Item and timing guide for multiplayer

Initially written: 1st December 2016
Last update: 14th December 2016

The purpose of this guide is to gather and put in order all the information regarding various items (weapons, powerups, health and armor pickups, etc.) found in DOOM's multiplayer modes. It still is a work-in-progress document so forgive me any mistakes you may find below. If you find any inconsistencies or outdated information, feel free to leave a comment. I will update the guide and give you credit for your help.

DOOM is constantly being patched and rebalanced so there is always a chance that information found in the guide is no longer valid. Make sure to check the "last update" line at the very top. If the game received any patches since the guide was last updated, be aware the information may vary from actual gameplay.

Here are the people who helped me write this guide:

1. ToPeRz - since the guide was first written when bots were still absent from the game, the only way to check and verify information was to enter actual multiplayer matches and it's quite hard to focus on gathering data when you're constantly getting shot. ToPeRz volunteered to enter private matches with me and allowed me to check lots of stuff in peace. I am grateful for his patience, because it's not really exciting to sit around when your friend runs around the map taking notes ;) Big thanks!
2. -HaVoC-Tzu- - he corrected the Demon Rune spawn time. Thanks for the input!
3. [BFG]Goa'uld - he provided additional information about surface fissures becoming bigger when a demon rune is about to spawn above them. Thanks!

Item timing is a skill which has been the cornerstone of multiplayer arena FPS games since the genre's inception. The majority of items which can be picked up have fixed locations and fixed amounts of respawn time after being picked up (the exception being the Demon Rune, which spawns in a limited number of random locations). As a result, one can gain advantage by grabbing a given item and instantly counting how much time it will take for the item to appear again. It takes practice and experience, but gives significant advantage over the opponent or the enemy team as they are denied from picking up items themselves. Item timing is especially important for crucial pick-ups, such as powerups (quad damage, haste, etc.) and super weapons (Chainsaw, Gauss cannon, BFG).

DOOM differs from the majority of other arena FPS games in terms of how armor works. In previous id Software multiplayer games (such as Quake), armor blocked only a certain percentage of received damage. It varied between 25-75% depending on the game, the armor color, etc. In DOOM, armor gives 100% protection. This means that a player will not lose health until they lose their armor entirely. Consequently, picking up armor in DOOM is A LOT more important than in other games and should not be neglected - it is essentially an additional health bar. Pick up that armor!

Another important thing to keep in mind is that more "valuable" items have their unique respawn sounds which are always audible. This means that you can hear them even if you are very far away on the map. Some of those sounds are very subtle and it may be hard to catch them during a firefight, but with experience it is possible to discern them in the general ruckus. Use this feature to your advantage and go for a given item once you hear it respawn. Here are the pick-ups, whose respawn sounds can be heard from the entirety of a map:

• armor
  
• megahealth
  
• power-ups (quad damage, haste, invisibility, regeneration)
  
• super weapons (chainsaw, Gauss cannon, BFG)
  
• demon rune (it gets a visual cue and a message from the announcer)

This is "the meat" of this guide. Below you will find information about various items found in the game. As I wrote in the introduction, this is a work in progress. Some items may not be listed yet and some may have outdated information. I will try to update this data, but bear this in mind when using the guide. The respawn times may also be different depending on the mode being played. I will investigate this further, but for the time being treat this list as "universal".

Some items in DOOM's multiplayer appear right away after the match starts. Others take time before initially appearing - this usually refers to items such as powerups, super weapons and armor pick-ups. Suitable information will be contained within a given item's description.

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1. Small health pack

• initially appears: at the beginning of a match
  
• respawns: 10 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +5 health points up to 100

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2. Medium health pack

• initially appears: at the beginning of a match
  
• respawns: 10 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +25 health points up to 100

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3. Big health pack

• initially appears: at the beginning of a match
  
• respawns: 10 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +50 health points up to 100

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4. Armor shard

• initially appears: at the beginning of a match
  
• respawns: 15 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +5 armor points up to 100 (the armor will slowly deplete to 50 points)

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5. Shield

• initially appears: 45 seconds after the match start
  
• respawns: 30 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +25 armor points up to 50

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6. Armor

• initially appears: 60 seconds after the match start
  
• respawns: 45 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: +50 armor points up to 50

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7. Ammo pack

• initially appears: at the beginning of a match
  
• respawns: 10 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives:
  
  • +20 combat shotgun shells up to 40
    
  • +10 rockets up to 15
    
  • +75 plasma cells up to 200
    
  • +20 hellshot slugs up to 60
    
  • +40 heavy machinegun bullets up to 120
    
  • <remaining weapons to be checked>

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8. Megahealth

• initially appears: 60 seconds after the match start
  
• respawns: 60 seconds after pick-up
  
• gives: instantly puts both your HP and armor at 100 (the armor
  will slowly deplete to 50 points)

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9. Super weapon (Chainsaw / Gauss cannon / BFG)

• initially appears: 105 seconds after the match start
  
• respawns: 105 seconds after depletion (won't spawn as long as
  a given weapon is being used)
  
• gives: a super weapon (varies between maps)

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10. Powerup (quad damage / haste / invisibility / regeneration)

• initially appears: 105 seconds after the match start
  
• respawns: 105 seconds after depletion
  
• gives: a powerup lasting 30 seconds

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11. Demon rune:

• initially appears: 95 seconds after match start
  
• respawns: 95 seconds after depletion
  
• gives: changes the player into a demon they have chosen for 60 seconds
  
• additional info:
  
  • a visual indicator visible through walls appears 5 seconds
    before each spawn of the demon rune; the indicator is
    accompanied by a message from the announcer
    
  • demon runes spawn at random locations marked by small
    fissures in the surface; those fissures become significantly
    bigger about 3 seconds before the announcement mentioned
    above (so about 8 seconds before the actual rune spawn);
    if you happen to see a fissure suddenly become bigger,
    a demon rune will soon spawn above it

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