Anno 117: Pax Romana’s First DLC Adds Volcanic Island and New Challenges

Overview

I saw that Ubisoft just dropped news for Prophecies of Ash and it coming April 23. You need to prepare because the volcanic island look very scary in the trailer.

Cinis Island Details

I found out that Cinis is actually the biggest land mass ever in this entire game series. You find this map right inside the Latium province instead of on a separate screen. Build your houses carefully because the lava stays hot while the volcano never sleep. Use every river slot and mining node so you can grab a lot of resources.

New Resources

I noticed a new shiny thing called Obsidian appearing for your city. You craft this glass into things like fancy idols and fun board games. These new production chains means your economy grows much bigger than before.

Volcanic Risks

Huge rocks fall from the sky so you should expect some very bad eruptions. Watch out for the volcanic winter since it definitely kill your food crops. You might get a bloom phase that help your plants grow fast for a short time. I still think the press release feel a bit confusing about how these things work.

Mitigation Strategies

Construct a temple for Vulcan if you want better mining and safety from fire. Place firebreaks down and keep your farms away from the hot spots to stay safe.

Reception

Many people gave the game bad reviews on Steam because they was mad about AI art. I still see that the game had its biggest launch ever even though people complained. Phil Iwaniuk from PC Gamer says the Roman theme makes the game feel very polished.

Conclusion

Prophecies of Ash give you something big and explosive to play. I think this fiery update really change how you build your empire.