The Slayer Has Been Activated. Doom: The Dark Ages Trailer Is Pure Metal Mayhem

You know that moment in a movie when humanity is about to get wiped out, and someone goes, "We have one last option..." and then they unleash a literal force of nature? Yeah, that's the new Doom: The Dark Ages trailer in a nutshell.

Bethesda just surprise-dropped a brand-new "Pre-Order Now" trailer over the weekend and holy hellfire, it slaps. The first half? Straight-up Lord of the Rings meets Hellraiser vibes. A hell-priest-looking villain descends upon a divided humanity with a Warhammer-style demon skyship and an army of nightmares. It's all doom and gloom (emphasis on Doom), until someone utters the line that gave me goosebumps:

"The Slayer has been activated."

Cut to: metal music, chaos, and our favorite barely-contained rage machine going full nuclear on the forces of hell. But this time, he's not just wielding guns — we're talking flails, tossable shields, BFG-style crossbows, mechs, dragons, and possibly cybernetic Cthulhu? I don't even know what's going on anymore, but I love it.

Some gameplay insights: the combat now leans heavily into parries and melee brutality. You'll still get to perform glory kills, but apparently they've been toned down for regular enemies and saved for the big baddies. Is that a downgrade? Maybe. But considering we're also getting Doomguy riding a dragon like a medieval death knight, I'm willing to let it slide.

Doom: The Dark Ages drops May 15, and I've already cleared my schedule, dimmed the lights, and warned the neighbors. This is going to be metal as hell.

Watch the trailer below and prepare your soul.