After releasing major update 6.66 last year in time for Halloween, Doom Eternal continues with smaller updates, this time targeting accessibility and quality of life. The new update is the second revision of version 6.66 and adds text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities, as well as a new contrast filter.
With the addition of a number of new options, the accessibility menu will appear the first time players load up Doom Eternal after installing the 6.66 Rev 2 update, prompting them to verify their current settings.
Newly added options include a text-to-speech mode that will convert text entered in the player’s chat into a synthesized voice. Players have a number of options to choose from when it comes to the voice profile, and they can all be checked out in the accessibility menu. Text-to-speech messages will be audible to all players while in Battlemode 2.0 lobbies, but during matches they will only be audible to Demon teammates. Incoming text-to-speech is also available, allowing the player’s incoming messages to be read in a simulated voice.
Doom Eternal has also added this feature in reverse, allowing users to send messages in the chat window by converting speech to text. When a player sends voice-to-text messages, they will appear yellow in the chat window and will only be visible to Demon teammates. Players can also choose to turn on chat translation, which will automatically translate messages on delivery if the receiving player has their system set to a different language.
The other new accessibility feature is the contrast filter, which allows gamers to control the speed at which the screen brightness can change. This feature, when enabled, is highly customizable, with the menu allowing players to adjust sliders based on “Per Pixel Brightness Rate” and “Full Screen Brightness Rate”.
The patch also includes a number of other quality of life changes, which can be read about in the patch notes below. Switch players will have to wait a bit longer for the new update, with Update 6.66 Rev 2 arriving for that platform “at a later date.”
New accessibility features
Text to speech (chat)
- There are multiple voice profiles to choose from. You can scroll through the voice profile selections to hear them before selecting one.
- The outgoing text message will appear yellow in the chat window when it has been converted to speech.
- Text-to-speech conversions are sent in the same language in which they were created
- Converted text chat messages are audible to all players in BATTLEMODE 2.0 lobbies and only audible to Demon teammates during matches.
Voice to text (Chat)
- Incoming voice-to-text messages appear in yellow in the BATTLEMODE 2.0 lobby chat window and are only visible to Demon teammates during matches.
- Unless chat translation is enabled, voice-to-text chat messages are sent in the original language
Incoming text to speech
- Enables a simulated voice to read aloud other players’ incoming text chat messages
Outgoing text to speech
- Enables a simulated voice to read aloud the player’s outgoing text chat to other players
chat translation
- When enabled, incoming text chat messages are translated into the same language the receiving player’s system is set to. This functionality applies to standard and voice-to-text incoming text chat messages.
contrast filter
This option reduces the speed at which you can change the brightness of the screen in-game. It can be adjusted with the following sliders when enabled:
- Brightness Rate Per Pixel: Limits how quickly the brightness of each pixel can change, such as during explosions or intense combat sequences
- Full Screen Brightness Speed – Limits how quickly the average brightness can change for the entire screen when changing rapidly
UI text contrast updates
- Changed some menu UI elements to improve readability
Additional improvements in the quality of life of all platforms
overall gameplay
- The Combat Shotgun’s full auto decay animation can now be interrupted by a melee entry.
Campaign
- A tutorial will now pop up with combat tips if you die while fighting a Marauder (this only happens once per save)
- Cacodemon’s movement speed has been reduced by I’m too young to die Y it hurt a lot difficulty
horde mode
- Added a notification effect when getting a new medal in the Horde Score HUD element (see above)
- Added option to hide the HUD in Horde mode (see ON/OFF below)
- Reduced duration of the end-of-round sequence
Balance changes for all platforms
KILLER
- Armor gained reduced when flames belch a player demon from 30 to 10.
REBORN
- Reduced cooldown between Dashes from 250ms to 50ms
- Jet Pack resupply now occurs after using Rocket Barrage
ARCHIVE
- Increased radius of Lake of Fire by 30%.
- Lake of Fire damage increased from 6 damage per tick to 10 damage per tick.
- Lake of Fire duration reduced from 5 seconds to 2 seconds.
- Slightly increased the vertical size of the Lake of Fire.
- Increased Fireball damage with Fire Specialist upgrade from 27 to 32
chat widget
- Updated the online chat window so that it is now accessible from the HUD in a BATTLEMODE 2.0 match. Previously, pausing the game was required to access the chat window within a match.
Balance changes for only consoles
KILLER
- Slayer Loss Forgiveness amount increased from 3 to 4.
Bug fixes for all platforms
overall gameplay
- Fixed a bug where completing the Argentas Paladi milestone would not unlock the Sentinel Podium. Thank you all for your amazing patience with this one!
- Resolved issue where Ember Slayer’s flame effects were not displaying correctly in cutscenes.
Campaign
eternal DOOM
- Resolved an issue where vertically jumping off a coffin wall while falling would result in a residual ghost collision and not reset the coffin wall.
- Fixed a bug where a DOOM Hunter could mistakenly damage the Slayer while staggering into melee range.
The Old Gods – Part One
- Resolved issue where the quest objective “Destroy Father’s Life Sphere” and the Blood Swamp Codex entry were missing after the quest restart (Blood Swamps).
The Old Gods – Part Two
- Resolved an issue where raising Nightmare from a lower difficulty and then completing it would incorrectly display Nightmare as the highest difficulty played in the mission selection menu.
BATTLE MODE 2.0
- Fixed an issue where the Codex entry would not unlock after completing the tutorial for the playable Dread Knight Demon.
horde mode
- Fixed bug where the “DOOMguy in a box” icon would not unlock on completion “Reinvent the wheel of arms” milestone
- Fixed a bug where the Horde Round progression map would appear blank if played with the Demon UI color profile selected.
- Fixed an issue where “10,000 Points” sometimes displayed instead of “Difficulty Bonus” in the Total Score tab after completing all of Horde mode
Master Levels
eternal DOOM
- Fixed a bug that accidentally deleted the Mars Core Master Tier Crucible and Soul Sphere in Classic Mode.
- Resolved issue where full auto combat shotgun mod could not be used if you interrupted its pickup animation with plasma rifle equipped in Mars Core master level.
The Old Gods – Part Two
- Fixed a bug where exiting the upper hut at the village entrance on World Spear Master level after killing the Marauder would cause non-functional demon gates to remain and prevent enemies from spawning on the way to the gate. Cathedral.
Bug fixes for PC only
- Fixed a crash that could occur when toggling weapons in the final room of the Marauder (Playable Demon) tutorial.
Bug fixes for PlayStation 5 only
horde mode
- Fixed a bug where the Arcade Slayer customization skin would not appear on the intro and victory podiums in Horde mode.
Known issues for all platforms
Accessibility
- Speech to text transcription is not supported during loading screens
- The colorblind setting only applies to the UI, it does not carry over to in-world game elements.
Known issues for PC only
BATTLE MODE 2.0
- The default key mapping for accessing the chat window is not consistent across all menus
overall gameplay
- Alt-Tabbing during loading screens and menu transitions can cause the game to freeze. To avoid this issue, do not press Alt-Tab during loading screens and menu transitions
Known issue for PlayStation 5 only
Accessibility
- Voice profiles are only audible through the DualSense controller speaker
Additional notes for PC only
- Users with higher spec Intel GPUs can play DOOM Eternal with driver version 30.0.101.1325. Contact Intel Customer Support to report and graphic anomalies
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