DOOM Eternal’s man-cave has some of the best Easter eggs in the game (2024)

Between a journey to hell wherein you get to fight back against a horde of demons summoned by mankind’s capitalistic need to make a few quick bucks at the expense of damning the entire species to literal oblivion, what else is there to do in DOOM Eternal? Id Software new that its players would need to take a break between white-knuckle demonic devastation from time to time, a thought that eventually wound up creating the ultimate base from which the Doom Slayer wages his eternal war.

A spectacular floating fortress of of pain, an arsenal of wagons waiting to be unlocked and a home away from home, the Fortress of Doom may just be the ultimate headquarters ever conceived of in a video game. There’s plenty to do inside of it! From spending Sentinel batteries in the vaults that unlock new armour to grabbing a pair of well-hidden cheat codes, the Fortress of Doom even has a prison filled with captured demons that you can test out your new toys on.

It’s also home to the ultimate man-cave, a term I absolutely despise using but one that feels adequate given the design of this particular lair. Doom Guy’s personal sanctuary within the floating middle finger to heaven and hell is a perfect reflection of a character who is more than just death incarnate for the forces of hell. It’s a getaway filled with all manner of Easter eggs, pinched from across the Doom cosmos and multiverse. Here’s a breakdown of them with which to jog your memory:

Doom Guy’s book collection:

Where do we even begin here? There’s so much cheekiness in every digital book across two shelves that reference not only the Doom games, but more from Bethesda and beyond. Here’s the list of what I’ve found so far:

• Atlas Ripped and Teared – Stick that takedown in your pipe and smoke it, Ayn Rand
• The Picture of Dorian Slay – Oscar Wilde’s cult classic novel gets a Doom makeover
• Green eggs and Pentagram – Dr Seuss did not see this coming
• The Caco in the Rye – I appreciate the pun but let me just reiterate that Holden Caulfield and his endless whinging can go get stuffed. Also, please don’t kill space-John Lennon because of this
• 1984 Dead Demons – Big Brother is watching you…through a sniper scope
• To kill a Mockingdemon – More classic literary nonsense and I love it
• The Great Gutsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald must be rolling in his grave now
• Demon Farm – There’s a two legs better saying somewhere in this joke
• Fifty Shades of Slay – Listen, I do NOT want to see that red room
• The Count of Kadingr Cristo – I’d pay for James Marsden to be in this tale of revenge

There’s a lot more on the first shelf, so have fun chortling at that. On shelf two, is where the real magic starts. The biggest book on the shelf is Clifton M. Fischbach’s How To Comb Your Mustache, which isn’t a joke. It’s actually a touching tribute to YouTuber Markplier’s father, who sadly passed away in 2008.

Beyond that tug of the heart strings, there’s also:

• Vault Dweller’s Survival Guide – Clearly a reference to the Fallout games, and not the first time that Doom has made this reference
• 2 Prey or not 2 Prey – I’m personally hoping this is confirmation that Prey 2 is in development
• Cooking from Hell’s Kitchen: Thy Flesh Consumed – Doom’s classic level gets a nod
• Tei Tenga Offworld Travel – System Shock! The classic game also makes the reference list with a poke that would make SHODAN proud

Point above is a goof on my part, but I’m leaving the idiocy there for prosperity. Tei Tenga is ACTUALLY:

Tei Tengais a fictional moon or planet whereDoomwas originally supposed to take place during its first and third episodes, according toTom Hall’s preliminary design documentfor the game.

• From Nopefish to Dopefish: A Dope Tale – Ha! Id’s secret mascot Dopefish can be found in DOOM Eternal, but this is a nice reminder nonetheless of the coolest fish in the sea
• RET-CONNED: The life and times of Flyn Taggart – If you saw my earlier list, you’d have noticed that Flynn Taggart is the name that Doom Guy was given in the series of novels that came out in the 90s
• The Strogg: A transdimensional study – I’ve genuinely forgotten that Quake exists. Maybe it’s time for a return?
• Why I’m so great Pt. II by Dorke Norkem – This one’s an obvious riff at Duke Nukem and that moment in Duke Nukem Forever where he autographs a book espousing his greatness
• Mesa Science Monthly: Predicting Unforeseen Consequences – A nice shoutout to Half-Life, which also released a game of its own this month

And more! I’ll leave it to you guys to have fun with the other books. Moving on, can we all appreciate for a moment how absolutely sick Doom Guy’s gaming setup is? A chair fit for a king and a rig that can probably play Crysis at max settings provided the resolution is set to 720p. On his desk are a few more goodies to take notice of. There’s the soul cube from Doom 3 just lying there:

And an old school PC, which you can play both of the original Doom games through. Yes that’s right, you can play Doom in Doom. The first game is unlocked once you’ve beaten DOOM Eternal, whereas Doom II requires a password. Which happens to be FlynnTaggart. There you go, saved you some time. Moving on, there’s one more Easter egg I wanted to point out. A portrait of Doom Guy, with his beloved rabbit Daisy.

Daisy actually harkens back to the original game, and is the very reason why Doom Guy goes to hell in Thy Flesh Consumed. Killed by demons, Doom Guy ventured into hell itself to avenge his fallen pet, her horrific death being the fuel behind the slayer’s undying rage. Daisy is alive and well (SOMEHOW!) in DOOM Eternal and can actually be spotted throughout the Fortress of Doom. Kind of nice.

Bonus fact! The portrait of the Slayer and Daisy was done by Ian “Xous” Nielsen after the release of DOOM, with the finished product being so well received by id Software that they placed it inside of DOOM Eternal:

Kind of touching, isn’t it? And yet another list of reasons as to why I love this game so much.

Last Updated: March 26, 2020