Template:The Shores of Hell
- This level occupies the map slot E2M8. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E2M8.
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 tower to the heavens that God destroyed in the Bible. 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.
Strategy
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. Once the cyberdemon dies, the level, and episode both end.
Secrets
There are no official secrets in this level.
Areas / screenshots
Speedrunning
Routes and tricks
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 | 28:10 | Xit Vono | 2002-03-23 | Template:Competnftp | |
| UV pacifist |
Statistics
Map data
| Things | 66 |
| Vertices | 216 |
| 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 the Heavens. In Doom, the level is the pathway to Hell, as explained in Episode 2's ending text. See Wikipedia:Tower of Babel.
- The background music for this level sounds distinctly Italian. Possibly a reference to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
- This is the first level in Doom to not include any imps; while E1M8 includes imps, they are only behind the teleporter.
- 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.
