Anno 117: Pax Romana Guide | How to Trade

Here’s a guide on how to trade in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Game Guide by TauxicPandA on Dec 13, 2025

Trading in Anno 117: Pax Romana is divided into two modes: active and passive. Both systems support city growth, resource flow, and income.

Active Trading Explained

Active trading is handled through the trade menu, where you create trade routes with other players. Before you can trade with AI players, you must sign a Trade Treaty.

This becomes available after improving your relationship with them. You can raise relations by completing quests, giving monetary gifts, or fulfilling island contracts in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Trade

Once a trade treaty is signed, you can create a trade route by assigning a ship. You then select which goods will be loaded, which will be unloaded, and which islands will be involved. After setup, the boat will travel to the trading partner’s trading post, exchange goods, and return to your island.

Hostile players or pirates can attack trade ships, so you need naval units to protect them. You can escort a trade ship by selecting a military boat and assigning it as an escort, which provides ongoing protection along the route.

Each character offers specific goods for sale and requests others in return. For example, Dorian sells Marble, Amphorae, and Shoes while requesting Cheese, Soap, and Olive Oil.

Trades are based on item value rather than one-to-one exchange. You can adjust how much of each item is traded by checking the value shown in the trade menu in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

If a trade route ceases to function, the cause is usually limited trading-post capacity, ship damage, insufficient cargo space, or blocked access to the trading post.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Trade

Active trading is necessary when your islands lack certain fertility types. For example, if you cannot produce Soap due to a lack of lavender, trading with another player can provide it.

Passive Trading Explained

Passive trading takes place through the trading post menu and requires minimal input. You can set buy and sell orders for any resource stored on your island. These settings control how much of a resource you keep and when excess stock is traded.

You define a minimum stock value to ensure resources remain available for local use. You also define a threshold that triggers a sale when storage exceeds it. Players with a trade treaty will automatically send ships to buy or sell goods according to these settings.

You can acquire items such as wood, sheep, or other resources from your friends by using passive buy orders. These trades will continue as long as the trade agreement is in effect. Passive trading helps balance your storage without having to manage routes yourself and provides a steady income.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Trade

Trade Research Options

You can improve trade efficiency through research. Several research nodes support trade-focused play. Depots in the Economic Tree increase island storage capacity and make more goods available for trade in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Trading Post Improvements add ramps to reduce congestion and increase storage capacity. Pier-To-Pier Trading adds another trading post, allowing more ships to trade at the same time.

The Seaport Specification will enable you to control which ships load or unload at specific trading posts, thereby supporting complex trade networks. Repair Cranes from the Military Tree restore ship health and support both trade ships and escorts.

Anno 117: Pax Romana, Guide, How to Trade

Patron Selection For Trading

If you plan to focus on trade, choosing Neptune as your first Patron supports ship durability and lowers ship maintenance costs. Neptune also supports the production of Garum, which can be traded passively to generate income.

Later in the game, Mercury-Lugus supports passive trade and provides prestige bonuses tied to harbors and trading posts in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

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