There are a number of familiar and new gruesome faces for the player to tear apart in Doom Eternal. Some have undergone some changes from the previous title while others have hardly changed at all. In some cases this is great, but not so much for some.
When diving through the armies of hell you want to face demons that are not only terrifying to fight, but horrifying to look at. Here are some of the demons that achieve this intimidating glory and a few that really need some improvements.
10 Terrible: Pain Elemental
Pain Elementals can be fun to play in multiplayer, but visually they’re a bit bizarre. They’re essentially a Cacodemon without the coloring, large horns, and arms instead of legs.
Looking at just the mouth and eye they can be a bit creepy with the rows of spider-like jaws and the hellish orange orb. But taking in the whole picture it simply looks like the demonic version of Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.
9 Awesome: Whiplash
Whiplash stands out from the pack for its serpentine design. Setting aside the terrifying ferocity of these demons slithering around the arena, just looking at one is enough to fill players with dread.
Their cybernetic lower half gives them incredible speed and their upper humanoid torso is nightmare fuel. Their name comes from the energy chain blades they can propel from their arms to attack the enemy or climb around the area.
8 Terrible: Pinky
Pinky was an iconic demon from the original Doom, but in light of modern graphics it just isn’t holding up anymore. Doom 3 made a valiant attempt at keeping the creature freaky looking, but Doom Eternal rolled that back for nostalgic purposes and it just looks awful.
Don’t misunderstand, facing one in the game can be a chilling prospect especially when facing their invisible spectral version. But in a world of blood reds, corpse-like grays, and reptilian browns the pink demon just sticks out in a bad way.
7 Awesome: Marauder
Even before you experience the nightmare that is fighting a Marauder, just watching the first one step out of a portal was a chilling experience. With its humanoid shape and the aged remnants of Praetor armor still clinging to their bodies, you could guess at this creature’s tragic nature.
Wielding a double-barrel shotgun, large axe, and glowering at you with blood-red eyes these demons were built to hunt down the Doom Slayer. Instead of bulky flesh, wriggling arms, and a single large eye you have something that resembles your character had they fallen down a dark path, which makes them all the more terrifying.
6 Awful: Imp
This is a bit tragic as they used to look really terrifying. In Doom 3 they had grayish-black skin that helped them blend into the shadows and spider-like rows of eyes that gave them a disturbing appearance.
Now they resemble more aquatic creatures, which makes very little sense in the fiery hellscapes they’re found in. They’re clearly built for speed, but the open chin and bluish orange coloring seems a step in the wrong direction from the shadowy figures they used to be.
5 Awesome: The Gladiator
The Gladiator is a bit unique from other demons in that it discards the cybernetics and modern weaponry for more medieval tools. Wielding a large mace and a massive tower shield with a demon face emblazoned on the front, this thing is beastly.
The head is very Hell Knight-ish with the notable difference of missing an eye. While other demons utilize advanced weaponry to achieve greater power, this monolith has stuck to the basics and remained a powerful foe.
4 Awful: Archvile
Take an Imp and make it taller, more bony, then give it a larger head and you have the rough appearance of an Archvile. If more of their body was covered in the scaly bone armor and the head was a bit smaller it would look pretty good, but as it stands it looks a little too much like a stereotypical alien.
Admittedly it does look incredible when summoning a lake of fire. But without the special effects it’s just a strange creature with a large head.
3 Awesome: Fireborne Baron
The Fireborne Baron is an example of a once goofy looking demon getting a great upgrade. Shedding the pink skin these demons now have dark gray flesh riddled with red magma effects. They’ve also been given two fiery blades jutting from their arms.
These are sinister-looking demons that show it’s sometimes worth it to get rid of nostalgia and try something new. It also gives hope that the Pinky can undergo a similar change and be as terrifying as the Fireborne Baron.
2 Awful: Prowler
There’s something with this series and the color pink. The Prowler is essentially the pink version of an Imp with robotic spider eyes and a triangular jaw.
Admittedly the behavior of this creature is terrifying as it teleports around the arena slashing at the player with its large claws. But when cornered in the light it’s one of many goofy looking demons that doesn’t seem very visually intimidating.
1 Awesome: Doom Hunter
A twisted amalgamation of science and hellish forces, the Doom Hunter was the anti-Doom Slayer long before the Marauder came around. Essentially it’s the corpse of a demon that appears to be a thinner Baron of Hell, but has been transplanted onto a machine of death.
Very little of the original demon remains, as it seems everything has been replaced with metal, wires, blades, guns, and thrusters. Even its face has been replaced with a metal orb covered in spider-like lenses that makes one wonder whether a brain of flesh or electronics is inside the skull. In any case, it’s a terrifying demon/machine of war.