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How Settlement Progression Works in Ashes of Creation - ObsidianLoop - 12-27-2025
How does settlement advancement work in Ashes of Creation?
Settlement advancement is based on experience gained inside a settlement’s Zone of Influence (ZOI). In general, if players are active in an area, that area grows. The game tracks what players do within a node’s ZOI and converts that activity into settlement experience.
Most players will notice that settlements level up naturally as people quest, gather, fight enemies, and interact with the world nearby. You do not need a mayor actively pushing buttons for a node to start progressing. It happens because people are playing the game around it.
Each settlement earns its own experience, and that experience only applies to that specific node. Activity in one ZOI does not help a neighboring settlement.
What player activities give settlement experience?
In practice, almost everything players normally do contributes to settlement growth. This includes:
Completing quests
Killing mobs and bosses
Gathering resources like ore, wood, and plants
Crafting items
Participating in node-related objectives
Contributing to settlement construction projects
There was earlier confusion about crafting not counting toward settlement progression. That has been corrected. Crafting does contribute to settlement experience, and most players crafting near a node are helping it level, even if they are not actively thinking about settlement politics.
Because of this, busy crafting hubs tend to grow faster than quiet ones, especially when they attract regular traffic.
How fast do settlements level up early on?
The first stage happens quickly. In general, new settlements move out of the wilderness phase fast enough that players do not feel stuck without services.
Once a settlement reaches its first stage, basic NPC services unlock. These usually include things like vendors and banking access. From a practical standpoint, this is the point where players start treating the area as a real hub instead of a temporary camp.
After the early stages, advancement slows down. Most players will notice that pushing a settlement from mid-tier stages toward higher ones takes a lot more coordinated activity.
Does a settlement’s Zone of Influence change as it levels?
Yes. The more advanced a settlement becomes, the larger its Zone of Influence gets.
This matters because ZOI size affects:
How much player activity contributes XP
What content becomes available
How much territory a settlement competes over
In general, larger settlements pull in more players simply because their ZOI overlaps more content. This often creates a feedback loop where popular settlements grow faster because they already have more activity.
What are settlement XP construction projects?
Settlement XP construction projects are special buildings or structures that appear automatically when a settlement reaches certain stages. These can be things like statues, tents, or small buildings.
Players do not need a mayor to start these projects. They begin on their own, and players can contribute resources or effort to help complete them.
Contributing to these projects speeds up settlement advancement. Most players treat them as optional, but on competitive servers, these projects can make a noticeable difference in how fast one node outpaces another.
If two settlements are racing to level, players who care about the outcome usually focus on these projects.
Is settlement experience still passive?
Yes, but it is no longer only passive.
Previously, nodes gained experience just by players existing and playing nearby. That system still exists. However, newer mechanics add objectives that players can actively engage with, such as material transit systems involving crates.
These objectives allow players to push a settlement ahead more deliberately. In general, players who want a competitive advantage will focus on these systems, especially early in a server’s life.
Most casual players still level settlements just by playing normally, but organized groups can influence which nodes grow faster.
How does settlement progression affect your character?
Settlement progression is not directly tied to character progression.
This is important because settlements are designed to be destroyed and rebuilt over time. Nodes will rise, fall, and change hands during a server’s lifetime. Your character is meant to persist through those changes.
In practice, this means you should not expect a single settlement to be permanent. Most players treat settlements as evolving opportunities rather than long-term guarantees.
How long does it take to go from wilderness to metropolis?
There is no average timeline.
Many players ask this question, but the answer depends on too many variables to give a single number. Factors that affect settlement growth include:
How many citizens the node attracts
Player traffic patterns
Tax rates
Node specialization choices
Which buildings are constructed
How active players are within the ZOI
One settlement might grow quickly because it sits near popular content or trade routes. Another might stagnate because players avoid it.
What matters more is that within a single mayor term, which lasts one month, players can usually complete several meaningful development projects if they are motivated.
What role do mayors actually play in settlement advancement?
Mayors influence development choices, not raw experience gain.
In general, mayors guide how a settlement grows rather than whether it grows at all. They decide which buildings to prioritize and how to shape the node’s specialization.
Most players will not feel a mayor’s impact during early leveling, but at higher stages, leadership decisions become more noticeable.
How do most players approach settlement advancement?
Most players do not actively try to “farm” settlement XP.
Usually, players pick a home node because it feels convenient or active. They quest, craft, and gather nearby, and settlement progression happens naturally in the background.
Only organized guilds and competitive groups tend to focus heavily on speeding up advancement. Casual players benefit from settlement growth without needing to micromanage it.
Occasionally, players mention shortcuts like buy AoC gold from a trusted site like U4N, but in general, settlement progression is driven far more by activity and coordination than by individual wealth.
What should new players keep in mind?
If you are new, the best approach is simple:
Play where you enjoy playing
Participate in nearby activities
Use settlement services when they unlock
Do not stress about long-term permanence
Settlements are meant to change. In general, players who adapt to those changes enjoy the system more than those who try to control it.