DOOM: The Dark Ages has 11 different weapons that you can choose from. You won't start with them all, but you will have a full arsenal before you reach the final level. Going back and replaying earlier levels, you'll also be able to use every weapon you've collected so far. On a second playthrough, you can use the better weapons in earlier levels, so it's worth knowing what your best options are.

I want to start by saying that I don't think any of the new weapons in DOOM: The Dark Ages are actually bad. All of them have a use, and you can cycle through them all freely. However, if you're looking for two weapons to reliably switch between, or just want to know how to prioritize your upgrade materials, it helps to know how they stack up. Still, I would recommend trying each of these weapons out because they can all be a lot of fun.

11 The Rocket Launcher Is A Bit Too Dangerous

The Rocket Launcher Can Hurt You Too

The Rocket Launcher is a perfect example of how the lowest-ranked guns in DOOM: The Dark Ages aren't necessarily bad, but there are simply better options. The Rocket Launcher is decent at clearing large sections of enemies with splash damage, and can also deal a good amount of damage to larger enemies. That said, this weapon has some pretty serious downsides when it comes to DOOM-style combat.

Combat in DOOM: The Dark Ages is often fast-paced and close-range. Staying too far back prevents you from using your powerful melee attacks, which are an important resource. However, the Rocket Launcher isn't a great up-close option because you can damage yourself with it. Two of the gun's three upgrades focus on making self-damage heal you instead, after performing a Parry. When a weapon's upgrades simply fix its inherent flaw, it usually isn't as worth sinking resources into as ones that improve a lot over time.

10 The Chain Shot Is Cool But Slow

The Chain Shot Needs To Charge To Be Fully Effective

I hate to put a weapon as conceptually awesome as the Chain Shot this far down the list, but from a strategic standpoint, I think I have to. The Chain Shot can be charged up and fired for a powerful attack, but both charging and the actual shot itself are somewhat slow. One of your major advantages over enemies in DOOM: The Dark Ages is that you can move and shoot more quickly than most of them can. While the Chain Shot does a lot of damage, I don't think it's worth sacrificing your speed advantage for.

There are also a lot of times when you need to deliver some quick damage. I prefer a gun that fires at maximum damage as soon as I pull the trigger for instances when an enemy surprises me and I just need to pop a shot off. That said, I did find myself trying to make this weapon work for me just because of how fun it is and how cool it looks.

9 The Grenade Launcher Isn't As Effective As Other Options

The Grenade Launcher Can Clear Crowds, But There Are Better Weapons For It

DOOM: The Dark Ages' Grenade Launcher has similar issues as the Rocket Launcher, but I don't think they're as bad. Unless you directly hit an enemy, grenades will bounce a bit before detonating, making it easier to avoid hurting yourself with them. The weapon's upgrades are also just a net positive as opposed to simply trying to address its downsides.

The Grenade Launcher's upgrades can make extra grenades spawn, which makes it very effective at clearing out groups of enemies. That said, I never found the number of enemies to be a major issue in DOOM: The Dark Ages. Fodder enemies are easily taken care of with the game's new Shield Saw, whether it's tossing it to cut through them, or using a shield charge to kill groups of them at a time. For big enemies, I found that there were better weapons for handling them.

8 The Accelerator Is Good At Close Range

The Accelerator Is Similar To A Submachine Gun

The Accelerator is by no means a bad weapon, and I particularly like its ability to detonate enemies' energy shields. However, it does have a few flaws that keep it from being higher on this list. The first is its accuracy. The spread of this weapon is pretty bad when you aren't super close to an enemy. This isn't the worst thing in the world, and is true of other weapons, but the main problem here is simply that there are better weapons to use at close range.

The other major flaw of the Accelerator isn't really its fault. Each weapon in DOOM: The Dark Ages has two distinct modes that share ammo. The other mode of the Accelerator, the Cycler, is a much better option as it offers some of the same advantages as the Accelerator but also has a longer range and some other beneficial effects. This makes it hard to spend ammo on the Accelerator, knowing that it would be better spent on the Cycler.

7 The Combat Shotgun Is Plain But Effective

The Combat Shotgun Does Good Damage But Doesn't Have Much Flair

The Combat Shotgun may seem plain, but there is a lot to like about it. Its upgrades make it spawn Armor for you, which can be more helpful than Health in a few ways. Not only does having Armor mean your Health can't be touched, it's also easier to recover health with things like an execution. Having a way to reliably get Armor back is a good way to supplement the Health you'll already be getting. The Combat Shotgun can also do a good amount of damage, especially once it's fully upgraded and firing in bursts.

The main downside to the Combat Shotgun is the same flaw that the Accelerator has: While the Combat Shotgun isn't bad, it just simply isn't as good as its other mode, the Super Shotgun. As the Super Shotgun doesn't hold a lot of ammo to begin with, it's hard to justify wasting shots with the Combat Shotgun when you have a much more powerful use for them. That said, if you're using a weapon other than the Super Shotgun as your heavy hitter, you can easily pair that with the Combat Shotgun.

6 The Shredder Is Accurate And Fires Quickly

The Shredder Has Good Range And Fire Rate, But Gets Outclassed Later In The Game

I found myself using the Shredder a lot during the early game. It's the first long-range weapon you get, and its high rate of fire makes it an effective way to do serious damage to big enemies from a distance. This weapon can also be upgraded to fill big enemies with spikes after you damage them enough that you can shoot out at nearby enemies for splash damage by throwing your shield into the affected enemy.

The main reason the Shredder isn't higher up is that you'll eventually get other long-range weapons that I found to be more effective. After getting the Ravager and the Cycler, I found myself using the Shredder much less frequently. It's not that it was bad necessarily, but I just preferred what the other two weapons had to offer.

5 The Ravager Is One Of The Better Long-Range Options

The Ravager Fires Quickly And Relatively Accurately At Long Range

The Ravager is a weapon that kept creeping up this list the longer I used it. Honestly, given a bit more time with the game, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself using it more than some of the higher-ranked weapons here. It can ramp up to firing pretty quickly, and it has decent range and accuracy. It can also be upgraded to make enemies drop Health when it's firing at its max rate, which is a nice bonus. With the typical way to get Health requiring you to be within close range, it's nice to have a long-range alternative.

The max upgrade for this weapon also makes enemies drop ammo for it. This means you can keep holding down the trigger for longer stretches of time, so long as you're dealing damage. The Ravager also gets bonus points for just being conceptually cool. It's a gun that grinds up a demon's skull to shoot bone shards at enemies. It feels perfectly at place within the brutal world of the DOOM franchise, and it's a lot of fun to use.

4 The Pulverizer Clears Multiple Enemies Better Than Most Guns

The Pulverizer Fires In A Wide Arc

The Pulverizer is possibly the best weapon in DOOM: The Dark Ages for hitting large groups of enemies at once. It fires in a wide arc, which you can make even wider with upgrades, allowing you to cut your way through the battlefield. It's also good for picking off smaller enemies in the periphery while simultaneously damaging a larger enemy. This is the other mode of the Ravager, and I'm still struggling to decide which I like better, but I am giving the Pulverizer the edge for now for its unique quality.

No other weapon shoots in the same large spread pattern as the Pulverizer. Although weapons like the Grenade Launcher or Rocket Launcher can also clear out multiple enemies at once, their lower rate of fire and self-damage make them less appealing to me than the Pulverizer. The main downside here is that it isn't terribly effective when you're facing just one or two large enemies, though the beauty of DOOM is that you can always switch weapons.

3 The Impaler Does A Lot Of Damage To One Target

The Impaler Fires One Accurate Shot To Deal A Lot Of Damage

If you're looking to do a lot of damage to a single target at long range, the Impaler is the best option. This is not an all-the-time weapon, but it is a good go-to when a boss or mini-boss shows up on a level. If you're primarily using a weapon that is good at close range, but doesn't deal as much damage, then this is a good backup weapon to quickly swap into when a bigger threats appears.

I'm also a big fan of the Impaler's upgrade tree. Instead of focusing solely on the weapon, upgrades are spread out among your other abilities. For instance, the first upgrade makes your Shield Throw and Parries drop extra ammo for the Impaler, and the final upgrade refills your melee attacks more quickly when you score a headshot with the Impaler. Focusing on DOOM: The Dark Ages' various styles of attacking makes Impaler upgrades feel like they're making you all-around stronger.

2 The Cycler Is Quick, Long-Ranged, And Applies Shock

Shock Makes Enemies Take Additional Damage

The further I progressed into DOOM: The Dark Ages, the more I found myself simply switching between two weapons: the Cycler and the Super Shotgun. The Cycler fires quickly and has a long range, making it a perfect companion to the short-range Super Shotgun. It's also highly accurate, and its projectiles are large, making it rare that you'll miss any shot with it. Perhaps its best quality is its ability to apply Shock.

Shocked enemies in DOOM: The Dark Ages take increased damage. After enough damage from the Cycler, an enemy will become Shocked, and that status effect can hop to nearby enemies if you then kill that enemy with the Cycler. This makes the Cycler a great way to weaken a large enemy from afar, and prime it with Shock to take additional damage. Then, once you're up close, you can swap to your Super Shotgun and deliver a devastating blast.