Level 23
Pitfalls:


Doom 64 TC level 23: Pitfalls


Yellow key:
You materialize in the middle of a group of zombie guards. Fortunately, they all have their backs to you, but that will only last until you start shooting. Open up with the chaingun and keep moving to avoid as much damage as possible. The two doors to the sides og the room each have another zombie waiting. The door set at an angle to the room has two hell-knights inside. The yellow key is right there in the middle of the start room, (in case you didn't already pick it up accidentally. Behind the yellow door are two more hell-knights.

Down the stairway is the largest area of the level. When you step beyond the end of the stairs, a door will close behind you, so try and take out as many enemies as you can from this relatively safe position.

The first to notice your arrival will likely be several cacodemons, who will make their way to your location. The stairs will not close unless you step away for more than a couple of seconds. This is enough time to shotgun the hell-knight in area 2, as well as coax the cacodemons to you.

There are some imps and zombies on a platform directly across from you that can be a nuisance, but the major threat is an arachnotron and two hell-knights perched around location 3. A few rockets should settle them down nicely. There are more hell-knights on a high platform at 4 also. You can take them out from this lower area, but the switch up there tends to provide very good cover and it seems to be mostly a waste of ammo.

The rest of this level does not open up until you jump down and activate the switch at 5. This causes a minor earthquake that alters the landscape considerably. Flick the switch, then jump down and head to the teleport pad in the lava below. All of the teleports from the lava will take you back up to location 1 near where the stairs were. There are some protection suits around if you look for them. Pick one up before you head to the secret area near 4 for some goodies. Follow the arrow shaped rock to find the lift up.

Activating the switch will also, (of course,) summon new enemies to deal with: more cacodemons, zombies, and imps. In order to proceed, find your way around to location 6, then run across the gap to 7. This allows you to get to the teleport at 2 where the hell-knight was, and to the next part of the level.

Other points of interest here include a baron of hell guarding a couple of rockets at 8, a soul-sphere at 9 that will appear as you approach it, and a hidden cache of rockets at 10 that you can jump to.

Blue Key:
The narrow hallways you teleport into are patrolled by zombies and the occasional hell-knight around every corner. At point 11 is a backpack guarded by a hell-knight. At 12 you will notice one of the faces on the wall moves. Shoot this and run to the secret area nearby to claim combat armor. The computer area map is located at 13. It is guarded by another hell-knight, but is also part of an ambush. The switch there will raise the walkway in room 15.

Room 14 has a couple of zombies and a baron in a cage. Shooting the switch behind the baron lowers a platform where you can find a plasma rifle and some energy cells. It also opens an area out in the hall containing some rockets.

Room 15 will have a nightmare-cacodemon in it once the walkway is raised. The switch in the upper portion of the room opens the way to room 16 where the blue key is. There is no teleport out of this lava, so be careful.

All will be calm and peaceful when you first enter this area. You should know by now it won't stay that way very long! As you approach the blue key, several barons of hell will appear all around you. Their appearance also causes two passages at the sides of this room to open. The one to the south contains an unvulnerability artifact that is really handy in times like these. Dance between the barons and go get it, then just stand toe to toe with them and let them eat rockets. If conservation of ammo is a priority, then don't forget to use the energy weapons. There are lots of cells around this level to replenish your supply.

Red key:
Picking up the blue key will summon a bunch of new enemies in places that you thought they were all dead, so be wary of this as you make your way to the blue key door. Other than a few barons, there is nothing behind the blue keyed door but a switch. This switch opens the main area up more and also summons more enemies.

When you teleport back to the main open area, a baron of hell and another of those nasty nightmare-cacodemons will be waiting for you. Make your way up to where the soul-sphere was at 9, then across to 3 and around the pathway towards 4. Several more hell-knights will have appeared, as well as those guarding the switch at 4. Activating the switch lowers the column holding the red key enough so that you can run across and claim it. Head back to the stairs and start area, which will have opened up again.

Don't run up the stairs to those red bars too fast. Several barons and cacodemons have taken up position there in the start room. The switch behind the red bars opens the way to the exit. Go back around the cavern and through the teleport again to get there. The exit room is guarded by hell-knights, a cacodemon, and a baron. Dispatch them and step into the darkness to exit.





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