Learn how to start your settlement in Anno 1404. This guide covers finding islands, building your first settlement, and managing resources for early game success.
This guide covers the initial stages of gameplay in Anno 1404, focusing on establishing your first settlement and securing essential resources. It details the process from choosing an island to satisfying the basic needs of your growing population.
Walkthrough
- 1Starting Out: If you begin with only a ship or a ship with an escort, you'll start near Lord Northburgh's Warehouse. Purchase all available wood. For an aggressive start, sell fish and buy as many tools as possible.
- 2Island Selection: Settle on a large, flat island with no lakes, close to a neutral port, centrally located, and possessing Cider and Hemp fertility, along with at least two deposits each of Stone and Iron Ore. Settle on the southern end of the island.
- 3First Settlement: Immediately after establishing your warehouse port, build three woodcutters connected to it. Ensure they have space to operate at 100% and use Trees to boost their efficiency. Build two Fisherman's Huts connected to the port.
- 4Housing and Taxes: Construct a Marketplace and surround it with as many houses as your wood supply allows. Increase taxes from 'Euphoric' to 'Happy' to encourage new settlers while increasing revenue. Once houses are full, raise taxes to 'Calm' to maximize income, but revert to 'Euphoric' for ascensions.
- 5Cider Production: Once you have 60 peasants, build one or two Cider farms connected to a warehouse. Cider increases tax revenue and is necessary for peasants to ascend to citizens. A Chapel is only beneficial after peasants are satisfied with cider.
- 6Exploration: Send your Flagship to explore the archipelago to discover all islands and claim desirable ones. Visit Northburgh again and purchase a Diplomatic Scroll with honor points. Use this to get a Caravel full of resources from Al Zahir.
- 7Stone and Tool Production: While exploring, focus on producing Stone and Tools to reduce reliance on NPCs. Block ascension rights after reaching 240 Citizen capacity, focusing on essential needs like fish, cider, and a chapel. Build Stonemason's huts for stone and then establish your Tool production chain by building an Iron Ore mine, Charcoal burner, and Tool maker's workshops.
- 8Citizen Needs: Once Tool production is stable, satisfy Citizen needs for Linen Garments (using Hemp Farms and Weavers Huts) and Ropes (using Hemp Farms and Rope Yards). Set up a second Tool chain. After passing 355 Citizens, ensure all houses are covered by Carpenters or Fire stations.
- 9Oriental Settlement: Settle a large Oriental island with Spices and Dates fertility. Build 10 Nomad Houses to enable Spice production. Build Date plantations and Noria for Dates. Deliver Spices to your northern island via a Trade Route. Aim for 440 Nomads to access more buildings and gain honor. Build Milk farms for tax income.
- 10Northern Development: With Spices, Citizens can become Patricians. Settle a new northern island with Brine deposits, a river, and Crop and Herb fertility. Establish production chains for Bread, Beer, and Leather Jerkins, and set up trade routes to deliver them to your main island. Sell surplus goods.
Tips
- Prioritize securing essential resources like wood, stone, and tools early on.
- Manage your taxes carefully to balance income and settler growth.
- Explore the map thoroughly to claim valuable islands before AI opponents.
- Establish trade routes early to ensure a steady supply of necessary goods and to generate income.
- Don't overextend your building plans; focus on meeting immediate needs before expanding.
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