You're running through the tight, cobblestone streets of a cursed French village, a horde of undead is nipping at your heels, and you're trying to remember if that glowing radio was in the tavern or the butcher shop. We've all been there. Hunting for Citadelle des Morts intel is basically a rite of passage for anyone trying to actually understand what’s going on in the Black Ops 6 Zombies storyline. It's messy. It's hidden. Honestly, it’s a bit of a headache if you don't know exactly where the developers tucked away those tiny audio logs and documents.
Most players just blast through the rounds, grab their Pack-a-Punch upgrades, and call it a day. But if you're the type who needs to know why the Requiem team is even in this nightmare or what the hell Janus is actually planning, you need those files.
Why Citadelle des Morts Intel is a Completionist’s Nightmare
The map is vertical. That’s the first problem. Unlike Liberty Falls, which feels relatively flat and open, Citadelle des Morts is a labyrinth of stairs, ramparts, and underground laboratories. You’ve got the village area, the castle itself, and then the deep dark research facilities. Tracking down Citadelle des Morts intel across these three distinct layers requires a very specific pathing strategy.
You aren't just looking for one type of thing. Treyarch loves to mix it up. You’re hunting for three specific categories: Audio Logs, Documents, and Artifacts.
Audio logs are usually the easiest to spot because they have that distinct green glow. Documents? Those are the worst. They drop randomly from Elite enemies—think Manglers or those nasty Abominations—and if you don't pick them up before the round ends, they can sometimes despawn or just get lost in the visual clutter of essence drops and power-ups. Artifacts are physical objects, like a weirdly placed vase or a piece of tech, that you have to interact with.
It's a lot.
The Audio Logs You’re Probably Missing
Let’s talk about the Village first. Most people miss the log tucked away near the initial spawn because they’re too busy trying to get enough points to open the first door. If you head toward the back of the tavern—yeah, the one with the flickering lights—there’s a radio sitting on a crate that fills in some of the backstory regarding the local evacuation. Or lack thereof.
Once you get into the Castle proper, things get dicey. There’s a piece of Citadelle des Morts intel located on the battlements, right near where the mystery box often spawns. It’s sitting on a stone ledge. If you’re mid-train with twenty zombies behind you, you’ll likely run right past it. Stop. Grab it. It’s worth the hit you’ll take.
Deep in the laboratory section—where all the real mad science happens—you’ll find the more technical logs. Look for the one in the Bio-Research wing. It’s on a desk cluttered with surgical tools. This one is crucial because it links the events of this map back to the broader Dark Aether narrative. It basically confirms that the containment failure wasn't an accident. It was a choice.
The Frustration of Document Drops
If you’re stuck at 95% completion, it’s almost certainly the documents. I’ve spent hours farming rounds just waiting for a Mangler to drop that one specific memo.
Here’s the thing: documents in Citadelle des Morts intel sets are weighted. The first few drop almost every game. The last two or three? They have a lower drop rate. You have to kill Elites. Lots of them. The best way to do this isn’t actually staying in the early rounds. You want to get to round 20 or 25 when the spawn rate for Manglers and Amalgamations spikes.
💡 You might also like: Why the Elite Four Pokemon Pearl Run Still Breaks Players
- Kill the Elite. * Check the ground immediately. * Look for a small, white glowing folder. If you’re playing in a squad, tell your teammates to leave the drops alone. Only one person needs to pick it up for the whole team to get credit, but in the chaos, people often accidentally ignore them or they glitch into the floor geometry. It happens. It sucks.
Artifacts: The Hidden Physical Lore
Artifacts are the cool stuff. These aren't just recordings; they are physical manifestations of the corruption. There’s a corrupted crystal fragment hidden in the library area of the castle. You have to jump across a gap in the floor—one of those "if I miss this, I fall into a death pit" jumps—to reach the shelf where it sits.
Another artifact is located in the armory. It’s an old, rusted sword that looks like it belongs in a museum, not a zombie apocalypse. Interacting with it gives you a bit of flavor text about the history of the Citadelle. It turns out this place has been a magnet for weird energy long before the modern Requiem era.
Breaking Down the Narrative Impact
Why do we care? Honestly, the Citadelle des Morts intel is some of the strongest writing we've seen in the series lately. It bridges the gap between the 1980s Cold War vibe and the more modern, gritty tone of the current storyline.
We learn about the internal power struggles within the office of Director Peck. We see the desperation of the scientists who realized too late that they couldn't control the creatures they were breeding. There's a specific series of notes from a nurse named Elena that is particularly gut-wrenching. She describes the symptoms of the infection in a way that makes the "game" feel a lot more like a horror movie.
Pro-Tips for Efficient Intel Farming
Don't try to get everything in one go. You'll die. You’ll get frustrated. You’ll end up hating the map.
✨ Don't miss: Villain Outfit Dress to Impress Ideas That Actually Win Rounds
Instead, dedicate one run solely to the static spawns—the audio logs and artifacts. Use a high-mobility build. The Stamin-Up perk is your best friend here. Run a circuit. Start at the village, move through the castle, hit the labs, and then exfil.
For the documents, you're going to have to play the long game. Sit in the courtyard area. It’s the best place to train zombies and kill Elites without getting trapped in a corner. Bring a weapon with high burst damage, like a kitted-out shotgun or a Wonder Weapon, to melt the Elites as fast as possible.
Common Misconceptions About Intel
A lot of players think you can find all the Citadelle des Morts intel in Solo mode. You can. There’s no "co-op only" intel, which is a blessing. However, some people swear that the drop rates for documents are higher in a full lobby. While the game spawns more Elites in a four-player game, the actual percentage chance of a drop per kill remains the same. You just get more "rolls of the dice" because there are more things to kill.
Also, check your progress in the barracks. The menu UI in Black Ops 6 can be a bit clunky, but it will tell you exactly which category you’re missing. If it says "Audio Logs: 14/15," you know you missed a radio. If it says "Documents: 8/12," it’s time to go back to the grind and start hunting Manglers again.
Tactical Roadmap for 100% Completion
If you're serious about finishing your collection, you need to be methodical. The game doesn't hand these to you. It's a scavenger hunt in a war zone.
- Start with the Village Audio Logs. Grab the radio in the spawn house and the one near the debris leading to the castle.
- Clear the Battlements. There are two artifacts hidden behind crates in the upper reaches of the castle. You’ll need to do some parkour.
- The Lab Grind. Once you turn on the power and stabilize the containment field, spend three rounds just circling the central reactor. Two audio logs are on the control consoles.
- The Elite Farm. Stay in the courtyard from round 15 to 25. Focus entirely on Manglers. If a document doesn't drop by round 30, exfil and restart. The RNG can be cruel, and sometimes a fresh lobby resets your luck.
- Check the Trial Machine. Occasionally, intel is rewarded for completing "Intel" tier trials. If you've grabbed all the world spawns and you're still missing one, hit the trial computer and keep grinding until the reward is "Intel."
Intel hunting changes how you play. It turns the map from a shooting gallery into a place with history. When you finally hear that last audio log or read that final decrypted email, the "Citadelle des Morts" isn't just a map anymore. It’s a graveyard with a story to tell.
Go get it. Just watch your back when you're reading. Those zombies don't care about your lore.