The DOOM series by id Software has been a pioneer of the first-person shooter genre since 1993, with each instalment bringing more blood, gore, and glorious violence to the headbanging heavy-metal tunes.

In 2025, the series shifted from sci-fi horror to dark medieval fantasy with DOOM: The Dark Ages, earning critical acclaim from both fans and critics. Going from space marine to medieval warrior was a natural transition for the DOOM Slayer as players ripped or tore until it was done, at least for the time being.

Now, in 2026, the DOOM Slayer’s job isn’t over, as the expansion DLC titled Revelations, and thanks to the folks at Bethesda, we were fortunate to get an early preview of what we can expect. The Revelations expansion is set to be unleashed on July 7th, and it’s looking like a cold day in hell.

Wounded and betrayed, the Slayer is thrust into a merciless purgatory, escapable only by confronting haunting truths and forging new strength with the help of a mysterious ally. He must ascend from the prison of his mind and fight an abomination of the gods to set his followers on the path to freedom.

In this expansion to DOOM: The Dark Ages, players can expect a lot of new additions to their arsenal of weaponry and the stage designs. Just like the main game, Revelations is easy to pick up and play, designed for players of different skill levels. To get the most out of this experience, however, players will need to master the tools, especially for the Uber boss, which the preview didn’t go into detail about, but it sounds like players will have their work cut out for them.

Like any DOOM game, it’s all about combat and great level design with a ton of lore to experience as you progress, with the story adding tension and pushing the game forward. The action-packed and adrenaline-pumping gameplay will keep players coming back for more.

The overall gameplay is best described as fun on the outside and smart on the inside. Players will need to shoot their enemies from a distance, use their Shield Saw or Chain Spear to exploit their weaknesses and use melee weapons to gain ammo. This encourages players to get used to all three and not just run and gun, but playing this way is absolutely satisfying and glorious as players leave trails of blood, flesh and bones.

In the main game, the Shield Saw was one of the game’s best new features, fitting for a space marine turned medieval warrior. It’s back and is as good as ever, but now the DOOM Slayer will also have access to the Chain Spear. Most of the campaign in this expansion is centred around the Chain Spear, and it will take the entire campaign to unlock all the abilities, leading up to the game’s climax, where your full power will be unleashed. Players can quickly switch between the Shield Saw and Chain Spear depending on the situation or mix things up, though the Chain Spear will become the more primary weapon later in the game.

The Chain Spear is versatile and provides the DOOM Slayer with brand new abilities, making him more mobile than ever and an even bigger threat to his enemies. It can be used as a grappling hook to reach platforms, launch higher into the air and quickly traverse across the terrain. Of course, it’s also a weapon, as players can thrust their enemies, throw it as a projectile and slam down on the ground like the hammer in DOOM Eternal’s DLC, as well as break enemy armour, parry attacks, and gain resources. It looks like the Chain Spear will have endless potential for players to develop their own style to decimate all the demons and monsters in their path. The DOOM Slayer flying around at high speeds is certainly a scary thought, and players can truly feel like they are the one they fear.

All the weapons from the main game return in the expansion, but like a lot of games, they will be damaged at the beginning, and you’ll need to upgrade them again, but that’s part of the fun. There are also new enemy types that you’ll encounter. The Wizard is one of the newest enemies you’ll come up against, wielding dark magic and even some enemies from past games make their return, including the Archvile and Pain Elemental. There are even more enemy types to discover, and some familiar enemies from the main game will have new variants to change things up and keep players on their toes.

The Revelations expansion also encourages more exploration than before, with plenty of secrets and unlockable areas to discover. The levels are like a maze that shouldn’t be overlooked, as the things you can unlock are rewarding and well worth all the backtracking, making the later segments of the game even more fun. The locations you’ll explore in this expansion have snow and really create that feeling of being out in the cold, but of course, it won’t be long before the action warms and the white snow turns red.

Revelations is split into two parts: the Base Game and End Game. The Base Game makes up 60% of the expansion with its own set of missions to complete before unlocking the End Game missions. The End Game section will be set to Master level, so it’s essential to unlock all the upgrades you can and develop your skills to complete the game and make it out alive. End Game also has new paths to unlock, Praetor Suit encounters that are extra challenging arenas, Slayer Trials, which are like arcade mode levels with a score at the end, as well as puzzles, new powerful resources and upgrades.

The biggest new feature in End Game is Classic Levels. These are fully playable sections from the classic DOOM games, combining key elements from the original stage designs with some modern graphics. From the brief clip we saw of the Classic Levels, it seems it will also have the original enemies and weapons, as the shotgun was shown.

After completing all the End Game content, there is even more to do. Players will then gain the Astral Key to reach the Uber Boss, who wasn’t actually shown in the preview, but players will surely be eager to take him on. Those who successfully defeat the Uber Boss will then gain the Master Arena Key to unlock the Master Arenas, which are four different challenges that are said to be the hardest of the entire game and will really test your mettle. We also weren’t shown, but we are keen to discover them ourselves and get into the action.

It still doesn’t end there, because if players are able to beat all four Master Arenas, even more content will be unlocked in the Ripatorium, the Chain Spear with all the upgrades, new maps, encounter presets and lots more. The aim of this expansion is to play, progress, unlock and keep coming back for more, and it is unlike anything that’s ever been done in a DOOM game.

Another new addition is the Slayer’s Hub, which might be a prison in reality, but it’s treated as the game’s hub. It’s a Metroidvania-like mode with puzzles and hidden corridors, and it expands around you and gives you even more areas to explore. Players will also be provided with a new objective wheel to mark the challenge they want to attempt next, and with a vast scale of various tasks to do and items to discover, DOOM players will definitely need it.

On top of everything we can already expect in this expansion, there is also a ton more lore to discover just about everywhere you go, with pages to collect and items to piece together. This is set to be a pivotal chapter in the DOOM Slayer’s story, who still never hesitates to dive headfirst into battle, but with a big setback at the beginning. All the demon-slaughtering weapons he had are gone, and players will have to gain them back, plus acquire some new weapons too. The DOOM Slayer’s actions will affect the world around him forever by the end of the game.

The Ripatorium also gets a major update. This customisable endless arena mode comes with presets for those who don’t want to worry about setting their own encounters and is a great way to get straight into some classic DOOM fun without worrying about the main campaign. Even more heavy metal tracks will be added, with Finishing Move returning to create some new headbanging tunes as well as some classic tracks by the amazingly talented Mr Andrew Hulshult.

The preview closed out with bonus gameplay footage of almost everything mentioned above, and it all looks glorious. It’s clear that the development team at id Software had a ton of fun creating what looks to be an expansion of epic proportions, and can’t wait to get our hands dirty and bloody once again. The more you explore, the more you gain, which, from what we saw, isn’t treated as a necessity; it’s something that any diehard DOOM fan will want to do.

Only a few more days to go before we can rip and tear once again in the Revelations expansion for DOOM: The Dark Ages!

Written by: Sammy Hanson