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Seeing as I’m all about Doom nowadays, as I’m playing Doom 3 again and loving it, I thought about making this list. In fact, I remember talking about it in another post, when I mentioned that Imps are one of the most irritating creatures in the entire Doom universe, irrespective of which game.
Well, here I have decided to post a list, in no particular order, of the most irritating demons of all time, in all of the Doom series. I thought it was also quite appropriate as the 15th anniversary of The Ultimate Doom was just the other day.
Imp in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and in Doom 3
Probably one of the only demons on the list to make it into practically every Doom game there ever was. They are the basic demonic creature that crops up everywhere throughout the series. Think of them as Hell’s ground infantry. These horny, thorny buggers can scratch the hell out of you up close, and also like to hurl fireballs at you for ranged combat.
This essentially makes them the smaller relative of the Hell Knight or the Baron of Hell, who also like to throw balls of plasma or fire at you. But those dudes are big and scary, and deserve respect.
In Doom 3, they become even more cunning and annoying, as they can crawl on walls and ceilings, and pounce on you as you open doors and so on, going right for the face. And not to mention that in both Doom 64 and Doom 3 you also get Nightmare Imps, which are either a different colour or nearly invisible, depending on the game. Perhaps nothing is more satisfying than putting an Imp down and sending it back to hell where it came from.
Trite
Trite in Doom 3
These are actually spiders, but are massive compared in size to the garden variety around your house. They have an upside down head mounted on to their thorax, and in addition to looking rather creepy, they also have a nasty bite. This was all to overcome the name I guess, seeing as Trite means shite – as in unoriginal. And as would be expected with spiders, they can jump at you too. They also often tend to attack in groups, crawling out from vents and so on. If they surround you, it can be a one way ticket to hell.
You also get Ticks, which are like Trites, except they explode once they get close enough – as in right up your leg.
But still, it could be worse, seeing as these Trites essentially replace the Arachnotrons from Doom II and Doom 64. And those were cybronic spiders with plasmaguns, as well as big brains… and cold blue eyes that turned red when they cut you down with rapid fire. And then there’s the Spider Mastermind…
Cacodemon
Cacodemon in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and in Doom 3
These big ugly looking sons of guns have also been in every Doom game ever, just like the Imps above, although they’ve changed form in almost every incarnation, particularly in Doom 64.
They’re big, red, one-eyed, and smile a lot as they hurk up lightning balls at you. Not only this but they can fly too, making hitting them even with rockets a bit tiresome as you run out of ammo.
When they die however, it’s quite a sight, as it looks just like a big heap of spaghetti and meatballs. Dibs on that delicious eye!
Arch-Vile
Arch-Vile in Doom 2, and in Doom 3
These fellas weren’t in the original Doom, and thank god, or whoever, because they can be hell to deal with. They made their debut in Doom II: Hell on Earth, and you quickly learn to fear them. In a combat scenario, they will not only conjure up a firewall which dishes out massive amounts of damage as it rushes towards you and often sends you flying up in the air, but also have a nasty habit of resurrecting their fallen demonic brethren that you’ve wasted.
Make sure to kill them first before the other demons, otherwise things can get out of hand.
The Arch-Vile was mercifully left out of Doom 64 because of the developer’s penchant for creating nightmare versions of Imps and Pinkys as well as other demons; claiming that there wasn’t enough space for Archie on the cartridge. But we know that’s a lie. Archie was just too tough, scary, and annoying to put him in the game.
He did end up in Doom 3 though.
Cherub
Cherub in Doom 3
These little bastards only ever cropped up in Doom 3, but I wish they hadn’t sometimes. They start to pop up further into the game, and make their first appearance about the same time that you battle the Mancubi [Mancubus x 3].
The look like a cross between a baby and a wasp, mixed with a bit of crab, and maybe a moth too.
You can usually tell when they’re around because of the baby noises they make, as they cry out “Mama!” They’re fine to shoot from afar, but let them get close enough, and they’ll flutter about with their little wings while they tear at you with their rather sharp claws. And if a gang of them swarm you, then you’re in a lot of trouble.
Former Commando/Heavy Weapon Guy
Former Commando in Doom 2, and in Doom 3 [2 types]
The commando turned up in Doom II as a fat, bearded black man [from what I could tell in the days of those grainy sprites], who packed a big gun… ahem, a chain gun, that is. That was all fine and well, but after taking a hiatus in Doom 64, he came back in Doom 3 with a vengeance, and a lighter complexion. and this time, instead of just carrying a chain gun, Commandos also came in the tentacle variety – and these are the irritating ones as far as I’m concerned.
They have a long tentacle which acts as a whip, which can bitch slap you from ten metres away, and once they get up close, they will unleash a flurry of kicks, punches and shoves and so on, which makes them a major pain. Also, they happen to be some of the ugliest creatures you will come across in the game, with some major dental problems, and unnaturally asymmetrical pectoral muscles. Oh, and when they catch sight of you, they don’t just walk up to you like other zombified humans – they shout “Die!” and run at you full speed. Terrifying – especially when you’ve only got your flashlight in hand.
Lost Soul
Lost Soul in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, Doom 3, and Doom 3: RoE’s Forgotten One
These little flying, screaming, flaming skulls have been in practically every Doom game, except perhaps for Doom 3 [more on that later]. They fly about and will dash at you out of nowhere and take a big chunk out of your face. They also happen to scream and are on fire – could be a relation there somewhere, like cause and effect.
Now, why I say they didn’t really make it into Doom 3 is this: they technically didn’t, because the Lost Soul in Doom 3 wasn’t really the same as the original designs in games before it. You might have noticed that they lacked the horns that the Lost Soul typically has. They did have bloody sharp looking teeth to make up for it though. It was in Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil – the expansion – that the Forgotten One came along and replaced the Doom 3 Lost Soul as the true Lost Soul… if that makes sense.
Revenant
Revenant in Doom 2, and in Doom 3
Revenants, just like the Commando and the Arch-Vile, only appeared in Doom 2 and Doom 3, as they were all cut out of Doom 64, and didn’t appear in Doom 1.
These revenants look like bony supermodels with their long legs and non existent skin, and the weird gait, but they pack more of a punch than you’d think – literally. Get too close, and they will knock you down with a big fist full of bone. And if that’s not enough, then take into account what really put them on the list: their annoying habit of launching missiles at you from shoulder-mounted rocket launchers that resemble water wings. And those missiles are homing, or heat seeking missiles, and will follow you if you try to run or dodge them.
Spectre
Spectre in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and Doom 3
You get the original Pinky Demons in Doom, and they’re fine. Not too hard to dispatch, and not too bright either. It’s the Spectres that you need to watch out for, and have been in basically every Doom game.
They look similar, and sound similar to the Pinky, but, like the name, they are nearly invisible, and can blend in with the fuzzy looking environments [especially in the first Doom games], camouflaging themselves in with walls and the background. The only real thing to do is blast them with the auto aiming rockets of yours.
If they get up close, they’ll start biting you, and it can be hard to actually even see the big wide gaping mouth chomping on your shoulder, as ridiculous as it sounds. But you will feel it.
Pain Elemental
Pain Elemental in Doom 2, and Doom 64
This is the irritating cousin of the irritating Cacodemon. But if you thought Cacface was annoying, then prepare to meet this fellow. He won’t attack you directly, but he likes to burp Lost Souls that will come out and attack you for him. That’s both rude and cowardly. And even in death, he will still crap out a couple of the things that will come after you.
In Doom 64 he had a bit of a makeover, as he tried to look more like his cousin, and grew a long mane. He also has two new arms that resemble mouths, and out of these he shoots those lost souls, but his time twice as many.
He wasn’t invited to the party in Doom 3 thank goodness, as he has foul table manners.
- So that’s it. The top ten most irritating demons in Doom - in no particular order, because that would have taken longer. But if you want, you can list them the way you want in the comments. You can of course add other demons that you feel would be on your list, that aren’t on this one, like the Hell Knight or Baron of Hell, because they are two of my all time favourites.
Here’s the shortlist just for reference:
Imp
Trite
Cacodemon
Arch-Vile
Cherub
Former Commando/Heavy Weapon Guy
Lost Soul
Revenant
Spectre
Pain Elemental
THE END
