Anno 117 Wiki - Complete Guide

Game Overview

Anno 117: Pax Romana is an upcoming city-building and economic strategy game developed by Ubisoft Mainz and published by Ubisoft. As the newest installment in the critically acclaimed Anno franchise, it represents a massive chronological leap backward, trading the industrial revolutions and futuristic settings of its predecessors for the sun-drenched, marble-clad landscapes of the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Slated for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, Anno 117 tasks players with establishing, managing, and expanding a sprawling Roman province from the ground up.

The game retains the beloved core loop of the Anno series—managing complex production chains, balancing delicate economies, and satisfying the needs of a multi-tiered population—while layering on a distinctly ancient Mediterranean flavor. Players must navigate the challenges of ancient logistics, managing resources like timber, stone, wool, and wine, while contending with the geographic and cultural realities of ruling a territory on the fringes of the known world. With a shift toward a more systemic, sandbox-style approach to empire management, Anno 117 is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious historical strategy games of the decade.

Core Systems

At its heart, Anno 117: Pax Romana is a game about logistics, urban planning, and economic optimization. The core systems have been refined to reflect the realities of classical antiquity, resulting in a gameplay loop that feels both familiar to series veterans and distinctly fresh.

The Economy and Production Chains

Like its predecessors, the backbone of Anno 117 is its intricate web of production chains. Every good in the game, from basic bread to luxurious olive oil, requires a specific building, a supply of raw materials, and a workforce. You must plant wheat farms to supply mills, which in turn supply bakeries to feed your citizens. However, the introduction of ancient-specific logistics adds new layers of complexity. Players must manage the cultivation of olives, the operation of presses, and the bottling processes required to produce the luxury goods demanded by the upper echelons of Roman society.

Transportation logistics also see a significant update. While goods can be moved via carts along dirt roads, players can eventually pave roads to increase movement speed and efficiency. Water-based transport remains crucial, requiring players to build docks and trade ships to move bulk resources across the map or to other regions.

Population Tiers

Your empire’s progress is directly tied to the social stratification of your populace. Anno 117 features a multi-tiered population system. At the bottom are the Slaves, who provide basic manual labor but require only minimal sustenance. Above them are Plebeians (common citizens), who require basic amenities like food, clothing, and simple entertainment to evolve into the next tier. Finally, the Patricians (wealthy elites) demand luxury goods, fine wine, intricate mosaics, and access to bathhouses and temples. Advancing your population through these tiers unlocks new buildings, technologies, and economic potentials, but it also exponentially increases the strain on your supply chains.

Military and Security

While previous Anno games featured naval and aerial combat, Anno 117 pivots toward land-based military strategy, though it does not force combat on players who prefer a purely peaceful economic approach. The Roman military system is heavily reliant on formations and discipline. Players can train Legionaries, who fight in tight formations and are highly effective against unorganized forces, as well as auxiliary units (such as archers or cavalry) that fulfill specific tactical roles. Military might is not just for conquest; maintaining a standing army and building watchtowers is essential for protecting your trade routes from bandits and barbarian raids.

Regional Expansion

Rather than confining players to a single massive map, Anno 117 utilizes a regional system. You start with a central hub province, but as your economy grows, you can send expeditions to claim nearby islands or mainland territories. Each region possesses its own unique climate, resource distribution, and geographical challenges. You might establish a remote mountainous province strictly for iron mining, or a fertile coastal island dedicated entirely to viticulture. Managing the flow of goods and populations between these disparate regions is the ultimate test of a player’s logistical prowess.

Characters / Classes / Factions

Anno 117 moves away from the scripted, character-heavy narrative of Anno 1800 and instead opts for a more systemic, faction-based approach to its world. The characters and factions you interact with are less story-driven NPCs and more dynamic political entities that react to your economic and military decisions.

The Roman Governor (The Player)

You assume the role of a newly appointed governor tasked by the Emperor to bring prosperity, order, and Roman culture to a specific province. Your "class" is defined entirely by your playstyle. You can choose to rule with an iron fist, heavily taxing your populace to fund massive military campaigns, or rule as a benevolent diplomat, focusing on high living standards and peaceful trade to achieve your goals. The game features distinct progression trees that allow you to unlock bonuses catering to militaristic, economic, or diplomatic strategies.

The Senate and Rome

Rome itself acts as an omnipresent, looming faction. While you have autonomy in your province, the Senate will periodically issue edicts, request specific tribute shipments of rare goods, or demand military support for external conflicts. Keeping the Senate happy grants you access to elite Roman technologies, unique building blueprints, and lucrative trade subsidies. Ignoring them, however, can lead to crippling financial penalties or, in extreme cases, the dispatch of Roman legions to "restructure" your governorship.

Local Indigenous Tribes

The land you settle is not empty. Various indigenous tribes inhabit the map, and their disposition toward you is a core gameplay mechanic. These factions have their own settlements, needs, and grievances. You can choose to subjugate them through military force, enslaving the population to work your mines and farms. Alternatively, you can integrate them peacefully through trade and diplomacy, eventually granting them citizenship. Peaceful integration is a slower process but ultimately provides unique, localized units and a more stable, loyal population.

Rival Governors

As you expand across the regional map, you will encounter AI-controlled rival governors who are also vying for control of resources and territory. These rivals operate under the same economic constraints you do. You can engage in cutthroat economic warfare by flooding their markets with cheap goods to crash their economy, form mutually beneficial trade alliances, or simply declare war and attempt to seize their territories by force.

World Building

Ubisoft Mainz has placed a massive emphasis on historical authenticity and atmospheric world-building, creating a vibrant, living recreation of the ancient Mediterranean.

The Setting: The Roman Empire at its Zenith

The game is set around 117 AD, during the height of the Roman Empire under Emperor Trajan. This era, often referred to as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace), was characterized by relative stability, massive architectural achievements, and unprecedented economic expansion across three continents. The game’s world reflects this optimism and grandeur. The landscapes transition from arid, sun-baked coastlines and scrubby olive groves to dense pine forests and towering, snow-capped mountain ranges.

Architecture and Aesthetics

The visual progression of your cities is one of Anno 117’s greatest strengths. Early settlements look like primitive wooden outposts with dirt paths and thatched roofs. As your economy advances and you unlock new technologies, these hovels are systematically replaced by immaculate white-washed stone buildings, tiled roofs, and grand plazas. The culmination of this progress is the ability to construct massive Roman marvels—aqueducts that snake across the landscape to provide fresh water, grand bathhouses, towering temples dedicated to Jupiter or Mars, and colossal amphitheaters that dominate the skyline.

Environmental Dynamics

The world feels alive and reactive. Seasons and weather patterns play a tangible role in your economy. Droughts can devastate your wheat crops, forcing you to rely on stored grain or import food to prevent famine. Heavy rains can swell rivers, temporarily blocking certain trade routes or damaging unprotected coastal structures. The ecosystem reacts to your industrial footprint; over-logging a forest for timber will eventually deplete the resource, forcing you to manage sustainability or import wood from afar.

The Tapestry of Cultures

The world is not monolithically Roman. As you explore, you will encounter the cultural remnants of the Greeks, Egyptians, and various Celtic and Germanic tribes. These cultures leave their mark on the world through unique architectural ruins, local folklore, and distinct goods that can be traded or integrated into your own Roman economy. This creates a rich, textured world that feels like a historical crossroads rather than a sterile simulation.

Strategy & Tips

Mastering Anno 117: Pax Romana requires patience, foresight, and an understanding of its deeply interconnected systems. Whether you are a seasoned veteran of the Anno series or a newcomer drawn in by the Roman setting, these strategies will help you build a thriving province.

• Plan Your Road Networks Early: Before you place your first production building, visualize your industrial zones. Keep your production chains as tight as possible to minimize the distance carts have to travel. Upgrading dirt roads to paved roads is expensive, so only pave high-traffic arteries rather than every single street in your city.
• Overproduce Basic Needs: The transition from Plebeians to Patricians is a massive leap in resource consumption. Never upgrade a housing block to the next tier unless you have at least a 20% surplus of the goods required for that tier. A sudden shortage of clothing or basic food will cause an immediate and cascading downgrade in your population, crashing your tax income.
• Utilize the Warehouse Buffer System: Do not connect every single production chain directly to your main city warehouse. Build local, regional warehouses at your farms and mines. Let the raw materials stockpile locally, and then use a dedicated cart or ship to transport the refined goods into the city. This prevents local logistical bottlenecks from paralyzing your main hub.
• Master Diplomatic Favor Before Conquest: Subjugating indigenous tribes provides an immediate, brutal boost to your labor force, but it creates a permanent unrest penalty that requires a heavy military garrison to suppress. Peaceful integration takes longer and requires constant trade attention, but it results in a highly loyal populace that provides unique cultural bonuses. Weigh the short-term gains of war against the long-term stability of diplomacy.
• Balance the Senate’s Demands: When the Senate requests a tribute of luxury goods, they always provide a deadline. Do not wait until the last minute to start producing the requested items. Fulfilling requests early or exceeding the quota grants "Imperial Favor," a currency used to purchase the most powerful end-game technologies and blueprints.
• Diversify Your Regional Resources: Do not try to make your starting province completely self-sufficient. It is a trap that will stall your progress. Instead, identify what your starting region does best (e.g., producing wool and timber) and hyper-specialize. Establish a second region specifically to produce what your home region lacks (e.g., iron and stone), and set up robust trade routes between the two.
• Do Not Neglect Entertainment: Unrest is the silent killer of Roman economies. Once your population reaches the Plebeian tier, entertainment becomes just as important as food. If you see riot icons appearing over homes, you are losing tax money and risking a rebellion. Build theaters and arenas proactively, positioning them centrally so they cover the maximum radius of housing blocks.

Resources

Because Anno 117: Pax Romana is still in development leading up to its launch, the community and resource ecosystem is actively growing. Whether you are looking for the latest news, deep-dive mechanical breakdowns, or planning tools, these resources are the best places to start.

Official Channels

• Ubisoft Anno Website: The primary hub for official developer blogs, gameplay reveals, and localized news. This is the best place to view high-resolution screenshots and developer diaries explaining the design philosophy behind the shift to antiquity.
• Ubisoft Forums: The official forums feature dedicated sections for Anno 117 where developers frequently post polls and ask for community feedback regarding balancing and feature requests.

Community Tools and Wikis

• AnnoWiki (Fandom): As the game approaches release, the AnnoWiki community is actively updating its database with preliminary information on building costs, production chains, and population needs. This will eventually become the definitive text-based resource for looking up specific ratios and requirements.
• Anno-Design (Fan Tool Sites): The community-driven planning tools (such as those found on anno-design.de) are legendary within the Anno fandom. Keep an eye on these sites, as the creators historically update their layout planners and production chain calculators shortly before and after a new game’s release, allowing you to blueprint your cities down to the exact tile before building them in-game.

Video and Social Media

• YouTube - "Anno Union" Channel: The semi-official channel managed by Ubisoft Mainz developers. It contains incredibly detailed behind-the-scenes videos, developer interviews, and mechanic deep-dives that go far beyond standard marketing trailers.
• Reddit (r/Anno): The central gathering place for the English-speaking Anno community. Leading up to release, the subreddit is filled with datamined information discussions, screenshot analysis, strategy theorycrafting, and direct interactions with the development team.
• Discord (Anno Community Servers): For real-time discussion, joining one of the large, community-run Anno Discord servers is highly recommended. They feature dedicated channels for Anno 117 where players share layout templates, organize multiplayer sessions, and offer immediate troubleshooting advice for complex production chain issues.