THE CITADEL is the final biome standing between players and the PEAK in The Final Ascent, replacing environmental threats such as THE KILN’s rising lava with a punishing vertical tower packed with arrows, spikes, saw blades, swinging weapons, and other medieval traps. Reaching the top requires careful climbing, while anyone chasing the Medieval History badge must clear the entire biome without being struck by a trap.
The good news is that THE CITADEL becomes much easier once you recognize its hazards and know which routes and mobility items to prioritize. Here’s everything you need to survive the climb and earn Medieval History along the way.
How THE CITADEL Works in PEAK
Unlike most PEAK biomes, THE CITADEL is primarily a vertical climb. Rather than traveling across a large landscape while gradually gaining altitude, you’re ascending a tower almost directly upward.
Watch constantly for ladders, chains, and ledges. These provide valuable opportunities to recover and plan the next part of your route.
The tower also contains multiple possible paths. Don’t assume the most obvious route through the center is always the safest. Sections around the outer walls can offer less hazardous ways to continue upward.
Meanwhile, the GLOOM fog from the previous biome gradually rises beneath you, adding time pressure to the climb.
Every Trap in THE CITADEL
Understanding each trap is particularly important when attempting Medieval History. A single hit can invalidate the badge attempt.
Arrow Traps
Blue laser tripwires trigger arrows when crossed. Getting hit leaves an arrow embedded in your character, which you’ll need to pull out.
If you’re pursuing Medieval History, avoid these lasers entirely.
Interestingly, arrows are also tied to another CITADEL challenge. Removing 10 arrows from yourself earns the Archery badge, meaning it’s better to pursue Archery and Medieval History on separate attempts.
Spike Pressure Plates
Some floors contain pressure plates that activate spikes.
The spikes don’t emerge instantly, giving you a short opportunity to sprint across the dangerous section before they’re fully triggered. For a Medieval History run, however, it’s safer to carefully identify the trap and make sure you can clear the entire section before committing.
Saw Blades
Saw blades move up and down along predetermined sections of the walls.
Study their movement before climbing into their path. Wait for the blade to move away, then quickly climb through the opening rather than trying to rush past without checking its cycle.
Swinging Spiked Ball
Some sections feature a large spiked ball swinging from one side of the tower to the other.
You’ll typically need to cross a bridge within its path. Don’t race the pendulum. Wait until the ball swings away from your side, then use the resulting opening to cross.
Rotating Sweeper
The sweeper consists of spiked arms rotating around a central area.
Time your movement to pass between the rotating arms. Depending on your position, you can also use the safer central area and jump appropriately to avoid being struck.
Petrifying Rocks
Glowing rocks are another hazard, but they work differently from THE CITADEL’s mechanical traps.
Standing on them builds Petrify on your bonus stamina bar. Filling that bonus bar completely with Petrify kills you.
However, Petrify rocks do not count as traps for the Medieval History badge. That makes taking a small amount of Petrify preferable to risking contact with a mechanical trap if you’re forced to choose between the two.
How the Rising GLOOM Works
THE CITADEL also brings back the fog from GLOOM. As you climb, it gradually rises through the tower and applies the familiar sleep effect.
This sounds more dangerous than it usually is.
You can remove the sleep buildup by gaining enough elevation and getting out of the fog. As a result, your priority should remain climbing safely rather than panicking and rushing through a trap simply because the GLOOM is approaching.
Keep moving upward whenever possible, but don’t let the fog pressure you into a bad jump.
Best Items for THE CITADEL
Mobility and stamina management are especially valuable because THE CITADEL offers very little horizontal breathing room.
| Item | Why It’s Useful | Where to Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Scout’s Tenacity | Temporarily grants immunity and clears stamina ailments, but adds roughly 10% Petrify | Scout Statues found by following blue lights |
| Rope Cannon | Creates a climbable rope for reaching otherwise inaccessible areas | Luggage |
| Chain Launcher | Creates a route across difficult gaps | Luggage |
| Jetpack | Quickly crosses gaps when you have an item available for fuel | Luggage |
| Big Lollipop | Provides around 11 seconds of unlimited stamina for difficult climbs | Luggage |
| Scout’s Ambition | Gives you and nearby teammates seven seconds of infinite stamina | Scout Statues found by following blue lights |
| Anti-Rope Spool | Reverses gravity and can provide more than 20 meters of upward movement | Ancient Luggage / Ancient Idols |
| Anti-Zooka | Fires anti-gravity bubbles that can be chained together to gain significant height | Ancient Luggage / Ancient Idols |
The Anti-Rope Spool and Anti-Zooka are especially powerful when the normal route looks dangerous. Instead of navigating another trap-filled section, they may let you gain enough vertical distance to reach a safer position.
The Big Lollipop and Scout’s Ambition are excellent emergency options when stamina is the only thing preventing you from completing a long climb.
Best Strategy for Beating THE CITADEL
Stay together in co-op. Splitting across several possible routes usually wastes supplies and makes recovery harder. If one player successfully reaches a higher position, they can often help bring everyone else up.
Favor routes around the outer walls and edges of the central chamber. The tower’s interior frequently contains more traps and doesn’t necessarily provide the best path upward.
Use ladders and chains whenever they’re available. They drain stamina more slowly than ordinary climbing surfaces, making them useful for preserving energy during long ascents.
You also don’t need to completely avoid Petrify rocks. Because Petrify affects bonus stamina, taking a small amount can be manageable. More importantly, the rocks don’t invalidate Medieval History.
Food management is another concern. THE CITADEL doesn’t provide natural food, so either maintain a quick climbing pace or search Luggage for additional supplies.
Most importantly, don’t rush because the GLOOM is rising. Sleep buildup can disappear once you gain elevation, whereas getting launched from the tower or hit by a trap can immediately ruin a Medieval History attempt.
How to Get the Medieval History Badge
To unlock the Medieval History badge, you must climb through THE CITADEL without being hit by any of its traps.
That means avoiding:
- Arrow traps triggered by blue lasers
- Spike pressure plates
- Saw blades
- Swinging spiked balls
- Rotating sweepers
Glowing Petrify rocks are the exception. They can still hurt you through Petrify buildup, but touching them does not count as being hit by a trap for the badge requirement.
Successfully completing THE CITADEL under these conditions unlocks the Medieval History badge, along with the Knight Hat and Knight Outfit.
How to Get the Archery Badge
THE CITADEL also contains the Archery badge, but its objective directly conflicts with Medieval History.
| Badge | Requirement | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Medieval History | Clear THE CITADEL without being hit by traps | Knight Hat, Knight Outfit |
| Archery | Remove 10 arrows embedded in your character | Arrow Hat |
For Archery, intentionally trigger the blue laser traps so their arrows hit you, then remove the arrows from your character. Repeat the process until you’ve removed 10.
Because taking an arrow counts as being struck by a trap, doing this invalidates Medieval History for that run. If you want both badges, dedicate one CITADEL attempt to deliberately farming arrows and another to a clean, trap-free ascent.
For Medieval History in particular, patience matters more than speed. Study each trap before moving, stick to safer outer routes when possible, and save powerful mobility tools for sections where the normal path puts you at unnecessary risk. A careful climb through THE CITADEL will leave you with the badge, the Knight cosmetics, and a clear route toward the PEAK.
