Everything You Actually Need to Know About Anno 117: Pax Romana

So, you’re thinking about picking up Anno 117: Pax Romana. Ubisoft finally dropped us into the ancient world, and if you’ve been on the fence, you’re probably wondering how it stacks up against the juggernaut that was Anno 1800.

Is the city-building actually good? Can you play with your friends? Do we finally have real land combat again? Here is the completely fluff-free breakdown of exactly what this game offers right now.

The Setting: Two Massively Different Worlds

Unlike older Anno games where everyone starts on a generic grassy island, 117 lets you pick your starting province at the height of the Roman Empire, and they play like two entirely different games.

• Latium: This is your classic, sun-drenched Mediterranean Roman heartland. You’re building traditional villas, aqueducts, and massive Colosseum-style arenas. It’s gorgeous, the production chains are straightforward, and it’s the perfect place to learn the game.
• Albion: This is the misty, rugged, swampy frontier of the Celtic world (basically ancient Britain). You literally have to build your cities on stilts connected by wooden walkways over the marshes. The vibe is gritty, the resources are completely different, and you have to decide whether to violently enforce Roman culture or preserve the local Celtic traditions.

The Visuals & Architecture

This game is a massive flex for your GPU. The level of zoom and detail is actually insane. You can zoom all the way down to street level and watch kids chasing dogs through the market or thousands of individual citizens cheering in the arenas.

But the real MVP here is the architecture. Ubisoft finally gave us diagonal building. You aren't forced to build rigid, blocky grid cities anymore. You can pave 45-degree angled roads, and the farm fields and production buildings will organically snap and bend to fit the curves. The contrast between a sprawling, marble-covered Roman metropolis in Latium and a sprawling, wooden Celtic swamp-town in Albion is stunning.

Armies, Ships, and the Return of RTS Combat

Yes, land combat is back, and it’s actually an integrated RTS system now. You aren't just fighting with ships anymore.

• The Military Loop: When you get invaded (or want to do some invading of your own), you can dynamically draft your civilian workforce into armies—infantry, archers, cavalry, and siege weapons like ballistae. When the war is over, you just disband them, and they go right back to working in your clay pits.
• Naval Combat: Ship combat is back and better than ever with modular ships. You will need massive fleets to protect your inter-island trade routes from raiders and rival empires. (Note: If you hate combat, you can completely turn it off in the settings and just play a peaceful city-builder).

Rivals and Diplomacy (Don't Make the Emperor Mad)

You aren't alone on the map. You share the world with a roster of AI opponents (Rivals) who all have their own distinct personalities and playstyles.

• Diplomacy: The diplomacy system is incredibly deep. You can set up automatic trade hubs, sign defensive pacts, or ask for loans. If you get powerful enough, you can even completely subjugate an AI rival, turning their islands into your vassal states and forcing their leader to come live in your villa as a specialist.
• The Emperor: Above all of you is the Emperor. If you start randomly declaring war on the AI without justification, your reputation with the Emperor will tank, and he will aggressively intervene to shut you down.

Co-Op and Multiplayer (The Best Feature)

This is where Anno 117 completely shines. The multiplayer is ridiculously flexible and easily the best reason to pick the game up if you have a dedicated group.

• The Player Count: You can play standard PvP with up to 4 players, or if you want absolute chaos, you can set up a massive 16-player match (4v4v4v4).
• The Shared Co-Op Mode: You and up to 3 of your friends can all play as the same Roman Governor. You share the same money, the same resources, and the same empire. It is incredibly fun to split the duties—one friend manages the chaotic Albion swamps, another micromanages the Latium economy, and the third commands the military fleets.
• Live Savegames: Ubisoft added "live savegames" for co-op. This means any person in your friend group can boot up the shared save file and play, even if the host is offline. You don't have to perfectly sync up your schedules anymore! And yes, for the first time ever, you can play the full story campaign in Co-Op.

The Verdict: If you love massive logistics puzzles and want a deeper, more flexible city-builder to play with friends, Anno 117 is an absolute triumph.