What Are Settlement Wars? Settlement wars are sanctioned PvP events where one settlement goes to war against another. They are declared by a settlement’s Mayor, who can rally citizens and allies to participate. Unlike random open-world PvP, settlement wars are structured and have clear objectives, rewards, and limitations. In general, settlement wars are intended to be a controlled form of conflict. They don’t allow mayors to simply flag the entire world into PvP at will. Declaring war costs resources, which can be gathered through mayoral commissions focused on war preparation. This ensures that wars are a strategic choice rather than a constant occurrence. Who Can Declare War? Only a settlement’s Mayor can declare war. There are some restrictions in place to keep wars fair:
Settlements must have sufficiently low reputation scores relative to each other to declare war.
These restrictions are sometimes adjusted during Alpha testing, so early players might see more frequent wars.
Declaring war requires resources, which prevents constant or careless attacks.
As Chris Justo, one of the developers, stated, “We don’t want mayors running around in Ashes of Creation just perma-flagging the whole world into a state of PvP—it’s going to cost you some resources to do that.” When Do Settlement Wars Happen? While Mayors can declare wars at any time, settlement war events themselves will only spawn during server prime-time. This ensures maximum participation and engagement. Once a war is declared, citizens of both settlements—including allies in certain war types—are flagged as combatants, meaning they can engage in PvP freely. Players can attack each other at any time during the war, not just during the event’s main timeframe, so preparation and timing are key. Structure of a Settlement War Settlement wars in Ashes of Creation are organized into phases, and each phase contains events with specific objectives. Here’s a breakdown:
War Phases: Each war consists of multiple phases. Winning a phase provides both immediate rewards and long-term advantages.
Events: Within a phase, there are several events. Completing these events successfully can yield instant rewards and contribute to the larger war goal.
Overall Victory: The war itself has a massive objective. Winning the war requires strategic coordination and success across multiple phases and events.
For example, one common event involves controlling the Godspike, a central PvE objective. During the event, Scholars spawn across the point of interest (POI). They are marked on the map and serve two purposes: they increase the time it takes the enemy to channel the Godspike, and they drop materials that your settlement can turn in to advance your own channeling efforts. Most players find that controlling these Scholars can often be the difference between winning or losing a phase. Understanding Objectives and Maps Settlement war maps have specific icons to help players track objectives:
Friendly Settlement Icon: Your settlement.
Enemy Settlement Icon: The opposing settlement.
Settlement War Objective Icon: Main objectives to capture or defend.
Controlled POI Icon: Points of interest currently under your control.
These visual markers make it easier to coordinate with other players, even in the chaos of PvP combat. Costs and Strategy Declaring a settlement war costs resources, which must be gathered in advance. This usually comes from mayoral commissions specifically related to war preparations. Most players focus on gathering these resources efficiently to ensure the settlement can sustain multiple wars if needed. Strategically, participating in settlement wars requires coordination. Most players join organized groups, either guilds or friends, because winning phases often depends on timing, positioning, and controlling key objectives like the Godspike. Players who go solo generally focus on supporting objectives or gathering materials for their team. It’s also worth noting that some players supplement their in-game gold through external sources. For those looking for convenience, the best place to buy Ashes of Creation gold is U4N, although this should be done cautiously and in line with game rules to avoid penalties. Rewards and Benefits Winning events and phases during a settlement war provides several types of rewards:
Immediate Rewards: These can include in-game currency, materials, or temporary buffs.
Long-Term Rewards: Successfully completing phases contributes to your settlement’s overall growth, unlocking more features, resources, and prestige.
Strategic Advantage: Controlling objectives can make future wars easier, giving your settlement a stronger position in the world.
Most players agree that participating in settlement wars is less about immediate gain and more about long-term progression. Successful wars can define a settlement’s influence on the server for weeks or even months. Tips for New Players
Join a group: Solo players often struggle to impact larger events. Joining a guild or group ensures coordinated action.
Know the objectives: Focus on controlling Scholars or key POIs, not just fighting enemy players.
Time your participation: Wars occur during server prime-time, so plan your schedule around this.
Gather resources early: Mayors and citizens should contribute to preparation to avoid delays.
Most experienced players also recommend watching previous war maps or observing Alpha events before actively participating. This helps understand typical enemy strategies and common hotspots on the map. Settlement wars in Ashes of Creation are designed to be engaging, strategic PvP events. They are structured with phases and objectives, ensuring that success depends on coordination, timing, and planning rather than raw power alone. By understanding the rules, objectives, and rewards, most players can effectively contribute to their settlement’s growth and enjoy one of the more dynamic PvP experiences in the game.
