All armor upgrade leaders locations in Doom: The Dark Ages

As a super soldier ready to face all kinds of demons, upgrading your armor is crucial if you want to win the war in Doom: The Dark Ages.

The upgrade system in Doom: The Dark Ages allows you to not only make your weapons and shield stronger. They can make you an invincible soldier—only if you obtain all the Demonic Essence from special enemies called “leaders.” You can find leaders that’ll increase capacity for your ammo, health, and armor.

But it’s all too easy to get lost in hell looking for Demonic Essence. In this Doom: The Dark Ages guide, we’ll cover how to upgrade your armor and show you where to find all armor upgrade leaders in the game.

How to upgrade armor in Doom: The Dark Ages 

Armor in Doom: The Dark Ages works as a barrier, preventing your health from depleting when attacked. When all your armor bar is depleted, all damage will deplete your health bar. By having a larger pool of armor points, you can take more direct damage without worrying too much about losing health.

If you want to upgrade your armor, you need to collect the Demonic Essence from specific leaders. You can identify them based on a symbol above their heads. The leaders who give you the armor upgrade have a green shield symbol over their heads.

You can claim a leader’s Demonic Essence by defeating them in combat. Most encounters against leaders involve not only fighting a powerful foe but having to deal with their demonic companions who populate the arena. 

Here’s a list of all the locations of armor upgrade leaders in Doom: The Dark Ages, followed by maps and a general explanation of how to defeat them.

Sentinel Barracks (Chapter 4)

The first leader who gives you an armor upgrade is found in Chapter 4 “Sentinel Barracks.” You’re led by the main mission to the red zone marked with a crowned skull icon.

The leader is an armored Mancubus. This is a stronger version of the regular Mancubus and they have unique attacks. Prioritize using the Accelerator weapon to break their armor.

This demon has unique attacks that you can parry. Wait for them to release a barrier with three fire points. One is always green, so position yourself and use your shield. Hitting the leader with their own attack helps to break their armor faster.

Siege – Part 1 (Chapter 6)

Destroying the Gore Portals in Chapter 6 “Siege – Parte 1” is a long mission, but it will inevitably lead you to the arena where the armor upgrade leader is. You can see the area by looking, from the initial gate to the right side of the map. 

This is the first encounter with a leader who has a morale bar. This system gives leaders a shield that is only disabled after you have defeated a certain number of demons present in the area to deplete their morale bar. 

Focus on the big ones — like the Mancubus who’s on a platform — to reduce larger chunks of the morale bar. Once the bar is down, it’s time to face the armor leader of this chapter, a Pinky Rider. 

This boss wears armor, so you can follow the same strategy used against the previous leader. Parrying their Hell Surge arrows and shooting from afar is the best way to kill them and make sure you don’t die. 

Abyssal Forest (Chapter 8)

Your journey as the Doom Slayer takes you to the Abyssal Forest in Chapter 8, trying to find the path to the Forge. In this chapter, you find another leader from whom you must claim an Armor Demonic Essence.

You can’t miss this leader since they are in a large area you must pass through during the main mission. 

In this chapter, you need to follow another Pinky Rider leader, but this time they don’t have a morale bar. The process of defeating them is faster but not necessarily easier. Be careful with the other demons who are helping them and get yourself another Armor upgrade.

The Forsaken Plains (Chapter 10)

Chapter 10 “The Forsaken Plains” takes you to the remains of a battlefield where the body of an Atlan rests and one of the dangers you must face in this new area is an Armor upgrade leader.

You can find the leader by following the quest mark to the right side of the map. It will be pointing to one of the Hell Cannons that you need to destroy. In front of it, there is a red zone with a crowned skull icon. 

The leader of chapter 10 is an armored Mancubus, an already familiar foe. However, this time they have a morale bar, elevating the difficulty of the encounter. Alongside the Mancubus, you will find armored Hell Knights, who can turn your life into hell.

Hellbreaker (Chapter 11)

After making your way through the infernal lands using the Atlan, it’s time to enter the castle and find Ahzrak in Chapter 11 “Hellbreaker.”

As you enter the actual building while progressing the main mission, you reach the arena where some demons like Whiplashes and Revenants will be waiting for you.

The leader of this chapter, an Agaddon Hunter, appears after you have defeated some of these initial enemies. Agaddon Hunters are strong enemies and they can become invulnerable when enveloped by a barrier. 

They do perform, however, slash attacks that you can parry. Try to bait them and prepare your shield. Consider using your strongest close-range weapon for this fight.

From Beyond (Chapter 13)

You have a vast arsenal of weapons, a cyberdragon, and all the courage you could muster to face the giant tentacles from another world in Chapter 13 “From Beyond.” Use all you have to reach the final arena in the chapter and find another Armor upgrade leader.

The fight occurs in front of the final Demonic Portal and it is against a Revenant leader. They have a morale bar which you can quickly deplete by defeating the Imp Stalkers and Whiplashes in the area.

Even after the leader’s shield is down, a Vagary demon will appear. You should focus on defeating them before going after the leader since their attacks cover the arena.

As regular Revenant demons, the leader will shoot skulls of energy at you. Try to parry all green skulls to trigger your Shield Rune. When they freeze, parry the double projectiles. This will make the Revenant stop being invulnerable faster.

City of Ry’uul (Chapter 15)

Although the location of the leader in Chapter 15 “City of Ry’uul” is easily reached during the main mission, triggering the encounter involves finding a secret place.

Once you’re on the platform with a crowned red skull icon, use the green gate to reach the next platform. A Mancubus will appear to your right. Kill them and climb the wall. Cross to the other side of the new area, get close to the edge and drop to the lower level of this platform.

Use the newly formed green portal to cross the area and get to a platform with a tree. Destroy it with your shield to trigger the encounter with the leader.

You will be fighting an armored Hell Knight. The challenge is to survive against the other demons that appear on the platform. From Revenant to a Cosmic Baron, you need to beat them all before the leader spawns. 

The Kar’Thul Marshes (Chapter 16)

You’re getting close to the end of the game but there are still some leaders to defeat. You find one of them in Chapter 16 “The Kar’Thul Marshes.”

The main mission in this chapter is to gather the Relic Fragments and as you get to one of them on the left side of the map, you can find the arena where you meet another Agaddon Hunter leader.

They have a morale bar and the enemies in the area are tough ones. There is a Cacodemon Hybrid and an Acolyte attacking you alongside the leader. Go after the former first since they are easy to hit, then look for the latter.

To defeat the leader, you can follow the same strategy we used in the previous encounter with one of these demons. Parry their attacks and hold your shots when they have the barrier around them.

Belly of the Beast (Chapter 18)

In Chapter 18 “Belly of the Beast,” you’re exploring the inside of a huge creature and looking for its weak spots. In the area where you find the first of these, you also find this chapter’s leader. 

Before the fight can begin and the leader is summoned, you need to defeat some waves of enemies composed of Mancubus, Shield Soldiers, and a Cosmic Baron. 

The leader is an Acolyte, one of the most annoying demons in Doom: The Dark Ages. They aren’t necessarily stronger than a Cyberdemon or an Agaddon Hunter, but they have a shield and warp to another location if you get too close.

Use a gun like the Impaler to damage them from afar and, if you can get close enough, use one of your shotguns or even the Rocket Launcher to hit them hard. 

Resurrection (Chapter 20)

The mission to destroy all the Siege Towers in Chapter 20 “Resurrection” forces you to explore most of the areas in this chapter. You end up finding the last Armor upgrade leader in front of the tower on the right side of the map.

You will need to defeat another Acolyte leader and they get some help from all the other bad boys you have already faced. There is a Mancubus, a Cosmic Baron, a Cacodemon Hybrid, a Revenant, and more.

Although the leader doesn’t have a morale bar, you want to clear the area and be done with the secondary targets before you have to go play tag with the Acolyte. But by killing them you complete all the armor upgrades in the game.