There are many fierce and powerful enemies to face in Doom: Eternal, but few are as challenging as the dreaded Marauder. Even though he’s one of early bosses of the game, he catches many players unaware who’ve gotten accustomed to fighting groups of easier enemies.
If you find yourself struggling against this demonic warrior there are some strategies and tips you can implement. Before you know it you’ll find yourself cutting him down to more manageable bits on your bloody path of annihilation.
10 Fight Close, But Not Too Close
One of the most important things to know going into this fight is that you want to fight at mid-range. If you get too far away he’ll use the axe to fling red projectiles at you, and get too close he’ll blast you in the face with a shotgun.
There’s a happy medium where he’ll still engage, but he’s more limited in options. It’ll take a minute to get a feel for this safe zone but things get a bit easier once you figure this out.
9 Dashing Is Key
Even then you’ll find yourself occasionally getting too far or too close as the fighting goes on, he even has some charging attacks to close the distance. Utilizing your dash abilities is key to keeping proper distance and avoiding the worst of his attacks.
When he darts forward you should dash back and when you see a red projectile coming get ready to dodge to either side. As you become familiar with his attack patterns you’ll avoid the worst of his attacks and keep your health relatively intact.
8 Green Means Go
The most important moment of the fight is when the big guy’s eyes switch from the familiar red glow to a green. This is the signal that he’s about to deliver a powerful attack and is your cue to get in there and deal some damage.
While his eyes are green he’s at his most vulnerable and won't be able to respond to your attacks. Do enough damage and you’ll actually be able to stagger him for further punishment.
7 Be Aggressive When He Staggers
When he’s staggered he’s incredibly vulnerable to damage, and you’ll have a brief moment where you can be the aggressor without fear of reprisal. Get in there and pump him full of whatever ammo you have at your disposal.
Don’t get too greedy however, as eventually he’ll come out of it and you’ll find yourself staring down the barrel of a large shotgun. Get in, get a few hits against him, and then back off before he fully comes to his senses and starts fighting back.
6 Super Shotgun & Ballista/Grenade Combo
It seems the best weapon combo is a Super Shotgun with either a Ballista or Grenade, depending on your preferences and ammo supplies. For most of the fight you’ll be dancing around him, waiting for his eyes to turn green and pump him full of a few shells from your shotgun.
Then once he’s staggered quickly switch to the Ballista to fire a few rounds or one charged shot. Alternatively you can lob a few grenades while he’s down if you can’t get the Ballista timing right or if you’re out of ammo. Some pros have found a way to obliterate him with the BFG 9000 in this state, but your timing has to be almost supernatural for this to work properly.
5 Red Means Stop
While green eyes means he’s vulnerable to attack red eyes are the opposite. If you try to deal damage to him while his eyes are red he’ll quickly pull up a shield that can block just about everything it can even shrug off a blast from the BFG 9000.
If you do accidentally trigger it you’ll want to wait for the shield to go down so you aren’t needlessly wasting ammo. Your best strategy is to be patient, wait for the green eyes, and then push the attack.
4 Splash Around The Shield
If you do happen to trigger his shield you can get around it somewhat with weapons that deal splash damage. A Rocket Launcher is good for this as the explosive radius is wide enough to fire next to him and get some damage and you probably won’t be using it much in this fight anyway.
Don’t expect this to be a game changer or some kind of exploit against this demonic boss. It’s just a way to get in a few damage points whenever you’ve accidentally triggered his shield and have some ammo you’re not using.
3 Get His Dog
Every now and then, especially if you get too far out of range, he’ll summon a spectral orange Hellhound to fight you. While this sounds bad, it really isn’t that dangerous, and you can take quite a few hits from it with no trouble.
The problem is that the dog can be distracting and will sometimes get in the way of your attacks. There’s nothing more frustrating then firing on him while his eyes are green only for the dog to take the hits instead. Take a minute to quickly get rid of the Hellhound so you can focus your attention on the Marauder.
2 Feed On The Fodder
During the fight you’ll notice a few zombies or other demons occasionally appearing to join the battle. Similar to the dog they don’t represent much of a threat but can be really annoying and act as accidental meat shields for the Marauder.
They can be annoying, but this is also a great source of ammo and health during the fight. If you’re having difficulty dodging or timing your shots then you’ll find these minions are a welcome addition to the party.
1 Clear The Room
The last thing to bear in mind is that this won’t be the only time you fight a Marauder. Turns out it’s one of many corrupted Night Sentinels who will ambush and attack you for the rest of the game. They all use the same tactics and have the same abilities.
While you may be annoyed by this boss and ready to quickly move on, you must find a system that works for you as you’ll be facing this enemy over and over again. With enough practice you can handle any new Marauders that arrive, making them yet another stepping stone in your efforts to rip and tear everything in your path.