Caverns - Area 2: Artifact Excavation

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CARVERNS - AREA 2 - "Caverns Area 2 is the primary archeological excavation site. All items are processed and transported to Site 3 for evaluation and analysis."

Caverns - Area 2: Artifact Excavation is the twenty-sixth level of Doom 3, featuring an ancient Martian temple. Once again, the player must continue their trek to the active Hellhole below the Caverns. This is the last proper level where the player must travel from one end to another. The Vagary makes another appearance at the end and may come in a pair.

Walkthrough[]

Surprisingly, this level is FAR shorter and easier than the previous one, except the starting room. You can storm through the level with Plasma Gun, BFG 9000, Rocket Launcher and Soul Cube. Don't spare ammunitions, as you won't really need in next level.

As you arrive, an Arch-vile and 2 Hell Knights announce the color, right at the beginning of the level, in a tiny circular room. It also contains 2 Stimpacks, a locked door, and an open one.

The open door leads to a great cavern. Kill the half dozen of Wraiths, consider the 2 Cell Packs, then follow the path until you see the entrance of the ancient Mars temple. There are several things here: an Armor barely hidden in heights, the key to the locked door on the table, a monitor to light up the temple, and the temple entrance. As soon as you enter in the temple, an Arch-vile teleports right before you, and 2 Imps behind. If you pick the key, nothing occurs. But if you activate the lights, Hell is unleashed. A Hell Knight will appear to the right of the monitor, two Cacodemons will come from the "sky," a second Hell Knight will go down from the Wraith's place, and additional Wraiths will follow him. The best bet here is to shelter in the temple to kill them all. After that, you can reclaim ammunitions in the platforms around the temple wall. You can climb on them like ladders.

If you go back to the first room, you'll face some Wraiths. Then you'll be able to open the door with the key, which leads to a storage room, with, among other things, a BFG Cell. Then, the first room will be swarmed by Trites. In addition, the "Wraiths corridor" will be infested too... and a Cacodemon will close the march.

Right at temple's entrance, you have a monitor to activate to the left to activate the lights. The corridor then turns to the left, where you'll face a Trites swarm. There are some Clips and a Machine Gun on a crate on the right. Follow the corridor; it leads to the chamber with the curious floating stone eggs. You can take the two final video disks on a desk (Tablets and Ancient Civilization). Three Wraiths will come from the exit corridor, and an Imp will teleport at each side of the "eggs".

The path then leads to the star map room. A Hell Knight comes from the wall above you, and Trites will pour from the holes in the side of the room. Beware of the "sniper" Imps on the ledges on both sides. As you kill them, a last pair of Hell Knights will appear here. If you approach the Trite holes, an Imp appears behind you.

The tunnel then leads to a room, where you'll face a duo of Vagarys, accompanied by Trites. Make use of BFG 9000 and Soul Cube. Note that there is a BFG Cell in the room. If you can't, retreat in Star Map Room and kill either Trites or Vagarys from afar. Then pass the stone door, take all items behind, then take all items in the level, activate the final elevator and activate it itself to go to the last level.