Template:Node destruction

Nodes can be destroyed starting at Level 3 - Village Stage, and are destroyed through sieges. Sieges are started via an item which is acquired through a quest that scales in difficulty with respect to the level of the Node which is being targeted for the siege. Once the item is brought to the Node and is activated, the declaration period begins and a countdown is initiated for players in the region to see. This countdown runs for a number of days equal to the level of the Node being sieged. Once the countdown is complete, the siege begins. There is a cooldown between sieges, and players must wait a certain amount of time after an unsuccessful siege before a new siege can be declared. The higher the Node level, the longer the cooldown between sieges. If a siege is successful, then the Node is brought down to Level 0, and anyone who was a citizen of that Node is no longer a citizen.^[1] – Margaret Krohn

Nodes can be destroyed starting at Village (stage 3) following a successful siege against that node.^[1]

It is a normal process of the world to see PvP be a catalyst for change. That is one of the defining elements of our world building approach and being a PvX game is that PvE builds the world and PvP changes the world; and as these nodes get destructed this should be a normal habit that players are accustomed to seeing that landscape changing over time, because it is the breath of renewal that then is allowed as a result of that action.^[2] – Steven Sharif

Players lose their node citizenship after their node is destroyed without entering into a cooldown period.^[2]^[3]^[1]
Node destruction may prevent some quests from being completed.^[4]
After a node is destroyed, the footprint of the node will enter a ruined state and will become an open PvP zone for a number of days equal to the node's level. These ruins consist of a debris field of treasures that are lootable by certain players.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]
- Which players get to loot the debris field during this period is currently under discussion by the developers.^[11] Previously it was stated that any player could loot the debris field.^[6] Before that it was stated that only attackers who participated in the siege will have exclusive looting rights.^[12]
- Any loot remaining after this period will be open for anyone to loot.^[12]
- After a number of days equal to the destroyed node's level, the node will revert back to stage 0 (wilderness) and any modified terrain will revert back to its original state.^[6]^[13]^[14]

Those are like open-world battlegrounds that spawn on the footprint of the node after a successful siege. And these are opportunities that previous defenders have to salvage certain materials and/or equipment from the destroyed node, or that attackers have to do the same. And there's interact points that live within that environment that take time in order to interact with, which makes those individuals susceptible to potential ganking or fighting. And you can control those areas; and that exists for some period of time. It's like an open-world arena system.^[5] – Steven Sharif

Treasures in the debris field will take time and tools to uncover.^[5]^[6]
- The warehouse debris will contain a portion of all Materials (crafting components) and Gatherables that were stored in the destroyed node.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]
- The reliquary debris will contain a stockpile of shards of the relics that were stored there.^[15]^[6]^[7]^[16]^[17]
- The town hall debris might contain tax-oriented certificates that were held within the vaults and in the treasury.^[7]
- The stables debris might contain mount certificates that can be added to caravans in the future or sold on the auction house.^[7]
- Gatherables and crafting materials that were stored in in-node housing and apartment storage chests become lootable. These are not lootable if the node survives the siege- even if the housing buildings are destroyed or damaged during the siege.^[8]