Speedrun Record, Deemed Impossible to Beat, of PC Gaming Groundbreaking Title Doom Broken After 26 Years

In the first-person shooter (FPS) game Doom, a speedrun that was thought to be unbeatable has been beaten after being set over a quarter of a century ago.

Doom speedruns are similar to virtual extreme sports in that they’re almost impossible feats of gaming skill that call for intense coding and programming expertise, quick reflexes, and boundless patience. Over the course of its more than 30-year existence, id Software’s seminal first-person shooter has served as a platform for some of the biggest moments in videogame history. Doom, which was published in December 1993, revolutionized nearly every element of personal computer (PC) gaming, including play styles, authorship concepts, graphics, and public criticism of game material. It was among the first-ever video games to have a competitive tournament in its honor—the Deathmatch ‘95 tournament, sponsored by Microsoft. Of course, that was far from today’s format of eSports and even further from the whole eSports buzz, which includes streaming and eSports betting sites.

On the other hand, speedruns are telescopic; as a game gets older, it gets more optimized, and records aren’t broken as frequently. With a 26-year history, the world’s oldest Doom record seems insurmountable. Nevertheless, one daring player has established a new record more than a quarter of a century later.

Record for First Level of Doom II, “Entryway”, Was Set in 1998

A gamer by the name of Thomas “Panter” Pilger broke the record on Doom II’s “Entryway” level in 1998. In barely five seconds, the German speedrunner, who between 1997 and 1999 submitted over 240 demos to websites collecting speedruns for Doom, completed the level from start to finish. It was generally accepted that five seconds was the fastest you could possibly finish Entryway, given how brief the level is and how little potential there is for progress. Speedrun specialist stress the Entryway record as one of the most significant moments in Doom II’s history, which succeeded the first installment of the franchise.

Pilger held the record for 26 years straight. As you begin, the plan is to fire one bullet, which should cause the monsters in the second corridor to move to the right and allow you to sprint right by them. One Imp stands in your way when you go to the exit door after that. To move past it, you’ll need to get lucky and hope that it moves just enough. The five-second record appeared unbeatable with so little variation and cunning needed.

Record-Breaking Finisher of First Game’s First Level Makes Doom History

Well, unbeatable up until this point. The gaming history was made by Doom player Aleksey “4shockblast” Kamenev, who also owns the record for finishing the first Doom game’s first level, Hangar, in eight seconds. In short, a 26-year record was broken when a Ukrainian-American speedrunner and mapper finished Entryway in four seconds.

Though it might not seem like much, what you’re reading is the result of over 20 years of investigation, testing, refinement, and optimization. The earliest Doom record ever found has just been beaten. It’s an enormous accomplishment for 4shockblast. Can a three-second Entryway be achieved now? Not likely. But hey, that was the prevailing opinion back in 1998 wasn’t it?…