How Castle Sieges Work in Ashes of Creation: Settlements, Stats, and Strategy

How Many Settlements Are Connected to Each Castle?

Each of the five castles in Ashes of Creation has three associated castle settlements. These settlements sit around the castle and act as support hubs for it.

In general, these settlements:

Provide defensive bonuses to the castle
Unlock or improve castle systems
Affect mercenary guards, walls, gates, and siege objectives

Most players should think of these settlements as extensions of the castle itself. If they are strong and well-maintained, the castle will be harder to take. If they are damaged or neglected, the castle becomes easier to siege.

What Happens During the First Three Weeks After Taking a Castle?

When a guild first captures a castle, the real work starts immediately.

Week 1 to Week 3: Leveling Castle Settlements

During the first three weeks of castle ownership:

The owning guild must level each of the three castle settlements to Village stage
This is done through questing and player activity, not passive progress
Each settlement must be maintained separately

Most guilds will need to organize players to focus on these settlements early, because falling behind has consequences later.

Weekly Settlement Sieges

At the end of each of these three weeks, one of the castle settlements becomes vulnerable to a siege:

Each settlement has its own siege
These sieges happen before the main castle siege
Attackers can target specific settlements

In practice, this means defending a castle is not a one-week event. Most defending guilds will be busy almost every weekend leading up to the main siege.

What Is Declaration Week and Why Does It Matter?

The fourth week is known as declaration week.

During this week:

Other guilds can place a declaration flag to attack the castle
Guilds can also sign up as defenders
No settlement leveling happens during this period

Most players see this as the political phase of castle warfare. Alliances form, enemies reveal themselves, and defenders are locked in.

By this point, whatever happened to the settlements in weeks one to three is already locked in. You cannot fix mistakes during declaration week.

How Do Castle Settlements Affect Castle Defenses?

This is where the system becomes very important.

In general, castle stats are directly supported by buildings in the three settlements. Each settlement contains specific structures that feed into the castle’s overall stat pool.

These stats include:

Mercenary guard health and damage mitigation
Wall and gate hit points
Wall and gate damage reduction
Defensive installations and weapons
Objective points inside the castle

If a settlement building is destroyed or fails to be upgraded, the castle loses part of its power.

What Happens If a Settlement Building Is Destroyed?

Steven Sharif explained this system using practical examples, and most players will experience it exactly this way.

Here are some common scenarios.

Destroyed Metallurgy Building

If attackers destroy the metallurgy building in a settlement:

Mercenary gear cannot be properly inspected
Mercenary damage mitigation drops
Example: mitigation drops from around 25% to 10%

In practice, this means mercenaries die much faster during the castle siege.

Destroyed Barracks or Food Supply

If the barracks or food-related buildings are destroyed:

Mercenaries become underfed
Their maximum HP is reduced
In some cases, they may start at half health

Most attackers will target this if they want easier early pushes.

Destroyed Masonry Building

If the masonry building is destroyed:

Wall repairs cannot be completed
Castle walls or gates may start the siege already damaged
Structural strength can drop significantly

This often creates weak entry points that attackers can exploit quickly.

Can Attackers Choose Which Castle Stats to Weaken?

Yes, and this is one of the most strategic parts of the system.

In general:

Each castle stat is linked to a specific building in a settlement
Attackers can choose which settlement to target
Defenders must decide where to focus their defense

Most organized attacking guilds will not just attack randomly. They usually identify:

Which stats matter most for their strategy
Which settlements are weakest
Which buildings will give the biggest advantage if destroyed

This creates meaningful choices on both sides.

How Do Siege Weapons Fit Into Castle Sieges?

During the actual castle siege:

Attackers use different siege weapons
These can destroy walls, doors, and castle sections
Access to the inner keep depends on successful breaches

In general, weakened walls or gates from earlier settlement damage make siege weapons much more effective. Most defenders will notice a big difference if their settlements were poorly defended in earlier weeks.

What Happens When a Castle Changes Hands?

After a successful castle siege:

The castle changes ownership
Some taxes remain with the castle
Some taxes stay with the previous owning guild

This system prevents total loss while still rewarding attackers. Most guilds treat castle ownership as a long-term investment rather than a one-time win.

How Do Most Players Prepare for Castle Warfare?

In practice, most players involved in castle content will:

Participate in settlement sieges weeks before the castle siege
Focus on targeting or protecting key buildings
Join defending or attacking guilds during declaration week
Farm gear, supplies, or currency to stay competitive

Some players choose faster preparation routes, such as buy Ashes of Creation gold from U4N, while others rely entirely on in-game methods. Either way, preparation over multiple weeks usually matters more than last-minute effort.