Anno 117: Pax Romana – How to Plan for the Year 1 DLC Pass

Why This Year 1 Pass Guide Matters

After sinking dozens of hours into Anno 117: Pax Romana (and having bought basically every DLC in Anno 1800), I hit the usual crossroads: do I grab the Year 1 Pass up front, or wait and cherry-pick addons? When Ubisoft revealed the full 2026 roadmap and pricing, I sat down and mapped out what each DLC actually means for a long-term save.

This isn’t just a list of features. I’ll walk you through what the three gameplay expansions will change in your empire, how I’m planning my own campaigns around them, and whether the 35€ Year 1 Pass or the Gold Edition makes sense for the way you play.

Year 1 Pass vs Cosmetic Packs – What You’re Actually Buying

Anno 117 follows the same basic structure as Anno 1800, but with some naming changes. Instead of “Season Passes”, you now have “Year Passes”. Year 1 (the first post-launch year) is built around three big gameplay DLCs, while cosmetic packs remain completely separate and purely visual.

Here’s the high-level breakdown you should know before you spend anything:

• Three gameplay DLCs in the Year 1 Pass, scheduled for 2026:
  • April 2026 – DLC 1: Promise of the Volcano
  • August 2026 – DLC 2: The Hippodrome
  • November 2026 – DLC 3: Awakening of the Delta
• Year 1 Pass price: 35€ (three gameplay expansions bundled)
• Gold Edition: base game + Year 1 Pass for about 30€ more than the standard edition
• Cosmetic packs: sold separately, 7€ each, no new mechanics
• Example cosmetic pack: Masterful Mosaics, with new plaza tiles, mosaics and building skins

The key thing: if you only care about new systems, regions and mechanics, you’re looking at the Year 1 Pass. Cosmetics are purely for visual flair; they won’t change how your economy or gods work.

DLC 1 – Promise of the Volcano: Giant Island & God Vulcanus

This is the one that immediately caught my eye, because it hits three of Anno’s sweet spots at once: a huge new island, a risky environmental mechanic, and a new god to play around with.

Promise of the Volcano expands the Latium region with what Ubisoft is calling the largest island in Anno history. It’s not a disconnected session; it’s integrated into Latium and comes with some additional surrounding islands as well.

Here’s what matters for your long-term planning:

• Massive new island in Latium – Space has always been the real endgame currency in Anno. A single, huge island opens up:
  • Room for a specialized industrial hub
  • Or a mega-capital with huge population density
  • Or a mix, depending on how you like to min-max
• Active volcano – The island is dominated by a volcano that can erupt. Exact triggers and frequency aren’t fully clear yet, but:
  • Eruptions can damage or destroy parts of your city
  • Volcanic ash makes the surrounding soil especially fertile afterward

  Expect a risk–reward loop: build close for big bonuses, but accept the danger.

• New god: Vulcanus – The god of fire and the forge joins the pantheon:
  • Helps you rebuild and exploit altered terrain more efficiently
  • Can be appeased with offerings, potentially reducing the chance or impact of eruptions

  This ties the volcano into your religious and economic gameplay instead of it just being a disaster event.

How I’m preparing my save: In my current Latium run, I’ve stopped overcommitting heavy industry on my existing core island. I’m keeping my logistics networks flexible (extra trade routes, spare warehouse capacity) so I can quickly pivot key chains to the volcano island once it unlocks. If you tend to build permanent, rigid layouts, keep in mind you’ll probably want to migrate or expand some of your production there for the fertile soil alone.

What we don’t know yet is exactly how punishing eruptions will be. I’d avoid banking your entire late-game on that one island until you’ve seen a few eruptions in practice. Start by moving robust, easily rebuilt chains (e.g. basic agriculture) before shifting critical, high-tier production there.

DLC 2 – The Hippodrome: Monument Building & Chariot Races

If you loved the big monuments in Anno 1800, The Hippodrome is going to scratch that same itch, just scaled up to Roman levels of excess. This DLC is all about prestige, spectacle, and long-term city planning.

The Hippodrome arrives as a brand-new monument in your city and is described as one of the most impressive – and largest – structures in the entire Anno series. Think of it as the Roman answer to 1800’s World’s Fair or Palace, but more sprawling.

• Huge, multi-stage monument – Expect:
  • High construction costs and long build times
  • Multiple construction phases, each needing different materials
  • A massive footprint that will reshape whatever district you place it in
• Chariot races as repeatable events – Once completed, the Hippodrome isn’t just a pretty building:
  • You can host different kinds of chariot races
  • Races reward you with new specialists and increased prestige for your city
  • Mechanically, it fills a similar “event content” role to theaters or amphitheaters, but focused on competition rather than performances

How I’m planning around it: The mistake I made in Anno 1800 was not leaving enough space for late-game monuments. I ended up bulldozing half my downtown every time a new DLC hit. This time, I’m purposefully reserving a huge, roughly rectangular district near the heart of my main city for the Hippodrome.

My personal rule of thumb: if you think you’ve left enough room, leave a bit more. Monuments in Anno tend to be wider than they look in concept art. I’m also keeping my high-end residential neighborhoods slightly modular so I can reorient roads around the Hippodrome once I know its exact footprint.

In terms of economy, expect a late-game resource sink. Plan to have surplus production of building materials going into August 2026 so you can start construction smoothly instead of stalling midway through a phase.

DLC 3 – Awakening of the Delta: Egyptian Province & New Chains

Awakening of the Delta is positioned as the biggest DLC of Year 1 and the one that will probably change your overall play pattern the most. Instead of just adding a building or a single island, it adds an entire Egypt-inspired province.

• New province with contrasting biomes:
  • Arid desert regions
  • Fertile river deltas that can flood

  You’ll be managing both scarcity (desert) and abundance (floodplains) in the same region.

• Pyramids as ancient wonders:
  • You can’t build them from scratch
  • But you do have to restore and maintain them
  • Restoration will demand serious resource investment and probably long-term planning
• Completely new population tiers:
  • Local Egyptian-inspired inhabitants with their own hierarchy
  • Each tier has unique needs and entirely new production chains
• New gods and faith mechanics – The religious system expands again, with Egypt-specific deities that bring their own effects to your realm.
• New military units – You’ll be able to recruit exclusive units in this region, giving late-game warfare more variety.
• Romanization vs tradition – Thematically, the DLC leans into the clash between Roman ambitions and Egyptian traditions, similar to how Albion’s Romanization plays out, but in a new cultural context.

How I’m timing this in my campaign: Based on how big this DLC sounds, I’m treating Awakening of the Delta as a late-game expansion, not something to rush into the moment it unlocks. My plan is:

• Use the base game + earlier DLCs to build a stable core economy in Albion and Latium
• Enter the Delta only once I have:
  • Reliable surplus of construction materials
  • Spare fleet capacity for new trade routes
  • Enough income buffer to absorb the cost of restoring pyramids and experimenting with new chains

If you enjoy the “new region” style DLC from Anno 1800 (like the Arctic or Enbesa), this is clearly the tentpole of the Year 1 Pass. It’s also the piece that justifies the higher price compared to the older 25€ Season Passes in my eyes, because it doesn’t just bolt something onto your existing islands; it adds a whole strategic layer.

Pricing, Editions, and Value – When the 35€ Pass Makes Sense

Let’s talk money. The Year 1 Pass costs 35€, which is notably more than Anno 1800’s typical 25€ Season Passes. On top of that, cosmetic packs cost 7€ each, and they are not included in the Year 1 Pass.

If you buy the Gold Edition, you’re effectively paying roughly 30€ on top of the base game to get the Year 1 Pass included. That’s slightly cheaper than buying the base game and the Pass separately at full price.

Here’s how I’d frame the decision, based on my own DLC habits:

• You should strongly consider the Year 1 Pass now if:
  • You already know you’ll put 40+ hours into Anno 117 over the year
  • You enjoyed the big gameplay DLCs in Anno 1800 (new regions, monuments, mechanics)
  • You’re excited by the volcano island and the Egyptian province, not just one of them
• It might be smarter to wait if:
  • You’re still not sure if Anno 117’s base gameplay loop clicks for you
  • You mainly care about cosmetics and city beautification
  • You tend to play one long campaign and then move on, rather than returning for each DLC drop

Personally, I’m skipping most cosmetics early on and putting that budget toward the Year 1 Pass instead. The Masterful Mosaics pack is nice – you get new floor tiles, mosaics, fancy skins for public buildings like bathhouses, and a new garden wall with gate — but none of that changes how my economy or gods work.

If you’re on a tight budget, my honest advice is: prioritize gameplay DLC first, cosmetics later in a discount or once you know Anno 117 will be a long-term staple for you.

How to Prepare Your Save for the 2026 Roadmap

With the roadmap locked in (Volcano in April, Hippodrome in August, Delta in November), you can actually plan your empire with those dates in mind instead of being blindsided mid-campaign like in older titles.

Here’s the rough prep plan I’m following on PC, and that I’d recommend if you want a smooth transition into each DLC:

• Before April (Promise of the Volcano):
  • Stabilize your Latium core economy: food, basic luxuries, and building materials
  • Avoid fully saturating all island space with permanent industry; keep some production mobile
  • Stockpile a small surplus of workers and materials so you can quickly exploit the new fertile island when it appears
• Before August (The Hippodrome):
  • Reserve a large, central area in your main city for the monument
  • Make your road layout flexible; avoid too many dead-end blocks near the planned site
  • Ramp up mid-tier construction materials so you can keep your regular expansion going while also building the Hippodrome
• Before November (Awakening of the Delta):
  • Ensure you have steady income that can absorb experimentation in a new province
  • Build up your fleet so you have spare ships ready for new trade and military duties
  • Mentally treat the Egypt-inspired region as a fresh, semi-independent project, like learning a new mini-game on top of your main empire

Also keep an eye on the in-game Options → Content or similar menu (depending on how Ubisoft wires it up) once DLCs start releasing. I like being able to toggle content on and off per save so I can keep one “pure base game” run and one “everything enabled” empire without them interfering with each other.

Final Thoughts – Is the Year 1 Pass Worth It?

From where I’m sitting, Anno 117’s Year 1 Pass is very clearly focused on big, mechanical expansions rather than nickel-and-diming you with cosmetics. You’re getting:

• The largest island the series has ever seen, plus a unique volcano-and-god gameplay loop
• A gigantic prestige monument with repeatable chariot race events
• An Egypt-inspired province with new biomes, people, gods, production chains, units and world wonders to restore

The price hike to 35€ compared to older Season Passes stings a bit, but the scope — especially of Awakening of the Delta — lines up with that increase. If Anno 117 already has its hooks in you and you love long-term saves that grow with new systems, the Year 1 Pass is easy to justify.

If you’re still on the fence, there’s no shame in playing the base game for a while first. The roadmap is public, the release months are clear, and you can always jump in later once you know which of the three DLCs really fits your playstyle. Either way, planning ahead for the volcano island, Hippodrome and Delta province will make your Roman empire feel a lot more coherent once 2026’s content starts landing.