Military units are the troops and siege engines you raise in Anno 117: Pax Romana to defend your islands and attack rival ones. Land battles are back in this game, so the units you train and how well you equip them decide how your invasions go.
Recruitment Building
Barracks
Auxilia
Medium-armored spear infantry that is especially effective against cavalry.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 6
- Charge
- 8
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 0.76
- Recruitment Cost
- 2,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Weapons
- Upkeep
- 80 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 44 Libertus; Albion: 44 Wader
Archers
Medium-armored ranged troops with fast, accurate fire against lightly armored targets.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 2
- Charge
- -
- Ranged
- 7
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 0.76
- Recruitment Cost
- 2,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Weapons
- Upkeep
- 80 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 44 Libertus; Albion: 44 Wader
Legionaries
Heavy infantry with heavy shields and high strength.
- Province
- Latium
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 7
- Charge
- 11
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 4
- Speed
- 0.67
- Recruitment Cost
- 5,000 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Weapons, 10 Armour
- Upkeep
- 200 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- 6 Libertus + 44 Plebeian
Slingers
Fast ranged troops that harass enemies with stones, at the cost of light protection.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 2
- Charge
- -
- Ranged
- 5
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 0.86
- Recruitment Cost
- 1,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Rope
- Upkeep
- 60 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 44 Libertus; Albion: 44 Wader
Gladiators
High-charge melee fighters with light body armor and a medium shield.
- Province
- Latium
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 9
- Charge
- 16
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 6
- Speed
- 0.77
- Recruitment Cost
- 6,000 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 12 Weapons, 3 Armour
- Upkeep
- 300 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- 44 Libertus
Axe-Bearers
Light infantry whose heavy axes are effective against shielded and armored foes.
- Province
- Albion
- Soldiers
- 44
- Melee
- 8
- Charge
- 14
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 2
- Speed
- 0.86
- Recruitment Cost
- 2,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Bronze
- Upkeep
- 70 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- 44 Smith
Recruitment Building
Equitum Campus
Equestrian Cavalry
Fast medium-armored cavalry suited to striking before a long melee develops.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 22
- Melee
- 7
- Charge
- 16
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 2.01
- Recruitment Cost
- 4,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Weapons, 10 Horses
- Upkeep
- 140 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 18 Libertus + 22 Equites; Albion: 18 Wader + 22 Nobles
Praetorian Cavalry
Heavy cavalry with stronger melee and defence than Equestrian Cavalry.
- Province
- Latium
- Soldiers
- 22
- Melee
- 8
- Charge
- 12
- Ranged
- -
- Defence
- 5
- Speed
- 1.72
- Recruitment Cost
- 8,000 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 12 Weapons, 12 Armour, 10 Horses
- Upkeep
- 360 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- 18 Libertus + 22 Patrician
Chariots
Albion chariots that harass enemies with ranged attacks but are weak in close combat.
- Province
- Albion
- Soldiers
- 8
- Melee
- -
- Charge
- -
- Ranged
- 14
- Defence
- 5
- Speed
- 1.43
- Recruitment Cost
- 5,000 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Rope, 10 Bronze, 10 Chariots
- Upkeep
- 140 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- 18 Wader + 16 Alderman
Recruitment Building
Siege Workshop
Onagers
Slow, inaccurate siege engines built to damage fortifications.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 3
- Melee
- -
- Charge
- -
- Ranged
- 200
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 0.38
- Recruitment Cost
- 3,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Rope, 20 Timber, 5 Weapons
- Upkeep
- 120 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 24 Libertus + 16 Plebeian; Albion: 24 Wader + 16 Mercators
Scorpios
Siege engines that launch spears at enemy formations rather than buildings.
- Province
- Latium, Albion
- Soldiers
- 6
- Melee
- -
- Charge
- -
- Ranged
- 10
- Defence
- 3
- Speed
- 0.48
- Recruitment Cost
- 4,500 Denarii
- Recruitment Goods
- 10 Rope, 10 Timber, 10 Weapons
- Upkeep
- 160 Denarii
- Upkeep Workforce
- Latium: 24 Libertus + 16 Plebeian; Albion: 24 Wader + 16 Mercators
How to Recruit Military Units in Anno 117
Every unit is trained in a specific building, so you need to know which one to build first. The Barracks trains Auxilia, Archers, Slingers, Legionaries, Gladiators and Axe-Bearers, and you need it before you can train any soldiers. The Equitum Campus trains the cavalry, meaning Equestrian Cavalry, Praetorian Cavalry and Chariots, while the Siege Workshop builds the Onagers and Scorpios. The Equitum Campus and Siege Workshop come later as your city grows, so the Barracks is where you start.
Recruiting also costs goods along with coins. Most units need Weapons, heavier troops such as Legionaries also need Armour, and mounted cavalry need Horses, so build those production chains before you try to field a large army.
How to Unlock Stronger Military Units
Auxilia and Archers are available as soon as your Barracks is up, but the other unit types have to be researched in the Discovery Tree before you can train them.
Research also makes the units you already have stronger, so you don't always need more soldiers to get ahead. Discovery Tree upgrades can raise morale, improve accuracy and boost attacks against fortifications.
What Military Units Cost to Keep Running
Every unit costs money, goods and workers to recruit. After that, it keeps costing you upkeep in money and takes workers away from the rest of your city. A large army can drain your coins even when it isn't fighting, so keep an eye on your income as you grow your forces. If there aren't enough free workers, your units slowly lose health and start to desert.
Which Military Units Are Latium-Only or Albion-Only
Most units are open to both provinces, but a few are tied to one. Legionaries, Gladiators and Praetorian Cavalry can only be trained in Latium, while Axe-Bearers and Chariots are only available in Albion. Auxilia, Archers, Slingers, Equestrian Cavalry, Onagers and Scorpios are open in both, so the basic units are available whichever province you build in.
How Land Battles Are Won
Each unit type has a job, and the types work a bit like rock, paper and scissors. Spear-armed Auxilia hold against cavalry, and cavalry can flank an enemy line or go after exposed archers. Archers and Slingers keep enemies at a distance but are easy targets for cavalry charges, while heavy Legionaries grind down light infantry and riders.
Axe-Bearers hit hard against shielded, armoured troops, and Chariots can strike from range and pull back, but they're weak in close fighting. That's why a mix of melee, ranged and cavalry usually holds up better than a single type, since each one covers another's weakness.
Units have morale as well as health. When morale drops low, a unit can break and flee, and a fleeing unit can pull the troops beside it into a wider rout. If you'd rather not handle every fight yourself, auto-combat lets the AI run attacks and defences while you focus on recruiting and production.
How Siege Engines Break Walls and Villas
Walls and towers slow invaders down, and stone walls need artillery to break. Without siege engines, breaking them takes ages and costs a lot, which is why the Siege Workshop matters. Onagers are built to take down fortifications, while Scorpios are accurate against single enemy units. So use Scorpios against soldiers and Onagers against walls.
When you invade an island with an enemy villa, capturing that villa is the main objective, and wrecking the trading post alone won't do it.
FAQ
Do I have to fight land battles in Anno 117?
No. Raising armies and fighting are optional, so you can stay peaceful and put your effort into your economy instead.
Can I move my troops to another island?
Yes. Units can be moved between islands and provinces. Each one has a home island, and if you lose that island, the unit is assigned to another island with free workers.
What happens to a unit that routs?
A routed unit can reform and rejoin your army. If it doesn't reform, it's gone for good.