Doom The Dark Ages Speedrun Hits 70 Minutes — Early Tricks and

The original Doom set the stage for lightning-fast gameplay and competitive speedrunning, daring players to beat its developers’ best times. Three decades on, the saga continues-this time with Doom The Dark Ages, and an early speedrunner is already slashing through the game in record time.

Doom The Dark Ages: Speedrunners Crack 70-Minute Barrier Using Advanced Tricks

**Key Takeaways**
– Doom The Dark Ages has seen its first sub-70-minute speedrun, just five days post-launch.
– Speedrunner Daravee exploits out-of-bounds glitches and map-screen teleportation to drastically reduce playtime.
– Official speedrun leaderboards aren’t open yet, but runs are viewable on YouTube.
– These techniques highlight both the game’s movement mechanics and its current boundary vulnerabilities.

Doom has always been about speed-whether that’s mowing down demons at a frantic pace or racing through complex levels in record time. The original 1993 classic not only introduced players to its signature run-and-gun style but also fostered a dedicated speedrunning community, thanks to those devilishly tempting end-of-level timers.

With Doom The Dark Ages only days old, speedrunner Daravee has already driven the completion time from 2 hours 29 minutes down to a razor-sharp 70 minutes. Their YouTube channel charts the evolution of these early runs, highlighting both incremental improvements and game-breaking discoveries.

So how is such a dramatic time-cut possible? The current record relies on two primary techniques:
1. **Out-of-Bounds Clipping**: By leveraging the Slayer’s high-speed movement and the Atlan mech’s size, Daravee finds precise architectural gaps to slip outside the intended play area, bypassing large portions of each level.
2. **Map-Screen Teleportation**: Using the in-game map, Daravee manipulates the yellow Slayer icon-dragging it across the map screen and, upon unpausing, instantly reappearing at that new location. This exploits a still-unpatched quirk, enabling massive shortcuts.

Daravee’s own commentary suggests more improvements are possible: “Decent run, but still lots of time losses. Lost another two minutes in Belly, one and a half in Temple, and several 30-45 second losses elsewhere. I feel like this run, I got most of the strats down.”

For now, official leaderboards remain under embargo while the community explores the game’s depths. This is standard for new releases, giving players time to hash out the most effective routes and exploits before records are formally recognized.

Doom The Dark Ages’ speedrunning scene is just getting started. As more eyes turn to the intricate interplay of fast-paced movement and level design, it’s likely we’ll see even faster times—and perhaps developer patches to address the most game-breaking tricks. For now, Daravee’s 70-minute run stands as a testament to both the game’s roots and the ingenuity of its players.

**TL;DR:**
Doom The Dark Ages has already been speedrun in just 70 minutes by exploiting out-of-bounds and map teleportation glitches. With official leaderboards pending, the speedrunning community is pushing the game’s design—and its limits—to the max.

Source: id Software / Bethesda Softworks via GamesPress