The Doom speedrunning community recently experienced a seismic shift when a 26-year-old world record was surpassed by just one second.
According to a video by Karl Jobst, the longstanding speedrunning record in Doom was finally broken earlier this month. In 1998, speedrunner Thomas Pilger set the world record for Doom’s first level, ‘Hangar,’ achieving an impressive time of 9 seconds. Pilger also secured the record for the opening level of Doom 2, ‘Entryway,’ completing it in a mere 5 seconds. These records remained unbeaten for 26 years until very recently.
In 2019, another Doom speedrunner named ‘4ShockBlast’ managed to surpass Pilger’s Hangar record by completing it in just 8 seconds. This achievement must have been a blow to Pilger, who held the title for 21 years. However, the real shock came when 4ShockBlast surpassed Pilger’s Entryway record on April 6, 2024, uploading a video to their YouTube channel showcasing a completion time of under five seconds—a mere one-second improvement over Pilger’s record.
The speed and precision displayed in 4ShockBlast’s run have left many in awe within the Doom speedrunning community. Karl Jobst notes in the video that just a year ago, most Doom speedrunners would have deemed a 4-second completion impossible. This new world record is thus a significant event in the community’s history.
For a detailed breakdown of how this remarkable speedrun was achieved, viewers are encouraged to watch Karl Jobst’s video for more insights.