# **Anno 117: Pax Romana – An In-Depth Exploration of the Modular Ship System**
The recent announcement of *Anno 117: Pax Romana* by Ubisoft has thrilled fans of city-building and strategy games. Among the most fascinating new elements is the **modular ship system**, which empowers players to personalize their fleets like never before. While the initial launch left many questions unanswered, a recent **Anno Union blog post** has shed much light on how this system operates.
Let’s examine all that we currently understand about the **modular ship system**, encompassing ship types, upgrades, and their influence on gameplay.
—
## **Modifiable Ship Hulls and Upgrade Slots**
In *Anno 117: Pax Romana*, players will not simply assemble generic vessels—they will **tailor them from the base up**. The game presents three distinct ship hulls, each boasting a different number of upgrade slots:
– **Penteconter** – Small vessel featuring **2 upgrade slots**
– **Trireme** – Mid-sized vessel equipped with **3 upgrade slots**
– **Quinquireme** – Large vessel offering **4 upgrade slots**
Each upgrade placed on a ship **diminishes its available cargo space** by one slot. Consequently, players must judiciously balance **firepower, speed, resilience, and cargo capacity**. An entirely unmodified ship will provide the most cargo space but will lack other benefits.
—
## **Ship Upgrades Available**
Players can outfit their vessels with various upgrades to improve performance in diverse ways. The six accessible upgrades are:
– **Mast** – Boosts top speed, facilitating quicker travel between regions.
– **Oarsman** – Enhances acceleration and agility.
– **Reinforced Hull** – Strengthens the ship’s hit points, enhancing durability.
– **Archer Turrets** – Fires arrows at close range for added combat capability.
– **Scorpio** – Launches precise spears to the sides, inflicting high damage at medium range.
– **Onager** – Hurls boulders forward, causing substantial damage at long distances.
### **Tactical Customization**
Each vessel can be fitted with **multiple upgrades of the same type**, but the amount is restricted by the available slots. This creates numerous tactical options. For instance:
– A **swift transport vessel** might include **two masts** and **one oarsman** for optimal speed.
– A **battle-oriented trireme** might be outfitted with **two scorpios and one onager** for formidable ranged attacks.
The variety of potential configurations is notable:
– **Penteconter:** 16 potential variations
– **Trireme:** 60 potential variations
– **Quinquireme:** 114 potential variations
This depth of customization guarantees that players can align their fleets with their distinct strategies.
—
## **Building and Modifying Ships**
In contrast to previous Anno titles, ships **cannot be altered once they are launched**. Instead, all modifications must be decided upon **during the construction phase at the shipyard**. This mandates that players meticulously plan their fleets prior to deployment.
### **Customization and Production in the Shipyard**
– Players can **save ship configurations** and produce them repeatedly.
– Each shipyard accommodates a **maximum of two slots per hull type**, permitting **six unique blueprints** simultaneously.
– To produce more ship variations, players will need to **construct additional shipyards**.
– Pre-manufactured ship types with **fixed upgrades** will also be available for those who favor a more straightforward approach.
This framework introduces a degree of **strategic foresight**, as players must determine whether to focus on **specialized shipyards** or depend on a limited selection of standardized designs.
—
## **Resource and Labor Requirements for Shipbuilding**
Constructing and maintaining vessels in *Anno 117* necessitates an array of **resources and labor**. According to the revelations from the blog post, the following materials are essential for ship production:
– **Money**
– **Wood**
– **Ropes**
– **Sails**
– **Workers**
– **Labor**
### **New Labor System and Elimination of Influence Limits**
A particularly noteworthy alteration is that **vessels will necessitate labor for upkeep**, in addition to funds. This indicates a departure from the **influence system** utilized in *Anno 1800*.
It remains to be seen whether *Anno 117* will **entirely abolish the influence system** or merely **remove influence caps related to ships**. Nevertheless, the introduction of labor costs prompts several critical inquiries:
– **Is labor controlled on a global scale across the empire, or is it specific to islands?**
– **What occurs when a ship exhausts its labor?** Will it cease functioning, slow down, or even