Anno 117: Pax Romana's third and largest expansion of Year 1, Dawn of the Delta, is out now, bringing the new Aegyptus province to the game. Available immediately either as a mission in your existing save or as a starting province in a new game, you'll discover new residents, production chains and goods, deities, technologies, and NPCs in the fertile river delta. Here's everything you need to know:

What to Know About the New Aegyptus Province

The Emperor is sending you to the new province, where you'll find a large river delta, allowing you to sail the narrow branches between different strips of land as opposed to settling different islands on a large ocean. Each buildable area features three zones:

• Drylands – Ideal for building cities and production buildings that do not make crops. To make the land fertile, you must irrigate with Basins or Norian. Once irrigated, you can build farms and produce crops
• Farmlands – A fertile belt along the river's edge where grain, plants, and trees grow. This zone is ideal for buildings that require forests, like Date farms. Space is limited due to the trees, but it is a safe alternative to the floodplains
• Floodplains – A new terrain with this expansion, the Floodplains are located next to the Nile. It's a fertile zone that can yield larger harvests for farms and plantations, but the area is vulnerable to flooding.
  • Features exclusive resources: Geese, Beads, and Reeds
  • Buildings in the area must be connected with mud roads
  • Unlike the Albion marshes, floodplains cannot be drained

Regardless of zones, the entire Aegyptus province will be affected by the Nile's two seasons:

• Shemu – the harvest season, which lasts about two hours in game time, during which the Nile stays in its river bed and all production buildings within the Floodplains will yield 1 additional ton of goods
• Akhet – the flood season, which lasts about two hours in game time, and the Nile overflows into the floodplains. During Akhet, all production buildings in the Floodplains work at a 25% production rate, and all cities have a Health debuff. However, Fire Safety is increased due to more water

The Aegyptus Population

As you expand your empire in this new region, as with Albion, you'll need to decide whether to Romanize your city or embrace the original traditions of the province. Whatever you choose, it will have ripple effects throughout your growing settlement, influencing:

• Deities available for worship
• Production chains
• Fleet and military composition
• City aesthetics

The first population tier in Aegyptus are the Threshers, who are humble residents highly knowledgeable in the way of the Nile and its floods. They know how to work mud into bricks to build special roads that connect your buildings in the Floodplains. Typically, they will tend to farms and animals, and gather around the Fire Pit to tell and hear stories. There are two population upgrade branches to choose from after the Threshers, depending on if you support the local Aegyptian culture or stay loyal to the Graeco-Roman way.

If you choose the Aegyptian way:

• Population Tier 2: Potters - Artisans keen to follow traditional techniques to craft goods, highly skilled at recreating ancient works, but they won't innovate. In their eyes, nothing is better than the old ways. When not in their workshops, they will indulge in vices, bemoaning Rome's exploitation of their work
• Population Tier 3: Chanters – Priestesses charged with worshipping deities at the temple through song and playing the Sistrum. Dying embers of Egyptian culture and traditions, they will not garner as much respect, especially from the Graeco-Romans, but their music is still beloved.

If you choose the Graeco-Roman way:

• Population Tier 2: Scribes – Representative of all scholars in Graeco-Roman Aegyptus who aspire to become the intellectual workforce. They protect Greek knowledge and are very protective of what they consider the true pantheon, and will stay within Roman walls, where no Aegyptian is welcome
• Population Tier 3: Gymnasiarchs – Graduates of the Gymnasium that are now commercially oriented, looking for profitable economic ventures in Aegyptus to finance Greek communities. They relish enjoying the local environment, like taking trips up and down the Nile

New Goods and Production Chains

To keep the new population happy, Dawn of the Delta offers a number of new goods and production chains alongside familiar Graeco-Roman ones to build in your new province:

• Threshers: Dates, Porridge, Usekh Collar, Tunics
• Potters: Stuffed Goose, Beer, Talismans, Oil Lamp, Shenti, Kohl
• Chanters: Lotus Tea, Kahk, Sistrum Rattle, Kalasiris, Perfumed Oil
• Scribes: Bread, Cheese, Scribing Sets, Olive Oil, Sandals, Soap
• Gymnasiarchs: Exotic Appetizers, Ivory Casket, Bathing Milk

Aegyptus Culture and Technology

Dawn of the Delta also includes three Aegyptian deities that can be worshipped at sanctuaries and temple:

• Sobek: Worshipping Sobek increases production of Roast Beef, Beer, Cheese, Sausages, Stuffed Goose, and Sanga Cattle, as well as boosts water conducting sumps and cisterns
  • Exaltation effects include boosting Fire Safety, a Dovecote building that boosts Plantation productivity, and the ability to place five additional shrines on each island
• Isis-Bastet: Worshipping her increases production for Roast Beef, Beer, Cheese, Sausages, Stuffed Goose, and Sanga Cattle, as well as boosts water conducting sumps and cisterns
  • Exaltation effects include boosting Happiness and Health, a Sphinx Shrine that increases population, income, and prestige, and all festivals will last 50% longer
• Thoth Trismegistus: His worship increases production of Roast Beef, Beer, Cheese, Sausages, Stuffed Goose, and Sanga Cattle, as well as boosts water conducting sumps and cisterns
  • Exaltation effects include boosting Knowledge, a Books of Thoth building that boost Library productions by 20%, and buying and re-rolling Specialists is 30% cheaper

The expansion also introduces two new ship types that are specialized for river travel, giving you exciting alternative to the traditional Roman designs, which are more suited for the open sea. You'll also be able to recruit Kumatic Archers and Dromedarii to your military.

Because of its fertile land, Aegyptus is poised to be the breadbasket of your empire, but its citizens demand goods that can only be produced in Latium or Albion. Similarly, research done in Aegyptus can benefit all regions. For example, when researching more arable lands:

• The Aegyptus Way: allows building of basins and canals that bring water inland from the river
• The Graeco-Roman Way: enables building of large norias, which transport water via aqueducts to cisterns, which creates fertile land in a certain radius around them

Dawn of the Delta Campaign and Characters

In addition to all of that new content, Anno 117: Pax Romana's latest expansion brings a new murder mystery story to the campaign, taking you on an adventure through the political and cultural landscape of Aegyptus. You'll arrive in the province just after the sudden demise of Nymphaeus, a well-loved local celebrity who advocated for Kumatic and Hellenistic co-habitation. When his body is fished from the Nile, you'll be tasked with his mummification while the Epistrategos Heron deals with civilian unrest. While preparing the body, you find evidence of foul play, and can choose to investigate what truly happened to this beloved figure.

The expansion also introduces the Sector Project, which gives you a chance to re-build the great pyramids. They're already 2,000 years old at the time of the game, and are looking a bit rundown. Restoring them to their original glory will celebrate Roman rule and opulence, and is a race between governors who want to see who is the greatest contributor to Roman grandeur. The Sector Project will be completed in four stages, each requiring immense amounts of specific labor and resources to accomplish the task at hand.

Whether you follow the story or expand your empire on your own terms, you'll run into a new cast of characters throughout Aegyptus:

• Epistrategos Heron: The appointed leader of Naukratis, he ensures no one seizes control over the province from the Emperor. He cannot control any military force, but will relay conflicts or report overreaching governors to the Emperor without delay. In gameplay, he will:
  • Replace your destroyed Flagship
  • Trade any goods you want, and sells Specialists
  • Sell you Latium goods in Aegyptus
  • Collect resources for the Sector Project
• Decimus: A new rival, he is a brutish tyrant with a knack for military strategy and leadership. He treats his people like a labor force, funneling wealth into his own hands through corrupt officials. He'll target players welcoming Kumatic people in their cities. In gameplay, he will:
  • Start in Aegyptus and expand to all provinces
  • Have high military power and the ability to marshall large forces very quickly
  • Privilege Roman units and will dislike you if you have Celtic or Kumatic influences
• The Kandis of Kashta: A local raider, she aspires to keep old High Egyptian culture alive and become queen of her fantasized kingdom. In gameplay:
  • She cannot be defeated by military ships
  • She will attack your lands unless you pay her ransom
  • Her focus will be to sabotage your economy, targeting fields, warehouses, and granaries. Her units can start wildfires on your grain fields

Anno 117: Pax Romana Sale and Free Weekend

If you haven't started your journey yet, now's your chance as Anno 117: Pax Romana is on sale for up to 40% off now through December 1. The sale is for the base game, as well as the Year 1 Pass and the first two DLCs, Prophecies of Ash and The Hippodrome. Here's a breakdown of when the sale is running by platform:

• Ubisoft Store: Now through December 1
• Steam: Now through November 18
• PlayStation: Now through November 20
• Xbox: Now through November 19

To try the game before you buy it, Anno 117: Pax Romana is also hosting a Free Weekend on PlayStation, Xbox, and Ubisoft Connect now through November 9. Begin your journey as a Governor for the Emperor of Rome and build thriving civilizations across Latium and Albion. If you purchase the game after the Free Weekend ends, all your progress will carry over.

Play Anno 117: Pax Romana – Dawn of the Delta today on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Ubisoft Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. You can also play with a Ubisoft+ subscription.

Development of Anno 117: Pax Romana is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space within the framework of computer games funding.