UAC Research Facility • Co-op Doom Sandbox

Battle Arena for DooM

Battle Arena is a single-level modification for DooM, built as a long-form co-op playground. Defend a UAC research facility, hold the bunkers, u nleash demons from the BRIG, and role-play Marines, workers, or SWAT during outbreak scenarios.

Download BA.WAD ⇩ Setup & Requirements

Story & Origins

Battle Arena is a UAC black-ops facility and as a passion project built over years of late-night Doom co-op.

In-Universe: UAC Battle Research Center

The Battle Arena is a secret Union Aerospace Corporation complex on Earth. Its purpose: capture and study creatures discovered via ancient teleporters on Mars' moons then throw elite Marines at them until someone learns something or dies trying.

The facility is split between a biological research wing, packed with caged monsters and the Arena itself, where live-fire tests pit Marines against demonic hordes. Safety is “a top priority”, at least according to the welcome briefing you get before stepping into a building full of teleporters, experimental power systems, and a room filled to the brim with monsters. What could possibly go wrong?

Real-World: Two High-School Doom Nerds

Battle Arena started life around 2002-2004 when Alex “Anelf3” Gumpel and Bryan “CrankyHippo” Burnett tried to recreate their favorite Doom II memory: sprinting past a Cyberdemon that slowly crept closer to the spawn every time they died.

The original prototype was just a giant pit full of Cyberdemons and a central bunker. From there the level grew organically: control room, exterior courtyard, brig, armory, med bay, maintenance shafts, and a spawn zone where players choose how to enter the map.

How to Play & Roles

Battle Arena shines when players adopt loose roles and lean into the scenarios: a normal day at work, sudden containment failures, and full-scale demon outbreaks.

Requirements & Setup

  • Base game: Final Doom - TNT: Evilution (TNT.WAD)
  • PWAD: BA.WAD
  • Recommended port: Doom Legacy (Software renderer, MIDI disabled)
  • Recommended lobby: Doom Connector for easy multiplayer rooms

Typical multiplayer setup (Doom Legacy/Doom Connector):

  • Game mode: Cooperative
  • Skill: Nightmare (for the intended chaos)
  • Team damage: On (friendly fire is part of the fun)
  • Additional file: BA.WAD

Roles

Marine Worker / Scientist SWAT
  • Marines spawn at the front entrance or directly in the Arena, gear up in the Armory, and fight demons until they're out of blood or ammo. They're the stars of the show in the Arena.
  • Workers / Scientists keep the place running: starting at the entrance or Control Room, watching Marines from behind glass, running to Engineering or Medical, or occasionally picking up a gun when things go bad.
  • SWAT is only called when something has gone very wrong: monsters loose in the corridors, a Marine snapping into “space madness”, or a BRIG malfunction. They use a red keycard to access a private SWAT entrance and high-speed elevator into the maintenance shafts.

House rule: to “use the map” or check cameras, you're supposed to be standing in front of a computer screen in-game. It makes getting lost in the maintenance shafts a lot more tense.

Scenarios

  • Normal Day at Work - Everyone spawns via the front entrance, checks in at Security, hits the Armory, and then activates the Arena from the main bunker. Retreat to Medical and restock when needed.
  • Containment Failure - The BRIG cells open and demons spill into the main corridor. Workers dive into maintenance shafts; Marines & SWAT scramble to seal the area and clear the base.
  • Space Madness - One Marine “snaps” and becomes a hostile player. Workers hide and track them on cameras while SWAT hunts them through the shafts.
  • Cyberdemon Loose in the Base - Boss-tier emergency. Bunkers, teleports, and SWAT entrance all come into play while everyone tries not to get vaporized.

Level Map & Key Locations

Battle Arena is a loop of corridors, rooms, shafts and bunkers wrapped around a central Arena.

Top-down map of the Battle Arena level showing the courtyard, base interior and central arena.

Click the map to open a full-size version in a new tab. Use the legend below to match rooms and routes.

Base & Infrastructure

  • 01. Spawn Area - Purgatory room with teleporters to multiple entry points.
  • 02. Main Entrance Gate - The exterior front gate of the facility.
  • 03. Courtyard - Outdoor plaza with benches and fountain area.
  • 04. Main Entrance Elevator - Primary vertical lift into the base.
  • 05. Security Checkpoint - Screening and sign-in area for personnel.
  • 06. Main Corridor - Central hallway connecting major rooms and facilities.
  • 07. SWAT Emergency Entrance - Restricted entry point for red-key SWAT access.
  • 08. SWAT Entrance Elevator - High-speed lift directly into maintenance shafts.
  • 09. Maintenance Shafts - Narrow back-routes used for escape and shortcuts.
  • 10. Control Room - Oversees Arena operations, security systems, and BRIG release.
  • 11. Brig - Containment area for captured demons (“pigs”).
  • 12. Armory - Weapon, ammo, and armor supply depot.
  • 13. Medbay - Healing and medical support area for Marines.
  • 14. Engineering - Power systems, generators, and facility controls.
  • 15. Teleporter Room - Network of teleport pads linking key map areas.
  • 16. Empty Room - Unfinished expansion space within the complex.
  • 17. Arena Elevators - Lifts that descend into the main Arena floor.
  • 18. Arena - Primary combat zone for demon waves and scenarios.
  • 19. Corner Bunks - Small defensive bunkers positioned around the Arena.
  • 20. Main Bunker - Central fortified structure with controls and supplies.
  • 21. Emergency Exit - Theoretical escape route out of the facility.

Media & Gameplay

A glimpse inside the Battle Arena facility: from the quiet UAC lobby to full-blown containment failure in the corridors.

Battle Arena Co-op Gameplay

A play session of Battle Arena with friends, showing role-play, base life, and escalating demon outbreaks.

Battle Arena co-op gameplay thumbnail

Screenshot Gallery

Three marines standing at the UAC spawn entrance in Battle Arena. Control room full of workers monitoring the Battle Arena. Blue-armored marines firing into the BRIG full of demons. Arena combat with monsters attacking through a viewing window. Demon chasing marines through the main corridor filled with bodies.

Screenshots captured from the Arena

Downloads & Assets

Everything you need to run Battle Arena. Final Doom itself is still commercial software - you'll need to acquire TNT: Evilution legally.

Mod Files

  • BA.WAD - The Battle Arena level.
    Download BA.WAD (place alongside TNT.WAD in your Doom Legacy folder).
  • Battle Arena User's Guide (PDF) - Original manual with full setup instructions and diagrams.
    Download BA User's Guide

Note: Battle Arena requires TNT.WAD from Final Doom. This file is not included and must be purchased separately via a legitimate source (e.g., Steam, GOG).

Credits & Contact

Battle Arena and this guide were created by Worldwide Cake. If you enjoy the map or want to help with the Doom 3 version, reach out!

Worldwide Cake

  • Alex “Anelf3” Gumpel - Lead Designer & Chief Jerkface
  • Bryan “CrankyHippo” Burnett - VP of Conceptual Design
  • Derek “Gorden” Bowker - VP of Scientific Endeavors
  • George “Niatona” Pryor - VP of Foreign Affairs

Battle Arena © Worldwide Cake Association. BA.WAD and its accompanying documentation may be redistributed with proper credit and original notices intact. See the manual for full details.

Modern contact & source: GitHub project

Follow Worldwide Cake on X: @WorldwideCake