The Top 100 Memorable Doom Maps of All Time

[skillsaw]

It really is a testament to the community that there are so many maps that qualified, so many more runner-ups that justified debate among the committee, and so many more maps and projects being name dropped here. Doing this writeup was truly an unenviable task: much thanks to those that made it happen. This was a great read.

[valkiriforce]

Very fun list; I love looking over these collections of maps and I can certainly relate to and agree with the #1 pick.

 

5 minutes ago, Lizardcommando said:

I'm surprised there weren't any maps from Memento Mori 1 or 2, unless I somehow didn't see them in the list since I was reading through this list late last night.

 

I feel like MM1 & 2 are both very important releases, since they were some of the earliest community megawads. There are plenty of great maps in both mapsets but I like to think it's the complete package that makes it what it is as a long mountain hike from MAP01 to MAP30. As much as I love both of them I don't mind either one of them not slotting any maps on this list since they were both mentioned in the first top 100 wads list, even though that list serves a different purpose.

[Ubik]

12 minutes ago, valkiriforce said:

Very fun list; I love looking over these collections of maps and I can certainly relate to and agree with the #1 pick.

 

 

I feel like MM1 & 2 are both very important releases, since they were some of the earliest community megawads. There are plenty of great maps in both mapsets but I like to think it's the complete package that makes it what it is as a long mountain hike from MAP01 to MAP30. As much as I love both of them I don't mind either one of them not slotting any maps on this list since they were both mentioned in the first top 100 wads list, even though that list serves a different purpose.

I fully agree with this. As much as I enjoyed MM1 and MM2, I don't remember any single map from either one of them standing out much. As megawads, they're especially significant, but no individual map seems to have had the effect or impact of the ones on the list here.

[NuMetalManiak]

I would say MAP23 of the original MM would qualify the most. It's the first example I can think of with a "slaughterfest map inside a normal PWAD" ordeal unless someone can think of something older.

[Lizardcommando]

22 minutes ago, valkiriforce said:

Very fun list; I love looking over these collections of maps and I can certainly relate to and agree with the #1 pick.

 

 

I feel like MM1 & 2 are both very important releases, since they were some of the earliest community megawads. There are plenty of great maps in both mapsets but I like to think it's the complete package that makes it what it is as a long mountain hike from MAP01 to MAP30. As much as I love both of them I don't mind either one of them not slotting any maps on this list since they were both mentioned in the first top 100 wads list, even though that list serves a different purpose.

 

8 minutes ago, Ubik said:

I fully agree with this. As much as I enjoyed MM1 and MM2, I don't remember any single map from either one of them standing out much. As megawads, they're especially significant, but no individual map seems to have had the effect or impact of the ones on the list here.

 

Hmm, fair enough. Those are some valid points. I thought MAP02 from Memento Mori 1 and MAP26-28 from Memento Mori 2 were pretty memorable. It could just be the nostalgia playing a big role for me since those were my first megawads I've ever played.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Lizardcommando

[pcorf]

Excellent read. Great maps of course and for sure there are many more maps that were not mentioned. Endgame.wad MAP07 is one of them. Also the first map of DemoniZed by Nokturnus, a gothic city-like map from 1998 which was one of the earliest Boom compatible maps, that was a great map. Plutonium Sandpit by Nebula  was a great Zdoom map released a couple of years ago.
 

I was certainly not expecting WOS MAP16 Undervilla make the list at #67. But after a slow start, WOS really takes off from MAP16 onwards. Might have to produce a CD soundtrack for WOS and release it in September next year to coincide with the 10th anniversary of WOS, no guarantee though.

 

Seeing screenshots of #33 You Shall Not Pass (Deus Vult 2 Map22) by Huy Pham was the inspiration for MAP25: Vulcana of WOS and it's sequel Vulcana 2 in Cchest4. Oh those lava caves!

Edited December 11, 2018 by pcorf

[Pure Hellspawn]

Other Maps:

 

Speed of Doom Map 30 : Darkness Without End

Yep - Whispers Of Satan Map 25: Vulcana

CC 4 Maps 20 and 21

Super Sonic DOOM. I'm not going to throw in any particular map persay - but the whole concept and the advanced scripting of each level made it memorable.

Sunder Map 11: The Furnace. I think this was the first map I saw with over 5,000 monsters that I played.

There's more, but screw writing now, it's time to play some DOOM!

[Snakes]

Man, this brought back some memories. Great read! It's amazing how much there is here and yet so much that sadly couldn't be included. Game's got a amazingly rich history of creativity, humor, and chaos thanks in no small part to the maps included here. Props to all involved!

[Cynical]

As soon as I saw the title of the article and before I read it, I instantly thought "I bet Misri Halek get #1". 

[SaladStream]

For me afterlife and post mortem will live long in my memory. I actually enjoyed the whole of hell revealed. 

Misri halek is an absolute masterpiece and probably deserves the top spot. Deus vult is very memorable although i didn't really like it that much. 

Also I take it no original maps are included here but e1m7 computer station is in my opinion the best from the 3 episodes. Think I might just have to play e1-e3 in full when I finish work in around 4 hours

[Loud Silence]

"The Eye" by mouldy is my most memorable map. I was hoping it will be on the list.

[ReaperAA]

For me its Valiant's Map30.

[CDexWard]

The opening post says that there are more anniversary specials on the way. It would make me really happy if you had one in the works or could do another one that lists all the great Levels, Wads and Mods that never received a Cacoward and weren't even runner ups. The idgames archive is very difficult to navigate when compared to the list of Quake maps on Quaddicted. There is no indicator as to which Wads are worth playing except for the Cacowards and a lot of great wads go by unnoticed that way because they are rarely talked about or have been semi-forgotten by now.

 

Thanks for all the works you put into the Cacowards and the 100 Levels special and everything that is yet to come!

[antares031]

I've realized that something was missing from the list for me, and that was Dwango5 MAP01, also known as D5M1. It is understandable, since the introduction mentioned that the list only includes single-player levels. But still, there are many memorable deathmatch, capture the flag, and even cooperative levels around us. Maybe I'm asking too much, but I wish we can see the "Top 10 memorable multiplayer levels." from one of Cacoward sessions in the future. At any rate, thank you for giving us the list of top 100 memorable levels. :)

[Poncho1]

Unless I'm mistaken, there are not any maps from Vanguard. Awwww... 

 

Not complaining about first place, though. 

[Solarn]

16 hours ago, Gez said:

The Hag's Finger is the map that comes to my mind when Sunder is mentioned, personally.

 

I'm in a weird position here, because the maps I remember the most from Sunder are the ones everyone else forgets (The Dreaming Garden and The Grinder), but if we consider the things that inspired later slaughtermappers (the monumental architecture viewed from afar that resolves into a series of intricately-designed setpiece arenas when approached, the use of textures to suggest colour and material rather than detail, the ever-escalating scale of combat), then it has to be either Pale Monument or The Furnace. Personally, I'd actually have picked The Furnace simply because of how many outright imitators it has, to the point that almost every slaughter megawad has a map that's just "The Furnace done by a different mapper", but Pale Monument is more visually interesting.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Solarn

[gaspe]

14 hours ago, Lizardcommando said:

I'm surprised there weren't any maps from Memento Mori 1 or 2, unless I somehow didn't see them in the list since I was reading through this list late last night.

I was surprised too when I noticed that since they both have their good share of awesome maps. I agree with what valkiriforce said and it's fair enough that MM 1 & 2 didn't make into this list. I think, without meaning this to be dismissive, that many of those listed maps have also strong features, or gimmicks that made them to stick better into the memory of many players.

[Not Jabba]

It's kinda cool how everybody has a different Sunder map that sticks in their mind. For me it's The Cage, but since nobody else has mentioned it here, it's probably for the best that we went with Pale Monument instead, eh?

Edited December 11, 2018 by Not Jabba

[Xymph]

#52, Phocas Island 2 is a 6-level PWAD. Which map in particular is the memorable one?

[Not Jabba]

7 minutes ago, Xymph said:

#52, Phocas Island 2 is a 6-level PWAD. Which map in particular is the memorable one?

Fair point. We all remembered it as a single large map, but it looks like it is technically a hub with seamless transitions between areas. Since it plays like it's one megamap (you can't really play the individual "maps" separately), I think it's fair to consider it as one level.

[Xymph]

5 minutes ago, Not Jabba said:

Fair point. We all remembered it as a single large map, but it looks like it is technically a hub with seamless transitions between areas. Since it plays like it's one megamap (you can't really play the individual "maps" separately), I think it's fair to consider it as one level.

Fair enough indeed, thanks for the explanation.

[valkiriforce]

By the way, thank you guys for the write-up on the loss of Jim Flynn and John Anderson. Both of them were very iconic in the early Doom scene, and for me Jim Flynn has always been a huge influence on my mapping style. Every time I revisit Titan Manor or some other level in his series of wads I fall in love with his set piece sequences and exploratory nature of his maps all over again, and I'm reminded of how creative we can be with using all of the given tools and resources for making a fun adventure of a map. I didn't know about Kaitlyn personally and it's sad that you only learn about certain people in this community only after their passing. It's a tragedy what happened, but I'm glad to see the memory of her works being honored again at this time. I'm very sorry for those who suffered the loss of loved ones and friends, but I will always celebrate the memories they gave to us in their love and commitment to their works.

 

[EDIT] Whoops, meant to post this in the Cacowards thread, DUH.

Edited December 11, 2018 by valkiriforce

[TheMightyHeracross]

Surprised by the lack of HR's "Post Mortem," especially since AV's "Dark Dome" made it onto the list and was described as the "heir to its legacy."

Otherwise, the list is great. I love the mix of traditional Boom wads and ZDoom projects (UTNT, AD2, Square, etc), which I feared would be overlooked due to Doomworld's more vanilla/Boom-oriented taste in WADs.

[Chopkinsca]

2 hours ago, Not Jabba said:

Fair point. We all remembered it as a single large map, but it looks like it is technically a hub with seamless transitions between areas. Since it plays like it's one megamap (you can't really play the individual "maps" separately), I think it's fair to consider it as one level.

 

Ah yep, that's the way it was designed. The only reason it wasn't one huge map was the map limits at the time. 

[Linguica]

15 hours ago, CDexWard said:

The opening post says that there are more anniversary specials on the way. It would make me really happy if you had one in the works or could do another one that lists all the great Levels, Wads and Mods that never received a Cacoward and weren't even runner ups.

 

🤔

 

[Budoka]

Well then, let's see:

 

100.Wow.wad: Unfortunately, it does get worse than this.

91. The Ancient Navajo Wolf Warp: perhaps the most expectation-defying MAP01 I've ever seen, and sure enough, it worked. brilliantly.

88. Dark Dome: quintessential Alien Vendetta, as enthralling as it is exhausting. It's not one of my favourites in the set, but sure enough, it deserves all its popularity.

82. The Beginning and the End: I've never even finished the first level of UT&T. It's not bad, but the design is such a diferent apporach from the usual material that it tends to confuse me in many ways.

79. The Mouth of Madness: Well, after that description I can certainly say that I am looking forward to this...

77.Town of the Dead: One of my least favourite maps in one of my least favourite WADs. I really don't like it, sorry. In terms of sheer memorability, I don't think it felt that special either.

74.Sheer Poison: A daunting challenge indeed, it broke my will back in 2015. I Haven't come back to it since.

70. Doom City: somehow I've never heard of this until now. One would think something like that would leave a bigger trace on the internet.

66. Skagway: Extremely glad this made it. It's one of my favourite levels of time and I feel like it's rarely even talked about.

59. Afterlife: A handful of maps from the irst Hell Revealed could have made the cut, but if it has to be one, then yes, this one. For many reasons.

56. One of AV's best maps, which is not a light statement as we all know.

55. My Fav: I enjoyed that one a lot except for that obnoxious orange room.

46. My memories of Aliens TC are blurry...

45. Afterlife II: Very controversial map, but I personally love it. Replayed it quite recently, too.

46. Warp of Time: YES.

42. Festering Wicked Helix Sectors: one of the most genuinely epic moments in a megawad full of them almost from start to end.

34. Doxylamine Moon: Memorable indeed, and humbling, if also an unfortunate testament to how schizphrenic Sacrament can be.

31. Run From It!: I've warmed up to this map over the years, although I still think the UV version is too strict.

26. 10100011010: I enjoyed playing through this one a lot.

23. Hatred: Never played this, but I do know a lot about its... unique features.

21. Mr X: Masterpiece.

17. Pale Monument: another favourite of mine. Not sure what to say about it....

14. The Mancubian Candidate: stressful in a good way.

11. Go Fuck Yourself: Demos for this map are amazing.

10. Doomsday of UAC: played this years ago. It was alright.

8. Twilight Massacre: Not the best map of its kind actually... I love Speed of Doom though.

2. Deus Vult: Not a fan. Kind of tedious.

1. Misri Halek: Outright magical, this one. I do enjoy playing through it by the way.

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Breach: detail done right. Recommended.

Release Me: level sucks, but the voice sample is genuinely chilling...

Cold Reception: I love this map.

Frozen Time: How did the best map of all time not make the actual list ?

Post Mortem: Natch. I also unironically like this level.

Galaxia: That one was cool I guess.

Feeding Frenzy: Not one of my favourites in Icarus, but admittedly quite a mapping feat.

54-Pit: Great automap but mostly dull level.

The Final Countdown: A perect finale for an excellent PWAD.

Right in the crotch: I can't do justice  to how hilariously stupid that one is with words.

Oku2v31: Not special enough for the top 100 ? I'm surprised.

Resurgence maps: Coices as acceptable as any. I won't argue.

Fear: many player's first modern slaughtermap, and still as fun as ever.

Scythe II maps: see my comment about the Resurgence maps. Not surprised by the lack of E2 though, Graverobbers aside.

Speed of Doom: same deala gain.

Sunder: same, as already observed in the thread.

Electric Nightmare: A Final Map worhty of a quality AAA game, which I think all Megawad authors should try to emulate.

Temple of Asmodeus: odd choice but good level.

 

 

 

 

[Cynical]

Didn't even see the honorable mentions the first time!

 

I'm surprised by the mention of "Right in the Crotch", "Ejipt", "Hell is Falling", and especially "Mining Fecality" are the ones I always remember from Mock 2.  As well as the amazing sight-gag of that first doubly-fake 3D bridge.  Surprised by quite a few of the other picks there; a lot had other picks from the same wad I'd rank higher ("Waves of Darkness" for Resurgence, "Vile Pain" from Speed of Doom, "Fire and Ice" from Scythe, "Whispering Winds" from Scythe 2, "Cyberbullying..." from AA, and "Clandestine Complex" over "Hillside Siege" is really a shocker).

[Batandy]

I'm really surprised to see one of my maps at #75, and even two runner ups! I totally agree with the selection because Spooky Sunken Ship was an unused idea from Golden Souls 1 and I really wanted to make it in the sequel, so i'm really proud of that (Other unused ideas were Mount Mirror and Tower Rewot).

I consider Strawberry Fields to be one of the best maps i've made for the mod, so i'm glad to see that one there too.

I had a love/hate relationship with Mount Mirror, turns out that kind of gimmicky level is a pain to make, but I'm happy I managed to complete it. (Tower Rewot was even worse and it gave me a 3 month mapper's block!)

 

I also saw the first Golden Souls being in the Top 25 Missed Cacowards, thank you very much for everything.

[cybdmn]

I expected The Dying End by Christopher Lutz in this list.

[Doomkid]

I’m with Antares, where’s the love for the Deathmatch wads, eh?! A potentially great list RUINED once again due to deathmatch being ignored!

 

(I’m kidding this was actually a wonderful list. I would love to see one for DM. I don’t think justice could be done with any fewer than 20 maps though!)

Edited December 14, 2018 by Doomkid