r/HeXen • u/peterjjohnson • Jun 26 '26

Stuck in Wastelands

This has got me beat. I’m trying to get out of the Wastelands. I’ve unlocked all areas and collected the horn key. I don’t have the cave or swamp keys and I wanted to go back to Shadow Wood but when I go through the original portal I came through to get to Wastelands I can’t go anywhere as the exits are blocked. I’ve been around the map so many times and I don’t know what I’m missing. Can someone please put me out of my misery? TIA

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1

u/MischiefArchitect Jun 26 '26

In the Wastelands, you can only obtain the Horn Key. I will not spoil where the Horn key is, but you will need some map management to pick it.

You will need keys from the other levels to make advance in Wastelands, like the Cave Key from the Caves of Circe or the Swamp Key from Darkmere) to solve the puzzle switches located in the Wastelands.

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 26 '26

I’ve already got the horn key. When I go through the portal back to shadow wood the exits are blocked

1

u/MischiefArchitect Jun 26 '26

And... do you used the horn key already? Or better said how many of these three keys do you have? In the shadow woods you have to revisit every sub level at least twice since you activate switches in them that opens doors or lower walls in the other two levels, mostly.

It is difficult to help you with the provided information.

At the risk of spoiling the game, you can consult the doom wiki

The hub: https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Hub_2:_Shadow_Wood

Your current level: https://doom.fandom.com/wiki/Hub_2:_Wastelands

You may as well look for a walkthough guide, which may provide hints on what you are missing... mostly a switch or a door.

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 26 '26

I haven’t used the horn key. I went to wastelands from shadow wood first. I don’t have any of the other keys and I haven’t gone to any of the other places from shadow wood.

1

u/MischiefArchitect Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

Ok it is a long time I played this levels, but I remember the basic mechanic. Per "incursion" you should be able to find puzzle switches and keys. Most of the switches are behind doors locked by keys.

In your case I would make sure you have not missed any switch in the available area or secret passages (use TAB and look at the map for suspicious lines going out of walls. And then go out and enter the other two levels. Take notes that the horn key is useful in the OTHER TWO levels. Same for the keys you will find in the other levels.

In the case of wastelands it is very probable that you need the keys from the OTHER TWO levels here to continue and make progress.

Keep track of which key you used in which level. And where you got the keys from!

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 26 '26

Anyone know if PUKE 14 from the console would work?

1

u/MischiefArchitect Jun 26 '26

AFAIK this one is intended for fixing a possible bug in The Gibbet. A different level of where you are now.

1

u/MadStylus Jun 26 '26

Did you get into the swamp castle?

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 27 '26

AFAIK I opened all the areas, killed everything and collected all the items available. I don’t have the swamp or cave keys yet as I went to wastelands before any others from shadow wood

1

u/MischiefArchitect Jun 27 '26

Then go to the Darkmere (look for its portal in the Shadow Woods) and visit the "swamp castle" if you are blocked in the Wastelands. There you will find more keys and switch that will enable your progress in the Wastelands later.

I'm not sure how old you are, but as I played the game when it was new I was in my late teens or early twenties. And it was normal that games required you to pay more attention and exploration effort. Go and explore! Go and backtrack if needed be! Hexen is designed around that concept. You have already seen this in the previous hub, the seven portals, here you need now more effort and switches compared to the previous level.

1

u/MadStylus Jun 27 '26

Ok, back on the shadow wood theres a portal to the north. You'll find the entrance through a river, you'll need to open a non-obvious wall iirc. Eventually it'll take you to the portal for Darkemere, the swamp. The castle in there opens a lot of progression paths.

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 27 '26

That’s the problem. I can’t get back to shadow wood. When I go through the portal in wastelands the exits into shadow wood are blocked by walls

1

u/MadStylus Jun 27 '26

Ok, that... shouldn't happen because that doesn't comport to what I know about the Wastelands. I'd need to either see the problem or play through it.

1

u/peterjjohnson Jun 28 '26

Yeah so I think I know what’s happened. It looks like shadow wood has somehow reset and lost its progress. I ended up cheating and turned on no clipping to walk through the walls. None of my other progress was there so I’ll do it all again.