Anno 117: Pax Romana – 5 Tips For Getting Started

Anno 117: Pax Romana is out now and it's time to take up the mantle of a Roman governor in charge of building new, thriving cities that rival Rome itself. You'll travel from the heart of the empire, the rich plains of Latium, to its most outer reaches, the marshes of Albion where you'll be confronted with many tough decisions. Do you rule with Roman ambition? Or preserve Celtic tradition? Do you solve problems diplomatically? Or with an iron fist? The choice is up to you, but before you do any of that, you first need to build a self-sufficient city - which can be easier said than done. Not sure how to get started? Here's a step-by-step guide to set you up for success in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Step 1: Start Timber Production

Almost everything you build in Anno 117: Pax Romana requires Timber, so the first thing you'll have to do is set up a Timber production chain. You can't just gather ready-made Timber; you first need to build a Woodcutter in a dense forest area to gather wood. You'll know it's in a good spot when the percentage rating reads 100% when you hover over a forest. After that, you need a Sawmill to turn that wood into Timber. Finally, you need to make sure that these buildings are in range of your trading post, or a Warehouse, and that they are all connected by a road. Once that is done, you've officially established your first production chain and will start accumulating Timber. Timber is a vital building material, and you'll need quite a lot of it, so we recommend doubling up this particular production chain right away!

Step 2: Roads and Warehouses

Every building you construct needs to be connected to a road, and all roads must lead to your trading post, no matter how far away it is. Roads let your citizens reach your production buildings, and allow your production buildings to transport goods to other production buildings, or to the nearest warehouses.

Warehouses are one of the most important buildings in Anno 117: Pax Romana, because whenever you create a good, that good will be stored at a warehouse or your trading post until you put it to use. All of your warehouses and trading posts are connected. Think of them like The Cloud. What's deposited at one warehouse is accessible at all warehouses, so make sure all your production facilities have one within range.

Step 3: Understanding Residents

Your residents are the lifeblood of your city. They make up your population, and as your population grows, so will your city and available production chains. Residents make up your entire workforce and allow your production buildings to actually produce goods. However, the production chains you can build are tied to the needs and tiers of your residents, which differ based on their social status. Residents are also your main source of income (taxes), which you'll need to build and expand. To grow your population, first, you must build houses for them to live in. Then, you must meet their needs. Do that, and you'll be well on your way to a growing, flourishing settlement.

You start off with Tier 1 residents, which are known as Liberti in Latium, or Waders in Albion. They have three basic needs: Food, Public Services, and Fashion. A fishing hut and porridge stand will help you meet the food needs of your Liberti, a Market and Tavern will fulfill their public service needs, and tunics and pileus production will keep them well-dressed and satisfied. With the new optional needs systems you do not need to build all of them, only one in each category. Once you meet all these basic needs, you'll be able to upgrade Liberti into Plebians. Plebians are a Tier 2 resident type. They not only unlock more advanced production chains and building types, they are also the workforce for those buildings, and, crucially, they help you generate more income. It's important to note that upgrading your residents replaces your Liberti with Plebians. This can lead to a Liberti workforce shortage if you're not careful, so be sure to continue building Liberti housing to keep your city running smoothly.

And just like Liberti, Plebians have their own basic needs that you'll need to satisfy to upgrade them to Tier 3 residents, unlocking even more advanced buildings. This is Anno 117: Pax Romana's main progression loop and how you'll transform your island from a small town to a bustling metropolis.

Step 4: Growing Your Income

At some point in your Anno 117: Pax Romana playthrough, your fiscal balance is going to be negative, and you will be losing money. Don't worry, it happens to us all. The easiest and most surefire way to increase your income is to build more residences and meet the needs of your population. Fulfilled Liberti generate income; fulfilled Plebians generate even more. It's important not to build so many residences that you can't satisfy all their needs, but if you're hemorrhaging money, start by making sure everyone's needs are being met, and then start building more residences.

Step 5: Pay Attention to Where You Place Your Buildings

There are many different factors you need to monitor on your island, from income and health to happiness and fire safety. These are helpfully tracked in the information bar at the top of your screen, and placing your cursor over them will give you more details on each. One of the best ways to keep these factors positive and growing is with smart building placement.

Nearly every building contributes either positively or negatively to one of these key factors, and some buildings will also affect all the buildings around them. Any time you place a building that affects its neighbors in Anno 117: Pax Romana, you'll see either a green arrow pointing up (to indicate a positive effect) or a red arrow pointing down (indicating a negative effect). Try to maximize the green arrows and minimize the red ones. 

For example, the Spinner will increase the income of all buildings within its area of effect by one. Remember how we said your residents will be your primary source of income? Go ahead and place a Spinner in the middle of a densely populated residential area and watch how your income increases as a result.

On the flip side of this, the Charcoal Burner building will lower both the health and fire safety of surrounding buildings. Build them as far away from your other buildings as possible to limit their negative effects.

Then there are the City Watch buildings, buildings that improve the fire safety, health, and happiness of nearby buildings. In the event of an incident, whether fire, riot, or a disease outbreak, they will also deploy first responders to quell the crisis. Their wide area of effect makes them especially useful when trying to raise the stats that they govern, but remember, they can only be effective if they are near other buildings.

There are many more systems at play in Anno 117: Pax Romana that you'll learn to master: including Knowledge to research technologies, Faith to unlock diverse bonuses, Trade to acquire new goods or sell your surplus, Expansion to new islands, and Warfare to protect your territory... or expand into someone else's. But follow these 5 steps early on and you'll be well on your way to building the next great ancient city.   

Anno 117: Pax Romana is out now. The Year 1 Pass is included in the Gold Edition or available as a separate purchase. Play now on Ubisoft+, PC through the Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store, and Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Amazon Luna. For all the latest insider news on Anno 117: Pax Romana, visit the Anno Union, or follow the @AnnoGame social media accounts.