Ashes of Creation‘s huge Node Siege system is finally coming online in Alpha 2. The March 28 dev stream gave us a closer look at how sieges will work, and the key takeaway is this: if you want to protect your home, you better be ready.
The siege system looks like it is going to be one of the most intense and strategic parts of the entire game with its siege scrolls, destruction mechanics, and mayoral controls.
Here is everything we know so far.
Siege Zones Are Locked to Registered Players
One of the biggest points made in the update is that only players who are part of the attacking or defending team will be allowed inside the siege zone. If you try to enter during the battle without being registered, you will be automatically kicked out.
This is meant to keep sieges focused, fair, and manageable from both a gameplay and server stability perspective.
Mayors Can Manage Siege Rosters
Node leadership will play a big role here. If a registered player on the defensive team is offline, the mayor has the ability to swap them out for someone else. This gives active communities more flexibility and ensures siege teams can be fully prepared, even if someone goes AFK at the worst time.
Sieges Are Coming in Stages
As with other major systems, sieges will roll out in early iterations first, with rough edges, bugs, and limited features. The goal is to get feedback early and refine core mechanics like:
- Control point locations
- Wave-based respawn logic
- Final objective placements
- Siege weapon deployment
- Node destruction and pillaging (coming later)
The devs stressed that the version players will see first is the worst it will ever be, and that is by design. These staged rollouts help the team gather real player data and improve the system over time.
Siege Scrolls and Political Intrigue
Declaring a siege requires acquiring a siege scroll, which will not be easy. It involves pooling resources and making moves behind the scenes, because once word gets out, the target node might start evacuating resources or preparing countermeasures.
If you are planning a siege, you might want to keep it quiet or risk losing your window of opportunity.
Why Node Destruction Will Be Costly
Although node destruction is not fully enabled yet, it is on the roadmap, and it will not be cheap. Intrepid explained that building up a node is a massive community effort, and the cost to tear it down through sieges will be balanced accordingly. They want players to feel the weight of what they are risking and fighting for.
Share Your Feedback
The development team is especially looking for feedback on:
- How control points and objectives are placed
- Whether the wave respawn system feels fair
- The overall fun and pacing of the battles
If you are in Alpha 2, now is the time to get involved and help shape one of the game’s biggest features!
