase opens

        a secret door, near the big door that you came through.  Go through

        this secret door, and up the staircase.  Kill all the bad guys, blow

        up all the barrels, and get the yellow keycard.  Make sure the room

        is clear of obstructions.  Go back to the foot of the staircase, and

        face the top of the staircase.  Say, did you hear that sound as you

        walked down the staircase?  That was the sound of two secret panels

        opening in the room.  Wait until you hear the sound of the panels

        closing.  This would be a good time to learn how to use the run key.

        The default setting for the run key is SHIFT I believe, and you will

        HAVE to use this key to find these secrets.  (Personally, I always

        run everywhere in DOOM!)  *RUN* up the staircase and to the LEFT

        side of the computer room, and run up the the funny-looking opening

        on the left.  Stand there, and a secret passage will appear.  If you

        mess this up, it's okay, just go to the foot of the staircase and

        try again (and again, and again).  This will get you the supercharge

        you saw as you came into this part of the level.  Get this.

3-2     Don't exit the above-mentioned room without reading this!  On the way

        out of this room that ledge will lower along with another ledge to

        your left.  You need to *RUN* to that ledge, and stand on it to find

        the other secret passage.  This time you only have one chance!  I

        suggest you save your game here.  When you do this successfully,

        you'll find your very first rocket launcher.  Use the rockets

        sparingly, they're too valuable to waste.  (Unless you use cheat

        codes, of course!)  Follow the ooze river clockwise until you find

        the switch.  Throw this switch, and check the discolored wall to

        your right.  This leads to a room with your first Chaingun!  By now,

        you should have every weapon available in the shareware version of

        DOOM, congratulations.

        

3-3     When you are back in the hall that you came in, you'll see a flashing

        wall to your right.  Open this, and carefully shoot all the guys you

        see down there.  This can be especially painful if done incorrectly.

3-4     In the outdoor area with the sniper imp and the pits of ooze, jump

        in the middle pit.  Trust me!  There you'll find a switch.  Throw it

        quickly, and wait.  Cool, eh?

        (Now get the blue keycard, and enter the main area.  You'll notice

        that there is a bridge across the pit of ooze.  This leads to the

        "warp zone" but don't cross it yet, there's one BIG secret still to

        go!)

3-5     In the room with the imps shooting you from the far away ledge, there

        is a pressure-activated step in the entrance to this room.  You'll

        hear the sound of a door opening.  When you hear this, back up to

        the room with the blue door, and go through the secret door.  When

        you're inside, don't bother shooting the imp, take the staircase to

        your right, and get him that way.

3-6     That yellow door you see leads to a feast of goodies.  Go ahead and

        pick up all the gear.  Be careful on the hardest setting, however,

        there are snipers outdoors that will, well, snipe you.

3-7     You now have my permission to cross the bridge into the warp zone.

        Check your three o' clock at the end of the long hallway, there are

        a few dudes there.  After toasting them, continue to the big room.

        The walls open up, and, if you're playing on the hardest setting, you

        are bombarded with fireballs from imps.

3-8     Don't throw that switch at the end quite yet!  Check the wall

        opposite to find an elevator leading to the imp's hideout.  Take the

        box of rockets, and now you're set to warp!

(Perhaps a more appropriate name for level nine would be level three and

a half, but that would probably confuse things more.  It does seem more

appropriate to insert it here, however.)

Level 9

9-1     When you take that elevator to the outdoor area with the three imps

        on the pedestal, don't forget to walk through the ooze to the area

        on the left.

9-2     In the North-East part of the room with the four torches, stand in

        the corner to find a secret elevator.  Cross the ooze, get the

        goodies, and activate the elevator on the other side.  Neato!

9-3     There is a secret on the right of the room with the blue door.  Look

        for discoloration.  I hope you have more luck with this room than I

        did.  When you step on the last step of the staircase, a pillar comes

        down at the far side of the room.  Run over to it and stand on it.

        From there however, your guess is as good as mine.

9-4     To get out of this level, you have to jump into the moat of ooze, to

        find the switch that makes the bridge.  After throwing that switch,

        turn around and there should be a secret door to your left that is

        linked to a pressure sensitive floor tile.  Run through that door

        (don't you hate ooze right about now?)  and get the heck outta there.

        Cross the bridge, throw the switch and that's it for the warp level.

Level 4

4-1     Immediately when you enter the level, on your right is a discolored

        wall.  Check it.

4-2     In the Imp and barrel room, jump into the moat and turn left.  Get

        the goodies.  The elevator you see leads to a powerup.  Save now in

        case you mess up.  Stand in front of the switch, activate it, and

        strafe right.  Don't jump of the ledge after getting the powerup,

        go back around.

4-3     Follow the river to the other side, and use the elevator to get out.

4-4     Walk along all the outside walls of the blue room.  When you step on

        A pressure sensitive floor tile in one corner, the inside walls lower

        and reveal some rocket supplies.  The floor now has a swastika on it.

        Does this remind you of Wolfenstein?  I wonder if Hitler is in the

        last episode of DOOM too.  Who knows?

        (Be careful when you see the "cage" with the imp in it across the

        lake of ooze.  If you blow up the can there, it seems that you can

        ruin the switch that activates the bridge to the exit.  I've made

        that mistake too many times.)

Level 5

5-1     In the room overlooking the lake of ooze with all the guys shooting

        you, there are two barrels.  Blow these up, and check the wall

        behind them.

5-2     In the room with the narrow path and the ocean of ooze, jump right

        in the ooze and make yourself comfortable.  The discolored wall in

        the north-east corner hides some nice treats.

5-3     In the room with the two pillars in the pool of ooze, check the wall

        directly opposide the green-red switch.  You'll find a radiation

        suit.  In that tiny room, check the left wall to find another

        chainsaw.  Check yet another wall to get outside and get a

        supercharge.

5-4     After killing the badguys and throwing the red-green switch, stand on

        the north pillar in the ooze.  On the way up, jump off it onto the

        ledge with the blue armor.

5-5     In the blue comptuer room, two spaces to the left of the red button

        is another secret passageway.

5-6     In the really dark room, follow the outside wall to the left, and

        you'll find a room with Light Amplification Visors.  That makes life

        a little easier.

5-7     Now that you can see, check the center of the formation of inside

        walls for a silly secret door.  Hey, Mr. ID!  Who was the ad-wizard

        that came up with this one?!?

Level 6

6-1     The main path through the ooze has a small opening on the north side

        of the west part of the path.  (Got that?)  Cross the ooze to this

        room and get the goods.  Look out for the explosive barrels.

6-2     After taking the blue keycard, jump into the right side of the ocean

        of ooze.  Look around and take the radiation suit.  Go to the middle

        part of the ocean and enter the ooze cave.  Ride the elevator and get

        the supercharge.  Now go to the right side of the ocean and get those

        goodies.

6-3     On the way to the blue door along the small path through the ooze,

        there is a floor tile right before the blue door that activates

        the ledge that the darn imp(s) was shooting from.  This leads to

        a world of goodies.  Cross the ooze to this place, but DON'T take the

        radiation suit yet.  Check the back wall.

6-4     Go through the blue door into the complex of ooze pools and '+'

        paths.  In the eastmost tunnel, along the eastmost wall, there is

        a discolored part.  Check that for a computer area map.  Go back out

        the door you came in.

6-5     On the way out, get that radiation suit, and cross the ooze completely

        to the other side.  Take a right, blow away some imps, and follow

        the long twisty tunnel to the other side.  The door you see takes you

        outside.  Go near the pillar with the powerup, and get on it.  Open

        the not-so-secret door and kick some butt!  The rest is pretty

        straightforward.

Level 7

7-1     When you get the red card, a secret door opens in the big computer

        room.  Check the left wall of the secret room and you'll find a path

        outside leading to the partial invisibility orb.

7-2     That rising and lowering pillar can help you.  Jump off it as it

        rises over the ledge, and find the goodies in the pool of ooze.

        First, jump off the left side, and get the stuff in the corner.

        Now do the same thing, but jump off the right side.  I hope you're

        ready to run through some ooze.  Find that radiation suit and put

        it on!  

7-3     We're still in the above-mentioned ooze.  After finding the suit,

        push the red button that reveals a staircase.  Climb the staircase,

        and throw the red-green switch.  This reveals a chainsaw in a

        remote computer room.  (It doesn't have an elevator in the middle of

        it, it's the one with the elevator near the enterance.)

Level 8

8-1     Ride the elevator that's on the other side of the tiny ooze pit to

        refuel your ammo and health, and to get a computer area map.

8-2     Going down the staircase, look for the discolored wall on the right.

        It's a supercharge!  Well that's it for the secrets.  I hope you feel

        like you've actually accomplished something in life.