DOOM: The Dark Ages’ ninth chapter introduces you to the Ancestral Forge, which is powered by an intimidatingly large heart that we have to restore charges to. Along the way, and as per usual, there are plenty of collectible items – some that can be easily missed – which you’ll want to keep a look out for.
To help you with that, however, here’s our DOOM: The Dark Ages Ancestral Forge walkthrough.
DOOM The Dark Ages Ancestral Forge walkthrough
Throughout the Ancestral Forge chapter in DOOM: The Dark Ages, you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for the following secrets, collectibles, and items:
- 9 Secrets
- 2 Codex Entries (Collectible)
- 1 Toy (Collectible)
- 1 Weapon Skin (Collectible)
- 1 Demonic Essence Upgrade (Ammo)
- 1 Demonic Essence Upgrade (Health)
- 2 Rubies
- 1 Wraithstone
As we keep making sure to remind you of during our DOOM: The Dark Ages walkthrough, the map is your best friend when it comes to hunting down secrets and collectibles. Whenever you’re near something you haven’t discovered yet, it’ll pop up on your map.
Similarly, you can keep a track of how many secrets or collectibles you’ve found so far, and how many you’ve left to grab, when looking at the checklist on the right-hand side of the map. It’s super useful for 100%ing chapters, if that’s what you’re trying to do, so don’t neglect it!
Secret #1
At the very beginning of the level, there’ll be a locked gate on your left in need of the Secret Key. We’ll come back here soon! For now, progress to the Sentinel Shrine, grab any upgrades you want/need, and let’s start to deal with our first objective: charging the ancestral heart.
From the Sentinel Shrine, head left and keep left. Marked on the below map, you should soon find a green Flesh Node you can Shield Throw at to reach some wooden platforms above.
On the wooden platforms, interact with the lever shown below, and a Life Sigil will spawn on the ground for you to grab.
You’ll likely also see a Gold Chest behind a metal gate here that we can’t yet reach. We’ll grab that soon. For now, continue by pressing forward beneath the bridge that the Flesh Node we used earlier is attached to.
Secret #2
When you come to another wooden bridge with some Gold Bars on it – which is just a few meters away from the last secret location – look right, where the Gold is. You’ll see a small path you can jump down into, leading to our second secret location for this chapter and the Gold Chest I just mentioned!
After grabbing this secret, follow your quest marker to the closest enemy encounter, which is just a short walk away.
After dealing with the enemy encounter, follow your quest objective and interact with the terminal, providing the first charge to the Ancestral Heart. You can now jump from the ledge here, and keep left again; you’ll come to a glowing wolf that you can Shield Throw at (marked on the below map).
IMAGE C9 WOLF STATUE MAP 1
This wolf is much like the three that appear during The Siege Part 1, which means there’ll be three of them to find in total, and destroying them will provide us with access to a previously inaccessible area. Keep an eye out for them!
We’ll mention where to find them in this walkthrough, but if you want to quickly run around and grab them, here’s our guide on where to find all the wolf statues in Ancestral Forge.
Collectible #1
From the wolf statue mentioned above, head up the stairs to your left (if you are facing away from the statue). There’ll be some enemies to take care of here, but just past the stairs, you want to go up the wooden ramp on your left.
Jump off the ramp and keep straight, and you’ll come to the edge of the map. If you look down, however, you can jump down from here onto a wooden platform (shown above) with some Gold and our first collectible, a Codex entry.
From where you just collected the Codex entry, start to make your way towards the next – and closest – enemy encounter marked on your map. After clearing the encounter, make sure to follow your quest marker and interact with the terminal here before leaving.
If you walk right of the terminal, you should see another locked gate in need of the Secret Key (shown above). Remember this location for later, as we’ll be coming back!
Demonic Essence Upgrade (Health)
Jump down from the terminal and head straight ahead, approaching the final enemy encounter on your map (we aren’t going to deal with this just yet, however). Along the way – if you keep left – you should run into some spectral wolf statues and a blocked off statue that’s holding a Wraithstone.
Look at the cliffs above these statues to see another wolf statue you can Shield Throw at and destroy (shown below).
Walk past the statues and just up ahead, you should soon see the Secret Key and a bunch of enemies. If you’re lost, the below map shows how to get here from the Sentinel Shrine:
Clear the enemies and keep left, eventually arriving at the final enemy encounter marked on your map. Deal with the demons, and killing the Hell Knight here will bag you the Demonic Essence Health Upgrade for this chapter.
Secret Key and Secret #3
Make sure to interact with the terminal here following the enemy encounter. Once that’s done, let’s grab the Secret Key, which is through an opening you can shield bash through to one side of the area.
After grabbing the Secret Key, jump down from the cliff it is on and run straight ahead; there’s a third locked gate here in need of it (shown below). Use the Secret Key here, and you’ll collect our third secret location, which contains a Gold Chest.
Secret #4 and Collectible #2
Remember the locked gate from the second enemy encounter? The one that’s on a platform to the right of the terminal? We want to go back there and use the Secret Key.
The route to the gate from the Sentinel Shrine is marked on the below map in case you’re lost!
After using the Secret Key, climb up the wooden platforms up ahead. At the top, you’ll unlock our fourth secret location and be able to grab a Ruby and a Collectible Toy Vagary.
Secret #5
There was another locked gate at the very beginning of the level, just before the Sentinel Shrine, so retrace your steps and use the Secret Key to unlock it.
Here, you’ll find the fifth secret location, as well as the third and final wolf statue to destroy, meaning you can now go back and collect the Wraithstone we ran into earlier!
Secret #6
That’s all the secret items and collectibles for this area, so you can now follow your quest marker and take the elevator past the point of no return and down into the Ancestral Forge.
Inside the Forge, advance straight ahead, and before going into a corridor on your right, look for a purple shield sigil on the wall at the back of the room (shown below).
Shield Bash through the wall and Shield Throw at the Hot Metal on your left. This unlocks the gate to the statue holding the Ruby in the area, and upon grabbing the Ruby, you’ll unlock the sixth secret location for this chapter.
You can now resume following your quest marker until you come to a large tunnel.
Secret #7
While on the lengthy bridge inside the Forge, open your map and should see a Gold Chest that is on a ledge above you; a ledge that seems unreachable, but we’re going to make our way there!
At the end of the bridge, you can jump to the ledge beneath you where there’ll be an Energy Node to Shield Throw at (shown above). Make sure you stand directly in front of the Energy Node as you do, as it’ll raise the platform you are standing on.
At the top, you’ll be able to sprint-jump over to the Gold Chest, and you’ll unlock the seventh secret for this chapter while doing so.
Secret #8
Jump down to the bridge from the platform, and begin platforming straight ahead through the rest of the Forge, which requires you to do a little climbing.
Looking at the map below for reference, if you climb to the top of this area, you can jump down – where my marker is – to retrieve some Gold Bars and unlock the eight secret location for this chapter.
Secret #9, Collectible #3, and Collectible #4
The final secret for this chapter is accessed similarly to the seventh; we’ll need to use an Energy Node to raise a platform we’re on, and do some climbing.
From the eighth secret location, jump two platforms closer to the end of the level and you will see an Energy Node here (shown below).
Face the Energy Node, and look up to your left. Shield Throw at the Hot Metal here (pictured below). This will drop a climbable platform.
You can now Shield Throw at the Energy Node and jump onto the climbable platform. From here, look up, and you can Shield Throw at either of the Flesh Nodes to reach some platforms containing a Life Sigil, a Codex Entry, and a Weapon Skin.
Upon grabbing the Weapon Skin, you’ll also unlock the ninth and final secret location for this chapter! We’ve just one more key item to go…
Demonic Essence Upgrade (Ammo)
Defeat the Leader Mancubus at the very end of the chapter to receive the Demonic Essence Ammo Upgrade for this level!
For more on DOOM: The Dark Ages, take a look at our tips, tricks, and guides, as well as our review. Our walkthrough of Chapter 10 – The Forsaken Plains is coming soon.