Level 18
Blood Keep:


Doom 64 TC level 18: Blood Keep


Red key:
Be careful as you open the first door and you will probably catch a few zombies by surprise in the cell across the way. Also watch for nightmare-imps to the right who are near the blue key door across the moat. After you open the cell door where the zombies were, back into the room since a hidden area will open with another zombie waiting to shoot you in the back.

There are two ways out of this first room. Leave the one to the south alone for now, since the red skull key is the other direction. The door to the north opens onto a stairway down. A caged area across the moat is full of more nightmare-imps who will send forth a barrage of fireballs. There is also a cacodemon waiting, but he will not see you if you stay well up the stairs.

Back in the first room, there is a wall switch near the entrance that opens a large window to the east, but it is easier if you don't open this. When the imps and cacodemon are dead, it will be mostly safe to proceed down to the balcony. Continue around in the moat to point 1 and ride the lift up to collect the red key.

Yellow key:
The red keyed door is just across and to the west of where the key was. Inside are a few zombies and some imps above. The switch in the center of the room only lowers the bookcases so you can get up to where the imps are. Getting to the upper area opens a hidden door where barons of hell are waiting below.

The wall switch at 2 opens the cavern area at points 4 on the map. This is where you will be heading next, but it is advisable to kill the barons before activating the switch at 3 which opens the red door.

The southernmost area of the map has more cacodemons, bull-demons, nightmare-imps, and a couple of zombies within it. The blue cavern area behind points 4 is full of more nightmare imps that are very well camoflaged in the darkness.

After clearing it out, make your way to the wall switch at 5. This switch raises the walkway below. The only way to access the yellow key is by picking up the soul-sphere there. This also summons a swarm of lost-souls to defend it however.

Blue Key:
With the yellow key in hand, head around to the door at 6. Inside is a large room full of toxic slime, but it is fairly easy to get around. The secret area there holds the computer map for the level. After picking up the blue key you will be ambushed by a hell-knight.

With all the keys acquired, there is still quite a bit of work to do to exit this level. Opening the blue keyed door will unleash a pack of bull-demons and some imps. The secret panel in this room raises the bars protecting the plasma rifle. To get to it, you must first activate the secret panel, then run back and ride the bookcase up to jump to the area.

In the corner is a dart trap, so watch for that. At the top of the stairs is another library area with some imps and hell-knights on patrol. There is a secret area with ammo, and a switch at 7 to open area 8. Entering this area lowers the walls and brings in more lost-souls and cacodemons. The wall switch there raises the stairs to access area 9.

Entering this almost last room will summon arachnotrons to the cages and a loose hell-knight to contend with before approaching the second yellow key door. Now the fun part...

If you were saving the combat armor and soul-sphere to start the next level with, go grab it now. Once you pass through the door and it closes behind you, it will not open up again. This is also an important place to save your game. As soon as you get about one-third into the room, darts will begin firing. When you get almost to the exit, SIX hell-knights will appear on the sides to try and burn you off of the platforms! If you fall into the lava, I have found no place to get back up on the platforms again before dying. There are a few rockets around to replenish your supply if you are able to dodge their fireballs effectively. The energy weapons seem to work best to get out of the situation with the most health and armor left over.





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