Baron of Hell/Doom (2016)

"The Baron of Hell is the highest demon among the order of the Hell Knights."

- Codex

The Baron of Hell is a powerful, high-ranking demon that appears in Doom. It first appears in Kadingir Sanctum.

In-Game Description
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''The Baron of Hell is the highest demon among the order of the Hell Knights. They rarely leave Hell, and no Baron of Hell has yet been captured by any of the Tethering Operations. Details regarding their behavior and physiology are therefore limited.''

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''It is clear that Barons are ferocious fighters with a bloodlust unparalleled by any other demon. Barons, larger and faster than their lesser brothers, also possess the ability to generate Hell-energy fireballs which can be hurled at a target. In the doomed Project Lazarus Manned Expedition (MTC 2145/128) it is believed that most of the explorers were set upon by Barons of Hell, though the details are unclear.''

''Tablets, retrieved from the Great Steppe in the UAC Automated Survey of 2143, suggest that the Barons of Hell are the current Royal Guard of the unknown dark lord of the fourth age. While the nature of this entity is unknown, it must be presumed that as the Royal Guard's power has significantly increased, so too has the power of their master.''

Appearance
As in the classic Doom, a Baron takes the appearance of a muscular, goat legged demon with slightly tan legs and hooves. He has a red upper body with a build similar to that of the Hell Knight from Doom 3.

Combat Characteristics
The Baron of Hell is a formidable opponent that utilises attacks very similar to, but more powerful and damaging, than that of the lesser Hell Knights, including ground pounding and attempting to rush and beat down the player. In addition, they have a ranged attack consisting of throwing green fireballs at the player, like the Imp's, but again, more powerful. When close, they will crush the player with their hands. If the player is killed by a Baron, it will rip off the player's legs and then crush their head with its hand.



Tactical analysis
The Baron of Hell can be instantly taken down through the use of the Chainsaw as long as the player has at least five fuel cells, or a single shot from the BFG, regardless of if the projectile directly comes in contact with the Baron or if it just damages it with the energy stream. Shooting at its head deals extra damage. Like the Hell Knight, walking backwards while firing is highly effective as the Baron takes no effort to dodge attacks, preferring to run through them instead. Circle-strafing around the Baron whilst continuing to back up is also effective.

The Baron of Hell is also easily manipulated into infighting other monsters, due to its large size that makes it easily hit by other monsters' projectiles, and its own attacks which trigger retaliation from other monsters. In addition, even if it has already targeted the player, quick-thinking players can still use the Baron to kill other monsters by, for example, briefly standing next to another monster when the Baron starts an attack, and then rushing away.

Multiplayer
The Baron of Hell is also a playable demon in Multiplayer. Their role focuses on close-ranged combat, meaning they no longer have the ability to throw Argent energy balls at the player, but they are significantly faster, can kill players in a single swipe, and gain the ability to make a ground pound which makes lava and rocks ascend in a straight line through their line of sight.

As a Baron of Hell, the player should focus their attacks on large groups of enemies. The Baron has a large health pool, and is capable of instantly killing multiple enemies with its ground pound ability. It is wise to charge into large groups to induce panic and force the group to disperse, allowing for other allies to attack separated enemies whilst also picking off stragglers with the Baron's instant kill swipe attack. Due to the Baron of Hell's large size, it can prove difficult to avoid gunfire, but it can prove useful to serve as a distraction for other players as they can kill enemies who are attempting to kill you. However, this can sometimes prove to be dangerous as the enemy may be able to pick up the Demon rune left by the player should they be killed.

When fighting against a Baron of Hell, it is wise to stay behind it as much as possible so as to avoid its ground pound attack whilst also firing at its back; one of its weak spots. Weapons such as the Super Shotgun and the Lightning Gun can prove useful if firing from behind. If attacking from the front, the player should attempt to stay clear of the Baron's direct line of sight so as to avoid the ground pound attack whilst attempting to shoot at its head, its other weak spot. More precise weapons such as the Hellshot, Burst Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle and Vortex Rifle can prove useful for this task, especially with the Hellshot's incendiary round mod and the Burst Rifle's magnum ammunition mod. If not aiming for the head, weapons such as the Chaingun, Rocket Launcher, the Combat Shotgun's explosive shot mod and the Plasma Rifle's plasma orb mod prove to be useful as well.

Trivia

 * In-game, Barons of Hell frequently appear in pairs. This is possibly a reference to the Baron of Hell's first appearance as a boss in the original Doom, where two Barons of Hell appear in the final mission of the first episode, Knee Deep in the Dead.
 * Like all high ranking demons, Barons often tend to not get along with lesser demons like Imps, which often leads to random infighting between them in Hell. In fact, the player's very first encounter with a Baron involves it infighting with a group of smaller demons.
 * The Art of Doom companion book states that that Barons of Hell are "also known as bruisers."