DOOM - How to Install Mods & WADs to Your Game

Doom might be old, but it has a thriving modding scene, and there are several ways to go about installing mods & WADs to your game. This guide will focuss on the most popular methods, that can get you up and running in no time!

The most popular source port available is GZDOOM, which supports almost all mods and in some cases is even used as a standalone engine. However, before you start anything, you will need a copy of DOOM or DOOM 2, which is thankfully available on Steam, GOG, and numerous other places.

GZDOOM setup

GZDOOM is the most popular source port out there, and it offers several useful modern features, such as rebinding controls (since the original ones are kinda archaic), mouselook, higher resolution, texture filtering, better lighting, etc.
The biggest plus for GZDOOM is that it’s really simple to set up and get going. So, without further ado, let’s get going.

1. Extract the latest version of GZDOOM, and you will need to copy the original WAD (IWAD) files, DOOM.wad, or DOOM2.wad to the source port folder.
   Before starting GZDOOM you can also change Video settings (OpenGL and Vulkan work the best, on my PC), whether to turn on/off fullscreen, and other resource settings.
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2. Once you start GZDOOM, you will be asked which IWAD to use, and once you have selected it, the game will run. From here you can configure the game to your liking, before starting playing mods.
3. The first things you could do, are change keybindings, select the appropriate resolution, and if you like turn off texture filtering.
   After you’re done save your settings, and go download some mods.
4. You’re probably wondering is it hard to get mods to run on GZDOOM? Surprisingly it’s really easy, so there is no reason to worry. Once you have downloaded the mod that you want to play, all you need to do is drag and drop the .pk3 file onto the GZDOOM icon (or shortcut), and you’re good to go. And that’s it!

Note: However, GZDOOM also allows you to stack mods, such as map packs, weapon packs, gameplay mods, etc. You can simply select the files and drag and drop them onto GZDOOM, but if you’re going for more complex combinations, you could run into loading errors and crashes.

In this case, I would highly recommend getting ZDL.

ZDL

To put it simply ZDL is a handy little program that will easier to organize load orders. It can also save combinations of mods, map packs, and so on, so you don’t need to repeat the process every time you start it up.

In order to get it running, you will need to follow these simple instructions.

1. You will need to select the appropriate source port.
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2. In the General Settings tab, click the add button (+), and select the .exe of the source port (for example gzdoom.exe).
3. ZDL will also need to know where the base WAD (IWAD )files are located, so underneath the IWAD section click the add button (+), and select the IWAD files (doom.wad, doom2.wad, etc.)
4. Once this is set up, go and select the Launch Config tab, and under the external files sections, simply select or drag and drop desired mod files.
5. By pressing the up and down arrows, you can configure the load order of the mods. The usual load order consists of the map pack, gameplay mod, and then everything else, such as stuff like gore mods, HUD Mods, and so on.

Once you have everything set up, you can go and enjoy any number of countless mods! Be sure to check out our list of DOOM mods!

Happy modding!