On August 20, the largest monument in Anno history will be released. But the racetrack can do more than just look pretty.
Did you notice something in the base game ofAnno 117? That’s right—Patricians can never fully satisfy their need for Wonders! Even after building the Amphitheater, the progress bar remained a good distance from completion. We all know why… because, of course, it was clear from the start,that a DLC would introduce the second Patrician Wonder to the game!
We’re talking, of course, about the Hippodrome—the Anno version of the Circus Maximus. The largest monument you’ve ever been able to build in Anno.& nbsp;The DLC is set to release on August 20, but Ubisoft has alreadyrevealed all the gameplay detailsabout it. Because the racetrack not only looks impressive, it also introduces new gameplay possibilities.
We’ve put together a clear summary of everything.
Building the Hippodrome
The Hippodrome is a classic monument and is therefore built in four stages. The most important resources for this are:
- Granite (which comes from Albion!)
- Marble
- Mosaics
But you should also expect to use a lot of stone, wood, or brick. On top of that, you’ll need to clear a full 60 × 28 tiles of construction space for this colossus. No problem on the giant island of Cinis, but on any other island, this becomes a logistical challenge.
The Splendor Level
The Hippodrome has a splendor level that increases as you successfully complete races. The splendor level enhances the Hippodrome’s buff, which the monument permanently applies to all buildings across the entire island. Therefore, range is not a factor. You can also place the Hippodrome completely off to the side, and every building will benefit from it.
There are a total of ten splendor levels for the Hippodrome. We don’t yet know in detail exactly which bonuses each splendor level includes.But we at least know the bonuses for Splendor Level 7:
- Horses become a need for Equites and Patricians.
- Income in all buildings +1
- Population in all buildings +4
- Satisfaction in all buildings +2
- Faith in all buildings +3
- Prestige in all buildings +9
By the way:With Update 2.0, which is being released at the same time as the DLC, the Amphitheater will also receive these upgrade tiers. The Colosseum will then function slightly differently mechanically than before.
The Races
Just like in the amphitheater, you can also host events in the hippodrome. This costs a lot of resources, depending on exactly what kind of events you want to organize. Since this is a racetrack, races are naturally held here. There are three types:
- Amateur Race
- Classic Quadriga
- Imperial Race
In addition to the resources, you must also select a driver to compete in the race for you. Drivers are recruited from all your available specialists. However, each one has different abilities in speed, endurance, sprint, and stamina.
Especially cool: The race in the arena is simulated in real time! So you can take a seat in the stands and actually watch your favorite racer race to the finish. Occasionally, you can even give them a sprint command to briefly speed them up.
If your racer wins, you’ll earn even more Glory Points. Afterward, you can also level up your specialist and improve their racing skills. However, no specialist can ever be the best in every category.
It’s still unclear exactly how the traits will affect the race. When is a racer with high speed important? When is one with high stamina? Only testing will tell.
The Little Things
The DLC also introduces new technologies to research, which apparently have the greatest impact on the Hippodrome. But new specialists are also coming into play. Thanks to Update 2.0, the way specialists arrive on your island has also changed. Now, your reputation is key to attracting heroic specialists. You can read more details in the news article in the link box above.
Editor’s Conclusion
I’m especially looking forward to the Hippodrome because I love building majestic structures in Anno. But the mechanics behind it sound much more exciting to me than, say, those in the Amphitheater. I rarely found it appealing to pop in and check on things during the games there. Now, though, I might actually be interested in seeing how my specialist is doing. On paper, the change to the splendor levels also sounds to me like Anno 1117 is using it to mitigate the problem of its somewhat uninspiring endgame.
