For the past 30 years, Doom has stood as one of the most influential first-person shooters of all time. Its 1994 follow-up – conveniently called Doom 2 – had just as much of an impact. Part of the reason these classic id Software games are still around is thanks to the speedrunning community.
Now, more than two and half decades later, one user has managed to beat a long-standing record using a healthy blend of pixel-perfect techniques and sheer tenacity. Back in 1995, a runner called Demonlord managed to get through the first map of Doom 2 in an impressive time of 6.83 seconds. This has now been bested after decades of attempts.
The new record holder goes by the username 4shockblast (real name: Aleksey Kamenev) who, at the start of this month, managed to get to the exit of “MAP01: Entryway” in an eye-watering 4.97 seconds, a feat many (including Demonlord) thought was impossible.
How the frick??
In order to understand the skill and determination involved in this attempt, and why it’s such a significant run, YouTuber Karl Jobst goes through the history of some of the major attempts. While other players, such as Thomas Pilger in 1998, have proved it’s possible to get through Entryway in under six seconds, any quicker than that felt almost out of reach.
Although it’s a short level, the luck and timing needed to get the new record borders on witchcraft. Jobst explains that the main hurdle is the horde of enemies blocking your path down each corridor. This has resulted in speedrunners firing a stray shot early on in order to get zombies and imps to react and move towards the sound. In theory, this then creates a window of opportunity to slip past them quickly.
This also led to players attempting to get under five seconds, but with monsters not on the map. This at least allowed for pathing techniques, finding the most optimal routes to see if getting a time of four seconds was even possible. Even with additional strategies being implemented, such as a specific type of straferunning called “SR50” and using walls and enemies (“things”) to boost speeds slightly, having monsters turned off meant runs were only “theoretical.”
The long and the short of it is: there’s a reason it took 26 years to beat Demonlord’s record. While others – such as SSlasher in 2002– did manage to get below six seconds, it wasn’t until 4shockblast’s latest attempt that getting under five seconds was actually achievable. While the final time is 4.97, Doom 2‘s end screen rounds it down to just four seconds. It’s a mighty impressive achievement, and I fear the player who can do even better than that.
