Somehow, DOOM: The Dark Ages’ most versatile new weapon… isn’t what you’d initially recognize as a weapon at all. The latest entry in id Software’s legendarily bloodthirsty series brings a lot of new ideas to the wartable – a tech-medieval setting, a prequel story for the DOOM Slayer, and all-new mechanics in the form of mechs, dragons, and open zone sequences, to name a few – but perhaps the most impactful is its new mantra of “stand and fight”.

After the run and gun corridor antics of DOOM (2016) and the unexpectedly athletic take with DOOM Eternal, The Dark Ages riffs on the classic DOOM feeling of walking into a room, planting yourself in a prime position, and taking down all comers. And it’s all rooted in the Shield Saw, your disc-shaped ticket to destruction.

We’re not necessarily used to seeing the Slayer protecting himself, but the Shield Saw takes the old phrase, “the best offence is a good defence” and yanks it all the way to its logical conclusion. Far from being a way to hunker down and take pot shots, the Shield Saw is a multi-purpose means of taking down enemies efficiently while keeping your precious armor and hit points intact.

Here are the many ways you’ll be using it:

Blocking and Parrying

One of the very first things DOOM: The Dark Ages teaches you is how to block. Pull the left trigger and the Slayer raises his shield, soaking up projectiles with the minimum of fuss. Of course, a DOOM game simply will not allow you to cower, so be aware that, after a few hits, your block will be broken. Think of this less as a means to stand back, and more like a way to close the distance into more Shotgun-friendly range.

And how you block is critically important – you’ll soon learn about parrying. If you see a green-colored projectile, or an enemy wreathed in green energy before a melee attack, take this as a sign. A well-timed block on one of these attacks, just before it hits, will send projectiles bouncing back to sender, or breaking the stance of a close-quarters creature. Both are invaluable for thinning out weaker demons, or opening up stronger ones to uninterrupted punishment. Later in the game, you’ll also unlock Shield Runes, which add extra effects upon a successful parry – but we won’t spoil those here. You should really find out about them yourself.

If you’re finding the parry window a little too tough to hit (or not tough enough!) you can adjust the parry window in the options menu at any time. With a combination of blocks and parries, you can wade into a sea of enemies, safe in the knowledge that you won’t just clear a room, but do it without getting a nick in your armor.

Shield Charge

Sometimes, blocking just leaves you feeling a bit far from the action. The Shield Charge is the perfect tonic. When blocking, you’ll notice a target appearing on the enemy closest to your crosshairs – and pressing the right trigger will send you hurtling towards them at inhuman speed for a high damage attack.

At its most basic level, the Shield Charge is the perfect way to get up close unexpectedly, letting you use shorter-range weapons like the Shotgun or Accelerator to do massive damage quickly. But the Charge also comes with the added benefit of being an extremely effective room-clearer – hitting an enemy will also deal damage to all the enemies immediately around them. Pick a target in a crowd of cannon fodder, and you can effectively clear the entire group with a Charge in a single bloody pop.

Picking the right target is key – blindly charging at a fully mobile boss enemy is unlikely to help you too much, but certain enemies, like Stone Imps, are particularly weak to the Charge, setting off an explosion as you hit. You could also use it to target an enemy above you, effectively using it as a platforming tool to take up new ground. As you get to grips with the ability (and its short cooldown), you’ll find it to be as much an efficiency tool as it is a horrifyingly powerful weapon.

Shield Throw

Early in the game, you’ll add that titular Saw to your Shield, at which point you’ll unlock the Shield Throw. This unbelievably gratifying maneuver lets you press the left bumper to (literally) let rip. A shield throw will instantly bisect weaker enemies – even multiple enemies, if you line them up right – and will embed itself in stronger ones, giving you a stun window to work with.

Best of all, the Shield Throw is particularly effective against armor. Pretty soon, you’ll see demons toting shields, or bosses wrapped in bullet-resistant metal – but gunfire isn’t wholly useless here. Fire your weapons at them, and you’ll start heating that metal, and once you see it reach incandescent levels, a single Shield Throw will shatter it. Against enemies in armor, this will blow it off, opening them up to more attacks. Smaller enemies with shields, however, will simply… burst in spectacular fashion. If you see a line of enemies with shields, that one throw will destroy all of them, like they’re living bowling pins.

Puzzle Solving

Clearly not content with being a useful tool for attack and defence, your Shield Saw is also a way of making your way around The Dark Ages’ levels – including their many secrets. The Shield Charge can be used to destroy weak walls (look out for a circular symbol daubed on them), used to jump by embedding in specific environmental details and then recalling it to pull yourself up, or to destroy superheated locks with a quick Throw.

If you’re struggling to work out how to reach a secret area, the Shield is very often the key to making it in. There are more puzzly uses later in the game to discover, too – we’ll let you reach them yourself.

Upgrades

Clearly, the Shield Saw can do a lot out of the box – but there’s always more. Once you discover the game’s Sentinel Shrines – the home of The Dark Ages’ upgrade system – you’ll discover more options for adding to your arm-mounted tool’s abilities.

Aside from those afore-mentioned Shield Runes, the Shield has an upgrade tree that can increase damage, help clear more fodder enemies, or even cause it to bounce between enemies who carry energy-based shields. But look out for mentions of the Shield in other upgrade trees, too. The Shredder weapon, for instance, can unlock an ability that will ricochet shots out of an enemy with a Saw embedded in them. The Power Gauntlet melee weapon can also be upgraded to recharge itself with successful parries.

Choose your upgrades right and you can build an arsenal that doesn’t just include the Shield, but centers around using it.

DOOM: The Dark Ages arrives today for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, Battle.net, PlayStation 5, and cloud. It’s available day one with Game Pass, and is an Xbox Play Anywhere title.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Edition

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆
413

★★★★★

Get it now

Pre-order now to receive the Void DOOM Slayer Skin at launch.

Get a head start on slaying demons with the Premium Edition, including up to 2-Day Early Access* and the campaign DLC**. You’ll also receive the Digital Artbook and Soundtrack, and the Divinity Skin Pack, which includes matching skins for the DOOM Slayer, dragon and Atlan.

INCLUDES:

– Base Game (digital code)
– Up to 2-Day Early Access
– Campaign DLC
– Digital Artbook and Soundtrack
– Divinity Skin Pack

*Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages.

**DLC availability to be provided at a later date.

BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.

STAND AND FIGHT
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. Take flight atop the new fierce Mecha Dragon, stand tall in a massive Atlan mech, and beat demons to a pulp with the newly enhanced glory kill system. Only the Slayer has the power to wield these devastating tools of mayhem.

REIGN IN HELL
Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.

DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id’s largest and most expansive levels to date.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Upgrade

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆
65

★★★★★

Get it now

Pre-order now to receive the Void DOOM Slayer Skin at launch.

Get a head start on slaying demons with the Premium Upgrade*, including up to 2-Day Early Access**, the campaign DLC***, Digital Artbook and Soundtrack, and the Divinity Skin Pack, which includes matching skins for the DOOM Slayer, dragon and Atlan.

INCLUDES:

– Up to 2-Day Early Access
– Campaign DLC
– Digital Artbook and Soundtrack
– Divinity Skin Pack

*Base Game required (sold separately)

**Actual play time depends on purchase date and applicable time zone differences, subject to possible outages.

***DLC availability to be provided at a later date.

BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.

STAND AND FIGHT
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. Take flight atop the new fierce Mecha Dragon, stand tall in a massive Atlan mech, and beat demons to a pulp with the newly enhanced glory kill system. Only the Slayer has the power to wield these devastating tools of mayhem.

REIGN IN HELL
Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.

DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id’s largest and most expansive levels to date.

DOOM: The Dark Ages Standard Edition

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆
342

★★★★★

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Pre-order now to receive the Void DOOM Slayer Skin at launch.

BECOME THE SLAYER IN A MEDIEVAL WAR AGAINST HELL
DOOM: The Dark Ages is the prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal that tells an epic cinematic story worthy of the DOOM Slayer’s legend. In this third installment of the modern DOOM series, players will step into the blood-stained boots of the DOOM Slayer, in this never-before-seen dark and sinister medieval war against Hell.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a dark fantasy/sci-fi single-player experience that delivers the searing combat and over-the-top visuals of the incomparable DOOM franchise, powered by the latest idTech engine.

STAND AND FIGHT
As the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. Take flight atop the new fierce Mecha Dragon, stand tall in a massive Atlan mech, and beat demons to a pulp with the newly enhanced glory kill system. Only the Slayer has the power to wield these devastating tools of mayhem.

REIGN IN HELL
Bound to serve as the super weapon of gods and kings, the DOOM Slayer fends off demon hordes as their leader seeks to destroy the Slayer and become the only one that is feared. Witness the creation of a legend as the Slayer takes on all of Hell and turns the tide of the war.

DISCOVER UNKNOWN REALMS
In his quest to crush the legions of Hell, the Slayer must take the fight to never-before-seen realms. Mystery, challenges, and rewards lurk in every shadow of ruined castles, epic battlefields, dark forests, ancient hellscapes, and worlds beyond. Armed with the viciously powerful Shield Saw, cut through a dark world of menace and secrets in id’s largest and most expansive levels to date.

As we suffered an untimely demise at the business end of approximately two billion sticky notes, me and my two FBC: Firebreak squad members felt more than a little humbled. In our hubris, we’d decided to begin our time in a recent preview event on the hardest possible difficulty – a very fun, but very ridiculous choice. Fortunately for us, FBC: Firebreak’s blend of approachable combat, fast-paced rounds, and slapstick mechanics makes for a fantastic time, no matter how long (or little) you want to spend in its bizarre, fascinating world. We will have our revenge, sticky notes.

FBC: Firebreak is Remedy’s upcoming entry into the first-person shooter genre – an approachable multiplayer experience delivered with all the style and deadpan humour we’ve come to appreciate from the Remedyverse. Serving as a spin-off to the events of Control, FBC: Firebreak sees players tasked with the clean-up of bizarre, supernatural events taking place inside the game’s ever-shifting setting, The Oldest House, which you’ll also recognise from Control.

During the hands-on event, we were given access to three different Jobs available in the game, all with varying levels of difficulty on offer. In ‘Hot Fix’, our ragtag team of Firebreak volunteers took on repairing fans in a sweltering setting, before dealing with a paranatural furnace. In ‘Ground Control’ our crew set out to collect leech pearls from the remains of horrendous, human sized leeches. My personal favourite, ‘Paper Chase’ saw the group disposing of a massive number of sticky notes, alongside violent, sentient sticky note enemies, before taking on ‘Sticky Ricky’, a colossal, tanked-up boss made up of literally millions of sticky notes that requires a true team effort to take down effectively.

All three of these jobs also feature Control’s enemy faction, The Hiss as a consistent, looming threat – a horde of them can appear at any moment and they’ll need dealing with as you progress with the primary objectives. Dealing with The Hiss is usually a straightforward affair – your weapon will make short work of most enemy types. Every so often, a named miniboss may appear; some require more finesse to defeat – and the best option for taking them down will come from a carefully curated loadout.

The hands-on showed us three unique Crisis Kits that every volunteer can take out on a mission. Equipped alongside your more conventional guns, these are all clumsily lashed together to fit the scrappy vibe of FBC: Firebreak’s setting – you aren’t playing as seasoned soldiers, just a volunteers placed into these absurd, dangerous situations. With three people in the party, each of us naturally gravitated to one loadout each. I carried a shotgun for big, close-range damage, and the Splash Kit, effectively a giant water gun which came in clutch for hosing down the sticky monsters, and my overheated colleagues. All of the kits available can be upgraded in multiple ways too, to really customize your build for those more punishing difficulty levels.

But customization extends beyond your loadout. Each mission asks you to pick a Clearance Level, which dictates how many zones you need to clear in order to win. This means that some runs can take five or ten minutes, and they’re a breezy affair that require minimal team coordination. Others can take upwards of 45 minutes, dramatically more vicious affairs where every piece of gear you take is of paramount importance. FBC: Firebreak gives all the tools to tailor your experience here – it’s not trying to make you grind unnecessarily – you can go as hard or as casual as you want at any given time.

But it was the in-mission mechanics that really made FBC: Firebreak feel like something unique. Elemental effects can make or ruin your day if you don’t have the right tools at hand. If a room is too hot, you’ll need to find a swift way to cool down. If it’s unnaturally cold, you’ll move slower until you regain some heat. Your chosen Crisis Kit may be a shortcut here, but there are other ways to deal with these issues located in the levels themselves.

Fortunately, this applies to The Hiss too – if an enemy is slowed by an icy debuff, they’ll comically ‘sprint’ towards you in slow motion, giving you plenty of time to react. At lower tiers, these effects are a mild hindrance – nothing fatal if you just want to jump into a quick game without navigating the complexities of how everything works. In those higher difficulty runs, it is hellish – perfect for those that to dig deep into the game’s systems and take on its most brutal challenges.

All of this fun is wrapped up in a blanket of narrative excellence; Remedy’s signature brand of bizarre, occult nightmares with lashings of hilarity as your characters banter and bicker amongst themselves. Fans of the studio’s previous entries will find lots of recognisable names and locations, but that feels more like an enhancement for those already involved – you don’t need to know what’s going on in the wider story, but it certainly adds to the experience if you do.

There’s lots to discover and plenty of guidance for those that are less versed in Remedy’s universe. That, paired with the ability to really finetune how you want to play, means FBC: Firebreak is an unexpectedlywelcoming introduction into The Oldest House, and we can’t wait to extend our stay (and, you know, burn a lot of sticky notes).

FBC: Firebreak launches June 17, 2025 – play on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and via Game Pass.

FBC: Firebreak

Remedy Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak—the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.