Anno 117: Pax Romana Guide | How to Build The Best City

Here’s a guide on how to build the best city in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Game Guide by TauxicPandA on Dec 13, 2025

When you begin a settlement in Anno 117: Pax Romana, you arrive on an island made up of land, trees, rivers, mountains, coastline, and marshland. This land exists to support city growth and resource production.

Initial Layout

You should start with narrow streets that form a square around a central plaza. Even if you cannot place many structures there at first, leaving space is required for future buildings.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Build The Best City

This plaza will later contain utilities and entertainment structures that increase resident stats such as Happiness. Placing buildings with adverse area effects near this space will cause problems as your city grows.

Managing Residential Areas and Services

After homes are built, residents will move in and bring specific needs related to services, goods, and food production. These residents depend on nearby structures to function. Buildings that provide positive effects, such as happiness and income, should be placed near housing.

Services that degrade residents' quality of life should be sited away from residential areas to prevent long-term issues in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Build The Best City

Organizing Production and Resources

Areas near the shore should be reserved for fisheries, as these buildings require water access. Farms should be located in the city's outer areas to avoid interfering with housing.

Resource buildings, such as coal production facilities and pig farms, should be kept away from residential zones due to their adverse impacts. Before placing any new building, you should review its area impact on residents.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Build The Best City

Upgrading and Expanding the City

You can promote a resident to the next tier once they have access to all required goods and services and their happiness ratings are stable in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Upgraded residents unlock new resource needs and additional production and service buildings. At this stage, positive-effect buildings should remain central and accessible. Every home should be connected to services such as Vigiles, Custodia, Taverns, and Markets.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Build The Best City

Adjusting and Refining Your Layout

You can remove and rebuild structures at any time to make room for new public services or a Villa. As you learn how buildings affect residents, planning becomes easier in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

If a production building with adverse effects must be placed near housing, you can offset its impact with structures that provide positive effects. However, this option should only be used when relocation is not possible.

Also, check our Anno 117: Pax Romana Review and other guides below: