There is no single best early blueprint for every province in Anno 117: Pax Romana. For a first settlement, build a compact Tier 1 housing area around short, connected roads and public services, while leaving room nearby for Timber production and future homes. Keep every building connected to the Trading Post, and plan housing around the workforce your production needs.
A practical starting layout
Think in connected zones rather than trying to copy a rigid grid: residents need services and goods, while production needs access to terrain and the road network. Ubisoft’s getting-started guide says every building needs road access and all roads must lead to the Trading Post. Warehouses and the Trading Post share stored goods, so buildings can connect through the road network rather than each needing a direct road to the Trading Post.
- Secure Timber. Place a Woodcutter where the forest rating is 100%, then connect it and the Sawmill by road. Keep production facilities within reach of the Trading Post or a Warehouse. Ubisoft recommends starting a second Timber chain early if resources allow, because Timber is used for much of the construction.
- Build only enough housing to staff your first facilities. Residents provide both workers and tax income. Expand in response to workforce and needs, not just to fill open ground.
- Place services where they reach the homes they serve. Use service coverage as a constraint on district size; avoid extending housing beyond the useful reach of its services.
- Leave expansion space. Reserve nearby ground for additional homes and production so growth does not force a disruptive rebuild of the first district.
Choose a province before locking in the plan
| Province | What makes it easier or harder | Layout implication |
|---|---|---|
| Latium | Ubisoft describes fertile plains with plenty of room and a single resident progression path. | A forgiving choice for learning road coverage and early supply chains; leave space for homes and production as the settlement grows. |
| Albion | Marshes constrain placement, and the resident path involves a choice between Celtic and Roman directions. | Preserve access to marshland for buildings that need it, and plan supplies around the resident path you choose. |
These province differences are described in Ubisoft’s free-demo getting-started guide; its examples should be read in the demo context, with launch-era beginner guidance available in the separate getting-started guide linked above.
Latium: protect your lower-tier workforce
Latium’s Tier 1 residents are Liberti. When fulfilled Liberti are upgraded, they become Plebians, replacing the lower-tier workers rather than simply adding another population tier. Keep enough Liberti homes to staff the buildings that still need them.
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Albion: account for terrain and resident choices
Albion’s Tier 1 residents are Waders. At an upgrade decision, Waders may continue on a Celtic path as Smiths or take the Roman path as Mercators. Since those populations have distinct needs, decide which direction to pursue before laying out a district around a fixed supply plan. Marsh access matters too: reserve suitable ground for buildings that require it rather than treating all open terrain as interchangeable.
Meet needs without overbuilding
Ubisoft groups Latium Liberti’s basic needs into Food, Public Services, and Fashion. The optional-needs system means you do not have to provide every possible item: provide an option in each category. The official beginner guide gives examples such as a fishing hut or porridge stand for Food, a Market or Tavern for Public Services, and tunics or pileus production for Fashion. Choose the combination that fits nearby terrain and convenient supply chains; these are examples, not a mandatory build order.
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- BUILD TRADE EXPAND — Design thriving Roman cities, run production chains, and balance citizen needs with the relentless demands of the emperor.
- TWO PROVINCES TO GOVERN — Develop Latium’s Roman heartland and brave Albion’s Celtic wetlands, each offering distinct geography, culture, and challenges.
- DISCOVERY TREE PROGRESSION — Unlock new technologies to boost production efficiency, scale settlements, and deepen strategic options as your authority grows.
- DIPLOMACY AND WARFARE — Build alliances, navigate political intrigue, and command land battles and naval combat to protect your provinces and trade.
- CHOICES SHAPE YOUR RULE — Choose whether to honor Celtic culture or enforce Roman traditions, and select island deities for powerful gameplay bonuses.
If your fiscal balance is negative, first check whether existing residents’ needs are being met before adding more housing. More residences bring workers and tax income, but they also increase the population whose needs must be supported.
Use placement effects carefully
- Spinner: raises income for nearby buildings, making a dense residential area a useful location.
- Charcoal Burner: reduces nearby health and fire safety, so keep it away from other buildings.
- City Watch: position it close enough to the buildings it is meant to affect.
What layout examples can—and cannot—tell you
Community layouts are useful for checking whether a compact arrangement can cover services, but they are examples rather than official guarantees or universal optima. Anno Companion’s Latium layouts include a basic Tier 1 example reporting full Public Service coverage with dirt roads. Its advanced Tier 1 example relies on researched Paved Roads and Concrete, so it is not an immediate-start plan.
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- BUILD, TRADE, EXPAND
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Anno Companion’s Albion layouts likewise show a basic Tier 1 example reporting full Public Service coverage with dirt roads. The swamp layout requires Drainage research and leaves some outer houses uncovered. A community-authored starting-layout guide suggests 2×4 or 2×5 housing blocks near trees and marshland; those dimensions are a player proposal, not a proven optimum or official requirement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a blueprint before you copy it
- Check that public services and incident-response buildings reach edge houses, not just the district center.
- Confirm whether the roads are dirt or paved and whether the design depends on research or materials you do not yet have.
- For Albion, verify that marsh-dependent buildings have suitable placement space.
- Trace the route from forests and production buildings through roads to the Trading Post or Warehouses.
- Make sure the housing plan preserves enough Liberti or Waders to staff lower-tier facilities after upgrades.
- Check nearby effects on income, health, fire safety, and happiness before placing buildings tightly together.
Ubisoft’s official game page identifies Anno 117: Pax Romana as a city-building strategy game and lists PS5 among its supported platforms.
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- GOLD EDITION — Includes the base game plus the Year 1 Pass with 3 DLCs and 5 cosmetic bonuses to expand your Roman empire.
- BUILD TRADE EXPAND — Design thriving Roman cities, run production chains, and balance citizen needs with the relentless demands of the emperor.
- TWO PROVINCES TO GOVERN — Develop Latium’s Roman heartland and brave Albion’s Celtic wetlands, each offering distinct geography, culture, and challenges.
- DISCOVERY TREE PROGRESSION — Unlock new technologies to boost production efficiency, scale settlements, and deepen strategic options as your authority grows.
- DIPLOMACY AND WARFARE — Build alliances, navigate political intrigue, and command land battles and naval combat to protect your provinces and trade.
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