Why DOOM Eternal Doesn’t Have A Pistol (Even Though It Technically Does)

There is no pistol in Doom Eternal, but if it’s possible to hack one into the game via console commands, why was the weapon cut in the first place? Doom Eternal is a cathartic killing spree through the bowels of Hell on Earth, with players taking on the role of the Doom Slayer, a heavily-armed demon hunter on a quest to kill everything that moves. The latest entry in a series dating back to the original 1993 classic, Doom Eternal has earned significant critical praise for its high-intensity combat puzzles and glorious array of armaments with which to dispatch hellish monsters with palpable righteousness.

A direct sequel to 2016’s pseudo-reboot, Doom, Doom Eternal essentially picks up where the last game left off, with the Doom Slayer leaving Mars after the forces of Hell invade Earth. Many of the weapons from the last game return, from the chaingun and the shotgun to the iconic BFG and the gnarly plasma gun, to say nothing of new additions like the flame belch and the sword, called the Crucible.

One weapon that’s surprisingly not available in the Doom Slayer’s latest adventure is the pistol. Traditionally, every Doom game dating back to the 1993 original would start players off with a pistol that would quickly be replaced with bigger and badder armaments, but the latest id Software title skips the first step, instead jumping straight to more useful implements of death and destruction. However, modder SunBeam created a way for players to gain access to a pistol that was cut from the game, using console commands and Cheat Engine.

While the steps required are technobabble for those who aren’t used to the PC scene, it is possible to restore the handgun in Doom Eternal, though it becomes immediately obvious why it was cut. Like in every Doom title before it (including Doom 2016), the pistol is outclassed by every other weapon in the game. In fact, Twitter user Dave Oshry says the gun was cut for not fitting in with the flow of combat, an explanation that makes perfect sense with a game like Doom Eternal. Even with semi-auto and burst-fire modes, the pistol likely couldn’t hold a candle to the other weapons in the game.

The combat of Doom Eternal revolves around using huge guns to weaken enemies so they can be taken down with Glory Kills to restore health. It’s a fast-paced combat puzzle that doesn’t lend itself well to taking potshots with a pea-shooter, even one with a nifty burst fire mode. In Doom 2016, the pistol was redundant as soon as the player picked up the Combat Shotgun, since using the chainsaw instantly rewards the player with ammunition, thus negating the pistol’s potential utility as a “desperation weapon.” Thus, it’s only natural that the pistol would be removed from Doom Eternal, since it would largely go unused by most players anyway.

Nevertheless, it’s a neat find that SunBeam managed to cheat the weapon back into the game, even if most players will use it for a minute or two before switching back to bigger and better guns, like the Super Shotgun or the new Ballista. In Doom Eternal, bigger is better, and the pistol just doesn’t cut it when stacked against the rest of the arsenal. Still, maybe the gun will make its way into the upcoming single-player DLC expansions that are currently in development for the title.

Doom Eternal is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.

Source: FearlessRevolution, Dave Oshry

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Zak Wojnar
(946 Articles Published)

Zak Wojnar is a writer from New York City. He’s covered everything from video games and movies to maple syrup and deli business. Thanks to Screen Rant, he’s discovered his newest passion, interviewing artists. He takes great joy in letting film and gaming legends tell their own story and share their passion for their art.
Zak’s first memory is going with his dad to Tower Records and buying the VHS boxed set of the original Star Wars trilogy. Over the next decade or so, those tapes would be completely worn out through overuse. When he’s not preparing for the next big interview, he can usually be found sitting too close to the TV, either re-watching Miami Vice or The X-Files, or getting lost in a video game.
Zak has bylines at Game Informer, Muscle & Fitness, PopCultureGalaxy, Men’s Fitness, Cheese Connoisseur, and Deli Business (see, that wasn’t a joke before!), among others.
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