Freehold Security in Ashes of Creation: How Permissions Work

[SolarOtter]

What Is Freehold Security in Ashes of Creation?

In Ashes of Creation, freehold security is not about locks, guards, or PvP protection. Instead, it is about who is allowed to use your freehold and its services.

Freehold owners can set permissions that control access to:

Entering the homestead

Interacting with furniture

Accessing freehold storage

Using crafting and processing stations

Harvesting gatherable resources on the freehold

In general, security is handled through social systems like family and guild, not through individual player lists.

Who Actually Owns a Freehold?

A freehold is owned by one account only. That ownership cannot be shared.

Even if you play multiple characters or accounts, only one account is considered the official owner. Everything else works through permissions.

Most players treat the owner account as the “main” account and then use permissions to let other trusted accounts help manage the freehold.

How Do Freehold Permissions Work?

Freehold permissions are designed to work with family and guild systems.

Instead of granting access to individual players one by one, you usually assign permissions to:

Your family

Your guild

In practice, this makes management easier, especially for active groups.

Permissions can cover actions like:

Entering the property

Using artisan and business buildings

Accessing storage

Interacting with crafting or processing stations

Harvesting resources within the freehold area

Most players will use broad permission settings rather than micro-managing every interaction.

Can You Give Permissions to Individual Players?

At the moment, it is not fully confirmed whether freehold permissions can be granted to individual players outside of family or guild systems.

Based on current information:

Permissions are intended to work mainly through family and guild

Granting access to random individuals may not be supported

Some permissions may apply only to battalions or sub-groups within a guild

In general, most players should assume that family and guild membership are required for meaningful access.

How Family Permissions Are Usually Used

The family system is designed for small, trusted groups. In most cases, players use family permissions for:

Alt accounts

Real-life friends

Long-term trusted players

Family members can usually:

Enter the freehold

Use crafting and processing stations

Access storage (if allowed)

Harvest gatherables

In practice, families are used when players want tight control without opening access to a full guild.

How Guild Permissions Are Usually Used

Guild permissions are more flexible but also more risky.

Most players use guild permissions for:

Shared crafting hubs

Economic-focused freeholds

Guild-run artisan buildings

However, permissions may be limited to:

Certain guild battalions

Specific micro-structures within the guild

In general, players avoid giving full storage access to the entire guild unless they fully trust their leadership and members.

What About Decorating the Freehold?

Decorating permissions are much more restricted.

Currently:

Only the freehold owner can decorate

Other players cannot freely place or move furniture

Previously, there were mentions of allowing decoration without item removal, but current information suggests decoration remains owner-only.

This means that even trusted family or guild members usually cannot decorate unless future systems change.

Can Family Members Apply Cosmetic Skins?

Yes, there is one important exception related to cosmetics.

Family members may be allowed to:

Apply their cosmetic skins to freehold buildings

This does not mean they own the building or its contents. It simply allows visual customization.

In practice, most players will still want to coordinate cosmetics carefully to avoid conflicts in appearance.

How Storage Access Is Usually Managed

Storage is one of the most sensitive parts of freehold security.

Most players follow these patterns:

Family members get limited or full storage access

Guild members get restricted access or none

High-value materials are kept private

Even in guild-focused freeholds, owners usually keep personal storage locked down.

This reduces the risk of mistakes, misunderstandings, or abuse.

Crafting and Processing Permissions in Practice

Crafting stations are often the main reason players grant access to a freehold.

In general:

Family members usually get full crafting access

Guild members may get crafting access without storage access

Public access is usually avoided

Some players may run semi-open crafting freeholds for economic reasons, but this requires careful permission management.

A few players who want faster progression sometimes choose to buy Ashes of Creation gold for leveling on U4N, but most still rely on crafting networks and trusted access instead of opening their freehold to everyone.

Harvesting Resources on a Freehold

Freeholds can include gatherable resources, and permissions control who can harvest them.

Most players handle this by:

Allowing family members to harvest freely

Allowing guild members during organized sessions

Disabling harvesting for others

In practice, freehold harvesting is often treated as a shared benefit for close groups, not a public resource.

Will Freehold Permissions Change in Alpha-2?

Interaction between freehold permissions and the guild system is planned to be tested in Alpha-2.

This means:

Some permission rules may change

Guild battalion-based access may be refined

Individual permissions may or may not be added

Most players should expect adjustments as testing continues.

Practical Tips for Managing Freehold Security

Based on common player behavior, these tips usually help:

Keep ownership on your most active account

Use family permissions for trusted players only

Be cautious with guild-wide access

Separate storage permissions from crafting permissions

Avoid changing permissions too often to prevent confusion

Freehold security is less about rules and more about trust.

Freehold Security

Freehold security in Ashes of Creation is built around social structures rather than hard restrictions. The system assumes that most players will rely on family and guild relationships to decide who gets access.

In general, the safest approach is to start with minimal permissions and expand only when needed. Most problems come from giving access too broadly, not from being too strict.

As systems evolve through testing, the exact details may change, but the core idea of permission-based security is likely to remain.