What are your ten favorite maps of all time?

[baja blast rd.]

And why, if you feel like explaining. Don't limit yourself to 10 if you feel that is too restrictive.

[⇛Marnetmar⇛]

I'll edit in my explanations later after I've taken some time to get my thoughts together but in no particular order:

 

Lunatic Map03

Valiant Map15

e1m8b

Deus Vult II Map01

NRFTL Map03

Adventures of Square E1M2

Dystopia 3 Map04

Scythe 2 Map12

Plutonia II Map09

Doom E4M6

Edited April 17, 2021 by Marn

[out_of_service]

My personal top ten absolute must go to maps are:

 

1) Toxin Refinery (Doom)

2) Computer Station (Doom)

3) Twilight Descends (PSX Doom)

4) Threshold of Pain (PSX Doom)

5) Geryon (Master Levels)

6) Deepest Reaches (TNT)

7) River Styx (TNT)

8) Onslaught (Plutonia)

9) Alpha Quadrant (Doom 64)

10) Spawned Fear (Doom 64)

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP10 Skagway (UAC Ultra) - the perfect usage of radiation suits with plodding combat ever, I mean come the fuck on.

MAP26 Mouse (Slaughterfest 2011) - Phml is a badass and I wish he'd come back to make adventurous slaughtermaps that work. The grungy Quake-like textures are the best choice in his case.

MAP07 Woods (Hellbound) - the way the trees are done without new textures is perfect and sector trees are a Doomcute staple that cannot be hated.

MAP16 Leave Your Sol Behind (Ancient Aliens) - they basically said this was quintessential Ancient Aliens in the fucking list, that's all you need to know.

MAP18 Lake Poison (Alien Vendetta) - big hall, all keys in one area but still challenging

MAP24 The Mucus Flow (Community Chest 2) - kinda obvious

MAP15 City Heat (Community Chest 2) - organization is key, places are well-organized and also you can battle hordes of monsters at your leisure if you wait a bit.

MAP16 Suburbs (Doom II) - Fun sandbox, duh

MAP01 System Control (Evilution) - berserk at the start, cannot resist temptation to use it right away.

MAP29 Elysium (Eviternity) - because you can fly and get high

Bonus: MAP07 Pasualis (Mano Laikas) - although gameplay leaves a lot to be desired look at the automap and tell me that isn't creative

[continuum.mid]

Let's see...

1. The Plutonia Experiment Map32 "Go 2 It" - Not only a prototype for slaughtermaps, but in my opinion one of the first truly great Doom maps. Every fight is an adrenaline rush, the Entryway reference is an excellent visual joke, and although the monster count can get ridiculous, there are plenty of megaspheres, and Milo Casali could have gone a lot further. So the result is just some fast-paced fun.
2. Eviternity Map29 "Elysium" - It's beautiful, epic, and you can fly. Ends on a slaughter-esque version of Map01 which is excellent. I love The Godhood Suite too.
3. Japanese Community Project Map28 "HeLLport" - just a beautiful map, with intense and well-constructed fights throughout.
4. Ancient Aliens Map24 "Culture Shock" - Another beautiful map, best visual storytelling of any that I've played.
5. Eviternity Map15 "Cryonology" - some of the best architecture I've ever seen in a Doom map, excellent fights in snow-covered castle and a giant sundial.
6. Going Down Map26 "Insanity" - it's like a Doom nightmare, just superb horror.
7. Valiant Map28 "A Lightbridge Too Far" - Valiant's prettiest map, and one of its most fun as well.
8. Alien Vendetta Map06 "Hillside Siege" - Currently playing this megaWAD, up to map12. The maps are super fun, and this is my favorite so far.
9. Water Spirit Map03 "The Temple of Water Spirit Part 2" - underrated PWAD with beautiful water-based visuals, and it ends on a high note.
10. Ancient Aliens Map23 "Trinary Temple" - the longest map that I still really enjoyed, a true epic taking players through a temple on an alien hillside.

Edited April 17, 2021 by northivanastan

[Dubbag]

oh man, I don't even know. I've played so many over the last 20 years I can't remember them all sorry. But I can however tell you my favorite map of all time though, it's "The View" by Thomas Lutrov from "Community Chest 2" or "Map 06". Same author of a WAD called "No Brakes" in 2005. https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/MAP27:_No_Brakes_(NDCP)

IDK if he will ever see this, but thank you so much man because I have very fond memories with it going back as far as 16 years old and I'm 29 now.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Dubbag

[Somniac]

This is a very hard question. 

 

One that comes immediately to mind is Toxic Touch, of course, for creating a perfect balance between bleak, foreboding atmosphere and intense combat.

[El Inferno]

1. Map 24, "Chasm", one of the more unique iwad maps.

2. Sunder, map 5 "Precarious".

3. Toilet of the Gods, map 1.

4. Dimensions, map 2 (too hard). 

5. Sunlust, map 29

6. Sunlust, map 19

7. Sunder, map 12

8. Sunder, map 17

9. Wormwood, map 2

10. Advent, map 1

 

[dei_eldren]

This is a good question - Hangar, Slough of Despair, and Paths of Wretchedness will be on the list, but i'm going to have to give it some time to go through everything in my mind.  Not gonna be easy to choose favourites from my favourite PWADs!  But that's why it's a good question, because it sort of distills into what makes those PWADs good, what's the best representation of them.  i expect a lot of hell-themed maps.

Edited April 17, 2021 by dei_eldren

[MtPain27]

I think there's a huge difference between maps that I think are "empirically" great and maps I just flat out enjoy playing. Taking an honest inventory of my experience with Doom, I've lately come to realize that a lot of my relationship with the game has been quite antagonistic. Only in the last six or so months have I made a conscious effort to see every level as a conversation between player and designer, looking for merry banter where I used to see hostility, trying not to take death and failure so hard (emphasis on "trying"). With that said, there are a few maps that I've always felt friendly with: these are all maps I boot up when I want to recapture my childlike love of the game, or transport myself to a place that only Doom mapping can conjure.

 

TNT Evilution:

MAP 05 - Hanger - It's got great music, I know it like the back of my hand, and it gives me the comfy feeling of being thirteen and playing Doom before bed in my pajamas. 

MAP 07 - Prison - Outstanding, intense, and adventurous. The music has always stuck with me. Beating this map was one of the first times I felt like I overcame something in Doom, and instilled me with lifelong respect for the plasma rifle. 

MAP 17 - Processing Area - Like MAP 05, it's got that comfy techbase feeling that's inseparable from nostalgia. It's a nicely contained, fairly easy jaunt that makes me feel like a better player than I am, and we all need that sometimes. 

MAP 20 - Central Processing - Most underrated map in TNT. Tense all the way through, with an ending that still throws curveballs at me when I attempt it...should I take the teleporter or drop into the water? I can never remember. Also goddamn, that music is so good. Scared me stiff as a lad. 

DOOM E1 - The whole episode. I know this breaks the rules somewhat, but I used to roll through this episode for fun almost daily during a specific stretch of my life. My mastery over it gave me a sense of peace and comfort, especially finding all those secrets. Very satisfying. 

Valiant MAP 14 - Implosion - Pure fun, a short, explosive, and playful map that I always return to when I think, hey, I haven't played Valiant in awhile.

Valiant MAP 15 - Screams Aren't a Crime...Yet - Super chaingun + zombies = instant joy.

Eviternity MAP 10 - Creation - Jimmy's ecstatic MIDI and the thrilling combat bring me back here often. One of the most kinetic, pure-fun maps I can name.

Eviternity MAP 27 - Heliopolis - This is where I first heard "Imaginarium" by stewboy . Lovely map, great visuals and pleasant fights. Definitely a go-to late-night comfort map of mine.

Community Chest 2 MAP 24 - The Mucus Flow - I am on a constant search for the map that will dethrone this one. I hear Death-Destiny's Disturbia is pretty close, but I don't think I'm good enough to beat that one yet. The Mucus Flow is not a pleasurable playthrough, but it's affected me so much that it's become part of my Doom DNA. The music, the atmosphere, B.P.R.D.'s looming legend...it's haunting, hypnotic, and beautiful in a way that genuinely cannot be explained to someone who isn't elbow-deep in Doom. I only discovered this map in the middle of 2020, making it untainted by the rose-colored view of yesteryear, which to me makes it all the more special: I am a creature of nostalgia, after all.

Hell Ground MAP 04 - Warp of Time - I just played this one a few nights ago at three o'clock in the morning, attempting the whole wad continuous/no saves for the heck of it. If I died, I'd promised myself I would go to bed. I guess sheer force of will won out, because I made it all the way through to Warp of Time. I've always been impressed by this map, but playing it in the dead of night, with no noise outside, carefully guarding the one life I had to lose...it gave me a different perspective. This is no simple Killer Colors sendup, it's more like Edgar Allan Poe's "Masque of the Red Death." Mortality permeates this map, and the whole wad, really. It's a genuine piece of art. 

 

A few more pure-fun honorable mentions:

 

JPCP MAP 22 - Thermal Disposal Place (love it), Ancient Aliens MAP 05 - Last Refuge of the Anasazi (joyful Doom), Thy Flesh Consumed MAP 02 - Perfect Hatred (unreasonably fun for Ult Doom), Alien Vendetta MAP 04 - Seclusion (low risk entertainment), Alien Vendetta MAP 08 - Beast Island (music to die for), Plutonia MAP 05 - Ghost Town (pistol start for the best experience), Plutonia MAP 09 - Abattoire (I only replay this one to avenge my 13-year-old self), Sigil MAP 05 - Abaddon's Void (I'm weird), Valiant MAP 27 - Rocket Zone II (you can also play Rocket Zone from Lunatic for a bit of deja vu), Speed of Doom MAP 31 - 1010011010 (my all time favorite secret map)

[HombreSal]

1. Babylon's Chimera. 

2. Beast Island.

3. Prison

4. Pharaoh's Claim.

5. Blood Sacrifice.

6. Afterlife.

7. Nukage processing.

8. Perfect Hatred.

9. Instalation Decrepit.

10. Monster Condo.

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by HombreSal

[xX_Lol6_Xx]

Scythe Map 26

Lunatic Map 01

Sunlust Map 01

Sunlust Map 02

TNT'S MAP 27

TNT's Map 11

It's not a doom map, but: Heretic's E3M8

180 Minutes Per Vivre's (I Think that's how it's written) Map 11

Swim with the whales' Map 02

Alien Vendetta's Map 01

 

And some honorific mentions: Both FreeDoom Phase 1 and 2.

Edited April 18, 2021 by Lol 6

[Remilia Scarlet]

E4M1

E3M3

E2M2

MAP08 of License To Ilya (joetune.wad) by Szymanski

Eternity E2M1

aq-slipstream MAP01 by Aquila Chrysaetos (I don't think this is actually released...)

Greymood by Misty
Deviled by Misty
Arctic Outpost by DMPhobos

The Outer Darkness by Varun Abhirama Krishna

[Michael Jensen]

It would be virtually impossible to choose from all the maps I've played, so instead I included the very first ones that automatically came to my mind. I'm sure there is a pattern to all of these that can be discerned. There's bit more than 10 but some of these are from the same wads.

 

Grove                  by B.P.R.D

Equinox Map07     by B.P.R.D

Equinox Map12     by B.P.R.D

Equinox Map13     by B.P.R.D

- Ok, the pattern with these specifically is that I just played Equinox again yesterday to write a review. But seriously, Equinox is one of a kind, and an absolutely essential experience. Just don't do pistol starts. Lot of the things I said in the review about Equinox also apply to Grove, even though it's its own thing. 

 

God Machine (Sunlust Map30) by Ribbiks and dannebubinga 

- I have a preference for more classic mapsets and I'm not really into extreme slaughterfests. But this, along with Sunlust in general, is just an absolutely incredible achievement. 

 

The Elder    (Echelon Map29) by Sverre André Kvernmo

Time Gate   (Eternal Doom Map05) by Sverre André Kvernmo

 

Wormhole                (TNT Map04) by Ty Halderman

- One of those special maps that are in a league of its own. The concept is genius and while the execution is simple, it sells it perfectly and creates an atmosphere quite unlike any other map we've seen up till then. 

 

Central Processing    (TNT Map20) by Drake O'Brien

- The first and only IWAD map that fully demonstrates the kind of grand adventure you can create in Doom. Whereas most IWAD maps stick to a single theme, Central Processing creates a whole seamless world, with techbases, caves, ancient monuments and beautiful canyon under the starry sky. It looks great, plays well and the music suits it perfectly. 

 

Shuttlecraft             (Icarus: Alien Vanguard Map 01) by Christopher Buteau 

War Temple             (Icarus: Alien Vanguard Map 20) by Rand Phares

The Haunting          (Icarus: Alien Vanguard Map 24) by Gary Gosson

Another Fine Mess   (Icarus: Alien Vanguard Map 25) by Michael Bristol

Starhenge              (Icarus: Alien Vanguard Map 27) by Ty Halderman

- One thing you have to realize about Icarus is that it isn't just a collection of individual maps. Think of Icarus as a movie and it's levels as movie scenes. They all serve to push the story forward and they establish a tone that evolves throughout the whole wad. Map03 for instance is an incredibly short level, but it serves both as a small break after the longer previous maps, and also establishes Icarus' unique level structure and a completely new environment. Despite that, Icarus has many outstanding levels.

Shuttlecraft is the perfect map01. Aside from being a great level, it also establishes exactly what kind of wad is Icarus going to be. Adventure, exploration, realistic locations and a story that gives all your actions throughout a meaning. 

War Temple has a cool gimmick, which is executed as well as it ever could be, and more importantly, goes together with the maps' puzzles and combat. 

The Haunting suffers from some copy-paste, but it more than makes up for it with its incredible atmosphere and [REDACTED].

Another Fine Mess is just a great map all-round.

Starhenge, somewhat similarly to Wormhole, evokes a feeling that not many other maps can, with its unorthodox environment, chilling midi and alien atmosphere. The strange area inside of the mountain feels like something ancient, long forgotten and completely foreign. 

    

Go 2 It (Plutonia Map32) by Milo Casali

- Because being pure fun is sometimes enough 

Edited April 18, 2021 by A.H. Sankhatayan

[Egg Boy]

Sunlust map21 "Entering the Aquatic Desert" by Ribbiks

Arrival map01 "Waste Abandonment" (I know this is a new one, but it might be my favorite map01 ever made, its incredible) by Pavera 

The Ultimate Doom E4M2 "Perfect Hatred" by John Romero

Scythe X Map04 "Air Cleansing" by Erik Alm

"Mutabor" by Tourniquet

Ancient Aliens Map16 "Leave Your Sol Behind" by Skillsaw

Scythe Map23 "Anger" by Erik Alm

Resurgence Map11 "Twi-Lite Massacre" by Joshy

Super Mayhem 17 Map25 "Bastille Bowser" by Breezeep

BTSX E2M2 "Underwater Explosions" by Tango

 

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Egg Boy

[roadworx]

this is a hard question, buuuut i'll try my best :p

 

in no particular order:

 

1.) memento mori, map09: high-tech grave

despite its age, this is seriously such a great map to me. i absolutely adore the color scheme of blue, green, and silver that a good chunk of the map has, and it's pretty much just fast-paced, non-stop action throughout the entire map. not only that, it has one of my favorite midis (slipper, by mark klem). it's not the best map in the world, but it's one that i find myself returning to quite a bit and holds a special place in my heart

 

2.) alien vendetta, map06: hillside siege

back when i was a little baby doomer playing alien vendetta for the first time, this was the map that i always got stuck on and made me quit. this was like nothing i had ever encountered before, but as i became better at the game i pretty much fell in love with it. the architecture is great, the action is superb...it's one of the best maps in the entire megawad imo

 

3.) akeldama, map05: bunker

holy FUCK the aesthetic of this map is good. i've always been big into 20th century war history, especially ww1, and i immediately fell in love with this map for reasons that should be pretty obvious lol. as if that wasn't enough, the gameplay is fantastic, with a shitload of enemies all over the place who all wanna kill you. it makes me feel like i'm going up against an actual army lol

 

4.) polygon base

for some reason, this map is just...amazing to me. i can't explain it tbh, but i just genuinely look up to it. i don't even like super non-liner maps that much, but this one is just really fun for me

 

5.) kama sutra, map15: miss sporty

i'm so glad that i stuck around with kama sutra, because this is the map where it not only gets really good, but it also just...is hilarious lmao. demon tennis courts, demon running tracks, demon wild west shooting ranges...if this isn't the defining doomcute map then idk wtf is

 

6.) memento mori ii, map15: the devil's coterie

while i love nearly all of mm2 except the last few maps, this is probably the best one out of all of them. it still looks pretty good, even for today, and idk if i just suck at the game (i do lol) but god DAMN it's hard. after playing through a bunch of easy to medium maps, this one feels like being smacked in the face lol. it's honestly a map that i gotta be in a certain mood to play cuz if i'm not in that special mood then it's genuinely exhausting with how non-stop it is with its fights

 

7.) alien vendetta, map26: dark dome

this is probably my favorite slaughtermap i've ever played. it's certainly not a looker, but by god is it fun. when i played it, it was a slow grind, but by no means was it tedious. i spent a lot of the time sitting in the safe space i had carved out for myself, thinking what my next move was gonna be, and poking and prodding different areas to see where i could attack next. this was the first map i ever played that really forced me to strategize and plan out my next attack, and it's one of my favorites as a result

 

8.) requiem, map11: rats in the walls

i'm not really a big fan of requiem, but i have to say, this map is fantastic. as with adam's other map that i mentioned, this one looks great as well, and it also plays great. i especially love how the map gets repopulated, and the lovecraft reference is nice as well :)

 

9.) plutonia, map32: go 2 it

this map is just fun, honestly. there's a lot of great stuff in plutonia but this is by far my favorite. i really don't have much to say about it other than that

 

10.) doom ii, map10: refueling base

this map seriously deserves more love. it's big, full of enemies, and has been incredibly fun each and every time i've played through it. the only thing i dislike about this map is how it makes me sad that tom hall got fired from id )`:

[Scypek2]

Interesting question! I haven't played many of the classics, but I sure played some. Here's just a few that come to my mind right now, in no particular order:

1. The Given, it goes without saying why. Limit removing, vanilla textures, no combat, and it doesn't even feel like Doom. A magical experience.
2. The Sky May Be - about as different from the above as it gets, but it has one thing in common: it too is an epic journey. It's awkward and flawed, but with a lot of creativity put into it.
3. Megalopolis - probably the best map of Harmony, enormous and full of life. What does it not have? It's got enough creative ideas to fill seven maps with. It seems to go on forever, and it's barely even a detriment.
4. The Floor Is Lava - so far this list seems to consist entirely of long-winded maps of various kinds... This one is equal parts fun, clever and infuriating. You simply have to make peace with death. And savescumming.
5. Day of the Rope, MAP12 of Doomworld Mega Project 2018... made by me, but it would be a lie to not include it. It's got a long and complex narrative, a unique aesthetic... I've never made a single map this big and ambitious before, or after for that matter. And it really paid off.

[dosboot]

Doom 2 the Way id Did, D2TWID.wad 

 

I think this wad would legitimately occupy my entire top 10 and top 20.  These are the best designed, best balanced Doom maps - ever - and I love replaying them even more than the official maps.  I will limit myself to a smaller handful for this list though:

1. MAP05: The Boiler by Walker Wright (Pavera)
2. MAP11: The Garrison by Walker Wright (Pavera)
3. MAP17: The Precinct by Richard Frei (Tarnsman)
4. MAP13: The Wharf by Michael Fraize (Marcaek)
5. MAP20: Leap of Faith by Sarah Mancuso (esselfortium)
6. MAP18: The Sanctuary by Matt Cibulas (RottKing)
7. MAP21: Passage to Exile by Brendt Pantley (Megalyth) & Michael Fraize (Marcaek)

Pavera is my favorite map designer (in part due to these levels), so two of his maps get top spots.  D2TWID feels carefully playtested, inventive, fair, interesting, challenging.  The design of D2TWID embraces restraint and subtraction in places where more would not be better, and where maximal would be worse than minimal.

Plutonia AD, plut_ad_112616.wad
8. map03: Deadlocked by Brayden Hart (AD_79)

The 2nd best PWAD, easily some of the very best levels I've played.  Few if any megawads geared toward hardcore challenge make me feel they are carefully balanced and designed, but this one does.  Map 03 is my favorite level of the five map set.

Doom 2: Hell on Earth, Doom2.wad
9. Level 11: 'O' of Destruction! by John Romero
10. Level 5: The Waste Tunnels by American McGee

Waste Tunnels is a chosen representative for my overall fond nostalgia for the Doom2's early map feel.  'O' of Destruction is memorable, tightly designed, and replayable.  It stands as a representative for Romero's maps.



 

Edited April 18, 2021 by dosboot

[LadyMistDragon]

E1M3

E1M6

E2M2

E4M2

Memento Mori Map 30

Icarus Map 31

TNT Map 11

Memento Mori Maps 03 and 04,

180 Minutes Pour de Vivre Map 17

 

and TNT....Map 07 or 18. I haven't really played all that much yet, lol. Although DBP 34 Map 06 was quite good too, if we want to add in something recent. I can throw in Memento Mori II Map 18 as a runner-up, though truth is, I'm not the hugest fan of that. So far, 15, 07, 05 and 25 are probably my favorites as far as that means anything.

Edited April 20, 2021 by LadyMistDragon
mixing uo one of TNT's best maps with one of its worst

[Lucky_Edie]

- All time favourite: Dimensions map02 

 

No particular order:

Frog_and_toad map 8

Frog_and_toad map 9

Resurgence map31

Abandon map10

Duck sauce

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Lucky_Edie

[valkiriforce]

This gave me a reason to look over my doom chronicle text file again, so I'm gonna try my best to narrow down a list and mix things up a bit from the usual selections I've made before (in no particular order):

 

1. Pharaoh (TNT: Evilution) - Absolutely love the atmosphere of this map. Very immersive experience coming off the heels of the previous Doom IWADs at the time. I believe it forever affected my own aesthetic in wanting to create maps that I would like to imagine myself in, despite how oppressive they might be. The music works wonders for it being mostly void of enemy occupation, however I do enjoy the few encounters within. That floating cyber was always kind of weird.

 

2. Misri Halek (Alien Vendetta) - Huge exploratory Egyptian pyramid with a heavy dose of puzzling cave crawls and navigation. Lots of demons parked along the huge cliff that is scaled to conquer a miniature construct on top. It's a very fun level for me to try and memorize and see how quickly I can make my way through it. Great use of lighting with an excellent atmosphere and music track.

 

3. The Super Secret Level (Doom 2 Reloaded) - Very unapologetic puzzle map with plenty of tricky sequences to uncover - also very large scale and with fun little pop culture references throughout the map. Just an overall excellent experience, but with an acquired taste.

 

4. Central Processing (TNT: Evilution) - Huge, dangerous, atmospheric, surreal, adventurous and sometimes unforgiving in a few spots. This one grew on me over time from when I first played it, but that huge vista at the end with the flooded plains and cliffs and that opening into space with galaxies and twisting ledges with barbed-wire fences and imps throwing fireballs at you from a distance...these were things that stuck with me the first time. I also liked the transition from Doomcute cubicles to a cylindrical area to sprawling caves...for such an old map it really leaves an impression of trying to escape an overrun facility somewhere in the deepest reaches of space. Once again, the music does an amazing job of giving a narrative for survival in such an uncertain and mysterious environment.

 

5. Industrial Zone (Doom II) - Doom II is such a nostalgia trip for me - so many of the maps feel like old friends I'm visiting whenever I give it another playthrough. One of the step-ups for me coming off of the original Doom was how huge the environments had become, tagging alongside the new beastiary and our beloved super shotgun. I always felt like a lot of the bigger E2 maps stood out for me, and Industrial Zone accompanies one of my favorite Doom II tracks (Running From Evil) with some fun building jumping and tower scaling combined with a little castle exploration. Very memorable experience from my youth that still holds up for me.

 

6. Titan Manor (Master Levels For Doom II) - From one of my favorite map authors, Jim Flynn - he introduced me to what I likened at the time to Metroid progression with this map when uncovering lots of hidden crannies and lifts tucked away in the walls. The way it crosses over itself and reuses space works beautifully and looks great with the use of some interesting texture combinations - all of it set together in a space environment as part of Jim's Titan series. Really impressed me early on and made me realize just how clever people could be with sector trickery and playful encounters.

 

7. Viper (Memento Mori) - It may seem like an ordinary Icon of Sin map, but the structure for encountering the Icon itself is incredibly clever with a cyberdemon firing rockets at the player from within, paired with a fun sort of mansion chock full of ammunition and where monsters are constantly spawning nearby. The map can be beaten rather quickly, but it's one of those settings for me where I can actually enjoy fighting off the monsters repeatedly for as long as I feel like it, and just keep refilling my needed supplies. It's a simple map, but I've gotten quite a bit of replayability from it just goofing around wasting rockets, cells, shells and bullets just for the heck of it. I feel I could easily include other maps from Memento Mori (High-Tech Grave is a good candidate, Karmacoma is another fun skirmish) but felt Viper was a good, memorable standout for rounding out the set.

 

8. Odyssey of Noises (The Plutonia Experiment) - Very cool city map, and quite sprawling for vanilla's limited capacity for such. It's got some risky combat and some annoying chaingunners at times, but I do find myself coming back to it randomly just to enjoy a quick little adventure of a map. Structured very nicely with some clean architecture - as would be the signature of the Casali brothers. It's a fun little romp that feels deserving of its place as being an early, memorable city map.

 

9. Doorway To Quake (Requiem) - Clever secret level that attempts to remake a map from Quake, and even more interesting with some cool effects on display including a fake room-over-room effect, some cool-looking portals and just a very quick action experience. It's an easy map for me to revisit any time and have a good time with it - for what little play time is had it manages to keep things interesting and fun, with little spurts of plasma action and super shotgun dancing.

 

10. Hell On Earth (Scythe) - Here's another fun city map of sorts - contrary to what most of Scythe is known for, this one has a bit more playtime involved with some challenging combat and fun exploration through a uniquely snowy cityscape in hell. It has a bit of cruelty with the use of cyberdemons but I get a kick out of the all-out action maps like these, blasting our way through the tighter combat scenarios. It's a standout for me in a set of mostly shorter action affairs.

 

I would like to give an honorable mention to the Eternal Doom megawad for containing the most maps I've ever given a perfect 10 rating with the likes of Nucleus, Silures, Beginner's End, No Parking, Timeslip, Excalibur and Monster Mansion. Another shout-out to Plutonia 2's Wormhole Zone and Nuclear Horror, as I greatly enjoy their non-linear adventures contained within. Anyway, there's absolutely no shortage of amazing Doom experiences I've played, and I think that's a pretty good list.

[TheGreenZap]

• Unending - Remilla Scarlet - The way Remilla designs maps is awesome. So smooth and I love the atmosphere. The way this one starts out seeing the outside of the castle you are about to enter. It's simply beautiful inside with a touch of Quake.
• Hall of the Goat Child - Remilla Scarlet - Another great one from Remilla. Amazing look and feel with awesome battles. I really like the theme of this map as well.
• Biosphere - Xaser - E1M7 of No End in Sight. Xaser is one of my favorite mappers and the play-ability and design of this map is top notch.
• Chasing Suns -Sunlust - Ribbiks - This map reminds me of moving around and playing in Unreal Tournament back in 2003. Not sure why, but the design elements of Ribbiks always knocks my socks off. This map just plays so well.
• Tribute to the Lamplighter - JudgeDeadd - Released this year and fabulous. I love the climbing you have to do in this one. Plus combat is great. The music is just icing on the cake. This one has it all!
• Tech Gone Bad - John Romero - The cracks in the floor just does it for me on this one. It's probably my favorite Romero map.
• MAP01: Compulsory Skywalk- Lord_Z -From Intergalactic Xenology. The design uses Ancient Alien textures, just a beautiful map and so fun to play. Amazing work here by Lord_Z
• TNT: Revilution - Map28 - Across the Blood Sea - Eradrop - Just listen to the Dean of Doom video on this and you will know why I like this one. I totally agree.
• Community Chest 4 - Survival Instincts - Adam Windsor (Capellan) - I really enjoy Capellan's battle sequences and going through this fort style map is really cool. I love the way he designed the map.
• Industrial map13 - OmniArch - Vanilla map by Omni and I do not think he has released it yet, but I love it. This is old style doom in a short map. Game play is top notch, plus the way he added the secrets is really cool.

Edited April 18, 2021 by TheGreenZap

[BaileyTW]

Really hard question, and my opinion would change constantly based on what I last played.
Only played the 4 main wads, so don't have much to rate here.

In no particular order

Neurosphere (Plutonia's Map 18): Very nice map pistol started. Very nice looking map, very innermost dens and I love innermost dens.

 

Innermost Dens (Doom 2's Map 14): I love Innermost Dens. Easy favorite. Very innermost dens.

 

Stronghold (TNT's Map 9): A very action heavy map if I am trying to go fast. No other map that I've played gives a more satisfying "mowing down hitscanners" feeling than this map and the music makes it even better.

Computer Station (Doom's E1M7): Favorite Episode 1 Map. Best looking map of the first episode, and it has a nice flow with closets of imps and hitscanners repopulating the level as you go.

Refinery (Doom's E2M3): Godawful, just godawful looking map, and I cycle between being alright with the intermission music the whole level and being absolutely annoyed by it, but actually playing the map is nice. I like it's easily accessible berserk, and all the routes of the level. This level needs a new paint job, but it is my favorite level that I hate looking at.

 

Redemption (TNT's Map 10): I don't know what it is about this level I like so much. It's just a nice short pretty chill map, especially in comparison to Stronghold right before it. I cannot explain even a little though why I like it so much, I just remember pistol starting it after stronghold and just enjoying it and then doing it again once i was done.

 

Mount Pain (TNT's Map 27): Painful at my skill level, and damn did it feel great pistol starting it. Nice feeling with decimating imp groups in between harder sections of the map.

 

Perfect Hatred (Doom's E4M2): Very fun map start to finish, it does cramped ledges well I think.

 

Abittoir (I can't spell it either)(Plutonia's Map 9: I cannot forget the ending room and the feeling of finally overcoming it.

 

Go 2 It (Plutonia's Map 32): My experience with Doom is at its best when I feel like I have overcome something great. I came into playing Plutonia with no mouse and thinking damn I cannot beat this, just from its reputation alone, and I saved this map for last because I knew what I was getting myself into with it. Go 2 It had me feeling the same even after I had beaten the rest of Plutonia. All of it, was just so much MORE than I had done before, and I only had a save at level start for it so I had to survive beginning to end. When I finally beat that final Cyberdemon after having made it to the final 3 a few times before, damn I felt good. For what I've played, it's a big map, it's a stressful map, and it's a fun map beginning* (the mancubus room is a little tedious actually) to end.

[TJG1289]

Alright, this is a question I've been thinking about myself. I've played so many maps that they all kind of blur together. There are times where I'll conflate multiple levels together. There are times where I'll remember a level but I won't for the life of me be able to remember what the level was or what WAD it was in. And considering I don't often replay WADs, there's a lot of great maps that I've played that I just don't remember. Like, I know I enjoyed Memento Mori, Epic 2, Requiem, etc, but it's been so long since I've played any of them that I don't remember anything about the levels themselves. I've found myself watching WAD playthroughs on YouTube for these WADs and not recognizing half of the levels though I know I played through them in the mid 00s. So I'm sure the following maps I will list are not really my top 10 and can change. In fact, the only thing I know for sure is what my top 2 are:

 

1: Culture Shock - Ancient Aliens map24: The most beautiful map I've ever played. Gorgeous scenery with an almost ambient soundtrack. It's truly breathtaking. Idk if it's the most fun map in AA, but I'm finding I enjoy the more visually striking maps lately.

 

2: Insanity - Going Down map26: This level blew my mind the first time I hit that switch and the environment changed from a voidscape of elevators to a blood-filled cavern. And the ending silent-teleport trick is awesome.

 

I guess for the rest of this post I will mention my favorite levels from WADs that I actually remember playing, not ranked in any order.

 

Industrial Zone - Doom II map15: This is my favorite ID-developed map I think. Lots of hitscan to mow down with chaingun fire is always fun. It's a kinda open level too, so there's some fun to go wandering around.

 

Mount Pain - TNT Evilution map27: This has always been my favorite Final Doom level, so I was surprised to see a decent amount of dislike for it in the past. I just think it's super fun with a lot of lower-tier enemies you can mow down. Plus, it's got my favorite music in the classic Doom games.

 

Ocean City Zone: Act 1 - Super Sonic Doom map13: An odd choice, but I had to put something in from the WAD that really got me into Doom mods. I think Stephen Clark's stuff is really creative and this level uses ZDoom to its fullest. Underwater sections that I actually like, a bunch of new marine enemies start showing up here, multi-story buildings, and incredibly cheesy/cringy cutscenes involving Doomworld. Plus, the Quake 2 railgun. Add on all the Sonic elements like rings, springs, monitors, and music, and of course I'll like this. I always wanted a Doom game with Sonic elements growing up, and this was basically that. Idk if its aged well, but I still have fond memories of this WAD, and this level was always my fav. Speaking of which...

 

Volcano Valley - Fragport map09: Another Stephen Clark level I played after Super Sonic Doom, and pretty much instantly realized this was an adaptation of the Sonic 3D Blast level of the same name. Unlike SSD, Fragport plays like normal Doom, but he was able to make this pretty similar to the Sonic version, like by using potions (rings) for health quite often for example. I think this is a pretty creative level. Special mention also goes to Laser Quest - map17, which is seriously just a laser tag arena. 

 

Void: This was another one of the first ZDoom maps I ever played and it stuck with me. The scripted events, trippy scenery and fights, and just general weirdness. When I first started to read the Top 100 Memorable Maps list, this and Culture Shock were the 2 levels I thought of first and were very glad they were side-by-side in the top 10.

 

Twisted Neighborhood - Hell on Earth Starter Pack map 15: I know Sergeant Mark is kinda controversial, but I really like his mapping style. He basically makes Duke 3D levels in Doom, and that's right up my alley. Episode 2 is my favorite in this WAD, and I had time picking what level to go with, but I went with this one cause I like the location. Fighting in realistic-looking houses and streets is always a plus for me. I have not tried Extermination Day, so Idk if this map is still in the WAD or not.

 

The Mancubian Candidate - Valiant map07: You know how hard it is to pick just 1 map from Valiant to be here? I ultimately picked this one since it's easily the best map07 I've ever played. Very creative use of the 666 tag. The mancubus dies: you get spitroasted by 25,634 Archviles. I can't think of any other map07 that did something this creative. Honorable mention goes to map28, A Lightbridge Too Far, for having the cool aforementioned light bridges and for being fun. 

 

hazmat hazama - JPCP map29: Another visual stunner, this one taking elements of a bunch of different textures and level designs, and explodes them, stitching them together in a way that it looks like they got sucked into a black hole and reassembled. I feel like Bloom, the Blood/Doom mash-up mod is doing something similar visual-wise, but this is all Doom and it's awesome.

 

The Antaropolis - Struggle map28: I think the earlier levels are more fun to play, but again, I'm going with the eye candy and architectural achievements. One of the best looking levels in a WAD full of incredibly detailed levels. Also, it's a fun challenge. 

 

Elysium - Eviternity map29: It was a toss-up between this and Dehydration, but I went with this cause the Episode 6 theme is my favorite. I mean, this is basically 5 more levels like Culture Shock, so no surprise there. This is my fav in the episode since it's a big one, but the fights are more varied than the BFG fest that's map26. Though the astral caco fight can go die in a fire. 

 

Farmlands - Lost Civilization map03: Not going to lie, almost any map could have been here, but this is the first map I think of when I think of this WAD. This entire WAD has some of the most realistic looking levels in Doom period. The amount of detail in these maps is insane, and you really feel like you're in a real-life location. I picked this map since as one of the first levels, it's not as huge as some of the later maps, but is still big enough to show off how intricate these levels can get. It can be hard to find everything in this WAD, but the fact that a lot of the levels have multiples of the keys is a cool idea if you don't feel like exploring all of the huge open levels. 

 

Arrivée - DBP26: The City of Damned Children map 01: Holy crap the atmosphere in this map is unlike anything I've ever played. Doom 64 and Blood mashed with some French steampunk movie I have never heard of equals amazingness. It's so grimy and gritty, it almost feels like a different game. One of the best first levels in any WAD I've ever played. 

 

Lullaby: A UDF map so detailed, the blue key skull arena lagged my laptop. That doesn't happen often. One of the most creative-looking levels in a long time. And surprisingly, it's not too difficult, but the fights are enough of a challenge to be fun.

 

Get Shafted - Heartland map06: I think this is my favorite map from this WAD. That could change tomorrow. But right now it is. A perfect showcase for Eternity's portals, the map has some of the most intricate architecture in any Doom WAD, creating these super impressive multi-story buildings that feel straight out of a Build-engine game. Plus, there's some of the most fun fights in the WAD too, like the rail-car sandwich and the final arena where you just go to town with the Cluster Bomb launcher.

 

Lastly, I haven't played Sunlust yet (it's on my list), I've seen enough playthroughs to get a sense of it, so I have to give an honorable mention to map29, Go Fuck Yourself, purely for the Archvile room, one of the coolest fights in Doom ever. 

 

I think that's a solid list. Will post if I can think of more. 

[dei_eldren]

E1M1 - The Hangar

E3M2 - Slough of Despair

E4M1 - Hell Beneath

E5M4 - Paths of Wretchedness

Moonblood - E4:5 - Moonblood Gateway

Hell Revealed - MAP10 - Chambers of War

Kama Sutra - MAP02 - the Hidden Engine

Doom Zero - MAP10 - Leap Gates

Doom Eternal - MAP02 - Tower of Hell

Eviternity - MAP22 - Viscera

180 Minutes Pour Vivre - MAP21 - Canicule

Endless Torture - E3M3

TNT Goes Boom! Episode 1 - MAP04

 

This is as good a list as another by me would be.  It's not always the levels that i found most enjoyable to play, but more likely ones that stand out because of having enjoyable enough gameplay combined with the overall impact given by other design aspects of the maps - it's difficult to balance these things to sort out exclusive favourites.  Also, there should be some Doom II and TNT maps included but to be honest i don't have them memorized enough.  Also i don't know if it's good to limit to just one map per set but i think this represents the measures of the variety of my preferences better.  (Would it be purposeful to list all the maps of Si666il first?  If you think so, please insert those in the beginning, followed by all the maps of original games and my top10 wads and you're good to go! ;)  Ehh...)

Edited April 18, 2021 by dei_eldren

[yakfak]

I will just have to come back to this again and again very slowly.

 

"Doxylamine Moon" from Sacrament - very non-standard ambient treasure hunting map in a big sad empty city. i'm such a big B0S and Lainos fan in general but this map's the crux of it all. frankly this is where I get a lot of my inspiration - people finding new ways to be expressive in the context of Doom even when it draws criticism

"Eastern Sun" from Stardate 20X7 - a resource-scare anti-playground. I love Ribbiks's maps when they get playful and HR-ish, and he's one of the few mappers who can convince me that keycards need to be distinct from skull keys, plus reaching the set pieces in this map requires a lot of thinking, a trait the following map shares:

"Netherworld Citadel" from No End In Sight - such a massive behemoth of a map that attacks you mainly with discomfort and darkness. I love huge maps that make you feel like you're tresspassing on them, and this Citadel is seriously adversarial. the initial secret made me squeal when I worked out how to activate it. incredibly atmospheric and without a custom music track forcing it. would suit Sigil fans tbh

Edited April 18, 2021 by yakfak

[vdgg]

@A.H. Sankhatayan In your review you said that "getting 100% kills on map12 of Equinox is impossible". You meant it because of Icon of Sin spawned monsters? Because it is possible to kill every other monster pistol start: https://www.dsdarchive.com/wads/equinox

 

[Michael Jensen]

53 minutes ago, vdgg said:

@A.H. Sankhatayan In your review you said that "getting 100% kills on map12 of Equinox is impossible". You meant it because of Icon of Sin spawned monsters? Because it is possible to kill every other monster pistol start: https://www.dsdarchive.com/wads/equinox

 

That's what I probably meant, but forgot to mention it's because of the monster spawners. It's fixed now. 

[David Asaad]

Swim with the whales map 3

 

Stardate 20x7 Maps 8, 32, and 9

 

Sunlust Maps 4, 8, 32, 24, 27, 28

 

Dimensions Maps 3 and 32

 

Sunder Map 14

 

Plutonia Map 32 Go 2 It (my favorite map of all time)

 

[Roofi]

 

 

 

 

In random order :

 

• Dark Resolution 2008 Map 10 "The Soulscarred Universe" by Death-Destiny

I think I love just about everything about this map, but it's in my top ten for its ambience, which I would describe as "dreamy but really brutal map" with the midi rendition of Dream Theater's "Pull me Under" and the deadly encounters.

 

Spoiler

 

 

• No Chance by Death-Destiny (again!)

I know that today there are much harder maps than No Chance but this map will always remain my true reference in terms of ultra hard maps. I think what makes this map very interesting is the almost total absence of closed arenas, a very tight balance of life and ammo so you have to strategize and its non-linearity. Even 12 years after its release, beating this level is still an achievement!

 

Many difficult maps today are just a succession of arenas with boring and repetitive platforming.

 

And also Symphony X music rocks.

 

Spoiler

 

• Nina Dobrev 2 by TimeOfDeath

I think Nina Dobrev 2 is one of my favourite slaughtermaps with its nature theme, its evolving and non-orthogonal layout, its mysterious and magical music. I can't wait for Nina Dobrev 3!

 

Spoiler

 

 

• Hell Revealed 2 Map 12 "Anti-Static" by Michael Reid

Spoiler

 

 

I guess I could call this map "Hell Revaled 2 in a nutshell": minimalist, hardcore, gimmicky. A lot of people seem to hate this map but I love it.

I made a tribute map of it in Doomworld mega project 2017.

 

 

• Disturbia by Death-Destiny

The last DD map in the list. How can I forget this improved version of "The Mucus flow". Disturbia concentrate a lot of memorable gimmicks like the infinite turret monsters, the health and ammo stockpile or the super badass black chaingun.

 

Spoiler

 

 

• Whitemare 2 Map 15 "Floating World" by Dragon Hunter

 

Spoiler

 

 

It's been a long time since I played Whitemare 2 but Floating World left me with a blast with its atmospheric music, the exploration of a forgotten city and of course its omnipresent snow.

 

• Ar Luminae by Aurelius and Kaito

 

Spoiler

 

 

Maybe not objectively on my favourite wads of all time because I'm not really a gzdoom wads addicts and I don't feel to play this map again due to its lenght.

 

I mention this map because every time I see the amount of detail and the length of the map, I think: "Is this really made by a human?

If there will be even more detailed maps in 10 years, I wonder what they will look like because I feel we have reached the top with this one. Also, I feel like it's an entire megawad compacted into one map, which is particularly impressive. 

 

• Kama Sutra map 29 "I am just a DOOM addict" by Gusta

 

 

I think this is one of my favourite city themed maps, as well as the vanilla exploration maps. I had some pretty strong memories on this map. I remembered it scaring me a lot when I was younger.

•  Hell Revealed Map 26 "Afterlife"

As well as Dark Resolution 2008 is a true precursor of the "brutal oniric" kind of maps.

Spoiler

 

• CASTEVIL.WAD by Stanley Stasiak

Really impressive huge map from 1994 with more than 40 secrets. It's quite a thing.

 

Spoiler