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11 The Citadel Ruins are an underground fortress in Aincrad, and one of the named locations the game lists alongside its towns and its labyrinth tower. Where the Labyrinth is the vertical route between floors, the Citadel Ruins are a self-contained dungeon: a deep, vast complex that has to be entered and read on its own terms.
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33 What the Ruins Were
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55 The fortress is described as having once been vital to the Alliance of the Nine Kingdoms, before that alliance collapsed roughly a millennium ago. That places the ruins in Aincrad's deep history rather than in the player's own timeline. Nothing in the published description ties the fall of the Nine Kingdoms to the events of the campaign, so the ruins read as a piece of the castle's older layer, still standing after whatever it was built to serve stopped existing.
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77 The Alliance itself has not been detailed beyond that single reference. Its member kingdoms, the cause of its collapse, and what the fortress was defending are all unpublished, and this page does not fill those gaps from outside material.
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99 A Layout That Will Not Sit Still
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1111 The single most important thing to know before going in is that the interior does not stay put. The structure is imbued with elven magic that changes its shape every time someone enters, so the ruins cannot be learned as a fixed map. A route that worked on one trip is not a route on the next.
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1313 That behaviour is not unique to this dungeon, but it is stated more strongly here than anywhere else. Dungeon interiors across the game are randomised between visits, with the connective tissue staying consistent: sealed passages have to be struck with a weapon to open, and the material differs by location. Practically, the ruins reward the same habits the Labyrinth does. Bank every resting point you pass, look for the seals rather than trying to memorise corridors, and treat map progress as something you earn on each run.
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1515 Reading the Dungeon
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1717 PropertyWhat It Means in PlayUnderground fortressAn enclosed dungeon rather than an open field region, so field-style disengagement and long sightlines are not available.Deep and vastExpect a long run between safe points. Stock consumables before entering rather than planning to fall back.Shape changes on entryNo memorised route carries over. Navigation is about reading seals and openings, not recall.Elven magicThe stated cause of the shifting layout. It is presented as a property of the site, not as a puzzle to disable.
1818 Preparing to Go In
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2020 Because the ruins cannot be scouted in advance in any useful way, preparation happens before you leave town. Gear enhancement and loadout changes are town-only actions, so any upgrade you want has to be sorted at the smithy first. Partner choice matters for the same reason: you commit to one companion for the trip, and the NPC Companions page covers what each one brings.
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2222 Crowd control is the other recurring lesson from the game's enclosed spaces. Corridors and chambers put multiple enemies on you at once far more often than open ground does, and in the game's dungeons the adds are usually the real threat rather than any single large enemy.
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2424 What Is Not Confirmed
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2626 Published material names the Citadel Ruins and describes them, but stops short of the details a walkthrough would need. The following are open:
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2828 Which floor the ruins sit on. They are listed among Aincrad's locations without a floor assignment.Whether the ruins are the same site as the High Elven Ruins named among Floor 1's regions. Both involve elven association, but no published source states that they are one place.The enemy roster inside, any named guardian, and whether a boss gates the deepest section.Whether entry is tied to a main quest, a side quest, or free exploration.
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3030 Those gaps are left open on purpose. The ruins are documented here at the level the game itself has documented them, and the specifics can be filled in once they are shown.
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3232 Related Pages
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3434 For the tower that links the floors, see The Labyrinth. For how sealed routes and field gimmicks gate exploration, see Field Obstacles and Arks. For the wider castle, see Aincrad.