What Does a Mayor Actually Control?
Mayoral leadership is not just a title—it comes with tangible abilities that affect the settlement's economy, defenses, and growth. In general, mayors have the ability to:
Direct the settlement’s assets and finances.
Build and expand service buildings.
Adjust tax rates, including those applied to tavern games.
Improve defensive structures like walls, gates, traps, and siege equipment.
Hire mercenaries to defend the node.
Declare war on other settlements and rally citizens.
Manage settlement relics and emblems.
Set messages-of-the-day and propose policies for citizens to vote on.
Initiate trade agreements and mayoral caravans for resource exchange.
All these powers are granted through “mandates,” which cannot be delegated to other players. This means that the mayor must personally manage most of these tasks, though the system is designed so that not every decision requires constant presence in the zone of influence (ZOI) of the settlement. Usually, only critical actions, like declaring war or constructing major defensive structures, require the mayor to be physically present.
Using Settlement Resources Effectively
A big part of being mayor involves managing the settlement treasury. Mayors can initiate buy orders using the gold stored in the treasury to fund projects or purchases. In practice, this allows settlements to acquire necessary materials or fund commissions that benefit the community. This is also where outside resources sometimes come into play. For example, some players may choose to buy Ashes of Creation gold from U4N to quickly accelerate projects or trade goods. While not mandatory, this can make certain development tasks faster, especially in a competitive server environment.
The gold collected through taxes is strictly used for settlement development, which includes upgrading service buildings, hiring NPC mercenaries, and improving defenses. In practice, most players quickly learn that balancing tax rates is key: too high, and citizens may be unhappy; too low, and the settlement might struggle to fund important projects.
Settlement Development and Building Projects
Mayors have significant control over the physical and functional growth of a settlement. This includes initiating construction and expansion of service buildings like smithies, taverns, and guild halls. These projects require careful planning, as resources and citizen labor contribute to their completion. Usually, successful mayors prioritize upgrades that provide the highest benefit to both citizens and node progression.
Additionally, mayors can undertake mayoral commissions, which are special projects that gather resources, improve defenses, or prepare for wartime activities. For example, before a settlement war, a mayor might launch commissions to stockpile materials, hire mercenaries, or upgrade defensive walls. Most players find that planning these projects ahead of time is crucial, since unexpected sieges can happen even in relatively peaceful servers.
Taxes, Trade, and Economic Influence
Adjusting tax rates is another major power of the mayor. Taxes fund development, but they also affect citizen behavior and participation in activities like tavern games. Most mayors try to find a balance where taxes are enough to fund construction and defense but not so high that they discourage participation.
Trade agreements are also part of a mayor’s responsibilities. Initiating mayoral caravans allows settlements to trade commodities with other nodes in exchange for service building upgrades or temporary buffs. This system is often used strategically to boost a settlement’s growth or support allies in times of war. In practice, experienced players treat these trade routes as both economic tools and diplomatic instruments.
Defense and Warfare
Mayors play a critical role in settlement defense. They can improve defensive structures, hire mercenaries, and even use special battlefield abilities during sieges. Certain powers, like declaring war on another settlement, require not only resources but also careful planning. The game intentionally prevents mayors from starting wars casually; gathering resources for a war effort is part of the strategic gameplay.
Settlement relics can also be activated or deactivated by the mayor, providing buffs or strategic advantages during sieges. Additionally, mayors gain new powers and responsibilities as their settlements advance, and some of these abilities are specific to the settlement type, biome, or dominant race.
Citizen Interaction and Governance
While mayors have many powers, they don’t control every aspect of player behavior. For example, they cannot mark players as enemies of the state or block non-citizens from using services. Instead, traffic and fees from outsiders actually help the settlement grow. Mayors can propose policies for citizens to vote on, set messages-of-the-day, and even have special colored names in settlement chat, which helps communicate authority.
In practice, most players see that communication and transparency are key to effective leadership. Citizens respond better when mayors explain tax changes, building projects, or war preparations. There are safeguards in place for when mayors are inactive: if certain decisions are not made within a set timeframe, the system defaults them. This ensures settlements continue to progress even if players log off or leave the server.
Planning for Node Longevity
One concern players often have is whether player-run settlements will persist over time. Ashes of Creation addresses this with fail-safes and automated progression, so settlements don’t immediately stagnate if a mayor disappears. Recurring elections allow players to replace leadership, keeping nodes dynamic and responsive. Usually, this cycle keeps settlements active, but strategic planning and player cooperation remain essential for long-term success.
Mayoral leadership in Ashes of Creation is a complex mix of governance, strategy, and community management. Most players find that being a successful mayor requires careful resource management, effective communication with citizens, and strategic planning for both development and defense. Whether it’s setting taxes, initiating building projects, defending the settlement, or conducting trade, mayors have a tangible impact on the growth and success of their nodes. Understanding these powers and how they work in practice is key for anyone aiming to shape the world of Verra.
