diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/IvyNode.java b/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/IvyNode.java
index b3da8c16..273488ef 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/IvyNode.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/IvyNode.java
@@ -165,7 +165,13 @@ public class IvyNode implements Comparable<IvyNode> {
         } else {
             markRootModuleConfLoaded(rootModuleConf);
             if (md == null) {
-                DependencyResolver resolver = data.getSettings().getResolver(getId());
+                ResolveEngine engine = IvyContext.getContext().getIvy().getResolveEngine();
+                // get the resolver configured on the engine and if none is configured then
+                // get the one configured in ivy settings
+                DependencyResolver resolver = engine.getDictatorResolver();
+                if (resolver == null) {
+                    resolver = data.getSettings().getResolver(getId());
+                }
                 if (resolver == null) {
                     Message.error("no resolver found for " + getModuleId()
                             + ": check your configuration");
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngine.java b/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngine.java
index eb12618d..7333e32e 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngine.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngine.java
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ public class ResolveEngine {
      */
     public void setDictatorResolver(DependencyResolver dictatorResolver) {
         this.dictatorResolver = dictatorResolver;
-        settings.setDictatorResolver(dictatorResolver);
     }
 
     public ResolveReport resolve(File ivySource) throws ParseException, IOException {
diff --git a/test/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngineTest.java b/test/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngineTest.java
index 8fe52751..243e4112 100644
--- a/test/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngineTest.java
+++ b/test/java/org/apache/ivy/core/resolve/ResolveEngineTest.java
@@ -28,9 +28,11 @@ import org.apache.ivy.core.module.id.ModuleRevisionId;
 import org.apache.ivy.core.report.ArtifactDownloadReport;
 import org.apache.ivy.core.report.DownloadStatus;
 import org.apache.ivy.core.report.ResolveReport;
+import org.apache.ivy.plugins.resolver.FileSystemResolver;
 import org.apache.ivy.util.CacheCleaner;
 
 import org.junit.After;
+import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -87,6 +89,34 @@ public class ResolveEngineTest {
                     "jar", "jar"), new File("test/repositories/1/org1/mod1.1/jars/mod1.1-1.0.jar"));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Tests that setting the dictator resolver on the resolve engine doesn't change the
+     * dependency resolver set in the Ivy settings. See IVY-1618 for details.
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testSetDictatorResolver() throws Exception {
+        final Ivy current = Ivy.newInstance();
+        current.configure(new File("test/repositories/ivysettings.xml"));
+        final FileSystemResolver settingsResolver = new FileSystemResolver();
+        settingsResolver.setName("resolver-1");
+        current.getSettings().setDictatorResolver(settingsResolver);
+
+        final ResolveEngine engine = new ResolveEngine(current.getSettings(), current.getEventManager(),
+                current.getSortEngine());
+        final FileSystemResolver engineResolver = new FileSystemResolver();
+        engineResolver.setName("resolver-2");
+        engine.setDictatorResolver(engineResolver);
+
+        Assert.assertNotNull("Resolver is null on engine", engine.getDictatorResolver());
+        Assert.assertSame("Unexpected resolver on engine", engineResolver, engine.getDictatorResolver());
+
+        final ModuleRevisionId dummy = ModuleRevisionId.newInstance("foo", "bar", "1.2.3");
+        Assert.assertNotNull("Resolver is null on Ivy settings", current.getSettings().getResolver(dummy));
+        Assert.assertSame("Unexpected resolver on Ivy settings", settingsResolver,
+                current.getSettings().getResolver(dummy));
+
+    }
+
     private void testLocateThenDownload(ResolveEngine engine, Artifact artifact, File artifactFile) {
         ArtifactOrigin origin = engine.locate(artifact);
         assertNotNull(origin);