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{{The Shores of Hell}}
 
 
{{map|slot=E2M8}}
 
{{map|slot=E2M8}}
  +
{{map|slot=MAP23}}
  +
{{map|slot=E2M5}}
  +
{{Infobox Map
  +
|title = E2M8: Tower of Babel
  +
|image =
  +
|game = [[Doom]]
 
|episode = [[The Shores of Hell]]
  +
|level =
  +
|map_number = 8
  +
|entry_from =[[E2M7: Spawning Vats (Doom)|Spawning Vats]]<br>[[E2M6: Halls of the Damned (Doom)|Halls of the Damned]] (SNES only)<br>[[E3M7: Limbo (Doom)|Limbo]] (PSX/Saturn only)
  +
|exits_to =Episode End<br>[[E3M1: Hell Keep (Doom)|Hell Keep]]<br>[[E4M1: Hell Beneath (Doom)|Hell Beneath]] (PSX/Saturn only)
  +
}}
   
'''E2M8: Tower of Babel''' is the final map of [[The Shores of Hell]] in [[Doom]]. It features a [[boss]] battle with the [[Cyberdemon]]. This level was named after a Biblical story, in which humans attempted to build a tower to Heaven, which was destroyed by God. It was designed by [[Sandy Petersen]] and it uses the [[Doom music|music]] track "Nobody Told Me About Id".
+
'''E2M8: Tower of Babel (MAP23 in [[Sony PlayStation|PSX]]/[[Sega Saturn|Saturn]], E2M5 in [[Super NES|SNES]])''' is the final map of [[The Shores of Hell]] in [[Doom]]. It features a [[boss]] battle with the [[Cyberdemon]]. The level is named after a Biblical story in which a united human race attempts to build a tower to Heaven. As punishment, God causes humans to suddenly all speak different languages, rendering them unable to understand one another, and then scatters them around the world. It was designed by [[Sandy Petersen]] and it uses the [[Doom music|music]] track "Nobody Told Me About Id".
   
 
This map is not to be confused with [[MAP16: Hell Gate (Console Doom)|MAP16: Hell Gate]], which is titled "Tower of Babel" in the Jaguar, 3DO, and Game Boy Advance versions of Doom.
 
This map is not to be confused with [[MAP16: Hell Gate (Console Doom)|MAP16: Hell Gate]], which is titled "Tower of Babel" in the Jaguar, 3DO, and Game Boy Advance versions of Doom.
   
 
[[file:E2M8 map.png|thumb|300px|Map of E2M8]]<br clear="left" />
==Strategy==
 
[[Image:E2M8 map.png|thumb|300px|Map of E2M8]]<br clear="left"/>
 
   
===Walkthrough===
+
==Walkthrough==
   
You start the level in a small octagonal room. Pick up the [[combat armor]] here before you do anything else. There is a short pillar in the center of this room with a switch on each of it four sides. Pressing one causes the stairs in front of it to raise. Press all four switches. Walk up any of the four sets of stairs until the wall with the tortured [[baron of Hell]] ahead of you opens, but '''do not''' walk through yet. Open the three remaining baron-walls in this manner as well -- this allows you to re-enter the starting area if you need to. Once they have all been opened, exit to the huge outdoor area. There are a number of [[lost soul]]s outside; you might want to destroy them so they do not get in your way later, but it is not necessary. Walk around the building until you find the [[cyberdemon]] -- or he finds you. Use the pillars for protection if you need to. He occasionally wanders into one of the four supply rooms adjoining the main building; lure him out if necessary. In addition to a [[rocket launcher]], these four rooms contain a total of 150 [[rockets]] and a pair of [[soul sphere]]s to replenish you. If you are playing the Playstation or Saturn version, use the rocket launcher on the cyberdemon so that you can use the supply rooms to replenish your ammo afterwards; you'll need plenty of it in the levels that follow. If playing the PC or Super Nintendo version, do not be afraid to waste ammo, because this is the last level of the episode anyway. In particular, if you have a [[plasma gun]] with [[energy cell]]s, do not hesitate to use it. Mastering [[circlestrafing]] will greatly increase your effectiveness. One additional trick that takes a little bit of setup is to open all the doors, have the cyberdemon go into one room, then race around to the room on the opposite side.  If you got over there quickly enough, he will stay in "his" room, unable to approach you. So long as you pay attention to when he shoots at you, you'll be able to dodge his shots, and shoot at him with relative impunity. Once the Cyberdemon is destroyed, the level will end.
+
You start the level in a small octagonal room. Pick up the [[combat armor]] here before you do anything else. There is a short pillar in the center of this room with a switch on each of it four sides. Pressing one causes the stairs in front of it to raise. Press all four switches. Walk up any of the four sets of stairs until the wall with the tortured [[Baron of Hell]] ahead of you opens, but '''do not''' walk through yet. Open the three remaining baron-walls in this manner as well -- this allows you to re-enter the starting area if you need to. Once they have all been opened, exit to the huge outdoor area. There are a number of [[lost soul]]s outside; you might want to destroy them so they do not get in your way later, but it is not necessary. Walk around the building until you find the [[Cyberdemon]] -- or he finds you. Use the pillars for protection if you need to. He occasionally wanders into one of the four supply rooms adjoining the main building; lure him out if necessary. In addition to a [[rocket launcher]], these four rooms contain a total of 150 [[rockets]] and a pair of [[soul sphere]]s to replenish you. If you are playing the Playstation or Saturn version, use the rocket launcher on the cyberdemon so that you can use the supply rooms to replenish your ammo afterwards; you'll need plenty of it in the levels that follow. If playing the PC or Super Nintendo version, do not be afraid to waste ammo, because this is the last level of the episode anyway. In particular, if you have a [[plasma gun]] with [[energy cell]]s, do not hesitate to use it. Mastering [[circlestrafing]] will greatly increase your effectiveness. One additional trick that takes a little bit of setup is to open all the doors, have the cyberdemon go into one room, then race around to the room on the opposite side. If you got over there quickly enough, he will stay in "his" room, unable to approach you. So long as you pay attention to when he shoots at you, you'll be able to dodge his shots, and shoot at him with relative impunity. Once the Cyberdemon is destroyed, the level will end.
   
 
===Secrets===
 
===Secrets===
 
There are no official secrets in this level.
 
There are no official secrets in this level.
  +
  +
==Video==
  +
<gallery widths="500" position="center" hideaddbutton="true" spacing="small" bordersize="medium" captionalign="center">
  +
File:Doom (1993) - E2M8 Tower of Babel 4K 60FPS
  +
</gallery>
   
 
==Areas / screenshots==
 
==Areas / screenshots==
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==Speedrunning==
 
==Speedrunning==
 
===Routes and tricks===
 
 
 
===Records===
 
===Records===
 
 
The [[Compet-N]] records for the map are:
 
The [[Compet-N]] records for the map are:
  +
{| class="WikiaTable"
{| {{prettytable}}
 
!Run||Time||Player||Date||File||Notes
+
!Run!!Time!!Player!!Date!!File!!Notes
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV speed]]|| || || || ||
+
|[[UV speed]]|| || || || ||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[NM speed]]||00:30||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2002-02-07||{{competnftp|doom/nmare/n2m8-030.zip|n2m8-030.zip}}||
+
|[[NM speed]]||00:30||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2002-02-07||{{competnftp|doom/nmare/n2m8-030.zip|n2m8-030.zip}}||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV max]]||00:31||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2000-10-25||{{competnftp|doom/max/e2m8-031.zip|e2m8-031.zip}}||
+
|[[UV max]]||00:31||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2000-10-25||{{competnftp|doom/max/e2m8-031.zip|e2m8-031.zip}}||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[NM100S]]|| || || || ||
+
|[[NM100S]]|| || || || ||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV -fast]]||00:31||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2000-10-27||{{competnftp|doom/fast/f2m8-031.zip|f2m8-031.zip}}||
+
|[[UV -fast]]||00:31||[[Laszlo Vecsei]]||2000-10-27||{{competnftp|doom/fast/f2m8-031.zip|f2m8-031.zip}}||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV -respawn]]||00:42||[[Thomas "GoDfAtHeR" Zajic]]||1996-10-20||{{competnftp|doom/respawn/r2m8-042.zip|r2m8-042.zip}}||
+
|[[UV -respawn]]||00:42||[[Thomas "GoDfAtHeR" Zajic]]||1996-10-20||{{competnftp|doom/respawn/r2m8-042.zip|r2m8-042.zip}}||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV Tyson]]||07:20||[[Casey Alvis]]||2011-04-30||http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7HhZfiVEg||
+
|[[UV Tyson]]||07:20||[[Casey Alvis]]||2011-04-30||http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7HhZfiVEg||
 
|-
 
|-
|[[UV pacifist]]|| || || || ||
+
|[[UV pacifist]]|| || || || ||
 
|}
 
|}
   
 
==Statistics==
 
==Statistics==
 
===Map data===
 
===Map data===
  +
{| class="WikiaTable"
{| {{prettytable}}
 
 
|[[Things]]||66
 
|[[Things]]||66
 
|-
 
|-
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===Things===
 
===Things===
  +
{| class="WikiaTable"
{| {{prettytable}}
 
!Monsters||[[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]||[[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]||[[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
+
!Monsters!![[I'm Too Young To Die|ITYTD]] and [[Hey, Not Too Rough|HNTR]]!![[Hurt Me Plenty|HMP]]!![[Ultra-Violence|UV]] and [[Nightmare!|NM]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]s||1||1||1
 
|[[Cyberdemon]]s||1||1||1
Line 70: Line 81:
 
|[[Lost Soul]]s||0||4||20
 
|[[Lost Soul]]s||0||4||20
 
|-
 
|-
!Powerups||ITYTD and HNTR||HMP||UV and NM
+
!Powerups!!ITYTD and HNTR!!HMP!!UV and NM
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Soul sphere]]s||2||2||2
 
|[[Soul sphere]]s||2||2||2
Line 76: Line 87:
 
|[[Blue armor]]s||1||1||1
 
|[[Blue armor]]s||1||1||1
 
|-
 
|-
!Weapons||ITYTD and HNTR||HMP||UV and NM
+
!Weapons!!ITYTD and HNTR!!HMP!!UV and NM
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Rocket launcher]]s||1||1||1
 
|[[Rocket launcher]]s||1||1||1
 
|-
 
|-
!Ammunition||ITYTD and HNTR||HMP||UV and NM
+
!Ammunition!!ITYTD and HNTR!!HMP!!UV and NM
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[[Box of rockets|Rocket boxes]]||30||30||30
 
|[[Box of rockets|Rocket boxes]]||30||30||30
Line 91: Line 102:
 
*This is the first level in ''Doom'' to ''not'' include any [[Imp]]s; while [[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8]] technically includes Imps, they are only behind the teleporter that strips you of your weapons.
 
*This is the first level in ''Doom'' to ''not'' include any [[Imp]]s; while [[E1M8: Phobos Anomaly (Doom)|E1M8]] technically includes Imps, they are only behind the teleporter that strips you of your weapons.
 
**This is also the only level in the episode to not have a [[plasma gun]] available.
 
**This is also the only level in the episode to not have a [[plasma gun]] available.
*In the PlayStation/Saturn port of ''Doom'', this is at the end of the [[Inferno]] stages, taking place chronologically after [[E3M7: Limbo]]. Several [[Mancubi]] also populate the main courtyard where the player does battle with the Cyberdemon. This version also has a physical exit switch that can be accessed by killing the Cyberdemon.
+
*In the PlayStation/Saturn port of ''Doom'', this is at the end of the [[Inferno]] stages, taking place chronologically after [[E3M7: Limbo]]. Several [[Mancubi]] also populate the main courtyard where the player does battle with the Cyberdemon.
  +
**Much like Phobo Anomaly, killing the Cyberdemon opens up a room, at the bottom of the map, containing the teleport to the next level.
 
*The reason why the music track for this level is titled "Nobody Told Me About Id" is because the Doom manual warns in the bestiary section (which covers all enemies from the Former Human to the Baron of Hell), "Some of the monsters you'll face aren't shown here. Don't say we didn't warn you." The Cyberdemon, which makes its first appearance as the Shores of Hell episode boss, is the first enemy NOT mentioned in the bestiary that the player meets.
 
*The reason why the music track for this level is titled "Nobody Told Me About Id" is because the Doom manual warns in the bestiary section (which covers all enemies from the Former Human to the Baron of Hell), "Some of the monsters you'll face aren't shown here. Don't say we didn't warn you." The Cyberdemon, which makes its first appearance as the Shores of Hell episode boss, is the first enemy NOT mentioned in the bestiary that the player meets.
   
Line 100: Line 112:
 
[[Category:Levels by name|Tower of Babel (Doom)]]
 
[[Category:Levels by name|Tower of Babel (Doom)]]
 
[[Category:Sandy Petersen levels]]
 
[[Category:Sandy Petersen levels]]
  +
[[Category:Doom levels]]

Revision as of 20:11, 29 January 2020

This level occupies the map slot E2M8. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E2M8.
This level occupies the map slot MAP23. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:MAP23.
This level occupies the map slot E2M5. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E2M5.


E2M8: Tower of Babel (MAP23 in PSX/Saturn, E2M5 in SNES) is the final map of The Shores of Hell in Doom. It features a boss battle with the Cyberdemon. The level is named after a Biblical story in which a united human race attempts to build a tower to Heaven. As punishment, God causes humans to suddenly all speak different languages, rendering them unable to understand one another, and then scatters them around the world. It was designed by Sandy Petersen and it uses the music track "Nobody Told Me About Id".

This map is not to be confused with MAP16: Hell Gate, which is titled "Tower of Babel" in the Jaguar, 3DO, and Game Boy Advance versions of Doom.

E2M8 map

Map of E2M8


Walkthrough

You start the level in a small octagonal room. Pick up the combat armor here before you do anything else. There is a short pillar in the center of this room with a switch on each of it four sides. Pressing one causes the stairs in front of it to raise. Press all four switches. Walk up any of the four sets of stairs until the wall with the tortured Baron of Hell ahead of you opens, but do not walk through yet. Open the three remaining baron-walls in this manner as well -- this allows you to re-enter the starting area if you need to. Once they have all been opened, exit to the huge outdoor area. There are a number of lost souls outside; you might want to destroy them so they do not get in your way later, but it is not necessary. Walk around the building until you find the Cyberdemon -- or he finds you. Use the pillars for protection if you need to. He occasionally wanders into one of the four supply rooms adjoining the main building; lure him out if necessary. In addition to a rocket launcher, these four rooms contain a total of 150 rockets and a pair of soul spheres to replenish you. If you are playing the Playstation or Saturn version, use the rocket launcher on the cyberdemon so that you can use the supply rooms to replenish your ammo afterwards; you'll need plenty of it in the levels that follow. If playing the PC or Super Nintendo version, do not be afraid to waste ammo, because this is the last level of the episode anyway. In particular, if you have a plasma gun with energy cells, do not hesitate to use it. Mastering circlestrafing will greatly increase your effectiveness. One additional trick that takes a little bit of setup is to open all the doors, have the cyberdemon go into one room, then race around to the room on the opposite side. If you got over there quickly enough, he will stay in "his" room, unable to approach you. So long as you pay attention to when he shoots at you, you'll be able to dodge his shots, and shoot at him with relative impunity. Once the Cyberdemon is destroyed, the level will end.

Secrets

There are no official secrets in this level.

Video

Areas / screenshots

Speedrunning

Records

The Compet-N records for the map are:

Run Time Player Date File Notes
UV speed
NM speed 00:30 Laszlo Vecsei 2002-02-07 Template:Competnftp
UV max 00:31 Laszlo Vecsei 2000-10-25 Template:Competnftp
NM100S
UV -fast 00:31 Laszlo Vecsei 2000-10-27 Template:Competnftp
UV -respawn 00:42 Thomas "GoDfAtHeR" Zajic 1996-10-20 Template:Competnftp
UV Tyson 07:20 Casey Alvis 2011-04-30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7HhZfiVEg
UV pacifist

Statistics

Map data

Things 66
Vertices 186
Linedefs 218
Sidedefs 278
Sectors 27

Things

Monsters ITYTD and HNTR HMP UV and NM
Cyberdemons 1 1 1
Lost Souls 0 4 20
Powerups ITYTD and HNTR HMP UV and NM
Soul spheres 2 2 2
Blue armors 1 1 1
Weapons ITYTD and HNTR HMP UV and NM
Rocket launchers 1 1 1
Ammunition ITYTD and HNTR HMP UV and NM
Rocket boxes 30 30 30

Trivia

  • On the Episode 2 intermission screen, the tower can be seen being built as the player progresses through the episode.
  • The "Tower of Babel" is an ironic Biblical reference (Genesis 11:1-9), told in the Bible as a physical pathway to Heaven. In Doom, the level is the pathway to Hell, as explained in Episode 2's ending text. See Wikipedia:Tower of Babel.
  • This is the first level in Doom to not include any Imps; while E1M8 technically includes Imps, they are only behind the teleporter that strips you of your weapons.
    • This is also the only level in the episode to not have a plasma gun available.
  • In the PlayStation/Saturn port of Doom, this is at the end of the Inferno stages, taking place chronologically after E3M7: Limbo. Several Mancubi also populate the main courtyard where the player does battle with the Cyberdemon.
    • Much like Phobo Anomaly, killing the Cyberdemon opens up a room, at the bottom of the map, containing the teleport to the next level.
  • The reason why the music track for this level is titled "Nobody Told Me About Id" is because the Doom manual warns in the bestiary section (which covers all enemies from the Former Human to the Baron of Hell), "Some of the monsters you'll face aren't shown here. Don't say we didn't warn you." The Cyberdemon, which makes its first appearance as the Shores of Hell episode boss, is the first enemy NOT mentioned in the bestiary that the player meets.

External links