Doom Eternal: Extra Life Mode guide Doom Eternal guide, walkthrough

Last update: 24 March 2020

On this page of our guide to Doom Eternal you will find a detailed description of the Extra Life Mode. This mode is a difficulty level modifier and taking interested in it is recommended if you are planning to earn a platinum trophy in Doom Eternal. We have also included tips on how to survive in Extra Life Mode.

• What are the assumptions of Extra Life Mode?
• How to survive in Extra Life mode?

What are the assumptions of Extra Life Mode?

The Extra Life Mode is not a full level of difficulty, but one of the modifiers. This means that you can choose any level of difficulty from 4 main difficulty levels (I'm Too Young to Die, Hurt Me Plenty, Ultra-Violence or Nightmare) and then add special the Extra Life Mode feature.

In Extra Life Mode, the gameplay is based on getting lives and adding them to the pool. Every time your hero dies, one life is taken from you. Losing all your lives means the end of the game - in this mode it's called permadeath (a permanent death).

How to survive in Extra Life mode?

1. If you're planning on earning the platinum trophy of Doom Eternal, then you'll need to take an interest in the Running Up the Score gold trophy. It is awarded for completing the game in Extra Life Mode with at least 10 lives in reserve. It is a difficult trophy, but it has no difficulty level requirement. You can make it easier for yourself to earn the trophy by choosing the lowest difficulty level, for example I'm Too Young to Die. It will make it easier for you to win all the more challenging battles.
2. We do not recommend selecting Extra Life Mode right away. Complete the game in advance on standard rules and preferably on the difficulty level of Ultra Nightmare. Thanks to this, you will gain a huge experience of moving around the battle area and effectively destroying demons. In addition, thanks to the completion of the game, you will remember exact places where you have to search for key secrets - additional lives, devices that allow you to modify weapons, and so on. Nothing can replace the experience gained in this way.
3. If you play the game in Extra Life Mode, you have to collect all the extra lives you find in your path. Don't miss any of them, even if getting them seems risky. Remember that a fall into the abyss does not end in death, but only in loss of health or armor points (if you have any armor).
4. If you don't take part in a large battle in the arena, don't take any risks - keep your distance and eliminate any monster you can from greater distances with a Sniper Rifle or other weapons like Plasma Rifle. Limit the possibilities and capabilities of demons. For example, shoot off the cannons of Arachnontron by using the sniper rifle. The same applies to other opponents.
5. Run around the arenas and battle zones, never stand still. Don't let the extra life protect you from dying halfway through the game. Better leave them for the end of the game or during difficult boss battles.
6. Maneuver expertly between demons. Don't waste time on the defeating weaker enemies. Use weaker demons to gain health (Glory Kills) or ammunition (chainsaw attacks) and eliminate the most difficult enemies in the first place.
7. Use your experience which you have gathered before. Properly manage your equipment and inventory. Don't waste weapon points on upgrading firearms which you use rarely or not at all. In the beginning, it is best to develop a sniper rifle and a grenade launcher of your shotgun. The first weapon will allow you to kill enemies from a distance or shoot down the guns of the more powerful units. Shotgun is just a convenient weapon for dealing lots of damage.
8. Attack the vulnerable spots of demons. There's no point in continuously striking Cacodemon and shooting him. You better throw a shotgun grenade into his mouth and finish him off with a glory kill. If you don't remember the weaknesses of each variety of monsters, then help yourself by checking the Codex or the Bestiary chapter of our guide.
9. If possible, turn off the game after each completed stage and back up your saves. If at some stage you have failed a few times and lost a few lives unnecessarily, then consider loading a save and repeating the mission.
10. Avoid the Secret Encounters and Slayer Gates if you are certain that they can cause you some serious trouble. Don't risk unnecessarily, because you don't have to max everything out to get the Running Up the Score trophy. All that matters is the fact that it is completed with a certain number of lives in stock.
11. Don't try to unlock the weapon mastery at all costs. Use the collected tokens on all useful upgrades first. Try base your upgrade decisions on your play style.
12. When starting the Urdak mission, you should have more than 40 extra lives in reserve - assuming that you have collected all the extra lives marked on the maps and that you have avoided unnecessary deaths. With so many lives in stock, you won't have to worry too much about the trophy's requirements even if you die a few times during battles with the final two bosses.
13. When fighting bosses, don't waste time on unnecessary activities. In the battle against Khan Maykr, kill Maykr drones by attaching grenades to their heads. When fighting the Icon of Sin, kill the biggest opponents quickly and don't worry about the minor demons. After the first part of the fight, assuming you have a decent supply of extra lives, make a copy of the save for safety.