10 More Brutally Difficult First-Person Shooter Levels In Video Game History

DOOM 2016 proved a surprising hit, being accessible to newcomers while retaining all of the franchise’s hyper-violent, unforgiving gameplay. Eternal, on the other hand, kicks everyone in the teeth, creating an experience so frenetic, and so uncompromising, that even FPS veterans were left sweating.

Cultist Base is its sternest test. It is a close-quarters map that introduces two of the game’s deadliest close-quarters enemies, pitting them against players in a series of ferocious encounters set in vindictively claustrophobic arenas perfectly suited to their unique brand of murder.

But its real challenge comes in the form of an arena fans have christened the ‘The Pit.’ It is a tiny, square room with zero cover and walls and floors that set the player on fire. Into this hellscape is dropped a lethal cocktail of fodder and heavy-hitter enemies that culminate in a brawl against two close-combat specialist Mancubi. The result is the proverbial knife-fight in a phone booth, and yours is not the biggest knife.

The pit is so intensely unforgiving that even experienced players struggle with it, and in a game where the demands on player-skill are already sky high, that’s saying something.