Hexdd.wad V1.1 Link
The Deathkings speedrun community on the Doom Speed Demo Archive (DSDA) uses v1.1 as the standard due to its deterministic behavior. v1.0 had “RNG desyncs” where recorded demos would fail to play back correctly.
You can check your version by looking at the file size. Version 1.1 is exactly 4,440,584 bytes . Installation & Setup Guide 1. Obtaining and Patching (Steam/Digital)
It relaxes the "use it or lose it" rule for rare artifacts like the Porkalator and Krater of Might , allowing you to carry them between hubs. How to Check Your Version
HEXDD.WAD contains the following content that defines the Deathkings expansion: hexdd.wad v1.1
From the very first room of Hub 1, players are greeted by high-tier enemies like Ettins, Centaurs, and Slaughtaurs. The expansion assumes you have already mastered the unique mechanics of the three character classes: the Fighter (Baratus), the Cleric (Parias), and the Mage (Daedolon). Technical Overview and Source Port Compatibility
So, if you plan to revisit the dark citadels, face the Deathkings, and solve those maddening hub-based puzzles, do yourself a favor: Verify your hexdd.wad , upgrade to version 1.1, and let the chaos unfold as it was always meant to.
While hexdd.wad v1.1 received some criticism back in 1996 for not adding new weapons or enemies—focusing entirely on new level layouts and increased difficulty—its reputation has aged remarkably well. The Deathkings speedrun community on the Doom Speed
Locate a validated copy of HEXDD.WAD v1.1 using vintage doom index repositories.
To appreciate version 1.1, one must first understand the flaw it corrected. The initial retail release of the Deathkings expansion shipped with version 1.0 of HEXDD.WAD. A significant oversight in this version was the absence of a specific data lump: . This lump is responsible for assigning MIDI music tracks to the game's various maps [6†L25-L27].
The Doom community has developed various tools and workarounds to address the version 1.0 music issue, especially for modern operating systems. For example, some users have created "unofficial ways of patching HEXDD.WAD that does not require DOSBox and can be run within Windows 7 or higher" [19†L4-L7]. These tools are often discussed in forums dedicated to source ports like ZDoom and Chocolate Doom [5†L4-L9][18†L14-L16]. Version 1
This is where hexdd.wad gets interesting. Technically, it is an IWAD—source ports can identify it as a standalone game file—but it doesn't actually contain the main game data. Instead, it holds only the new, exclusive content for Deathkings : its 20 new levels, a handful of new graphics, and altered end-game messages.
You are banished to the underworld realm of the Dark Citadel.
Modern engines require you to point the software toward both files. Here is how the most popular source ports handle it:
Version 1.1 includes 6 dedicated multiplayer deathmatch maps. These maps optimized player spawning and item placement compared to the chaotic v1.0 layouts. 3. Brutal Difficulty Scaling