Doom The Dark Ages equipment upgrade guide: Best weapons & tips

Time to bring Doom on your enemies

In the latest Doom The Dark Ages game, upgrading your equipment is key to destroying the demon hordes and enemies, especially if you are playing on high difficulty.

In this article, we will talk about how you can enhance your weapons, runes and shield at Sentinel Shrines, which upgrades to prioritize and some tips to breeze through the game.

#DOOMTheDarkAges – The Cycler is a dual plasma gun, good at range and makes energy shielded enemies explode. pic.twitter.com/FRTG8ZK3IV

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How to upgrade equipment?

Players can upgrade the equipment in Sentinel Shrines, glowing green hubs available from Chapter 2 (Hebeth) onward, marked on the Automap. Players will need three things:

• Gold: Abundant, discovered in levels or acquired through Chapter 4 challenges (a total of 600 accessible, according to GameRant).
• Rubies are rarer and more commonly found in secret regions (20 in total, 4 from challenges).
• Wraithstones: Scarcest, appearing in later chapters such as Chapter 11 (8 total).

For the upgrade, you need to interact with the shrine (Space on PC, X/Square on Xbox/PS5). Select your gear and confirm.

Upgrades are linear—Tier 1 (Gold), Tier 2 (Rubies), and Tier 3 (Wraithstones)—and irreversible, so choose carefully.

Some weapons, such as the Combat Shotgun, provide dual benefits (e.g., Flare Up vs. Tune Up), which you can switch between without visiting shrines.

According to Destructoid, you can upgrade all 13 weapons, three melee options, the Shield Saw, and four Shield Runes.

Also Read: All Doom The Dark Ages trophies & achievements

Best equipment to upgrade early

You should focus on this equipment to have maximum impact in the early Doom The Dark Ages gameplay:

• Shield Saw (Chapter 2): A multipurpose constant with the Ricochet upgrade (Tier 2, 2 Rubies) that bounces between foes, making it great for crowd control. GamesRadar recommends that you prioritize Blade Master (Tier 3) for mastery.
• Combat Shotgun (Chapter 1): Starts out underpowered, but improves with upgrades. According to PCGamesN, Incendiary (50 Gold) imparts Burn on armor pickups, while Flare Up (Tier 3) rapidly burns fodder demons, increasing survivability.

What’s your favorite weapon in DOOM: The Dark Ages? pic.twitter.com/AeN7wriMPk

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Mid-to-Late game upgrades

As you progress through the Doom The Dark Ages 22 chapter campaign, you should prioritize:

• Flail (Chapter 6): A melee beast with Hellflame (Tier 2) upgrade, which adds AoE burn. Sportskeeda recommends pairing with the Impaler for combos in Doom The Dark Ages.
• Ravager (Chapter 12): This heavy-hitter’s Overcharge (Tier 3) increases damage, making it a boss-killer.
• Impaler and Accelerator: These precision weapons shine when maxed. The Impaler’s Chronospike (Tier 3) pauses time for headshots, saving “countless runs,” according to PCGamesN.

Also Read: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Chiaroscuro quest guide: Black Cockerel Egg, location & more

Tips for upgrading

• Farm Resources: According to GameRant, revisit chapters (save for Pandemonium/Ultra-Nightmare) to gather missing Gold (602 extra) and Rubies. According to XboxEra, Chapter 4 challenges yield four Rubies.
• Track Challenges: According to GameRant, you may pin challenges in the menu to track your progress, particularly with weapon mastery.
• According to The Escapist, gold trails lead to Rubies and Wraithstones, which are often behind shield-charge walls or levers.
• Prioritize Favorites: With limited resources, VG247 recommends upgrading weapons you prefer, such as the Shield Saw for melee fans in Doom The Dark Ages.

Don’t forget about this

• Shield Saw (Chapter 2): Core for defense and offense.
• Combat Shotgun (Chapter 1): Armor regen with Flare Up.
• Flail (Chapter 6): Melee AoE king.
• Ground Fissure (Chapter 9): Crowd control rune.
• Ravager (Chapter 12): Late-game powerhouse.

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