The land on your first island is tight, so sooner or later, you will have to expand across the sea. Ships in Anno 117: Pax Romana aren’t just for the purpose of settling new islands, but are also your first line of defence against enemy vessels trying to drop troops on your shores. To stay safe, you will eventually need both a solid fleet and ground units to defend your settlements.
Here’s a simple breakdown of how to build ships, recruit troops, and handle combat on both land and sea.
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Building Ships in Anno 117
Before you can craft your first vessel, you’ll need a Shipyard, located in the Harbour Buildings menu. This doesn’t unlock immediately. You’ll need either:
- Enough Plebeians (Tier 2)
- A high enough City Status
- When enabled, you may begin manufacturing ships.
Types of Ships
| Ship | Module Slots | Notes |
| Penteconter | 3 slots | Entry-level, flexible early ship |
| Trireme | 5 slots (3 modifiable, two fixed cargo) | Mid-tier, more customisation |
| Quinquireme | — | Primary warship (research required) |
Ship Modules
You can personalise ships to fit your playstyle. Here’s what each module does:
| Module | Purpose |
| Ship Archers | Adds offensive power for ship-to-ship combat |
| Ship Mast | Higher top speed while sailing |
| Ship Oars | Better manoeuvrability & less wind reliance; higher workforce cost |
Once you’ve set up production of Rope and Sail, you will be able to begin constructing the ships. By default, the game provides a module configuration; you can overwrite this with your own version—just remember to reset it if you want to build a different setup later.
(Tip: You can view your ships, their status, and where they are by clicking the boat icon at the bottom of the screen.)
Also Read: Anno 117: Pax Romana – How to Complete Julia’s Birthday Quest
Recruiting Troops
Once the Barracks are unlocked, you can begin training soldiers. Early on, you’ll have access to:
- Auxilia
- Archers
More specialised troops are made available by research.
The roster of your entire land army can be viewed through the Land Troop button found at the bottom of your screen.
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How Combat Works – Land & Sea
Controlling your forces in Anno 117 is pretty straightforward:
Forming Armies and Fleets
- With multiple troops selected → an army is formed
- Multiple ships selected → they become a fleet
- This simplifies movements and giving out orders.
Attacking
- Choose the unit or group that you want to use
- Right-click the target
- If the enemy is on the move, you can stop to aim with more precision.
If you don’t want to micromanage, then turn on Auto Combat.
Stance Options
Each unit can switch between three stances:
- Aggressive – engages enemies freely
- Disciplined – holds formation, behaves predictably
- Evasive: avoids conflict and reduces the risk of casualties.
Watch Out for Archer Towers
Archer Towers pack quite a punch and can shred both armies and ships if you get too close. They’re also fantastic defensive structures for your own settlements; don’t skip them.
