Is Doom Eternal an RPG?

In one word: no. As a hardcore FPS fanatic and veteran gamer since the 90‘s shareware days, I can definitively say Doom Eternal is not a true RPG. While it brilliantly integrates some RPG elements into its gameplay formula, it stays 100% faithful to its pedigree – blistering action above all else.

DOOM Eternal‘s Upgrade System Provides Light RPG Progression

Doom Eternal features a surprisingly robust upgrade system that adds a hint of RPG spice to its tried-and-true FPS recipe. By gathering upgrade points from conquering battle encounters, you can upgrade the Doom Slayer‘s abilities across three categories:

• Suit Upgrades – Boost core stats like health, armor and ammo capacity. Reminiscent of leveling vitals in an RPG.
• Weapon Upgrades – Specialize in your demon-slaying gear of choice through mods and mastery perks. Similar to leveling weapon skills in an RPG.
• Support Runes – Equip runes for passive bonuses or active abilities. Functions like swapping gear for builds in an RPG.

By channeling upgrade points into this trifecta over time, your space marine slayer graduates from a fledgling cadet into an unstoppable demon-pulverizing machine. The progression gives a sense of growth and advancement found in the best RPG franchises.

However, this is still Doom at its core – not a stat-obsessed min-maxing RPG. Your marine‘s badassery comes from mastering weapons and movement, not incremental +1% crit chance bonuses. The focus stays on laying waste to hell‘s armies through pure skill.

Strategic Resource Management Evokes RPG-Style Thinking

Another way Doom Eternal pulls from the RPG playbook is through resource management. As health, armor, ammo and gear supplies dwindle while blasting through gore-soaked arenas, you need to strategically chainsaw, flame and glory kill lesser enemies to replenish your stocks.

Keeping the Doom Slayer primed for battle with enough gas in the tank demands some tactical thinking typically reserved for party-based RPGs. Do I spend plasma ammo to burst down that Pain Elemental first? Or chaingun down the horde of zombies to farm armor shards?

Unlike pure run-and-gun shooters, you have to smartly manage cooldown abilities, available ammunition, health thresholds and mob priorities to survive Doom‘s relentless onslaughts. There‘s a bit of RPG-esque strategy under the hood!

Rune Loadouts Facilitate Build Diversity

Doom Eternal‘s rune system grants some legitimate build diversity to accommodate different playstyles – another staple of RPGs with customizable classes and skill trees. By socketing up to three runes, you can tilt your Slayer loadout towards:

• Mobility – Emphasize dodging and platforming to dance around enemies
• Survivability – Focus on sustain talents to bulldoze through punishment
• Firepower – Double down on output via cooldown reductions, AoE, etc

Among pro players and streamers, I see favorites emerge aligned to strengths:

|| Player | Preferred Build |
| ————- |:————-:|————-:|
| Markiplier | Air Control + Saving Throw + Heat Blast |
| Shroud | Seek and Destroy + Chrono Strike + Equipment Fiend |
| Distortion2 | Air Control + Dazed and Confused + Equipment Fiend |

While not as elaborate as picking classes and hyper-optimizing gear, Doom gives players agency to customize their badass demon killer some. That dips a toe into the kind of experimentation and theorycrafting RPG fans know and love.

It‘s Still Doom At Its Core…Just Augmented

As both a lifelong FPS junkie and tabletop RPG nerd, I ultimately view Doom Eternal as an FPS through-and-through rather than "Action RPG". At no point did customizing rune "builds" overtake the sheer visceral thrill of wielding the super shotgun.

The Slayer himself has no conversation trees, no moral choices dictating story outcomes, no alternate shapeshifting forms or spells to micromanage. Just a beefy marine and his thirst for ripping demons in half!

Perhaps future sequels will lean harder into the RPG spectrum with branching questlines or weapon modification depth. But for Doom Eternal, id Software brilliantly sprinkled just enough depth onto their time-tested killer FPS formula without losing sight of Doom‘s identity.

Just the right blend to entice both RPG lovers like myself while keeping OG fans frothing at the mouth. Now if you‘ll excuse me, more demons await my chain gun‘s sweet kiss!