Unmaker (Doom 64)

The Unmaker, or Laser is a weapon from the Doom Bible which was originally intended to be in Doom, but was subsequently removed. However, it later appeared in Doom 64.

Information

The Unmaker makes its first official apperance (As well as its only appearance prior to the release of Doom Eternal) in Doom 64. It also supersedes the BFG9000 as the final weapon in the game. Before the weapons in Doom (2016), it is also the only weapon in the Doom series to receive upgrades (the Pistol to Chaingun and Shotgun to Super Shotgun do not count, as they take their own weapon slots, unlike the Unmaker's different power variations).

Like the BFG and the Plasma Gun, it uses cells as ammo.

The Unmaker is extremely rare as it can only be found in a few levels, the first one being MAP29: Outpost Omega (a secret level). The first regular level where it can be found is MAP12: Altar Of Pain. It shoots a powerful red laser that pierces through enemies, and it can be upgraded when the player finds the Demon Keys:

• Having no demon keys will cause the laser weapon to shoot moderately slow.
• The first one increases the laser speed, making it a rapid-firing weapon.
• The second key adds a second laser, slightly spreaded.
• The third one makes the weapon fire three simultaneous lasers, greatly spreaded for coverage.

The name Unmaker is never used in game or in the manual. When collected, the message says: "What the !@#%* is this!" The sprite for the weapon is also called LASR and the pickup sprite is called LSGR. The mobj name for the item is "Laser Weapon". In the Nintendo Official Magazine review and 64 Extreme review it is called a "Laser Rife".^[1][2] In another 64 Extreme review it is called "Alien Laser"^[3] In a 64 Magazine review it is called "Superlaser"^[4] In a preview in Computer and Video Games it is called a "Laser Gun".^[5] In a walkthrough in Nintendo Magazine it is called a "Demon Laser".^[6] It is called "Unmaker" in the achievements for Doom 64 (2020) port. A related deed includes "Unholy Firepower", which requirement is to find the "Unmaker".

The damage varies a lot per shot based on the following:

• The number of keys you have.
• Simultaneous shots (2nd and 3rd keys) do not technically mean x2 and x3 on damage. The power is reduced when the 2nd or 3rd simultaneous laser is shot.
• Varies upon enemy and luck. The laser shot may be powerful enough to kill a demon in 1 shot. Sometimes, it may not kill a zombieman in 1 shot.

Tactical analysis

When first retrieving the Unmaker and without any keys, do not expect to use it on a crowd of strong, powerful enemies at first due to its highly randomized damage. It is better used dealing with smaller number of enemies and weaker enemies. While the Plasma Gun fires rapidly, the Unmaker does some advantages over the Plasma Gun:

• More overall damage per shot, about 2x more damage per shot.
• Thin shots, meaning, it can go through small gaps the Plasma Gun cannot. For example in No Escape, you can use it to kill the Cyberdemons within the small gap while their rockets cannot hurt you. This can be a disadvantage however, as great accuracy will be required to successfully hit smaller monsters.
• Smaller on-screen shots, meaning you will be less blinded, unlike the bigger blue ball shots from the Plasma Rifle.
• Faster shots. While not as instant as the shotgun or chaingun, it is far faster than the Plasma shots.

Once you get at least 1 Demon Key, the Unmaker can instantly replace the Plasma Gun throughout the entire campaign due to the added rapid-fire. At this point, the Unmaker with 1 or 2 Demon Keys has some advantages over the BFG9000:

• More versatile in most scenarios. The BFG9000 is limited in combatting against a good amount of enemies or bosses; wasting 40 shots for smaller grunts is wasteful. The Unmaker can go either way, thanks to its spreadfire function.
• The Damage per shot is often in the Unmaker's favor most of the time. While the BFG can potentially kill the Cyberdemon in 2 shots point blank, the Unmaker, with 100% accuracy, can kill the Cyberdemon in about 81 shots without need to go close.
• Speed and risk. You have to be dead-on with the very slow BFG shots; otherwise, you can be a sitting duck. The Unmaker has no recoil openings.
• Significantly less cell ammo is used.

Once you have 3 of the Demon Keys, it is likely to replace the BFG9000 due to its versatility and three lasers' capability to spread hit targets independentally, coupled with the high rate of fire, makes it faster and more efficient to clear rooms compared to the BFG9000s' brief tracer attack. Just pay atention to the ammo since each fire uses 3 cells per tick and Energy Cells are scarce.

Data

References

1. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-492-40.jpg
2. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-820-13.jpg
3. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-824-57.jpg
4. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-807-57.jpg
5. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1465-95.jpg
6. ↑ http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-753-54.jpg