We’ve come a long way from the shareware release of the original Doom and the floppy disks of Doom 2, and the community continues to keep the game alive through modding. There’s no better time to revisit one of the classics with Doom 2. And if you need a way to revitalize this classic title, here’s a handful of the best mods to check out.
20. Brutal Doom
Check Out This Mod Doom’s pixel art visual style is a huge part of its charm. Especially considering how long it’s been since it was first launched. With that, overhauling the game’s graphics might not make much sense as preserving its original look and feel. Brutal Doom stays true to Doom’s original form, just better. The mod combines elements from two popular graphics mods, taking Smooth Doom’s animation frames and throwing in special effects from Ketchup. The two mods were previously incompatible with each other, but thanks to Brutal Doom, you’ll now be able to run them alongside each other.
19. Doom4: Death Foretold
Check Out This Mod The real fun starts when you explore the rich world of gameplay mods for Doom 2. Take Doom4: Death Foretold for example. The modder describes it as a faster Doom 2 experience. This takes the movement speed of the old Doom game and combines it with the newer jumping mechanics. Overall, the mod makes things feel a lot more hectic. And the fast-paced gameplay is just different enough to make it feel like a new game.
18. MetaDoom
Check Out This Mod If you’re looking for an even more comprehensive Doom compilation, MetaDoom is the way to go. As long-time Doom fans should know very well, it can’t be avoided that you pick and choose your favorite techniques from each of the games. Well what if you could have the best of all worlds in one? MetaDoom is exactly that – taking some of the best mechanics from each of the Doom games to create something uniquely different.
17. The Guncaster
Check Out This Mod The Guncaster is another popular Doom 2 mod with one of the most well-known figures within the community at the project’s helm. Pillowblaster and his team brings us a completely original Doom 2 mod where instead of playing as Doomguy, you’re actually a dragon. And not just any dragon. Along with your ability to wield normal human weapons, you now have magical abilities as well. Explore a completely different world with new weapons, shopkeeps, and customized spells.
16. The Trailblazer
Check Out This Mod Before working on The Guncaster, Pillowblaster had already made a name for himself with his other mod “The Trailblazer”. While it might not be quite as original as The Guncaster, it’s a great peek into the beginnings of one of the community’s best. The Trailblazer sees you playing as Malcolm “The Trailblazer” Striker, a former commando of Earth’s bureau of super awesome very special operations. As you can tell from that description, the mod doesn’t exactly take itself too seriously. It’s actually made to play out as an overly over-the-top action mod.
15. DIO
Check Out This Mod DIO takes yet another unique approach to Doom modding, merging the Doom universe with the world of anime. This takes the popular anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure into the realms of hell, making for an interesting combination. You play as the anime’s protagonist Dio Brando, who finds himself in hell after being killed by Jotaro Kujo. This mod includes weapons and other features from the anime, so you should definitely check this one out if you’re a fan.
14. Heretical Doom
Check Out This Mod Now if you’re looking for a more serious fantasy mod, Heretical Doom should be worth a try. Heretical Doom takes the magic aspect even further, adding 5 castable spells to the game. These include StoneSkin, where the caster takes reduced damage at the cost of movement speed, as well as Tranquility which allows you to freeze time for a set amount of time. It also includes new enemies and weapons, and introduces other RPG elements to match the theme.
13. GMOTA
Check Out This Mod If older arcade-style fantasy is what you’re after – GMOTA will transform your Doom 2 playthrough into exactly that. Inspired by old-school arcade beat ‘em ups, GMOTA makes it possible to destroy waves of demons with powerful melee attacks. And that’s not all you get in GMOTA: The mod includes 3 playable characters, each with their own unique weapons, abilities, and subweapons. If that’s not variety enough, there are also 20 different monster types to keep things interesting.
12. QC: Doom Edition
Check Out This Mod One thing Doom never really focused on was introducing a multiplayer aspect to the series. Being primarily made of single-player campaigns, players would have to get a competitive fix elsewhere – until QC: Doom Edition. Modders DBThanatos & Michaelis bring the competitive FPS aspects of Quake Champions to Doom 2, making it possible to enjoy Doom with some friends. This mod includes all Quake weapons, as well as the Champions mechanics, which allows for players to utilize different classes – each with their own unique abilities.
11. Final Doomer +
Check Out This Mod Weapons are a huge part of what makes Doom so exciting. Having different types of tools to blast demons makes for most of the fun. And Final Doomer + is one of the biggest weapons mods available. The mod includes nine different classes, each with their own unique weapon sets to play around with. Some examples of weapons you’ll find here are the Scoped Shotgun for Plutonia, dual machine pistols for the Evilution, and the stasis bow for the Ancient Aliens.
10. DemonSteele
Check Out This Mod This mod is basically everything original Doom has become – as the modder describes it as “a love letter to retro games, 80s/90s anime, and early heavy metal.” DemonSteele transforms the game into an extremely fast-paced hack and slash brawler. One of the biggest features is that you now wield a blade alongside whichever gun you have. Just take a peek at the trailer video and watch how you can wreck entire hordes of demons with a single sword slash.
9. High Noon Drifter
Check Out This Mod In another weaponset mod, High Noon Drifter takes Doom to yet another completely different setting –the wild west. Think Doom mixed with what Red Dead might have looked like back in the 90’s. This mod comes with 11 new wild west-themed weapons that replace all the original weapons in the game, along with original art and graphics to match the theme.
8. Colorful Hell
Check Out This Mod Colorful Hell is a great randomizer mod, adding in a few features to separate itself from other randomizers out there. Naturally, this mod randomizes enemies in the game – except this time they’re color-coded much like enemies would be in MMO’s. It takes the common color-coding scheme with grey for common, green for uncommon, blue for rare, and so on, so you’ll have a visual representation of the type and strength of enemies you’re facing. This mod includes a wildcard feature as well, where black enemies are categorized as “Lucifers handcrafted challenge just for you” and white enemies as the “RNG hates you tier.”
7. Combined_Arms
Check Out This Mod Combined Arms offers a more unique weaponset for Doom 2, as the modder himself states that it’s a perfect choice for those who are looking for totally custom weapons. The mod includes 2 different weaponsets, each with their own unique arsenal and quirks. Some weapons included are Lilk’s Axe, which replaces the default chainsaw, and the Genka Pistol which is a rapid-fire auto reload handgun. Also included in the mod are new crate guns for to replace the BFG.
6. Space Hunter
Check Out This Mod Space Hunter takes inspiration from another popular video game series, this time taking it all the way back to the mid-80’s. The mod is inspired by the original NES version of Metroid, allowing you to wield an upgradeable hunter rifle to blast demons with. The UI has been modified to match the Metroid theme as well, making this mod a classic for Samus fans.
5. Samsara
Check Out This Mod Now this is one of my personal favorites. Samsara takes inspiration from another popular Nintendo game: SSBU. The mod is inspired by fighting games such as Super Smash Bros. (among others) allowing you to select a hero and enter into a multiplayer arena and play against others. Each playable hero has their own set of unique abilities which you can use, each taken from classic FPS titles. Heroes include Chex Warrior from Chex Quest, Corvus from Heretic, Duke Nukem, B.J. from Wolfenstein, and of course the default Doomguy.
4. Doom Incarnate
Check Out This Mod Speaking of B.J. Blazkowicz, there’s actually an entire mod inspired by Wolfenstein for Doom 2. Doomguy is replaced with B.J. and Rayne as you blast through waves of nazi zombies instead of hell’s demons in Doom Incarnate. In true Wolfenstein fashion, Doom Incarnate even allows you to dual-wield any weapon you choose, making for double the chaos. Other features included are each weapon having secondary fire modes and upgradeable weapon parts to increase DPS as you progress through the game.
3. Bratwurst
Check Out This Mod If you prefer to blast through zombies within the original Doom 2, there’s an option for that as well. We already know what happens when B.J. goes up against nazi zombies. But how might Doomguy fare? Bratwurst lets you do exactly that, allowing for completely customizable nazi enemies for Doom 2, giving you complete control over how they appear in your game. This mod includes a host of iconic Wolfenstein characters like Professor QuarkBlitz, The Angel of Death, and Doctor Schabbs to name a few.
2. Reelism
Check Out This Mod It’s always nice to take a break from all the seriousness for some light-hearted fun. Reelism provides exactly that, taking a far more humorous approach to Doom 2 modding. There’s tons of fun to be had as everything from weapons, enemies, and settings are nods to other games, or just straight-up jokes. While there isn’t a more “modern” meme mod for Doom 2, this is the closest you’re going to get.
1. Netronian Chaos
Check Out This Mod Netronian Chaos offers so much originality that its uniqueness alone earns it the top spot on this list. Modder Captain J actually built the entire mod around his childhood drawings, taking inspiration from other MS Paint-themed mods. Netronian Chaos includes a host of custom characters hand drawn by the modder, with the main protagonist being Sgt. Eilidh Catriona – a Scottish former Sergeant of the Earth Coalition Force. The graphics have been heavily altered as well, giving the game a more cartoon-y feeling. This is definitely one of the more original ones out there. And I highly recommend giving it a go.
