Making money in Anno 117: Pax Romana is all about smart planning, steady growth, and a bit of strategy. Your islands depend on the strength of their economy. In our Anno 117 Money Guide, you’ll learn how income works, build your settlement with purpose, and expand each system at the right moment so you can turn even the smallest town into a thriving Roman powerhouse.
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Understanding the Anno 117 Economy
If you want to make serious money in Anno 117: Pax Romana, you first need to understand how the economy works. Denarii are the core of your empire. You spend them quickly, lose them just as fast, and earn even more once your city gets going. The key is to keep your Balance in the green. When the Balance is positive, your total Denarii will increase over time, even if you splurge a little.
Your money flow depends on three things:
- Residents who provide workforce and pay taxes
- Area effects from buildings that boost productivity
- Expenses from production and service buildings
Look at the top of your screen. The coin on the left shows your total Denarii, while the one on the right displays your Balance. The Balance is the amount you need to keep an eye on. It tells you whether your empire is actually making money or secretly losing it behind your back.
Most buildings in Anno 117 don’t require Denarii to place. You construct them using resources like timber. The real expense appears after construction. Upkeep is the silent killer of many early empires. Every farm, bakery, barracks, and shipyard demands a steady share of your income. Luxurious goods are even more costly to maintain. An oat farm might only cost four Denarii, but an olive press costs sixteen.
So, how do you pay for all that? Through residential buildings. Your population is your main source of income. They generate money automatically, but only when they have the right buffs. Some goods boost happiness or knowledge instead, so don’t expect every fulfilled need to turn into profit.
If your Balance dips into the negatives, check two places:
- The Balance tab at the top of your HUD
- The Governance Income menu by clicking your player icon
Both show which buildings generate income and which ones waste it. You can also click a residence to see precisely which buffs influence its earnings. Hover over any icon in the list to reveal what boosts your cash and what isn’t contributing to your wallet.
Building a Profitable Settlement from Day One
Your first settlement in Anno 117: Pax Romana sets the tone for your entire empire. If you rush things or spam production buildings too early, your Balance will crash, and your Denarii will disappear. The good news is that making money from day one is entirely achievable if you play smart.
Start simple. Your residents are your primary and most dependable source of income. They pay taxes and support your production chains, so your early game should focus on constructing houses and keeping your people content. If your funds go into the negatives, stay calm. It happens. Just slow down your spending and increase your residential income before expanding again.
To kick off a profitable settlement, follow this flow:
- Build housing clusters that attract new residents
- Add core amenities to boost happiness and income
- Check your Balance often to avoid accidental debt spirals
- Pause expensive buildings if your income drops below zero
Your early game goal in Anno 117: Pax Romana is straightforward. Focus on getting your residents to generate steady income before constructing any buildings with high upkeep costs. Production buildings can drain your resources quickly if you build too many too fast.
Once your population is settled and your Balance turns green, begin expanding your economy with additional production chains. These will supply resources for trade, which later becomes a significant source of passive income.
Placement is key in Anno 117. Buildings that offer positive attributes, such as Money or Population, should always be located near residential areas. They directly increase the amount of cash your citizens produce. For example, a fishing hut provides both population and income boosts. A porridge stand only increases population. One makes money. The other does not. Choose the right combination, or you’ll end up with a town that loses money instead of making it.
Markets are another early game MVP. They generate income, increase population, and meet the public service needs. The challenge is their limited range. Only houses within their radius benefit, so place them where they cover the most homes. If some houses are outside the zone, add a second market. Just remember that overlapping markets do not stack their buffs, so avoid clustering them together.
When in doubt, remember the golden rule of Anno 117: More residents mean more money. If your income stalls, add more housing. If your balance dips, pause expensive buildings.
Scaling Up: Growing Your Income Engine
Once your settlement is stable and your Balance remains in the green, it’s time to elevate your economy. This is where Anno 117: Pax Romana turns into a true strategy playground. More residents, more production chains, more research, and more ways to maximize your islands.
Your people remain the core of your income engine. Each resident has Needs, and fulfilling these Needs grants buffs that increase productivity and taxes. Some buildings provide positive Attributes that spread locally and raise income for nearby homes. Others may reduce happiness or require extra upkeep, making placement more crucial as your island develops.
A strong mid-game economy comes from stacking every tiny advantage you can find:
- Buff your houses with buildings that add income or population
- Avoid negative Attributes that lower productivity or happiness
- Expand only when your Balance can handle the upkeep
Once your island advances beyond basic houses and farms, you unlock tools to boost income generation.
Use Research to Boost Profit
Research is a significant power spike in Anno 117. A few nodes can transform a decent economy into a thriving one. Some of the best early and mid-game research options include:
- Economic Fish Markets: Enhance the income effects of Fishing Huts and Cockle Pickers. Ideal for coastal settlements.
- Civic Portitors: Decreases staffing requirements and maintenance costs for warehouses. Less maintenance leads to higher profit.
- Civic Large Loan: Allows you to borrow from a rival. Risky, but a lifesaver when you need instant capital.
Other nodes boost the range or strength of income buildings like the Market. A notable example is Market Forces, which increases the Market’s effect radius by twenty-five percent. This results in more houses within the income zone, leading to more Denarii earned each minute.
Patron Gods: Pick the Right Divine Buff
Picking a patron god provides your island with lasting economic benefits. For example:
- Neptune reduces ship upkeep by up to fifty percent
- Mars cuts upkeep for troops
Lowering military or naval maintenance costs frees up Denarii for expansion and production.
Handle Gifts and Bailouts Wisely
Your rivals in Anno 117 might surprise you by offering a monetary gift. If the offer comes up during a tough time, accept it. Free money is free money.
If you’re struggling in the long term, you can also enable Bailouts. Set this option to ‘Always’ in the Game Setup menu to keep your economy afloat while learning the game. You can turn it off again once you no longer need the safety net.
Deploy Specialists for Massive Area Bonuses
Once you unlock villas and government buildings, you can equip Specialists. These are some of the strongest tools for increasing income.
You can obtain Specialists through quests or traders. Look for ones with economic bonuses:
- Higher income
- Lower upkeep
- Increased productivity
Place them in a governance building located in the center of the town. Their bonuses apply within a radius, so central placement is crucial.
Sell Your Surplus for Steady Passive Cash
If you produce more goods than your citizens consume, congratulations. That surplus stock is like free money waiting to be collected. You can sell the excess in three ways:
- Automatic Selling
- Click your Trading Post
- Pick a product
- Set a minimum stock
- Everything above that number sells automatically to trade partners
- Contracts
- Check lighthouses in rival harbors
- Pick up randomized one-time offers
- Deliver goods for fat payouts
- Trade Routes
- Build at least one ship
- Open the trade route menu
- Choose your island and a partner island
- Load goods on your ship and sell them regularly
Selling excess turns your production buildings into a steady income source. Even small amounts accumulate quickly over time. With the right research, smart placement of specialists, and efficient trade routes, your income will grow from a modest village budget to an empire worth bragging about.
Boost your Anno 117 Money with PLITCH!
If you want to accelerate your economic growth or recover from a tough financial period, PLITCH’s Anno 117 Trainer provides several tools to keep your empire profitable. With Add Credits, you can instantly stabilize your balance and continue expanding without waiting for taxes to come in.
If you need to speed up production faster, Min 50 percent of all resources or Max all resources at the harbor ensures you always have enough materials for new buildings. You can accelerate progress even more with “Set research multiplier,” allowing you to unlock powerful economic upgrades much faster. And if your city starts struggling, “All needs fulfilled” keeps residents happy and productive, so your income engine never stalls.
If you want to learn more about PLITCH, check out this blog and our YouTube channel.
Happy Gaming!
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