The Revelations DLC for DOOM: The Dark Ages launched on July 7, 2026, and console players who had already completed the base campaign ran straight into a wall. Not a demon. Not a boss. A broken button prompt.
The new Chain Spear weapon, which is central to the DLC's early progression, shows a ?? prompt instead of an actual button binding. That means the game is literally asking you to press a button it hasn't assigned. You can't use the weapon, and you can't move forward.
Why the ?? prompt appears in the first place
Here's the thing: this bug doesn't seem to affect players booting up the DLC fresh. The ?? prompt specifically targets players who had already put time into the base game before the Revelations DLC dropped. Something in the existing save or controller preset data fails to register the new Chain Spear binding, leaving the action completely unassigned.
This affects both PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players. PC players appear unaffected, likely because keyboard rebinding is more flexible and doesn't carry the same preset conflict.
What the bug actually blocks
This isn't cosmetic. The Chain Spear Throw is a core mechanic introduced in Revelations, and the DLC requires you to use it to progress. If the button isn't bound, the game won't let you advance past the point where it's first needed. For players who jumped in right after the July 7 launch, that means a hard stop within the first stretch of new content.
A progression-blocking bug on day one of paid DLC content (included with the Premium Edition) is a rough start, especially for a release that had considerable anticipation behind it.
The fix: toggling the Slayer Controller Preset
The workaround is straightforward once you know where to look. The key here is that toggling the Slayer Controller Preset forces the game to reassign all default bindings, which reattaches the Chain Spear Throw to its intended button.
Here's exactly what to do:
- Open the Pause menu during gameplay
- Navigate to Settings
- Select Inputs
- Find Slayer Controller Presets
- Switch from Default to Southpaw (or from Southpaw to Default if you use the alternate layout)
- Switch it back to your preferred setting
That toggle resets the binding assignments and restores the Chain Spear Throw to its correct button. After doing this, the ?? prompt disappears and the weapon becomes usable.
No patch confirmed yet
As of July 8, 2026, id Software and Bethesda Softworks have not issued a patch addressing the bug. The workaround above resolves the immediate problem, but players shouldn't have to dig through input settings to unlock a weapon that's supposed to work out of the box.
Given the DLC only launched yesterday, a hotfix addressing the binding issue is a reasonable expectation. The Revelations content itself bridges narrative ground between the base campaign and Doom Eternal, making it a meaningful addition for players who want the full story context. A day-one bug blocking that content is the kind of thing studios move fast to address.
For more on the DLC itself, including what to expect from the Revelations DLC release date and confirmed content, and if you're hitting other launch issues, the Revelations DLC not loading fix guide covers the Premium Edition Steam access problem that's also been tripping players up at launch.
