You're standing in the middle of a literal medieval nightmare, surrounded by the undead, and trying to figure out why the hell a golden record won't play or how to keep that damn essence trap from breaking. We’ve all been there. The Citadelle des Morts EE—or Main Quest, if you’re being formal—is easily one of the most atmospheric experiences Treyarch has dropped in years. It’s gritty. It’s tight. It’s claustrophobic. Honestly, it feels like a love letter to the Der Eisendrache era, but with that slick, modern Black Ops 6 movement that makes everything feel just a bit more frantic.
If you came here looking for a simple "press F to win" guide, you’re going to be disappointed because this map is a mechanical beast. But if you want to know how to navigate the trickiest steps without tearing your hair out, let's get into it.
Getting the Basics Out of the Way (Fast)
Look, I’m assuming you know how to turn on the power. If you don't, you basically just follow the purple arrows. It’s standard Zombies 101. You need to activate the three Resonators, defend them for a bit, and boom—the map opens up.
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Once the power is humming, your first real goal for the Citadelle des Morts EE is the Wonder Weapon. You can get the Gongoro (the massive spiked mace) from the Mystery Box if you’re feeling lucky, but don’t do that to yourself. Just build it. You’ll need to find the three pieces: the handle, the head, and the core. The head is usually tucked away in the dungeon area, while the handle requires you to interact with a specific suit of armor that looks just a little too "alive" for comfort.
Pro tip: Use the Mangler cannon to blast the cracked wall in the Courtyard early. It saves you a massive headache later when you’re trying to kite a horde and realize you've trapped yourself in a dead end.
The Soul Box Struggle
Every Zombies map has them, and Citadelle is no different. You’ve got to fill the jars.
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Here is where people mess up: they try to do this on Round 25. Don't. You want to be finished with the collection phase by Round 12 at the latest. The zombies in this map spawn fast, and the narrow corridors of the keep make it incredibly easy to get cornered.
You’ll find the first jar near the Alchemist’s Bench. You need to kill zombies within the radius, but specifically, you need "corrupted" kills. This means using the Wonder Weapon's secondary blast. It’s a resource hog, so make sure you’re grabbing Max Ammos or using the Alchemical Antithesis gobblegum if you’ve got it tucked away in your pack.
Why the Citadelle des Morts EE Sequence is Breaking Your Brain
The mid-game of this Easter Egg is where the "Treyarch Logic" really kicks in. You’re looking for symbols. Again. I know, we’ve been doing this since 2010. But these symbols are tucked into the environment in ways that actually make sense for a medieval fortress. Check the rafters. Check the underside of the stone bridges.
The "Dial Step" is the notorious run-killer. You have to input a code based on the symbols you found, but the dials reset if you take too long or if a zombie hits you while you're interacting.
Here is the trick nobody tells you: Use a Decoy Grenade. Not a Monkey Bomb—the animation is too long. A Decoy gives you exactly six seconds of peace. That is all you need to spin those dials and lock in the sequence. If you hear a low chime, you got it. If you hear a buzzing sound that sounds like a disappointed game show host, you failed and need to wait for the next round to try again.
That Insane Boss Fight Preparation
Before you even think about entering the rift for the final encounter of the Citadelle des Morts EE, you need to audit your gear. If you go in with a single-packed weapon, you are dead. Period.
- Primary: A Tier 3 Packed assault rifle or LMG. The Ames 85 is surprisingly good here for the headshot multiplier.
- Wonder Weapon: Fully upgraded. You need the "Regal" variant of the mace for the area-of-effect damage.
- Perks: Jug, Quick Revive, and Stamin-Up are non-negotiable. PHD Flopper is great if you're using explosives, which you probably should be.
- Support: The Chopper Gunner is useless in the boss arena because of the ceiling height. Take the Sentry Turret instead. Place it facing the rear of the arena to cover your back while you focus fire on the boss's glowing weak points.
The boss itself—this massive, mutated amalgam of knightly armor and necrotic flesh—has three phases. In the first phase, it’s all about mobility. It’ll slam the ground and create shockwaves. Jump. Just like a platformer. In the second phase, it summons "Echoes," which are basically spectral versions of the mini-bosses you've fought throughout the map. Focus the Echoes first. If you don't, they’ll overwhelm you while you’re trying to chip away at the main health bar.
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The "Secret" Ending Requirements
There’s a lot of chatter in the community about the "true" ending. To get the full cinematic and the calling card, you can’t just kill the boss. You have to ensure that the "Soul Vessel" (that glowing jar you’ve been carrying around) is placed in the pedestal before the final blow is dealt. If you kill the boss without the vessel in place, you get a generic "Game Over" screen and the achievement won't pop. It’s a brutal mistake to make after forty-five minutes of sweat.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Run
To actually beat this thing, stop playing it like a standard survival map. You have to be aggressive.
- Prioritize the Melee Build: The mace isn't just a Wonder Weapon; it's your lifeline. The life-steal mechanic on the upgraded version is the only way to survive the narrow hallways of the lower keep without burning through all your armor plates.
- Learn the Map Geometry: There are three specific "mantle spots" in the Great Hall that allow you to skip the stairs entirely. Use them. High-level play in Citadelle is all about verticality.
- The Gobblegum Strategy: Don’t hoard your Perkaholics. Use them early to get your setup done by Round 8. The faster you move through the steps, the lower the zombie health scaling will be during the boss fight.
- Audio Cues: Turn your music down to 30% and dialogue up to 100%. The characters actually call out when a step is completed or when a symbol is nearby. If you're playing as Weaver or Maya, the dialogue hints are much more explicit.
- Shield Maintenance: Keep your back to the wall. The shield in this game isn't as durable as the old BO2 days, but it'll still save you from a stray swipe while you're reading the dials.
The Citadelle isn't just a map; it's a test of how well you can manage your nerves while a ten-foot-tall knight tries to turn you into a pancake. Take it slow, don't rush the symbol steps, and for the love of everything, make sure your armor is repaired before you jump into that final portal.