Level exit button in Duke Nukem 3D
The levels in Duke Nukem 3D are divided into sequences known as episodes. Three episodes were included in the classic edition of Duke Nukem 3D, but two more episodes were added in the Atomic Edition and World Tour.
Episode 1 - L.A. Meltdown
The first episode takes place in Neo Los Angeles.
The final boss is the Battlelord.
| # | Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hollywood Holocaust | Allen Blum |
| 2 | Red Light District | Allen Blum |
| 3 | Death Row | Allen Blum |
| 4 | Toxic Dump | Allen Blum |
| 5 | The Abyss | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 6 | Launch Facility (Secret Level) | Allen Blum |
| 7 | Faces of Death (Secret Level) | Allen Blum |
| 8 | Dukematch Level 1 (Multiplayer Level) | Allen Blum |
Episode 2 - Lunar Apocalypse
The second episode takes place in outer space.
The final boss is the Overlord.
| # | Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spaceport | Allen Blum |
| 2 | Incubator | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 3 | Warp Factor | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 4 | Fusion Station | Allen Blum |
| 5 | Occupied Territory | Allen Blum |
| 6 | Tiberius Station | Allen Blum |
| 7 | Lunar Reactor | Allen Blum |
| 8 | Dark Side | Allen Blum |
| 9 | Overlord | Allen Blum |
| 10 | Spin Cycle (Secret Level) | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 11 | Lunatic Fringe (Secret Level) | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
Episode 3 - Shrapnel City
The third episode takes place back on Earth.
The final boss is the Cycloid Emperor.
| # | Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raw Meat | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 2 | Bank Roll | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 3 | Flood Zone | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 4 | L.A. Rumble | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 5 | Movie Set | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 6 | Rabid Transit | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 7 | Fahrenheit | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 8 | Hotel Hell | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 9 | Stadium | Allen Blum |
| 10 | Tier Drops (Secret Level) | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 11 | Freeway (Secret Level) | Allen Blum |
Episode 4 - The Birth
The fourth episode was added to the game as part of the Atomic Edition. None of these levels were created from scratch but were instead refined and repurposed from materials that were scrapped before the initial release.
The final boss is the Alien Queen.
| # | Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's Impossible | Randy Pitchford |
| 2 | Duke-Burger | Allen Blum |
| 3 | Shop-N-Bag | Richard "Levelord" Gray, George Broussard note |
| 4 | Babe Land | Allen Blum |
| 5 | Pigsty | Richard "Levelord" Gray, Randy Pitchford note |
| 6 | Going Postal | Allen Blum |
| 7 | XXX-Stacy | Richard "Levelord" Gray, Keith Schuler note |
| 8 | Critical Mass | Richard "Levelord" Gray, Keith Schuler note |
| 9 | Derelict | Allen Blum |
| 10 | The Queen | Randy Pitchford |
| 11 | Area 51 (Secret Level) | Randy Pitchford |
Episode 5 - Alien World Order
The fifth episode was added to the game as part of the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. Levels in this episode are based in cities from around the world, including Amsterdam, Moscow, London, Giza, Paris, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Rome.
The final boss is the Cycloid Incinerator.
| # | Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Times | Allen Blum |
| 2 | Red Ruckus | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 3 | Bloody Hell | Richard "Levelord" Gray, Randy Pitchford |
| 4 | Mirage Barrage | Allen Blum |
| 5 | Tour de Nukem | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
| 6 | Golden Carnage | Allen Blum |
| 7 | Hollywood Inferno | Allen Blum |
| 8 | Prima Arena (Secret Level) | Richard "Levelord" Gray |
Demo levels
The following three maps are extra levels that come with Duke Nukem 3D and showcase various effects and sprites. These can be imported and played as user maps, but they are merely demonstrative and were not meant to be played as part of the singleplayer campaign.
| Level | Designer(s) |
|---|---|
| _se.map (Sector Effector demo map) | Allen Blum |
| _st.map (Sector Tag demo map) | Allen Blum |
| _zoo.map (Zoo map) | Allen Blum |
See also
- Scrapped Levels from Duke Nukem 3D
- Duke Nukem's Penthouse Paradise
- Levels in Duke: Nuclear Winter
- Levels in Duke Caribbean: Life's A Beach
- Levels in Duke It Out In D.C.
- Levels in Duke Nukem 64
- Plug 'N' Pray
- Urea 51
- User maps
Note
- Authorship of some of the levels in The Birth has been disputed. Richard "Levelord" Gray partially contributed to the episode, but for reasons that are unclear, he was never officially credited for his work on any of the levels. The degree to which the various developers deserve credit for each of the levels remains controversial. (See The Birth#Disputed authorship for more information.)