One of the biggest additions in the Revelations DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages is the new Suit Upgrade system. Unlike weapon upgrades that improve a single piece of equipment, these upgrades permanently strengthen the Slayer himself, giving you more health, armor, ammo capacity, and a handful of powerful passive abilities.
If you’re wondering which upgrades are worth unlocking first, don’t worry—the system is fairly straightforward once you understand how it works. This guide covers every Suit Upgrade available in the Revelations DLC, how to unlock them, and which ones should be your priority.
How to Unlock Suit Upgrades
Before you can purchase any Suit Upgrades, you’ll need to collect a new DLC-exclusive resource called Leader Essence Shards.
These shards act as the currency for every Suit Upgrade, so you’ll naturally earn them as you progress through the expansion.
Collect Leader Essence Shards
Leader Essence Shards are primarily obtained by defeating Leader enemies, which include:
- Bosses
- Mini-bosses
- Other designated Leader encounters
Since these enemies appear throughout the campaign, you’ll gradually collect enough shards simply by exploring levels and completing major battles.
There’s no need to grind specifically for the resource unless you’re trying to unlock every upgrade as quickly as possible.
Purchase Upgrades at Hollow Shrines
Once you’ve collected enough Leader Essence Shards, visit any Hollow Shrine.
These shrines serve as the upgrade stations for the Revelations DLC.
From here you can:
- Purchase new Suit Upgrades
- Review unlocked upgrades
- Spend your accumulated Leader Essence Shards
You can also check your current upgrade progress from the Dossier, making it easy to see which upgrades you still need.
All Suit Upgrades
Suit Upgrades are divided into three primary categories:
- Health
- Armor
- Ammo
Each category contains several permanent upgrades along with one unique passive ability.
Health Upgrades
Health upgrades focus on increasing your survivability and making it easier to stay alive during difficult encounters.
| Upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|
| Health Boost I | Increases maximum Health by 25. |
| Health Boost II | Increases maximum Health by 25. |
| Health Boost III | Increases maximum Health by 25. |
| Vacuum | Permanently increases the pickup radius for items dropped by enemies. |
Health Boost I–III
Each Health Boost permanently raises your maximum health by 25 points.
Unlocking all three gives you a significantly larger health pool, making boss fights and higher difficulties much more forgiving.
These upgrades are especially valuable if you prefer aggressive close-range combat.
Vacuum
Vacuum is one of the most convenient quality-of-life upgrades in the DLC.
Instead of walking directly over every pickup, you’ll automatically collect health, armor, and other drops from a much greater distance.
While it doesn’t directly increase damage, it greatly improves combat flow by allowing you to focus on fighting instead of chasing resources across the battlefield.
Armor Upgrades
Armor upgrades increase your defensive capabilities while also improving armor regeneration during combat.
| Upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|
| Armor Boost I | Increases maximum Armor by 25. |
| Armor Boost II | Increases maximum Armor by 25. |
| Armor Boost III | Increases maximum Armor by 25. |
| Armored Offensive | Glory Strikes and Executions now drop Armor Shards. |
Armor Boost I–III
Like the Health upgrades, each Armor Boost increases your maximum armor capacity by 25 points.
Stacking all three upgrades dramatically improves your survivability during longer fights.
Armored Offensive
This passive upgrade rewards aggressive gameplay.
After unlocking it:
- Glory Strikes generate Armor Shards.
- Executions also drop Armor Shards.
If you’re constantly pushing into enemies and finishing them with melee attacks, this upgrade helps replenish your defenses without relying entirely on environmental pickups.
Ammo Upgrades
Ammo upgrades reduce the need to constantly search for ammunition during extended battles.
| Upgrade | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ammo Boost I | Increases maximum ammo for Shotguns, Plasma Weapons, and the Reaver Chainshot. |
| Ammo Boost II | Increases maximum ammo for Railspikes, Skullcrushers, and Launchers. |
| Ammo Boost III | Further increases maximum ammo for all standard weapon types. |
| Swap Blast | Swapping between the Chain Spear and Shield Saw creates a blast that falters nearby demons. Can trigger once every 10 seconds. |
Ammo Boost I–III
These upgrades expand your ammunition reserves across nearly every major weapon category.
More ammo means:
- Fewer interruptions during combat
- More freedom to use your strongest weapons
- Better endurance during lengthy boss encounters
Players who frequently rotate through multiple weapons will get excellent value from these upgrades.
Swap Blast
Swap Blast is easily one of the most interesting passive abilities introduced in the DLC.
Whenever you switch between the:
- Chain Spear
- Shield Saw
you’ll create an area blast that briefly falters nearby demons.
The effect has a 10-second cooldown, but it’s incredibly useful for creating breathing room when surrounded or interrupting enemy attacks.
Best Suit Upgrades to Unlock First
If you’re unsure where to spend your first Leader Essence Shards, these upgrades provide the biggest immediate benefits.
1. Vacuum
Vacuum improves nearly every fight by automatically collecting nearby drops.
It may not look flashy, but you’ll notice the difference almost immediately.
2. Health Boosts
Extra health gives you much more room for mistakes, especially during boss fights and higher difficulty settings.
3. Armored Offensive
If you regularly perform Glory Strikes and Executions, this upgrade becomes a reliable source of armor throughout every battle.
4. Ammo Boosts
Running out of ammunition at the wrong moment can quickly turn a fight against you.
Increasing your ammo reserves lets you stay on the offensive much longer.
5. Swap Blast
Once your basic survivability is covered, Swap Blast becomes an excellent utility upgrade that adds extra crowd control to your weapon swapping.
The new Suit Upgrade system in the Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations DLC adds another rewarding layer of progression without overcomplicating the game’s upgrade mechanics. Every improvement is permanent, making each Leader Essence Shard you collect feel meaningful.
If you’re just starting the DLC, focus on upgrades that improve survivability first. Extra health, armor, and the Vacuum passive make exploration and combat noticeably smoother. Once those essentials are unlocked, you can begin investing in offensive options like Ammo Boosts and Swap Blast to make the Slayer even more deadly during the toughest encounters.