Welcome, Governor! It’s the year 117 AD, and Emperor Trajan himself has tasked you with turning the wild frontier into the jewel of the empire. Whether you’re a veteran of Anno 1800 or completely new to the series, your first two hours in Anno 117: Pax Romana can make or break your colony.
Between managing resources, balancing Roman politics, and keeping your citizens fed, many players collapse before they’ve even laid their first paved road. But fear not—this guide walks you through every critical early-game step, so your city rises as strong as the Roman legions themselves.
Let’s get you from surviving to thriving.
1. Choose Your Starting Province Wisely
Your very first choice—Latium or Albion—defines your early experience.
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🌾 Fertile lands and easy layouts for city building.
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🛡️ Minimal early threats, ideal for learning mechanics.
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👥 Straightforward Roman citizen progression: Liberti → Plebeians → Equites.
Best for: First-time Anno players who want stability over challenge.
Albion: The Frontier Challenge
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🌧️ Marshy terrain limits building placement.
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⚙️ Dual cultural path: stay Celtic or Romanize your settlers.
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🍺 Unique goods like beer and cheese add complexity to supply chains.
Best for: Experienced Anno players looking for depth and difficulty.
| Aspect | Latium | Albion |
|---|---|---|
| Terrain | Fertile plains | Marshlands |
| Culture Path | Fully Roman | Celtic or Romanized |
| Early Conflict | Low | Moderate |
| Difficulty | Easy | Hard |
2. Pause Before You Build
Your most powerful early-game tool isn’t a building—it’s the pause button.
Take time to study your map, identify fertile zones, and plan your first layout before you start spending Denarii. This avoids waste and gives you full control over your economy from the start.
3. Follow the Optimal Early Build Order
Here’s the tried-and-tested sequence every beginner should follow:
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🛣️ Roads: Connect all future building zones early.
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🌲 Wood Production: Woodcutter’s Lodge → Sawmill combo.
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🎣 Basic Food: Fishing Hut (Latium) or Cockle Picker (Albion).
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🏠 Housing: Place residences near your Trading Post for efficiency.
Keep production chains tight—less travel time equals more productivity.
4. Manage Your Workforce Like a Roman Commander
One of the most common mistakes? Upgrading too fast.
Golden Rule: Build wide, not tall.
When you upgrade all your Tier 1 (Liberti) houses to Tier 2 (Plebeians), you lose your base workforce instantly—crashing your wood and food supply.
Instead:
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Expand with more Tier 1 houses first.
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Upgrade only 2–3 houses once you have workforce surplus.
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Maintain a steady tax base before advancing.
5. Keep the Denarii Flowing
Taxes are your early lifeline. To increase income:
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Prioritize population needs that boost revenue (e.g. porridge → +2 population, +2 income).
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Use area effect buildings like Spinners or Bakeries that grant nearby income bonuses.
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Avoid overbuilding maintenance-heavy structures too soon.
6. Build Efficient City Layouts
Rome wasn’t built in a day—but it was built on planning.
Layout Tip: The T-Shaped Design
Create a main avenue for services (Markets, Grammaticus), then extend housing in T-shaped clusters. This layout ensures more homes benefit from radius-based services like sanitation and education.
Mind Your Arrows
When placing buildings, watch the color-coded arrows:
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🟩 Green = beneficial effects (e.g., Spinners near houses)
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🟥 Red = harmful effects (e.g., Charcoal Burners, tanneries)
Keep polluting or unsafe buildings well outside your city core.
7. Manage Risk Early—Fire, Disease & Riots
As your population grows, disasters become inevitable. Counter them proactively:
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Vigiles: Fire protection.
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Medici: Public health.
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Custodes: Prevent unrest and riots.
Place these buildings centrally to maximize their coverage.
8. Prioritize Key Early-Game Milestones
To move from survival to prosperity, aim for these within your first two hours:
✅ Unlock Paved Roads – Boosts building connectivity and efficiency.
✅ Stabilize Tier 2 Workforce – Balance Plebeians and Liberti before expanding.
✅ Claim a Second Island – Essential for rare goods like lavender and marble.
✅ Open Statistics (Ctrl+Q) – Identify production bottlenecks before they sink your treasury.
9. Expand Smartly: Colonization Tips
No Roman province stands alone. Once your economy stabilizes:
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Load up a ship with Planks and Tiles.
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Scout new islands for unique fertility resources.
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Build a Trading Post immediately to claim territory.
Use your new colony to feed specialized industries back in Latium or Albion.
10. Think Long-Term: From Settlement to Empire
Once you’ve secured your first two hours, it’s time to expand your influence.
Explore research trees in governance and economy to unlock advanced Roman tech, from concrete roads to aqueducts and trading hubs.
Remember: every Denarius counts, every road matters, and every satisfied citizen builds your legacy.
Conclusion: Build History, Not Just Cities
By now, your city should be more than a scattered cluster of huts—it’s a living, breathing Roman settlement ready to grow into an empire.
Keep your workforce stable, expand methodically, and master the balance between ambition and efficiency. The empire doesn’t reward recklessness—it rewards strategy.
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