With Anno 1800 and its DLCs, Ubisoft undoubtedly delivers a very multi-layered strategy game. However, the game has no mercy and mistakes can mean the end of your efforts. In our Anno 1800 tips and tricks, we’ll show you the basics for a good start.
Table of Contents
1) Play the story
Admittedly, this is not a real Anno 1800 tip. You’re going to play the story anyway. However, it’s important to note at this point that especially new players or those who last played Anno many years ago, should use the campaign to get started.
As the story progresses, general functions will be explained, but also processes and prerequisites will be given a foundation. After all, the building game is extremely complex, and the campaign gives you all the information you need to play successfully.
It’s also interesting to note that playing the story unlocks content that’s also available in the free game mode. So you can finish the campaign at any time if you feel like it. This is not a real Anno 1800 trick, but rather a piece of advice. The clearer you are in your own strategy, the smoother and less complicated the rest of the game will be.
2) Choose a good starting island
The foundation of your economic empire in Anno 1800 often stands or falls with your choice of starting island. Depending on the game settings, there are 2 different ways to choose an island. Either you’re assigned an island or you start the adventure with your own ship. According to our Anno 1800 tips and tricks, you should choose the 2nd option.
To have more influence on the place where you start, the ship is the best choice. This way, you’ll literally sail into your own fortune. At least at sea, you have the most control over the starting conditions. However, you should be aware of a few criteria that separate a good starting island from a bad one.
These include
- Available building space
- Fertility
- Proximity to other resources
In the beginning, potatoes and wheat are especially important for farming. This is because you can use them to satisfy the first basic needs of your settlers. They only need bread and alcohol to survive. Hops will quickly be added to your list to produce beer. Your starting island should therefore provide you with this resource.
Resources that are less important at the beginning of your journey in Anno 1800 are peppers and oil. The latter is only available in very limited quantities. If you find an island with such a deposit, you should secure it as soon as possible.
3) Secure important islands
To make your settlement sustainable and successful, you’ll soon need other places to secure your resources, in addition to your well-chosen starting island. Therefore, you should start early to incorporate other areas into your empire. Build a trading post on a promising island.
If you’re playing without an opponent or against the AI, you can take your time. But if you want at least a little challenge, you’ll soon find yourself up against AI competitors spread out over a large area. The only way to expand your empire later on is by force of arms. However, the latter requires planning and a large number of production chains and resources.
Many of the computer-controlled rivals will leave you alone once you’ve conquered an island. Only a few are particularly aggressive. One of them is Alonso Graves. No matter how fast you expand or whether you concentrate on your small island, he will declare war on you.
Note: Since your starting capital is very limited at the beginning, you must always consider where you can invest in an expansion. It’s advisable to settle near the port and the office. The focus here is clearly on food and lumber production.
4) Complete quests for money
Money is a limited resource in Anno 1800. Therefore, you need a solid way to get money into the notoriously tight state coffers.
Quests are a good way to do this. Especially at the beginning, you can easily earn some money by completing small tasks. You’ll receive quests as you gradually build up your settlement. Quest givers are usually the AI players or the neutral merchants in Anno 1800. You can also request new quests in the Diplomacy menu.
In addition to the money you earn, you’ll also improve your reputation with your fellow players. The higher your reputation, the more special the missions you’ll be able to complete.
PLITCH Anno 1800 tip: If your reputation with another player drops, this can lead to war in extreme cases.
5) Keep construction costs in mind and build to save space
In general, construction planning plays an important role in Anno 1800, as it did in previous installments. This topic becomes especially important at higher difficulty levels. However, it’s also important to use the available resources wisely in terms of costs. You should therefore think twice before placing a building in the wrong place and having to demolish it in the end. You can turn on the blueprint mode by pressing the “V” key.
Think ahead to make sure you have the best setup for your island. Although you have a lot of space at the beginning, it will quickly become less and if you don’t have an idea from the beginning, you’ll have to fight for every meter later on.
Your goal should be to stick to the basics. Think about where you need roads and whether a bridge is really the only option. The same goes for the choice and number of buildings. Not only do you need resources, you also need workers. Once you have enough resources and inhabitants, you can gradually increase the number of residential buildings and production areas.
Note: Try to save space as early as possible and build to avoid gaps.
6) Pay attention to production times
In addition to the actual production facility and the necessary workers, a production chain needs routes that connect the connected businesses to the warehouse. This is where the goods and resources produced are made available and distributed. It is therefore especially efficient to place the connected farms in this way. For example, the grain farm should be close to a mill, which is close to a bakery.
If goods move too slowly from one producer to another, or if your farms are unable to produce goods because their warehouses are full, it’s often worth taking a look at your warehouse. Here you can see how full your wagons are and make adjustments.
7) Take a look at your production staff
Another crucial point for your efficiency in Anno 1800 is the level of your workers and production staff. Once you reach the worker level, you’ll have to deal with different production times. It’s important to keep an eye on the level of your industrial buildings to ensure that production doesn’t grind to a halt.
The crate icon helps you optimize your production chain. By clicking on it on your farm, you can get an overview of your production and easily adjust it. If you increase your production rate, you should also consider adjusting your suppliers and constructing new buildings if necessary.
Be aware, however, that your population will usually react to an increase in production with a significant drop in satisfaction. It’s up to you to design your infrastructure so that this effect isn’t too strong.
8) Trade actively and avoid overproduction
Anno 1800 introduces a new system that directly links population to production. As production facilities become more and more complex, it’s important to keep this in mind. In the beginning, this is simple. For example, a lumberjack’s hut produces four times as much wood, and a sawmill produces four wooden boards.
To actively combat overproduction, it’s helpful to not use every available worker at the beginning. After all, it costs money to use workers. On the other hand, inhabitants only bring you income at the beginning. It also makes sense to always have some reserves of “human capital”.
Especially for the production of bricks and later on steel beams you’ll need a lot of workers. So try to start with just enough workers to meet your needs. You can also use the production workers here.
However, there is hardly a rule without an exception: If you have a lucrative trade item (like soap), you can put the above Anno 1800 tips and tricks aside for the time being. You can get really good money for that and a slow production would be a hindrance.
Overall, you should make sure to trade with others early on. Trade routes will help you tremendously. They will not only bring you money but also building materials. This is especially interesting on islands where you lack resources at the beginning or where it will take some time before you can produce the necessary materials yourself.
9) Electricity changes the whole game
The real game changer in Anno 1800 comes when you produce electricity on your island. Not only will you be able to satisfy the needs of investors and engineers, but your production will also increase significantly. For example, the yield of your mines will double.
Another highlight is the railroad. When your first train rolls down the tracks, it’s something really special. You use it mainly to transport oil to your power plants. To do this, it’s important to leave a space of five tiles between the roads. This is the space your tracks will take up later.
Note: Keep your rail system simple. Although the ability to use the railroad for transportation is very helpful, the wayfinding is anything but optimal.
10) Pay attention to the needs of the inhabitants
As in previous installments of the Anno series, Anno 1800 focuses on the needs of your inhabitants. As always, there are basic needs that every inhabitant wants to see fulfilled. If this is not the case, you’ll quickly have a problem with your settlers.
This is in contrast to luxury goods. On the one hand, they increase the satisfaction of your inhabitants. On the other hand, they bring you more money and can also compensate for factors that would otherwise have a negative effect on your population.
Positive signs are small festivals in your honor. Negative effects can be seen in the rioting mobs that roam your streets. Dissatisfied workers will also quit their jobs.
Anno 1800 tip: You can positively influence dissatisfaction with the newspaper. It also helps to reduce air pollution or provide enough luxury goods. If you remain diplomatically on the peaceful side, you have little to fear.
11) Anno 1800 tips on culture
Another new feature in Anno 1800 is the culture system. This is reflected in the attractiveness of your empire. This goes hand in hand with the desire of others in the world to visit your city. To have a solid development plan from the start, you should start working on beautification.
You only have a few options at the beginning. However, a tree or two in the center and a few green spaces can really make a difference. As you progress, you’ll be able to build museums and zoos. If you manage to house rare animals there or even acquire attractive exhibits for yourself, the tourists will bring a lot of money into your coffers.
Imperialist tip: You can acquire cultural goods through expeditions
Spark the Industrial Revolution with PLITCH!
In the seventh installment of the highly successful Anno series, Ubisoft once again offers a long and pleasantly complex game. If you use our PLITCH Anno 1800 tips and tricks, you’ll quickly get into the game.
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Happy Gaming!
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