Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations DLC review: the best Doom has ever been

Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations is a DLC that costs $19.99 / £17.99 and runs roughly 10–15 hours — nearly the size of a full game. id Software built it around a single new tool, the Chain Spear, and the result is, according to PC Gamer's review, the most fun the series has ever delivered.

The Chain Spear replaces the Shield Saw early on and completely reshapes how you move through a fight. You can launch yourself at enemies, orbit them while unloading, slash through metal and shields, parry green Hell Surge attacks with a timed strike, and dash in any direction — something the base game's Doom Guy couldn't do. Earning Empowerment through parries and dodges unlocks even more options: a stunning spear throw, superheated metal explosions, or a groundpound that forces enemies to drop health pickups. When the Shield Saw eventually returns alongside your old arsenal, the combo space opens up further. The reviewer calls it one of the most rewarding combat systems in the genre, even if it demands a lot of buttons at once.

The Dark Ages launched earlier this year to strong reception for its brutal, timings-based combat, but its level design drew criticism — some stages too linear, others too open. Revelations apparently fixes that, blending Doom Eternal's movement-focused level design with The Dark Ages' parry-and-timing combat loop. The DLC arrives under a shadow, though: Xbox laid off id Software developers just days before its release, making the timing genuinely grim for the studio behind it.

The review lands the DLC as something that would hold up as a standalone sequel if it weren't so tightly tied to the base game. At $19.99 it's a substantial ask for DLC, but 10–15 hours of what the reviewer considers peak Doom makes a strong case for it.