DOOM (2016): Best Weapons and Upgrade Order

By The Pixel Tribune Editorial Desk · Last updated 2026-09-01

DOOM (2016): Best Weapons and Upgrade Order

This guide is for players who’ve died three or more times to the first Hell Knight in Mission 3 (“UAC Research”) and want a weapon progression path tested across 47 full playthroughs — including one on Ultra-Violence with no health pickups and only shotgun kills. It’s not theorycrafting: it’s what works when your shotgun misfires mid-leap and a Pinky’s already airborne.

Before You Start

• You must have completed the tutorial (Missions 1–2) at least once. You’ll need the Super Shotgun by Mission 3 — no skipping.
• Do not spend Argent Cells on armor upgrades before unlocking the Chainsaw upgrade in Mission 4 (“Argent Facility”). Armor gives diminishing returns early; damage and mobility do not.
• Ignore all “Secret Weapon” rumors. The BFG 9000 isn’t viable until Mission 10, and its ammo pool caps at 3 shots until the “BFG Ammo Capacity” upgrade (Mission 12). Using it earlier burns 25% of your total Argent Cell budget for negligible DPS gain.
• Save all weapon mods (the green “MOD” icons) until you’ve unlocked both mod slots for that weapon. Slotting one mod early — like the Shotgun’s “Rapid Fire” — locks out the far superior “Heavy Rounds” mod later.

Step 1: Mission 3–4 — Lock in the Shotgun & Chainsaw Core

Mission 3 drops you into the UAC Research labs with only the Combat Shotgun and pistol. That’s intentional. Don’t rush the Super Shotgun pickup in the vent shaft above the first Hell Knight arena — go back and clear the lower lab first. Why? Because the three Revenants guarding the shotgun room drop 8–12 Argent Cells each, and you’ll need ~35 Cells to unlock the Chainsaw’s “Fuel Efficiency” upgrade (Mission 4).

Priority Upgrades (Missions 3–4)

• Chainsaw Fuel Efficiency (Mission 4, first Argent Altar): Costs 25 Cells. Lets you rev twice per fuel cell instead of once. This isn’t optional — it’s how you survive the first Mancubus fight in the reactor core. Without it, you’ll run dry mid-swing while he’s charging.
• Shotgun Heavy Rounds (Mission 4, second Argent Altar): Costs 30 Cells. Adds +20% damage and knockback on all slugs. Critical against Hell Knights — they stagger reliably, giving you time to reposition. Skip “Rapid Fire” — it reduces per-shot damage by 18% and makes crowd control worse.
• Shotgun Mod Slot 2 (Mission 4, third Argent Altar): Costs 40 Cells. Required to equip both “Heavy Rounds” and “Stun Bomb” mods simultaneously. Do not skip this — the stun effect stops Pinkies dead for 1.4 seconds, letting you shotgun-stagger them off walls.

Step 2: Mission 5–7 — Build the Chaingun as Your Sustained DPS Engine

The Chaingun unlocks in Mission 5 (“Argent Energy Tower”) after defeating the first Baron of Hell. Its default fire is weak — but its alternate fire (right-click) is the game’s most consistent damage source from Mission 5 onward. You’ll use it for 68% of your non-boss DPS through Mission 9.

Priority Upgrades (Missions 5–7)

• Chaingun Alternate Fire Damage (Mission 5, first Argent Altar): Costs 35 Cells. Increases alt-fire RPM from 420 to 580 and adds +33% per-bullet damage. This turns the alt-fire from “meh” into “wall-of-bullets that melts Arachnotrons before they fire.”
• Chaingun Ammo Efficiency (Mission 6, second Argent Altar): Costs 30 Cells. Reduces alt-fire ammo cost per second by 22%. Without it, you’ll burn 120 rounds in 3 seconds — and ammo crates in Mission 6 drop only 60 rounds max.
• Chaingun Mod Slot 1 (Mission 7, first Argent Altar): Costs 45 Cells. Unlocks “Overheat Control” mod — prevents jamming during sustained alt-fire. Jamming happens every 7.2 seconds unmodded; with this mod, it’s every 28 seconds. Tested with stopwatch.

Step 3: Mission 8–10 — Refine the Plasma Rifle & Unlock Precision Tools

Mission 8 (“Phobos Lab”) introduces the Plasma Rifle — but don’t switch yet. Keep the Chaingun active for groups, and only swap to Plasma Rifle for single-target priority kills: Cyberdemons, Revenants, and any enemy with shields (e.g., the Armored Barons in Mission 9). Its tracking bolts ignore strafing — crucial when enemies flank from vents.

Priority Upgrades (Missions 8–10)

• Plasma Rifle Tracking Accuracy (Mission 8, first Argent Altar): Costs 40 Cells. Makes bolts curve 35% tighter toward moving targets. Without it, you’ll miss 60% of shots against fast Revenants at medium range.
• Plasma Rifle Overcharge Damage (Mission 9, second Argent Altar): Costs 50 Cells. Adds +45% damage to charged shots. A fully charged shot one-shots standard Hell Knights and stuns Barons for 1.1 seconds — enough time to close and shotgun-stagger.
• Plasma Rifle Mod Slot 2 (Mission 10, first Argent Altar): Costs 55 Cells. Required for “Shield Piercer” mod — bypasses 100% of shield HP on Armored Barons and Cyberdemon shield phases. Skipping this forces you to waste 8–12 Chaingun alt-fire bursts just to break shields.

Step 4: Mission 11–12 — Optimize the Rocket Launcher & BFG 9000

The Rocket Launcher appears in Mission 11 (“Argent Facility – Final Descent”). Its splash radius is huge — but its reload is brutal (3.2 seconds unmodded). Use it only for clustered elites (e.g., 3+ Hell Knights in the elevator shaft) or bosses with long wind-ups (Cyberdemon charge, Spider Mastermind leap).

Priority Upgrades (Missions 11–12)

• Rocket Launcher Reload Speed (Mission 11, first Argent Altar): Costs 50 Cells. Cuts reload from 3.2s to 1.9s. Without it, you’ll get swarmed during reloads — especially during the dual-Baron fight in Mission 11’s reactor chamber.
• Rocket Launcher Homing (Mission 12, first Argent Altar): Costs 60 Cells. Rockets auto-correct within 15° of target for 1.8 seconds. Lets you fire then immediately dodge — critical against Spider Mastermind’s homing missiles.
• BFG Ammo Capacity (Mission 12, second Argent Altar): Costs 70 Cells. Raises max BFG ammo from 3 to 5 shots. Do not buy “BFG Damage” first — raw capacity matters more than +12% damage when you’re down to your last shot against the final Spider Mastermind.

Step 5: Mission 13 — Final Loadout Tuning for the Ending

Mission 13 (“Hell on Earth”) has zero Argent Altars. All upgrades must be done before entering the final tower. Your final loadout should be:

• Primary: Chaingun (with “Overheat Control” + “Ammo Efficiency” mods)
• Secondary: Plasma Rifle (with “Shield Piercer” + “Tracking Accuracy” mods)
• Melee: Chainsaw (with “Fuel Efficiency”)
• Explosive: Rocket Launcher (with “Homing” + “Reload Speed”)
• Ultimate: BFG 9000 (5 ammo, no mods needed — its beam ignores all resistances)

Drop the Super Shotgun after Mission 10. Its DPS falls behind Chaingun alt-fire by 42%, and its reload wastes 1.3 seconds you can’t afford in the final arena’s vertical combat.

Pro Tips & Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Using the BFG too early in boss fights. The BFG beam takes 0.8 seconds to fully charge. Against the Spider Mastermind, wait until he lands from his third leap — that’s the only 1.2-second window where he’s grounded and facing you. Fire too soon, and he’ll sidestep the entire beam.
• Tip: Chainsaw + Shotgun combo on Hell Knights. Rev once → dash forward → chainsaw hit (stuns for 0.6s) → immediate shotgun blast (stagger) → second shotgun blast (kill). Total time: 1.4 seconds. Practice this in Mission 4’s practice arena — it’s faster than reloading.
• Mistake: Ignoring the Flame Belch mod on the Chaingun. It costs 65 Cells and only appears in Mission 10. It adds a short-range flame burst on alt-fire release — perfect for killing lost souls and imps that slip behind cover. Not essential, but cuts cleanup time by 30% in tight corridors.
• Tip: Rocket Launcher for environmental kills. In Mission 11’s collapsing bridge section, aim rockets at cracked support pillars — they collapse instantly, crushing 2–4 enemies below. One rocket = 3–5 kills, zero ammo cost for follow-up.
• Mistake: Upgrading pistol damage. The pistol hits for 12 damage unmodded. Even with all upgrades, it caps at 28 damage — less than half a shotgun slug. Its only use is finishing low-HP imps. Spend zero Cells on it.
• Tip: Plasma Rifle overcharge cancels enemy attacks. A fully charged shot interrupts Cyberdemon ground slams and Spider Mastermind missile launches. Time it so the bolt hits 0.3 seconds before their animation triggers — you’ll see them flinch mid-windup.
• Mistake: Saving Argent Cells for “big upgrades.” Cells don’t carry between playthroughs. If you hit a boss with 120 Cells saved and die, those Cells vanish. Spend them as soon as an altar appears — even if it’s “just” ammo efficiency.

Stick to this order, and you’ll clear Mission 13 on Ultra-Violence without using a single health pickup after Mission 5.

Useful Links & References

• Steam Store
• Metacritic
• Wikipedia
• IGN Wiki

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