In this guide about war and island conquests in Anno 1800 you will learn:
- How it comes to war in Anno 1800
- What you should pay attention to during sea battles
- How to conquer islands and what you get out of it
Although the appeal of Anno 1800 lies in building your nation, conflicts cannot always be avoided. Even if you spend hour after hour building up your islands, optimizing production chains and so on, you will eventually meet another party that is more aggressive or to whom you want to declare war yourself.
In this guide we explain how the war in Anno 1800 works, what you have to pay attention to and how you can conquer enemy islands. You can find more useful tips and tricks for Anno 1800 in the linked guide.
How does war happen in Anno 1800?
You are not alone in the game world of Anno 1800. Various AI opponents settle on the islands around you and expand to still free pieces of land. When you meet a new character, they are usually not directly hostile - apart from the pirates, of course.
Accordingly, the start of a war in Anno 1800 depends on your behavior. The lower your reputation with another faction, the higher the probability that they will no longer be sympathetic to you. If the value is too low, war may break out.
In Anno 1800, naval battles take place in real time. However, you can give orders to several ships at the same time.
You can also declare war on other players in the diplomacy menu. There you can also see how high your military power is in comparison to your opponent. Our tips for diplomacy in Anno 1800 will help you to never again be involuntarily drawn into a war.
How do battles work in Anno 1800?
Battles in Anno 1800 generally only take place in the form of naval battles. As soon as you have reached the population type worker, you can build a shipyard, which allows you to build warships as well as merchant ships. The prerequisite for this is to have craftsmen on the island, who can build the appropriate armament in the cannon foundry.
With later population levels, new ship types are added, which are correspondingly more powerful war machines. However, these also require new armament, which must be produced in the corresponding production facilities. An overview of can be found in the linked guide.
If you finally decide to build up a fleet to go into battle against an opponent, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- The naval battles take place in real time. As usual in a strategy game, you give orders to the individual ships about where they should go or which enemy boat they should attack.
- By holding down the left mouse button, you can drag a frame and select several of your ships at once to give them all the same order.
- If you have enough time before a battle, think about the composition of your fleet in advance. Small ships do less damage and are sunk faster, but they can outmaneuver larger boats, serve as bait or, in the worst case, escape more easily. Large cutters, on the other hand, have more guns and are therefore more devastating, but are more cumbersome.
- The wind plays a decisive role in combat. It affects the speed of the ships and can make it difficult to escape or successful to catch up. If you plan an ambush, position yourself so that the enemy has to flee with a headwind.
- Apart from a military superiority, items play an important role in the sea battles. You'll get these tools every now and then, for example, when you complete tasks for your citizens or side quests for other factions.
- For example, the items start repairs at the push of a button, add a huge cannon to the ship or increase the speed. In addition, there are items that recharge after use and others that can only be used once.
- Think carefully about which ships you equip with items. If the boat is sunk during a battle, the item becomes flotsam. Salvage is then not always possible, depending on the number of enemies.
Conquering islands in Anno 1800
Sea battles have two main goals: Either you want to decimate an enemy's fleet so they can't attack your islands as quickly, or so you can attack their lands. Regardless of the reason for conquering an island, there are a few things to keep in mind here as well:
- As mentioned earlier, battles in Anno 1800 always take place on the high seas. This also means that during island conquests the fleet only attacks the port of the opponent.
- The harbor can be defended not only with ships, but with various defensive measures. You'll unlock different types of cannons over time, which can be built in the harbor area. There are towers with a high range that attack enemy ships while they are still approaching. And there are those that have a shorter range and open fire only when the fleet is in range.
- It is also practical to place quay walls. These prevent ships from being able to position themselves completely freely in front of your harbor. Instead, you can control where a boat can enter the harbor.
- If your island is under siege, you can also place cannons and the like at your harbor during the battle. Remember, though, that after you build a cannon, it will take some time before it is actually ready for use.
- On the other hand, if you attack an island yourself, it is advisable to attack the cannons first. Their damage should not be underestimated, especially if there are several cannons protecting the harbor.
- The Kontor is the main target. The longer you fire at it and the more damage you cause, the more the morale on the island drops. Above a certain low value, the siege is considered won.
What happens after an island conquest?
Finally, when you have lowered the morale of an island far enough, the conquest is complete and you have two options to choose between:
If you want to conquer an island, you should first attack its defenses. At the same time, however, you yourself should make sure to protect your island with cannons and the like.
- Take over an island: If you take over the island, all enemy buildings disappear and you get it empty. Choose this way, if there are certain raw materials available, which are otherwise not at your disposal. Later in the game, influence points will be required to annex a new island. You can find out how to collect influence points and how the system works in our influence guide for Anno 1800.
- The opponent keeps his island: Apart from the complete conquest, you can also show mercy. In this case, the opponent keeps the island and everything that was built on it. In return, however, you determine which of your opponent's earnings you will henceforth receive a share of in the form of monetary payments. This option is handy to increase your income and is especially worth considering if you don't really need the island itself.
End wars in Anno 1800
Now that you know how a war can happen in Anno 1800, how sea battles work and how you can conquer enemy islands, the final question is how you can end a war. Here, too, there are several possibilities:
- First of all, a war ends automatically when the opponent is destroyed. If you have destroyed all ships and captured all islands that belong to an enemy party, that party is eliminated from the game and the war is over.
- The same is true in reverse. If the enemy faction has taken everything from you, the war is over and so is the game.
- If you want to end the war without destroying a party, you have to use the diplomacy menu. There you will first agree on a truce. Depending on your position, the truce may be conditional. If you are outnumbered, you will have to add a large chunk of money to get your opponent to agree. If your opponent is outnumbered, he will usually agree to the truce.
- A peace treaty can also be made via the diplomacy menu if your reputation points are high enough. This can also be conditional if you are the losing faction. In the long run, of course, an expensive truce or peace treaty can be worth it, as warfare is very expensive. Our guide to diplomacy in Anno 1800 will tell you more tricks of the diplomacy menu.
Further helpful guides to Anno 1800
- Anno 1800 Expeditions: How they work
- Anno 1800: Strategy guide for a successful new world
- Anno 1800: Building a world exposition perfectly - how to do it!
- Anno 1800: Electricity - How to set your island under power
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