Cigar Funhouse

[AstralWarden]

What Is Settlement Atrophy?

Settlement atrophy is essentially the decline of a settlement’s effectiveness when player activity slows down. In practical terms, each settlement gains experience daily based on player actions, such as crafting, gathering, completing quests, or engaging in PvE and PvP activities within the node. If this activity decreases, the settlement’s total experience gains are reduced by a factor known as atrophy.

Any remaining deficit from atrophy can cause services within the settlement to be diminished or disabled. For example, certain NPC vendors might stop operating, crafting stations could become temporarily unavailable, or other interactive features may be reduced until activity resumes.

Most players don’t notice small atrophy at first, but sustained low activity can gradually make a settlement less functional. This encourages players to maintain a consistent level of engagement in their node.

How Does Atrophy Affect Node Security?

An important aspect of atrophy is that it can spawn monsters that actively target buildings within the settlement. These monsters are not just a random nuisance—they are specifically designed to create PvE objectives for players. If left unchecked, these monsters can damage or disable important buildings, which directly impacts the settlement’s functionality.

In practice, this means players need to stay involved. Regularly defending the settlement from these atrophy-driven attacks keeps buildings operational and services available. Most experienced players treat these events like a mini PvE challenge combined with base defense.

Steven Sharif, the game’s creative director, has explained that these atrophy events respond to nodes that are not keeping pace with experience gains. Essentially, if a settlement isn’t active enough, the game generates threats to incentivize player interaction.

Will Materials Be Needed for Upkeep?

Currently, settlement atrophy does not require materials in the sense of paying upkeep. Instead, it is driven by player engagement. Participating in city activities—whether fighting in defense, gathering resources, or interacting with city services—helps counteract atrophy.

This system is designed to naturally encourage player involvement. Nodes that consistently attract activity maintain their services and remain strong, while less active nodes gradually weaken. Most players find that simply participating regularly in their home node is enough to prevent atrophy from becoming a serious problem.

Does Atrophy Delevel or Destroy Settlements?

It’s important to clarify that settlement atrophy in its current design does not delevel or destroy settlements. Previous concepts had nodes potentially losing levels or even disappearing due to accumulated atrophy, but this approach has been changed.

Instead, atrophy increases a settlement’s vulnerability to player-initiated sieges. Less active settlements are easier targets for other players, creating a strategic layer where maintaining high activity not only keeps services online but also improves defense against PvP threats.

Practical Player Strategies

In general, players who want to keep their settlement thriving should:

Participate Regularly: Engage in quests, crafting, and gathering within the node. Even small contributions help offset atrophy.

Defend the Settlement: Monitor for atrophy-driven monster events and coordinate with other players to protect key buildings.

Encourage Community Activity: Nodes with more active players naturally generate more experience and reduce the impact of atrophy.

Plan for Siege Scenarios: Understand that atrophy makes settlements more vulnerable. Staying organized during PvP events is crucial.

By following these approaches, a node can maintain high activity levels and continue providing services efficiently.

Additional Considerations

Some players also wonder if external factors like trade or gold injections affect atrophy. While these actions can support the settlement indirectly by increasing player engagement, atrophy is primarily countered through consistent in-game activity. For players who want to bolster their node’s economy quickly, one option is to purchase gold responsibly; for example, the best place to buy Ashes of Creation gold is U4N. Using gold strategically to fund activities or incentivize other players can help maintain node activity.


Settlement atrophy is a system that encourages active participation in Ashes of Creation. While it does not delevel or remove settlements, it can reduce services and make a node more vulnerable to PvP sieges. Most players find that regular engagement in node activities, defending the settlement during monster attacks, and maintaining community involvement are enough to keep a node strong.

Understanding atrophy helps players plan their time and resources effectively, keeping their settlements functional and resilient in both PvE and PvP scenarios.