HEXEN: Afterlands - 10 Level Hub (Final Cyrgoth WAD)

[PWAD Pete]

Afterlands is a 10 Level Single-Player Hub which is a sequel to Cyrgoth's Revenge. It is designed for GZDoom and Zandronum, and utilizes no new assets, meaning compatibility with any Hexen gameplay mod. While being Single-Player oriented, Afterlands can also be played in Co-op and Deathmatch modes, however due to the large map sizes, the latter is discouraged. Like in it's predecessors, there are numerous unmarked secrets throughout the span of the Hub, as well as two secret levels, one you can access early in the game, and another that is accessible towards the end of the WAD.

 

 

Spoiler

 

DOWNLOAD: AFTLAND1.zip

 

Credits:

Level Design and Graphics: Seidolon

Font used in Title Graphic: Ichor

 

[Not Jabba]

Nice! I've been looking forward to this.

[waverider]

Me too! Will have a lot of fun with this one I'm sure!

[Halfblind]

So in January I'm going take a break from playing Quake mods. At that time I should play this, Cyrgoth's Manor and Cyrgoth's Revenge. I've been wanting to play some newer vanilla inspired ZDoom Hexen maps and this looks like it fits that perfectly. Thank you so much for keeping Hexen alive.

[PWAD Pete]

It's my pleasure. Looking forward to hearing your feedback on my WADs!

[MirrorMage]

Really enjoyed this wad! I can't quite directly compare this one to the previous Cyrgoth wads as it has been awhile since I have played them but this wad is certainly one of the better Hexen wads I have ever played. Map design was a bit cramped at times, it felt like I was walking through a cave a lot. However, there was still enough variety to make it very enjoyable. I never felt like switch or key hunting was a chore which is what a lot of hexen wads suffer from. Favorite map was probably the ice fissure because of its difficulty. I think the only map I did not enjoy was the final one, felt like more of an effort could have been put into making it more elaborate / interesting. The grassy path leading up to the final chambers seemed unambitious and the arena itself was a little lackluster. I didn't even know the outer areas opened up until after beating the boss inside. Also the mini-boss battle before the last area seemed a little out of place.

 

I played as a mage on the highest difficulty. The item balancing was excellent for the first half / two thirds of the game. I found myself having to manage my health properly as I never really had more than 5 quartz flasks on me. However, at some point towards the end, I found myself having more and more to the point where I did not need to worry about managing my health resources. By the end I had around 12+ dark servants and lots of kraters/urns which is a little ridiculous. Mana might have been a little too abundant throughout but that might just be because I am stingy and I am always using my first weapon.

 

Overall, the flow was great and I enjoyed the difficulty the wad had to offer. The wad was clearly created to a high standard. I think this is an 8/10 for me! Thanks for making Hexen wads and I hope to see more in the future!

 

Also, I did not encounter any bugs/glitches in the wad.

[PWAD Pete]

Thank you for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoy my content. You will be seeing more Hexen stuff from me in the future.

[Lippeth]

Sorry for the bump, but I wanted to say that I finally finished this with all three characters after replaying the first two episodes. There's something so authentic about your episodes that feel like official Hexen expansions, I sometimes get them mixed up with the actual game when thinking about particular events or settings. There were so many times I wanted to ask for help, but ended up pushing through and figuring things out for myself which made the whole experience feel that much more personal and rewarding. As much as I love and replay the first two episodes, this one might be my favorite, it has some really stand out moments, like the shifting rocks in the Skaffolith, the buildings in Duskwood, the crazy platforming in the Ice Fissure, and there's something funny and charming about using Ben's grave as a puzzle. An excellent ending(s) to a classic trilogy!

 

I also found this episode to be excellent testing grounds for a weapon mod I've been fine-tuning because it's absolutely packed with monsters of all kinds.

 

Looking forward to your next endeavor!

[PWAD Pete]

Awesome feedback Lippeth! Very much appreciated! Hexen is a great game and it definitely deserves more user content, so I'm glad I can contribute!

[UnknDoomer]

For those who might feeling stuck:
 

 

* Finding secret levels shouldn't be a problem here in compare to two other wads, because there are no special requirements for access to them.

* 1. M10 "Caves of Ascension", is available almost initially from the first level, on it you can find the third weapon as well.
* 2. M9 - "Duskwood", from the sevent.

1. Collecting 3 items required for masonry on M1 - "Black Citadel".



1.1. Cross. You need to find a gray key with a brown handle, then press the switch in the location with 4 doors on M2 - "Ethereal Ruins". You will got a message that Ben's tomb has descended. It's right around the corner.

1.2. The Magister's Key, with a gray handle and a red crystal, is located on "M5 - Flooded Crypts". To obtain it, you will need a swamp key, which can be obtained nearby, gradually reaching to the teleport.



1.3. Next, you need to go to the teleport on M4 - "Skaffolith" and head southeast - you will need to make a jump that is not obvious from a position in the distance to move further. You will eventually reach a point where you can create a magical bridge to the central tower.



Return approximately to the starting position, go across the bridge and pick up the last item. Then fall down, the teleport leads to M5 - "Flooded Crypts", from there, through another teleport, behind the green door, you can get to M2 "The Bleak Citadel". Applying 3 items will open the stone door opposite. The teleport leads to M7 - "Funereal Garth".

2. Further, as you progress, you will be able to get a helmet for flying. It will be needed to open the grate that restricts the passage to the portal on the M8 - "Sacrarium".



On M7 - "Funereal Garth" note the stained glass shown in the screenshot. You can get there with a helmet. After pressing the switch, the bars will disappear and you can go to the last level. Keep in mind that there is no way back from the M8 - "Sacrarium".

Depending on whether you managed to find a red diamond along the way or not, how and whether you decide to use it / not, there is a small fork in the events at the last level.

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by UnknDoomer

[Bri]

This is cool. I really need to get into Hexen mapping at some stage. I'm always reminded how much I love Hexen when I play something for it.

[The Royal We]

Dude, if I had played these levels when I was a kid my head would have exploded into little The Royalzinhos.

Unlike what happened with the original Hexen, these I would have played and made it to the end.

 

[Caffeine Freak]

How the hell did I miss this when it first released? Downloading now!