Full Rappelz Epic Timeline  ›  Epic 9.6 — Siege of the Citadelle

The Last Official Epic — And Nobody Expected It

When Gala Lab announced Epic 9.6 on 22 February 2019, the Rappelz community was taken completely by surprise. historyofrappelz.com had already published a preview article titled “Epic X?” — because nobody anticipated the 9.x series would continue. The naming choice continued the pattern established by 9.4 and 9.5, and the debate about whether this deserved its own Epic 10 designation was immediate.

What Gala delivered was the most polished and feature-complete update in the game’s late history — a fitting final chapter for a game that had been running for 14 years. Epic 9.6 is the version that private server communities, including Rappelz Tournament, have been running ever since.

The Attack on the Citadel — Guild Competitive PvE

The headline feature of Epic 9.6 was the Attack on the Citadel — a unique game mode unlike anything previously seen in Rappelz. Not a dungeon, not a PvP zone: a competitive guild speedrun in PvE. Only guilds could participate, registering through an auction system for one of six sessions held exclusively on Saturdays.

The Citadel was located west of Rondo, on the site of the Rondo Arena. Only the guild master could register — with a minimum guild point requirement of 1,000. The mode was divided into two parts: the Academy and the Citadel itself, each designed to funnel guilds toward a final stage where speed determined ranking.

The rewards were tied directly to guild ranking — with gold, silver and bronze medals providing stat bonuses to all qualifying members, plus exclusive items like the Rondo Commander’s Cloak, guild name change tickets and guild officer tickets obtainable through Siege Symbols dropped by the citadel’s monsters.

Citadel Ranking Rewards

The Death Gladiator — Epic Tier Creature

Epic 9.6 introduced a brand new creature: the Death Gladiator — an Epic tier pet that clashes at the Siege of the Citadel and requires its own dedicated taming card. As the final new creature in official Rappelz history, the Death Gladiator carries a unique distinction. It remains one of the most powerful and visually impressive pets in the game.

All Changes in Epic 9.6

The End of Official Rappelz — The Beginning of What Comes Next

Epic 9.6 closed the official update history of Rappelz. The Siege of the Citadel was a genuinely innovative piece of game design — a guild-based competitive PvE mode that rewarded organisation, speed and coordination rather than simply raw gear level. The Death Gladiator was a worthy final creature. And the quality-of-life improvements addressed issues that had been in the game for years.

But the story of Rappelz did not end in March 2019. The private server community that had existed alongside the official game for years stepped forward and kept it alive. Servers like Rappelz Tournament — running since 2016, entirely on Epic 9.6 — are where the game lives today.

Over 3,000 players on Discord. No server wipes since 2016. No pay-to-win. The game that started as Rappler Creer in 2005 is still being played in 2026 — and every system introduced across 22 Epics is part of that experience.