Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
Expansion of Hexen: Beyond Heretic
Nintendo Switch, 
PC, 
PS4, 
PS5, 
Xbox One, 
Xbox Series X/S
Bethesda Softworks, GT Interactive, id Software
Where to buy
Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel is the expansion for Hexen: Beyond Heretic, developed by Raven Software for MS-DOS and released in North America on March 22, 1996 and in Europe on September 3, 1996, according to Wikipedia. The Doom Wiki dates it more loosely to March 1996, with GT Interactive as the publisher. It adds three story hubs with 20 single-player levels and six deathmatch levels, and it had to be bought separately from the main game. It is now one of the four campaigns in the 2025 bundle Heretic + Hexen.
Technical Specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | Raven Software |
| Publisher | GT Interactive (1996) · id Software and Bethesda Softworks (current listings) |
| Engine | Modified Doom engine (as Hexen) |
| Platform | Original: MS-DOS · 2025: Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X|S · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Nintendo Switch (in Heretic + Hexen) |
| Release | March 22, 1996 (North America) · September 3, 1996 (Europe) · August 7, 2025 (Heretic + Hexen) |
| Requires | Hexen: Beyond Heretic (patched to v1.1 for the original release) |
| Content | 3 story hubs · 20 single-player maps · 6 deathmatch maps · 1 deathmatch hub |
| Genre | First-person shooter, dark fantasy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player · cooperative · deathmatch |
Story: Past Korax, Into the Realm of the Dead
The expansion picks up where Hexen ended. After Korax is defeated, the Chaos Sphere pulls the heroes into the Realm of the Dead, and they have to fight through hordes of undead and past the Dark Citadel to get home.
Hubs and Maps
There are four hubs in all. The Blight, The Constable’s Gate and The Nave are the three story hubs, played in single-player or co-op, and together they hold 20 maps. Transit is a deathmatch-only hub outside the story, connecting the six new deathmatch maps, which makes 26 new levels. The expansion also adds player starts 5 to 8, which is why the original installer asks for the Hexen v1.1 patch before it will install the expansion.
Music
The expansion reuses the music from Hexen. According to the Doom Wiki, in the unpatched original the in-game music plays only with the CD audio option selected, and a patch (HEXDD.WAD v1.1) enables the other music options. Wikipedia likewise says that the expansion did not initially include music.
Where to Play It
The expansion is part of Heretic + Hexen, released on August 7, 2025 by Bethesda, id Software and Nightdive Studios for PC (Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store), Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Switch. Bethesda’s release notes list it as one of the bundle’s four campaigns, next to Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, Hexen and the two new episodes, Faith Renewed and Vestiges of Grandeur. Owners of the digital originals on Steam, the Windows Store or GOG get the upgrade for free, and the originals stay playable from the library. Saves from the original versions are not compatible with the enhanced release. The game that follows in the series is Hexen II, which is not part of the bundle.
