Activating and clearing all 13 Ancient Circles costs 13 in-game time segments: each circle uses one segment. That is not a real-world hours estimate—travel and combat time vary, and no measured full-clear playtime is available. Walking and scouting are reported as free in the time system; activities and quest steps may consume time, with the cost displayed before you commit.
What does the 13-segment total mean?
Current gameplay guides report 13 Ancient Circles, with one in-game time segment charged for each. The total is therefore 13 segments to activate and clear the set, not 13 hours or a fixed number of minutes. The hourglass cost appears before an activity is committed, so check it in-game rather than converting segments into clock time.
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There is no reproducible full-clear timing study in the available guide coverage. How long a run takes in real life depends on the route, travel, and how quickly each fight goes.
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How do you complete an Ancient Circle trial?
- Arrive during daylight. These are daytime combat trials.
- Find the altar in front of the mural. Use Focus to interact with it.
- Cast Astral Communion to begin the trial, after checking the displayed time cost.
- Defeat every summoned enemy. Do not abandon the circle before the encounter is finished.
- Open the chest beside the pillar. The chest interaction is required for completion.
- Check the journal. Confirm the activity is recorded before counting the circle as complete.
What is the best way to route all 13 locations?
Use a regional sweep instead of following an arbitrary numbered list. From a discovered fast-travel point near unfinished circles, complete nearby sites and finish each altar-to-chest sequence before moving on. No mandatory order is established by the current guides, so choose the grouping that minimizes backtracking in your own map.
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Because circles require daylight and each costs a segment, account for daytime availability when planning a run. Witchcraft’s Mercurial Fervor or Vampirism’s Shapeshift are suggested by a guide as traversal conveniences; neither is required to complete a circle.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why might a circle not start or count as complete?
- The trial will not start: Check that you arrived during daylight, interacted with the mural’s altar using Focus, and cast Astral Communion.
- The activity is still unfinished: Make sure every summoned enemy has been defeated and that you opened the chest beside the pillar.
- You are unsure whether it counted: Confirm the activity appears in the journal before leaving the area or treating the circle as complete.
The circle count and instructions come from third-party gameplay guides rather than an official walkthrough. A future game patch could change mechanics, so use the current in-game prompts if they differ from a guide.
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