Acquiring DOOM

Every Protocol needs a base game WAD, the mission data your source port runs. UAC Launch Control doesn’t bundle any game data, so you need to get it yourself. You have two legal routes: buy the classics, or grab the free FreeDoom replacement.

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Option 1: Buy the classics (Steam or GOG)

Both Steam and GOG sell the original games, and they go on sale regularly for pocket change. What you are buying is the game data, the WAD files, which is all UAC needs:

Game	WAD file(s) you get
The Ultimate DOOM	doom.wad
DOOM II: Hell on Earth	doom2.wad
Final DOOM	tnt.wad, plutonia.wad
Master Levels for DOOM II	masterlevels.wad

GOG’s versions are DRM-free, which is nice. The older Steam/GOG releases ship the raw WAD files directly; the newer DOOM + DOOM II remaster keeps them too, just in a base subfolder (see below).

Option 2: FreeDoom, free and no purchase required

FreeDoom is a free, legally redistributable replacement for the classic DOOM game data, with the same levels and new assets, at zero cost. It is the easiest path if you do not own the originals.

UAC Launch Control can download it for you:

1. Go to Settings → Wad Config (or the WAD Files tab during onboarding).
2. In the FreeDoom section, click FreeDoom (Phase 1 + 2), the app downloads both IWADs (freedoom1.wad, freedoom2.wad), verifies their checksums, and registers them automatically.
3. A FreeDM option is also available if you fancy the deathmatch-only IWAD.

See the Base Game WAD guide for what happens after you have the files.

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Finding your WAD files on disk

WAD files are just files. You can leave them where they are, copy them anywhere, or import them straight into UAC. Here is where to look, per platform.

Windows

Steam installs games under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ (or <your Steam library>\steamapps\common\):

Game	Folder	WAD file(s)
The Ultimate DOOM	DOOM	DOOM.WAD
DOOM II: Hell on Earth	DOOM 2	DOOM2.WAD
Final DOOM	Final DOOM	TNT.WAD, PLUTONIA.WAD
Master Levels for DOOM II	Master Levels of DOOM	MASTERLEVELS.WAD
DOOM + DOOM II (2024 remaster)	DOOM + DOOM II\base	DOOM.WAD, DOOM2.WAD

GOG installs to C:\GOG Games\<Game>\ by default (or wherever you chose). The WAD sits right next to doom.exe / doom2.exe in the game folder. GOG’s DOSBox releases ship it loose, no digging required.

macOS

Steam: ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/, same game folder names as Windows (DOOM, DOOM 2, Final DOOM, etc.).

GOG: the games install as .app bundles. Right-click the game → Show Package Contents, then look in Contents/Resources/ for the WAD files.

Linux

Steam (native): ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/. On many distros ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/ points to the same place. Same game folder names as Windows.

Steam (Flatpak): ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/.

GOG via Heroic or Lutris: the game runs in a Wine prefix, the WAD lives at <prefix>/drive_c/GOG Games/<Game>/. Find the prefix path in Heroic (game → settings → Wine prefix) or Lutris (right-click game → Configure → Game options).

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What you’re looking for

File	Game	Auto-detected by UAC?
DOOM.WAD / doomu.wad	The Ultimate Doom	✅
DOOM2.WAD / doomii.wad	Doom II: Hell on Earth	✅
TNT.WAD	TNT: Evilution	✅
PLUTONIA.WAD	The Plutonia Experiment	✅
MASTERLEVELS.WAD	Master Levels for DOOM II	⚠️ Not auto-named, imports fine, set a name/icon in Settings → Wad Config
FREEDOOM1.WAD / FREEDOOM2.WAD / FREEDM.WAD	FreeDoom	✅ (or download in-app)

If a WAD isn’t auto-recognised, it still imports and works; you just give it a name and icon in Settings → Wad Config (see the Base Game WAD guide).

Next steps

Once you’ve located your WADs, head to the WAD Files tab on the Install page (or press w) and drag them in. The app copies them into your WAD directory, hashes them, and registers them. Full details in the Base Game WAD guide.