How to get Levels Of The World for Descent

Where to download and how to install Levels Of The World for your Steam version of Descent

What is Levels Of The World?

Levels of the World is an official add-on with all of the entries from a level design competition held by Interplay in 1995, plus one level designed by Parallax Software. It contais Parallax Software top 10, 90 singleplayer and 23 multiplayer levels (but 1 singleplayer and 1 multiplayer are broken). Total 123 levels (121 excluding 2 broken).

DXX Rebirth

Firstly, you need to install DXX Rebirth mod for vanilla Steam Descent version to run this add-on. You can download the mod from this site[www.dxx-rebirth.com]. Open the archive with WinRar or 7-Zip (I hope you can get them without my help), open D1X-Rebirth folder and drop all the files into your Descent root folder (default C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Descent). After that delete the default Steam shortcut, which opens dosbox, and change it for the d1x-rebirth.exe. Great! Now you should have DXX Rebirth working!

Where to get it?

Unfortunatelly, Levels Of The World is not included in GOG or Steam version of Descent, in contrast with Mercenary for Descent 3, and it is quite a problem to find this add-on in the Internet. And this is where my help comes.

You can download Levels Of The World using this link[www.myabandonware.com].

How to install in?

After the downloading is complete, open the archive with WinRar or 7-Zip, open DLOTW folder, and drop all the files into Missions folder in your Descent root folder. Technically, there is a mix of both essential and decorative files in the folder and you do not need to drop them all to make the add-on work, but that will be much easier than choosing each and every specific mission file. Nonetheless, TXT files have the descriptions of the levels, so you can read them before starting.



Now just launch Descent, click New Game, and you should have all the levels under the main Descent campaign! Enjoy!

My own remarks

Though all of the levels were optimized to be played on DXX Rebirth version, there still were some troubles with several levels that I faced during completing this add-on. Of course I could miss or break something but still I have to tell you about these issues.

Levels:

Agitation - I was not able to save the hostage. There is just a solid wall between you and them which you can not go through even in cheat mod.

Gamefreak`s Realm - I was not able to get yellow card. It seems that collision in DXX Rebirth is a bit different from original DOS version so you can not touch that very central point of card item, where game thinks that you have picked it up. I finished this level using all cards cheat.

Neural Intensity - I was not albe to destroy a door leading to the hostages. Fired all weapons and missles at it and there was no result. I used cheat to go through and it went down with a single shot from the inside. I think the only way to save the hostages is using cheats or a smart missle.

Venus Production Plant - game crashes when I try to launch this level.

Ziv's Village - the exit does not open after the reactor is destroyed. I was able to finish this level only using cheats.

Gehenna - it is a copy of Tartarus.

I was a bit dissapointed with Top 10 levels. Yes, they are pretty good, but not really outsanding, except 2 or 3 of them. There were much more original and complicated levels in the "singleplayer" levels type.

[{ k a w a }]

I haven't tried it yet, but thanks for this tutorial, I'm hoping a remaster with a level editor would come soon, as they tend to now integrate level editors in some remasters. It would be great to be able to create custom levels in 6DOF.

[Luna O' Blue]

You can try looking for other levels on PlanetDescent and Descent3Fischlein. Though the levels you are talking about may be lost to time, there is a chance you might find something there.

[SRHxMERK-N-JERK]

There used to be a lot of levels I used to play that were not in the levels of the world pack some of them would have the level 7 boss at the end of them. If anyone knows what I am talking about and knows how to get them please help me out. They were very fun levels. Unfortunately I can't remember there names.

[Luna O' Blue]

12\09\2022 guide update.

I updated all the links and instructions in the guide. Unfortunately, the new link I found for the Levels Of The World addon does not have the separate folders for the singleplayer\multiplayer\top 10 levels so you will get them all as a mix but I do not think this is much of a problem as if the level does not have any enemies it is pretty likely it is a multiplayer level.

[Arminius]

Thank you Vovalia The Bluehaired

[Luna O' Blue]

O hell, why all the guides and sites go down. I could understand retro game-dedicated one but steam guide... Ok, i will try to update mine asap without any links to other guides.

[Arminius]

The download link for the guide on how to get and install DXX Rebirth appears to be broken - can anyone help me out please?

[Luna O' Blue]

Hello! Try this link: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/descent-levels-of-the-world-2re

[Timberbeast*BK*]

BECAUSE OF THIS GAME BEING MY 1ST COMPUTER CAME WHEN THE FREE DISK CAME OUT i had to buy then build and kept building computers. my wife bought a Playstation copy to play in the living room with the kids . then a box set for the computer, we all know why...she loved me. now a steam copy YAAA. say the black ship add on link is broken, please fix. have fun i do.

[Luna O' Blue]

Sorry, it seems that the site containing a lot of Descent content went down and I don't know whether it will get back up. Here is another link that seems to be working but it doesn't have instructions: https://www.myabandonware.com/download/2rb-descent-levels-of-the-world

I haven't played Descent in years, so I cannot say for sure how to install that, but as far as I remember you just need to drop the files into the mission folder and they should work.