DOOM: The Dark Ages update 2.2 is now live on consoles and PC. Clocking in at roughly 2–5 GB depending on platform, this release is a targeted hotfix that addresses a string of problems introduced by the Ripatorium patch from two months ago.
id Software published the official notes after the patch rolled out; the studio’s post is available on its Slayers Club page here. Broadly, the update focuses on the Ripatorium mode, improves handheld behavior for devices such as the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally family, and fixes a variety of level, AI, and audio problems.
The handheld changes are worth a close read if you play on a portable PC. The game now autodetects what it thinks are the best settings on first launch for handheld devices and stores those settings per device. id also lists expected output on several device classes, including a Steam Deck target of 720p at about 30 FPS. For a recent follow-up on other technical fixes for the PC build, our prior coverage of post-launch updates is helpful reading: DOOM: The Dark Ages Update 2.1 Fixes Jitter and VRS Settings.
Patch Notes – 2.2
Handheld Setting Autodetection
- On first launch using a handheld PC device, the game will autodetect the optimal settings. Players may further customize the settings based on personal preferences
- Settings are stored per device, allowing players to customize their experience per individual device
Handheld Performance
- Optimized general performance, VFX and SFX for handheld PC devices
- Added advanced optimization settings and Benchmark Mode specifically for handheld PC users
- Added quality-of-life input improvements when the device is docked, including external controller detection
Handheld Device Specifications
Note: Gameplay performance on handheld PCs may depend on device-specific settings and/or connection to a dock or other dedicated power source. Values detailed below assume the device is using the highest power setting available to the operating system and is not running from battery:
- Steam Deck : 720p @ ~30FPS
- Z1 Devices : 720p @ ~30FPS (such as ASUS ROG Ally)
- Z1E Devices : 1080p @ ~30FPS (such as ASUS ROG Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go)
- Z2A Devices : 720p @ ~30FPS (such as XBOX ROG Ally)
- Z2E Devices : 1080p @ ~60FPS (such as XBOX ROG Ally X)
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Enemy AI:
- Resolved a rare crash if the player used the Shield Throw on Plasma Shield Soldiers with the “Power Surge” Shield upgrade
Final Battle:
- Visuals for area denial from Prince Ahzrak’s Blood Pillars expiring now render correctly
- Fixed a rare crash when using the BFC during the beginning of each phase of the enhanced Prince Ahzrak boss fight
Gameplay:
- Fixed an issue where death and damage stats were not registering properly in cases of multiple damage instances occurring on the same frame as an entity death. This change also addresses a bug where the Accelerator Mastery Challenge was not incrementing properly
- Cycler Plasma Gun no longer glows white when fired with Berserker Power in Harbor of Souls and Resurrection
- Using the Shield now correctly recovers from staggering during a melee strike while attempting to block or parry. This prevents a Shield lockout or cases where the Shield would briefly pop into a blocking state after the input was released
Levels
Hebeth
- Fixed an issue where reloading checkpoints after the Gold and Sentinel Shrine tutorial could cause objectives to vanish until level restart or transition
Sentinel Barracks
- Mancubus no longer respawns during the Vagary Champion boss fight
- Removed Hell Knight and Stalker Imp reinforcements from Mancubus Leader spawn wave in the burning tree fight
Siege – Part 1
- Hell Knights, Stalker Imps and Imps no longer respawn during the Vagary fights throughout the battlefield
- The wolf statue Ruby no longer gets stuck behind a red energy gate if it is not collected after breaking the wolf statues and reloading the south gore portal checkpoint
Siege – Part 2
- Fixed an issue where an errant Serf could appear in the courtyard when reloading the checkpoint
Ancestral Forge
- Arachnotron no longer respawns during Agaddon Hunter fight at the end of heart sandbox section
- Fixed a potential crash when loading a checkpoint after dying in the Agaddon Hunter fight in the Ancestral Courtyard
Spire of Nerathul
- Chaingun Arachnotron no longer respawns during final encounter of the cathedral stasis emitter section
Temple of Lomarith
- Arachnotron and Cacodemon no longer respawn during the shipwreck morale fight
- The melee pickups now appear correctly on the secret boat “Hell Knight rush” encounter
Resurrection
- The armored Arachnotron that spawns after the Acolyte dies no longer respawns during first morale fight
Reckoning
- Arachnotron no longer respawns during buffed Agaddon Hunter encounter
The Ripatorium
All Platforms:
- Vagaries should now only spawn in open areas where they can move around
Xbox Only:
- Fixed a crash to the Xbox home screen when changing profiles while suspended in an active Ripatorium match with full demon bar
Audio
- Fixed an issue where the Shield Saw grinding SFX could stop if the player opens the Dossier while the Shield is in a Power Node and then returns to gameplay
UI
- Fixed an issue with Codex entries not tracking progress properly after revisiting levels via Mission Select
- Resolved an issue with the Ripatorium tutorial pop-up intended for first visit of the game mode occurring on subsequent visits
- Fixed bug where opening the Dossier the frame after breaking a metal lock or using a switch could cause the trigger to fail and block progression
- Addressed a potential crash when
VFX
- Corrected issue where picking up a toy collectible could trigger the Shield or an equipped weapon’s visual effects during the animation
- Addressed stray purple lines appearing when overloading a Cacodemon with the Cycler
- Addressed bug where first-person gore overlay flickers around screen edge during AI execute actions while resolution scaling is active
New Active Tunables
- Reduced damage of certain attacks from the Agaddon Hunter, Cosmic Baron, Hell Knight and Komodo to reduce the number of attacks that break the Shield in one hit on Nightmare Difficulty
- Adjusted the Brink of Death system on all difficulties to be more in line with the game at launch. This system protects the player from certain instances of lethal damage, creating the opportunity to fight back from a near-death state
Developer Note: The Dark Ages (and Eternal) was designed from the start to allow players the chance to fight their way back from a near death experience – this system is known as the Brink of Death. When your health is low, by design, you are at your most alert and engaged. We’ve re-tuned this system’s values to settings closer to launch, enhancing this aspect of the combat
One problem that remains: Melee Expert and Berserker achievements and trophies are still not tracking for some players. id Software’s official post does not appear to fix those trophies in this patch.
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