How much harder is doom eternal compared to doom 2016?

I’m getting nervous since people keep saying how hard doom eternal is. Mind if someone told me how much harder?

Not exactly possible to get a precise answer as the impression varies greatly between players. What someone found difficult will not be difficult to someone else, and vice versa.

The general consensus is that Eternal is more difficult than 2016 due to being more mechanically advanced and complex than 2016 was, often making the players leave their comfort zone and preventing them from going full autopilot and blindly shooting everything, but other than that, "how much harder" it really is, is something only you can answer for yourself by playing both and making up your mind, there are no definitive answers to offer here.

I find the hardest part of Doom Eternal is remembering to use all the tools at your disposal. It took me a while to get into the habit of using the Flame Belch, for example. I can still easily play without using the ice grenades (I don't like them), but that's probably because I play on HMP.

I found Eternal’s HMP on my first play-through to be harder than 2016’s UV (also on my first play-through). The first couple levels really kick your butt while they try to teach you all the mechanics, but after a couple levels it really clicks and from there on out the game is still challenging but far less frustrating (except that stupid Slayer Gate on Mars Base. . .)

If you liked 2016, you should play Eternal. Don’t be afraid to bump the difficulty down though for your first play-through.

2 hours ago, NoXion said:

I find the hardest part of Doom Eternal is remembering to use all the tools at your disposal.

This is the point. I'd say that once you get used to use every tool properly, DE is not really that harder. Demons are harder, yes, but it is compensated with new habilities. If you start playing it like D2016, you're gonna struggle. But once you start using the new things, it's quite similar in terms of difficulty, IMO.

10 minutes ago, Martin-CAI said:

 

This is the point. I'd say that once you get used to use every tool properly, DE is not really that harder. Demons are harder, yes, but it is compensated with new habilities. If you start playing it like D2016, you're gonna struggle. But once you start using the new things, it's quite similar in terms of difficulty, IMO.

I also keep forgetting to use some of the heavier weapons like the Ballista and the Rocket Launcher. Also I hold onto BFG ammo when I probably should be using it more often. But that's an issue I've had in most Doom games.

Eternal is much easier simply because Doomguy is much more powerful.

2016 kicked my ass on the very first arena on UV and I gave up immediately after getting instagibbed with a single imp fireball.

Eternal is manageable on NM, you just need to understand and utilize your entire toolset.

Doom Eternal is considerably harder than Doom 2016 because it requires weapon switching & player agency in combat but it does tell people what to do on tutorial texts. But the good thing is that it also gives the player more freedom with its movement and the meathook so there's entirely new layer to the combat. It depends on you how hard the experience is. But halfthrough the game the marauder and later arch-vile appears and this is where the casual aspect of the game ends. Enemies start to get summoned & you have had to have mastered the gameplay to do well. Consider playing it on the easiest difficulty if you're nervous.

I'd say it feels about one difficulty mode harder than 2016 at first. However once you get used to 1) the chainsaw, belch, glory kill, blood punch combat loop, 2) using weapons that exploit weak spots, 3) quick switching of weapons, plus become more familiar with when and where heavies spawn and how to upgrade your suit and weapons, you pretty much become a wrecking ball later in the game.

There is of course a new combat mechanic with the Marauder and Gladiator, whereby you need to time a quick shot when their eyes flash, but it's not hard to get used to really. The bottom line is yes, it's harder to play, but it also gives you way more tools than 2016 did to deal with it. So it's really a matter of how well you adapt to and use those tools.

The ones that excel to elite level have mastered multiple quick weapon switching, which is very effective as it produces a very high DPS rate due to skipping the reload animation. They've also mastered the use of the meathook, power pads, and monkey bars to stay mobile and aloft while fighting. I made a video guide on the whole game on how to beat it on Nightmare without such skills though, averaging just under 30 min per mission with 100% on combat, collectibles, and exploration, and I'm 62. So it's definitely not just an elite gamer's game. Strategy and tactics are every bit as important and useful as reflexes and dexterity in this game.

To me, DOOM 4 is 2x more difficult than DOOM or DOOM II on Ultra Violence difficulty.  DOOM Eternal is 2 - 3x more difficult than that.  Here's why:

1.) The game uses a checkpoint system instead of allowing you to save anywhere.

2.) The extra lives you acquire are not tied to the save system.  (Once you lose them, they're gone.)

3.) Fights take longer because you have to keep farming for health, ammo, and armor.  (Probably in that order, too.)

4.) You're all but forced to fight certain enemies with certain weapons.

5.) One of those enemies has an overpowered shield and is invulnerable to super weapons.

6.) The chainsaw is less effective than it was in DOOM 4.  Stronger enemies take more fuel but fuel is just as scarce.  Also, some enemies can't be chainsawed at all.
7.) There is a weapon that functions like the chainsaw from DOOM 4 but you receive it late in the game, and the ammo for it is even more scarce.

8.) You can only equip 3 runes at a time.  There is no rune mastery like there was in DOOM 4.

9.) DOOM 4's arena fights are to DOOM II as DOOM Eternal's are to Plutonia.

10.) Your first boss fight is actually three boss fights in one.

11.) Two bosses return as enemies you encounter semi-regularly.

12.) Archviles can summon one (or both?) of them.
13.) You have to fight the final boss twice.

14.) The arena fights you must complete to unlock one of the super weapons are some of the hardest in the game.

15.) The unlockable super weapon is all but useless due to extremely limited ammo.  (It's rapid fire.)
16.) You have to complete the game on the hardest difficulty without dying to unlock everything.
17.) Your saved progress is erased should you die on the hardest difficulty.

18.) There is a separate but similar mode you must complete with 10 extra lives.

19.) You will also need to complete the game without any weapon mods or suit upgrades.
20.) There is an "empowered demon" feature which makes enemies other players have died at stronger.

21.) There are "master" levels.  (They're the same maps from the base game but with more and/or tougher enemies.)
22.) In a future patch, you will need to complete these master levels in order to unlock everything.

23.) You will also need to complete the master levels on the hardest difficulty without dying.

24.) The game's creative director bragged about how the DLC will be even more "challenging".

And no, I'm not bitter at all... >.>

Edit: Clarified #18.

Eh, there's definitely a much steeper learning curve.  Getting the hang of constantly using your equipment while flailing about the arena like a deranged acrobat while trying to line up your shots at the same time is a lot to take in.  Once you've played a while, though, it becomes second nature.

Eternal is harder than Doom 2016 but 2016 becomes harder after you master Eternal.  2016 has a lot more random variables that can be impossible to predict.  Just compare the imps and you will know what I mean.

A little late to this, but I want to say as well that the AI in Eternal is much more aggressive and smart than 2016's AI was. They ain't f*cking around. 

Hi! I have played both games on nightmare and ultra nightmare for fun (haven't finished the campaign on these difficulty levels) on my PS4 and I think NuDoom is harder than Doom Eternal. 

It’s hard to say, IMO.

Doom 2016 is easier to get into, as Eternal requires you to understand and use all weapons and tools to your advantage. But once you get used to that, and how enemies behave, really makes you feel somewhat godlike.

2016 doesn’t have things like the dash and flame belch to rely on though, so it’s harder to deal with the harder areas, until you get some of the overpowered weapons and Holograms of course.

I havent beat either on UN, but beat Eternal on NM a few times without dying too many times, whereas I could never get past the gore nest in research operations (2nd level) on NM in 2016.

4 hours ago, Mattatsu said:

I could never get past the gore nest in research operations (2nd level) on NM in 2016.

That gore nest is a PAIN IN THE ASS! IT took me a very long time of uncountable deaths to get through on UN... Recently I learned of a skip how to get around it and go straight to the upper floor where the yellow key is, however.

To the original question, I used to think that Eternal was more difficult but now I'm not sure anymore as I've played enough to master the combat loop and even the 3 first maps on UN became rather easy as I tried them so many times that I remember them all too well :D 

Remove the hologram from 2016, and it becomes much harder than Eternal.. Quick switching and understanding the push-forward combat loop is key there too. I still remember the times when I started to understand that it becomes harder for the demons to hit you with fireballs etc. when you are constantly moving (sounds like a no-brainer) but the more unpredictable your movement in 2016, the easier it gets.. It challenges to perfect aiming skills to the max! Eternal has dash, which increases the unpredictability possibility of movement. The more you stay in the air, I've noticed, the harder it becomes for the demons to keep track of you.

Beating UN in Eternal was much harder than on 2016, which felt like a walk in the park because of the hologram... But remove it, and 2016 might just be a bit harder after all!

The question isn't how difficult the game is, but how many difficulty settings there are. I played through casually on HMP recently and I found I could make stupid mistakes or play around during combat without really being punished, but if I was playing on UV or above that would be a different story. Pretty much the only deaths I took on HMP were when an enemy's hitbox blocked me into a corner, which is probably certain death on any difficulty. Besides that, I could do whatever I want. I will say though that knowing what weapon mods and masteries to take, and having a good hotkey setup makes the game drastically easier. I think my performance at least doubled after I rebound a like dozen keys and could finally weapon switch and use equipment comfortably at the same time.

just started right after 2016 doom and this is just...bad game - no story, no difficulty progression (its just cranked up nonsense), feels sugar candy (power ups, weapons), atmosphere is gone - it's like an arcade 80s game - im seriously considering uninstall after few levels (and mind: just finished 2016 Doom and it was awesome) - this is not Doom, this is more like Assassins fuckin' Creed jumpin' around .

On 10/21/2023 at 10:46 AM, Preston said:

just started right after 2016 doom and this is just...bad game - no story, no difficulty progression (its just cranked up nonsense), feels sugar candy (power ups, weapons), atmosphere is gone - it's like an arcade 80s game - im seriously considering uninstall after few levels (and mind: just finished 2016 Doom and it was awesome) - this is not Doom, this is more like Assassins fuckin' Creed jumpin' around .

To say Eternal is a bad game is, besides just an opinion, too far-fetched IMO. But I can relate to the feeling that Eternal departed too far away from what Doom used to be.

I didn't really enjoy the main combat loop (chainsaw - flame belch - shoot - glory kill - punch - rinse and repeat)... and also the overuse of long-jumping and climbing (at a time I felt like playing the OG Sonic the Hedgehog's Marble Zone level), and IMO, in the jumping/climbing department Mirror's Edge does a much, much better job!

I stopped playing Eternal just after finishing "Cultist Base" in ITYTD, not because of getting stuck at all, I just lost interest in moving forward.

From what I remember, the amount of ammo you can hold is significantly less than 2016. But that doesn't mean it's scarce - it's made that way so you chainsaw enemies for ammo drops. Chainsaw is self-recharging so you'll never truly run out of ammo. 

The game is designed with miniature slaughter maps where you'll need to get up close and personal sometimes do you can get ammo to carry you through. The low ammo count also means you'll probably be using all weapons for a lot of encounters. There are certain tools/abilities you'll need to use, and weak spots on enemies. 

If you keep dying in a certain fight, the game will eventually offer you 'Sentinel Armor' which makes you almost unkillable, so you'll never be truly stuck.

I remember not liking the jumping and platforming they introduced.

I started off with Doom Eternal on PS4 but I couldn't nail down the controls properly despite playing through Doom 2016. It was much better on PC for me. 

E: just noticed age of thread... Sorry!

Your mileage may vary. I beat the Marauder on the first try with a gamepad. The master levels can be pretty intense even on HMP but usually only require me an extra try or two for the later ones. I haven't actually finished the game yet but I get the feeling I'm pretty late, as your batcave in space eventually gets raided.

16 hours ago, Lila Feuer said:

Your mileage may vary. I beat the Marauder on the first try with a gamepad. The master levels can be pretty intense even on HMP but usually only require me an extra try or two for the later ones. I haven't actually finished the game yet but I get the feeling I'm pretty late, as your batcave in space eventually gets raided.

Your about 2 thirds done by then.

Oh and note your loadout reflects what you have in the campaign on master levels so recommended to complete campaign first.

I loooove Eternal I've replayed the campaign and dlcs several times and all master levels.

For me Eternal is easily the best game in the series as much as I love classic Doom too.

I didn't love it immediately the combat felt tedious but late to the first playthrough it started clicking and from there on it was pure bliss.

I am totally "gameplay first everything else second" kind of guy and enjoy mastering a (fair) challenge.

Went from HMP to UV to NM to UN and getting more proficient with combos and movement tech all the time, up to being able to do stuff like this:

I haven’t played 2016, but I have completed the campaign and the Ancient Gods part 1 and 2 on I’m too young to die, and I just want to say that extra lives are going to be necessary or else you are going to be repeating fights over and over again. And watch out for the Kahn Makyr boss fight, that boss was so traumatic that I may never get over how hard it was. But that’s way later into the game, so you’ll be fine for most of the part. Once you have gotten enough weapons, extra life’s and you have gotten the hang of moving quickly and switching weapons and using everything you have in your arsenal correctly, it’s smooth sailing from there. Also extra lives are LIFESAVERS. LITERALLY. (And metaphorically). If you have enough extra lives the game will be easy as ever. 

They're about the same, at least on Nightmare.  People make too big of a deal of Eternal's difficulty, you just have to remember to cycle through all of your cooldown abilities.

I played Doom 2016 quite a lot and much less eternal, since Win7 couldn't handle it well (recently I passed to win10 and I tried to run it again, went from 15/20 fps to 40/60 stable. Misteries of IT). I say Doom Eternal on HMP is as tough as Doom 2016 on UV. Eternal on UV kicks serious asses. But then you can look at master zero and he breezes trough that thing on ultra nightmare like he's playing on ITYTD.