PEAK Gloom and Citadel Guide: Belltowers, Traps and the Early Worm
How to cross the Gloom swamp and climb the Citadel in PEAK: sleepy gloom, frogs, the Big Ghost, belltowers, every trap type, and the five badges of this route.
FAQ
What do belltowers do?
How do you get the Well Rested badge?
How do you get Medieval History?
How often do the Gloom and Citadel appear?
Overview
The Gloom under purple fog · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Gloom (region four) and the Citadel (region five) arrived with the final major update, 2.0.a “The Final Ascent”, in August 2026, and were the only ending for three weeks. Since 2 September they share the ending at random with the Caldera and Kiln; in the current pool they appear on 104 of 208 days.
| Gloom | The Citadel | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | 4 | 5 |
| Terrain | Haunted swamp under purple fog | Trap-filled tower |
| Campfire | In the Citadel entrance hall (Wanderer badge) | None |
| Natural food | Eggs, cooked birds, frog legs, hot dogs, Berrynanas, the Early Worm | None |
| Ancient Statue | 1, in the entrance hall’s left room | None |
| Rising hazard | Fog does not rise; cold nights have no effect | Sleepy gloom rises from the bottom (Peak difficulty and up) |
The Gloom
Hazards
A flytrap catching a scout · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A Gloom frog · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Big Ghost exploding · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
| Hazard | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sleepy gloom | 2.5 Drowsy roughly every 2.75 seconds inside the fog |
| Gloom water | 50% slower walking, 70% slower and 50% lower jumps; lilypads cancel it |
| Flytraps | Trap you and inflict Poison; struggle free or get pulled out |
| Big Ghost | Spawns if you stay in the gloom too long, chases a scout and explodes with Cold and Blindness |
| Frogs | Tongue-fling scouts toward themselves (range cut to 18 m in 2.02.a) |
| Tricky ravens | Steal your voice |
| Wrought-iron fences | 2.5 Injury per second if you stand on top |
Belltowers
A lit belltower · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ringing a belltower lights it and permanently clears the gloom in a short radius, killing nearby ghosts. Every Gloom on the current maps has 7 belltowers, so you only need the five closest to your path for Bellringer. Today’s belltower locations list them by position.
The Early Worm
The Early Worm · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Early Worm wanders in a small circle on the ground until picked up. Eating it earns Well Rested. It spawns randomly, so look along the ground as you cross.
Light and protection
Light sources push the gloom back: the Candlestick, Faerie Lantern and the regular Lantern (which does not stop Drowsy). The Book of Bones and the Ancient Idol prevent Drowsy entirely. Burning the Big Ghost with a Candlestick, Faerie Lantern, Portable Stove or belltower earns Exorcist. Petrified scouts in the swamp point toward luggage.
Tips
- Plan each leg from a high point before dropping into the fog.
- Thrown frogs can pull you along as a traversal trick.
- Gloom luggage often has Candlesticks: open it early.
The Citadel
Screenshot: PEAK on Steam © Aggro Crab & Landfall
A tower full of traps. There is no campfire and no natural food, and from Peak difficulty up the sleepy gloom rises from the bottom, so do not linger.
Traps
An arrow trap · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A swinging mace · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A luggage trap, closed and open · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
| Trap | Effect |
|---|---|
| Arrow traps | 7.5 Arrow per hit; pulling an arrow out costs 12.5 Injury; each trap fires 3 times |
| Spike traps | 15 Injury |
| Swinging maces | Up to 25 Injury and ragdoll |
| Buzzsaws | Injury |
| Spike rollers (vertical and horizontal) | 5 Injury every quarter second |
| Petrifying stones | Petrify |
| Luggage trap | Drowsy gas within 16 m |
| Crucible of lava | On the second floor |
Golden chains, golden ladders (cheaper, faster climbing), lamps and staircases help you up.
The luggage trap looks like ordinary luggage but sits slightly open with its handle up; Citadel days average about one. The luggage types guide shows how to spot it. The Citadel also averages 1.4 clown luggage, the second most of any region, which helps with the Jester badge.
Tips
- With high stamina you rarely need gear here; speed matters more than safety equipment because of the rising gloom.
- Invincibility (Fortified Milk) lets you remove an arrow without taking Injury.
- Medieval History means no trap hits at all, including the luggage trap gas.
The ending
The top of the Citadel · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The stone scout with all four amulets · PEAK Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The top floor has golden scout statues and an archway marked with a star that leads to the Peak right beside the tower. Light a flare to end the run as usual. On Ascent 8, place all four amulets on the stone scout behind the Peak and escape through Nadir instead. If you carry the Ancient Idol from the Tomb, throw it into the Citadel’s lava cauldron for 24 Karat.
Badges
| Badge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Wanderer | Climb past the Gloom |
| Bellringer | Ring 5 belltowers in the Gloom in one expedition |
| Exorcist | Burn up the Big Ghost |
| Well Rested | Consume the Early Worm |
| Medieval History | Climb past the Citadel without being hit by any trap |
See the full badge list for the rest, and today’s Gloom map and Citadel map for today’s positions.
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