DOOM Eternal, while pretty broadly liked, isn’t a game that every DOOM fan has been able to agree on. Whether it’s the platforming, swimming or (gasp) more varied colour palette, there are plenty of different thoughts and takes on the long-awaited sequel. The Marauders are another of Eternal’s most controversial inclusions, so much so that many are still talking about them over a year later.
In canon, the Marauders are ex-members of the Night Sentinels, Doomguy’s old squad after he somehow found his way to the planet of Argent D’Nur, who betrayed their old beliefs to start following the Maykrs and idolising Argent Energy. After dying in battle, Marauders were put in the Divinity Machine (the same contraption that helped Doomguy to slap demons something silly) and resurrected solely to track down and kill Doomguy.
In-game, this translated to them being near equals to Doomguy, or at least a decent match. Shortly after release, the Marauder discourse was everywhere, plenty of people just not picking up what Hugo Martin was putting down. Personally speaking, while I loved these confrontations as they made me change up my slaying routine and think a little bit faster, I saw where people were coming from when they said Marauder fights kind of interrupted the flow of the game.
With the release of The Ancient Gods – Part Two, it seems that id have tried to shift the balance to appease more players, but have almost ruined the unique nature of the Marauder in the process.
scary hammer from Doom
Not only does the Marauder now seem to have an ultra obvious tell when they’re open to attack, but they also seemingly do it more often, meaning that the previous game of chess is now like a round of quickfire chicken. You can get rid of a Marauder in no time at all, especially if you quick switch between the Ballista and SSG. Granted, that’s kind of always been the super fast method of dealing with the Marauder, but whatever id did in the patch means that even stumpy-fingered goblins like myself can kind of bat him away without any fuss or panicked screeching.
The Sentinel Hammer, though, is the biggest thing that makes the Marauder less of the psychopath that his name suggests, and more of a Retiree Walking His Dog On The Beach On A Warm Weekend.
Introduced for The Ancient Gods – Part Two, the Sentinel Hammer is basically the Crucible for the DLC as it can pretty much negate any issue you may have. Too many enemies? Hammer. Need to get some ammo and other pick-ups? Hammer. Want to make the Marauder into a cartoon with stars above their head? Hammer. MC? Hammer.
After staggering the Marauder, you can then hit them with the Sentinel Hammer to widen the window of vulnerability and open them up to tons of quick switching. In just two or three cycles, they’re a non-factor, barely more of a threat than a couple of Hell Knights. It doesn’t help that the final boss is basically a Super Marauder crossed with an Archvile, and while it takes more than a minute to get rid of him, that’s more down to how long-winded his routine is more than anything to do with actual, genuine difficulty.
I’m not sure if The Marauder nerf was accidental, whether it’s something psychological, or if I just need to finally try Ultra Nightmare, but it does feel like one of 2020’s biggest bads has kind of been neutered, and that’s a shame.
Justice for the Marauder, let my nightmares return.
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