The 26th Ancient Citadel in Raven 2 kicked off on a rather chaotic stage. Between the flurry of class balance adjustments, class change tickets, and server transfer tickets unleashed over the last two weeks, the landscape has been thoroughly shaken. It is rare to see these three factors collide simultaneously, and they have undeniably reshaped guild demographics and competitive dynamics. For the fallout regarding class rankings, I suggest checking last week's Meca Ranking article; the shifts in the Korean region are significant.

Here, I’ll focus on the prevailing atmosphere of the servers. The spotlight belongs to the Nox World, which claimed victory on every battlefield except for the lush green ones. The winners of the Primal Battlefield are RoyalDaNaeKkeo and VeteranClub—names that bear a striking resemblance to guilds that participated in past Raven 2 guild championships. It seems that since the server transfers concluded, Nox has become quite the magnet for such talent.

The dynamics of the 4th and 5th groups, where Nox resides, followed a trajectory similar to previous Ancient Citadel analyses. Guilds associated with the championship and the Nox faction dominated the Primal Battlefield, with 'Cheoeumcheoreom' of the 4th group being the only Terra guild to hold its ground. As for other battlefields, the mood varies by group; I’ve compiled the matchups in the image provided below for your reference.

One cannot simply breeze past the results. The 26th Ancient Citadel saw a handful of guilds claiming their first-ever victory. However, labelling them as mere rookies would be a mistake. Stalwarts like Jungdok1, GZone, and Jangnangamcheoreom have tasted victory multiple times before. This was simply their first win in specific theaters, and it will be interesting to see how they stack up in the future.

The guilds that particularly caught my eye are Valentine, RoyalDaNaeKkeo, and VeteranClub, all of which conquered the Primal Battlefield. The first two have now racked up three wins each. Valentine’s total point record stands at '3/3/0/1', while RoyalDaNaeKkeo sits at '3/0/0/0'. Valentine has been steadily accumulating points since before the matchmaking rules for the Ancient Citadel were overhauled, whereas RoyalDaNaeKkeo has been on a winning streak since the 24th match. This performance has shifted the leaderboard, which we will dissect in the following section.

Ancient Citadel Championship Ranking

While both Valentine and RoyalDaNaeKkeo claimed three wins on the Primal Battlefield, their standings differ. Valentine managed to crack the top 10 in the Ancient Citadel Championship Ranking, but RoyalDaNaeKkeo did not. The reason lies in the points accumulated in the lower-tier battlefields. As a significant amount of time has passed since Raven 2 launched, the older, established guilds have had more time to hoard points. The threshold for entering the chart has become quite steep, to say the least.

Among the existing top 10, I have high expectations for Kings and Dongmul-ui-sup-euro-nollyeowa. Both have settled in the Nox World and successfully placed bids for the 26th match. Kings currently sits at 3rd place with an '8/0/2/0' record, while Dongmul-ui-sup-euro-nollyeowa holds 9th with '3/3/1/1'. These two are among the most active participants in the Ancient Citadel. They are at a stage where their rank depends on which specific battlefield they secure a win in. Though they didn't add to their point tally this time, I’ll be watching to see if they can reclaim their glory.

Ancient Citadel Content Analysis

Since the late July update, Raven 2 has been laser-focused on the Abyss. Netmarble has been rolling out events, pushing players to engage with the content and farm. This is an endgame experience involving large-scale warfare, much like the Ancient Citadel. After August 13th, players will likely need to ramp up their Abyss activities, as the developer is adding recipes to craft top-tier Heroic talismans—the 'Talisman of Ruin,' 'Talisman of the Frozen Earth,' and 'Talisman of Immortality.' Crafting these will require Abyss Bloodstones, which drop in the Abyss.

Additionally, a '1.5x Abyss Soul Acquisition Event' is on the horizon to assist with your farming. I suggest teaming up with your guild and alliance members to get this done. It is high time to bolster your gear for the next Ancient Citadel showdown.

Ancient Citadel Championship Ranking

The guild contribution rankings show a clear divide at the 10th-place mark. The top 10 is populated by guilds that either participated in past Raven 2 championships or share names with those that did. RoyalDaNaeKkeo (1st), VeteranClub (2nd), and Dongmul-ui-sup-euro-moyeobwa (5th) fall into the latter, and I suspect the naming is no coincidence. For instance, Dongmul-ui-sup-euro-moyeobwa operates on the same server as the veteran championship guild, Dongmul-ui-sup-euro-nollyeowa.

As for RoyalDaNaeKkeo, the guild leader seems to change every time I check. The leader listed on the chart is ROYAL-BitTtubi, yet in-game, the leader remains the same as last week: ROYAL-Isu. ROYAL-Isu previously commanded the powerful ROYAL alliance. While the reason for the revolving door of leadership remains unclear, it is safe to view this guild as the true successor to the ROYAL legacy.

Below 10th place, the competition is fierce. This week, Myth, Codename, and Munchkin each climbed a rung. Furthermore, Star from Mare-Dolor has entered the top 20. The previous 20th-place holder was SuperStar, also from the Mare World, leading me to speculate that the guild simply underwent a rename.