Info about Anno 117: Pax Romana - Dawn of the Delta:

Official game description:
SETTLE IN A NEW PROVINCE
Build cities in the sandy lands of Aegyptus, sail through the arms of the river delta, and settle on one of its embankments. Using the floodplains to your advantage, turn the province into your empire’s breadbasket. But be wary of the river floods that impact your production, for better or for worse.
CHOOSE ROMAN AMBITION OR EGYPTIAN TRADITIONS
Govern the local population and decide whether to Romanize your cities or embrace the old traditions of the province. Your choices will carry consequences, from the deities you worship, to your production chains and the composition of your fleet and military.
FACE NEW CHALLENGES AS GOVERNOR
This place may be civilized, but tensions are high. Face the new local raider and navigate relations with your new rival Decimus, who’s set on keeping Roman order at all costs. Manage these conflicts and investigate the former governor’s murder. Compete with your rivals on who can contribute the most to restoring the Pyramids and reap rewards across the province.

Release date: Nov 5, 2026

Categories: City Builder, Economic Simulation, Production Chains, Province Management, Seasonal Flooding Mechanic, Faction Choice and Cultural Assimilation, Naval Combat, Story-driven Campaign

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair — Traditional Paid DLC; summary: The reviews focus on the value and pricing of the Dawn of the Delta expansion and the season pass. They debate whether the standalone DLC is worthwhile compared with the bundle, but provide no evidence of real-money gacha, loot boxes, paid power, paid convenience, boosters, or an in-game cash shop. Under the criteria, this is traditional paid DLC pricing and cannot be scored as predatory; the audit score remains low.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 6.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The nearly 6-hour army-building report is the only specific single-session playtime for the target DLC, so sessionLength is set to 6. The 'little more than 10 hours in the DLC' report gives total DLC playtime but does not state completion, story completion, or endgame reach, so gameCompletion, storyCompletion, and endgame remain null. The 'few hours in' co-op comment supports that sessions can span multiple hours but does not provide a precise separate metric.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Co-op Scenic Region Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploring a beautiful new Egypt-flavored region with friends and consuming extra content.
    - Playstyle: Co-op exploration and sightseeing with a focus on environment and new-region content.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: AC Origins
  - Production-Chain Detail Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Deeper economy and more faction-specific production-chain options.
    - Playstyle: Base-building and production-chain optimization, comparing new chains against existing ones.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Balance-Conscious Long-Game Planner (sale)
    - Motivation: Maintaining a stable, long-lasting campaign without disruptive balance changes.
    - Playstyle: Long-term planning and delayed purchasing until balancing and seasons settle.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- DLC praised as best expansion (weight 0.97): Many reviewers consider this DLC the best Anno expansion to date, describing it as fantastic, magical, and flawless with immense value and hours of gameplay. It is often compared favorably to Albion and New World.
- Beautiful map and environments (weight 0.95): Reviewers frequently praise the stunning visuals of the new map, including the delta islands, desert, marsh, and vegetation. The Egyptian setting with its architecture, landscapes, and details looks fantastic.
- Flooding mechanic innovative and fun (weight 0.68): The new flooding mechanic is widely appreciated for being creative, fun, and well-implemented. It changes city planning and resource management by forcing adaptation of production chains to seasons.
- New region impressive and unique (weight 0.44): The new region of Aegyptus is described as impressive, unique, and absolutely beautiful. Its layout with elongated islands across the delta is particularly noteworthy.
- New mechanics change overall gameplay (weight 0.43): The new mechanics, such as flooding and granaries, change the overall gameplay rather than simply adding buildings and production chains. This makes the expansion feel fresh and challenging.
- Large scope and interconnected content (weight 0.43): The DLC's scope is immense, larger than the base game Albion, and the new content is interconnected, influencing everything else in the game. It adds a third region that plays autarkic and interesting.
- Egyptian setting historically accurate (weight 0.34): Ubisoft did a stellar job with the Ancient Egypt setting, and historical accuracy hits the nail on the head. The Egyptian content is plentiful and well implemented.
- Rat infestation ties with flooding (weight 0.33): The rat infestation mechanic tied to granaries works well with the flooding mechanic, adding an interesting layer to agricultural management.
- New production chains and goods (weight 0.33): The DLC adds new production chains that the base game lacked, along with lots of new goods and added complexity. These additions are well-received.
- Great extension of base game (weight 0.33): The DLC is a great extension of the base game, providing a strong base for future updates and filling in what was lacking.
- Content and gameplay top-notch (weight 0.32): The content and gameplay are top-notch, and the reviewer is having a blast with it. The DLC blew past expectations.
- New monuments and unique buildings (weight 0.24): The DLC adds more monuments, unique buildings, and new population tiers, enhancing the game's depth and visual appeal.
- Nile inundation mechanic interesting (weight 0.23): The Nile inundation mechanic is found interesting and adds a unique twist to the gameplay.
- Soundtrack and story enjoyable (weight 0.23): The soundtrack is great, and the story is fun and okay, contributing to an immersive experience.
- New AI opponent challenging (weight 0.14): Decimus, the new AI opponent, expands rapidly and provides the kind of challenge that was missing.
- Kumatic houses look incredible (weight 0.13): The Kumatic houses and public service buildings look absolutely incredible, adding to the visual splendor of the expansion.
- Three areas concept appealing (weight 0.13): The three areas concept of Egypt islands is appealing, offering a unique and engaging structure.
- DLAA and frame generation magical (weight 0.12): With DLAA and frame generation enabled, the DLC is magical, enhancing the visual experience.

Common complaints:
- Invincible enemy Kandis von Kashta (weight 0.46): Kandis von Kashta is nearly invincible on land even on easy difficulty, destroys troop morale in record time, and spawns masses of enemies. Even an army of about 60 elite troops with all research upgrades was destroyed.
- Balancing and diplomacy broken (weight 0.46): Balancing is totally broken and diplomacy is broken, with tall and wide building being punished. Developers constantly throw balancing overboard again.
- No proper harbor production (weight 0.44): There is no harbor area, harbor buildings, or harbor production, and port areas are tiny with no ability to build into the sea or river. Players cannot construct a nice Egyptian-style port.
- Technology tree progression bug (weight 0.37): Players cannot unlock or advance in the technology tree even when meeting all necessary requirements. The bug is not fixed by starting a new game from scratch and also occurs with previous volcano content and the hippodrome DLC.
- Overpriced DLC with little value (weight 0.36): The DLC is very expensive, and even season pass holders find it not worth the cost. It was also seen as releasing the rest of the story line as separate DLCs.
- Naval pathfinding and speed issues (weight 0.35): Papyrus ships do not take the shortest route, often sailing around the entire Nile delta into the open sea, and they move at minimal speed. This makes naval logistics inefficient.
- Game feels unfinished (weight 0.35): The game is far from a finished state, with missing campaign Act 3 and an unfinished original story that leaves no closure.
- Pyramids underwhelming (weight 0.35): The pyramids feel underwhelming, bringing no advantage when upgraded and acting as another colosseum or racetrack with processions and small bonuses. The reasoning for fixing them is to bury an actor, which the reviewer dislikes.
- New region feels derivative (weight 0.35): The new region feels like Enbesa from 1800 mixed with Albion, with no cool payoff like the research institute in 1800 after finishing Enbesa. There are no decoration elements adapted to the new region.
- Building space on islands small (weight 0.33): The building space on the islands is very small, and the islands are again very tiny, limiting construction.
- DLC brings back bugs (weight 0.26): The DLC reintroduces bugs, lags, and slowdowns from the start of the game, and suffers from asset reuse such as warehouses and watchtowers using base Roman models.
- Crashes and sound issues (weight 0.26): The game crashes every 5 minutes even on medium graphics settings, and there are still sound issues such as scratching noises when clicking on ships or harbor buildings.
- Egypt map feels fragmented (weight 0.25): The new Egypt map is full of rivers and sand islands, making it feel fragmented instead of a continuous Nile strip with city-building along the sides. The huge area feels generic and empty.
- Scribes lack unique production (weight 0.25): The scribes have only one new production chain, with others identical or slight remixes of Latium chains. New goods and differently looking buildings exist, but nothing truly new or unique.
- DLC fails to improve fun (weight 0.25): This DLC did not change the reasons the game is not fun, and it is only a third region that plays autarkic and like everything already known.
- Insufficient base production chains (weight 0.23): Base game production chains felt insufficient, and the Graeco-Roman path recycles too many production chains.
- Province saves are painful (weight 0.23): The game wants players to start a separate save for each province, but research and timegates make that painful. Ultimately, players have to connect all provinces to survive the late game.
- Not innovative, disappointing (weight 0.23): Those expecting something innovative may be disappointed, and some buildings do not match the region's style.
- Aggressive raider respawns (weight 0.15): The raider is far too aggressive, spawning ten more ships with eight mixed troops on the opposite side of the map immediately after her ships are destroyed.
- Flooding mechanic needs tweaking (weight 0.12): The flooding mechanic requires adjustments to improve gameplay balance.

Gameplay feedback:
- Egypt-themed delta region added (weight 0.84): The DLC introduces a new Egypt-themed region in the Nile delta, featuring continental elongated islands split into desert, marsh, and vegetation areas. The map has a different orientation with rivers and sand islands.
- Flooding mechanic impacts resources (weight 0.77): A flooding mechanic creates extra resources during harvest but almost none during flood time, affecting city planning and resource management. The Nile experiences periodic floods that reduce production of coastal buildings and harm health.
- Five new population tiers (weight 0.68): The DLC adds 5 new population tiers divided into 2 groups, with three tiers being brand new similar to Albion. The expansion supports a bicultural development formula and includes a Graeco-Roman population path.
- New military units and enemies (weight 0.51): The DLC adds new military units such as Kushite archers and dromedarii, and features a land combat enemy named Kandis von Kashta with naval and land combat. Raiders spawn ships and mixed troops on the map.
- New buildings and monuments (weight 0.47): The DLC includes monuments, unique buildings, Kumatic houses, public service buildings, warehouses, and watchtowers. It adds new buildings and cosmetics.
- Granaries and rat infestation (weight 0.44): Granaries connect to a rat infestation mechanic and are used to store crops and manage agricultural production. Granaries can be researched to increase storage capacity and preserve reserves for flood periods.
- New production chains added (weight 0.43): The DLC introduces new production chains and region-specific goods that add logistical complexity. New goods and differently looking buildings are included.
- Naval combat and new ships (weight 0.41): Naval combat involves destroying the raider's ships, and the DLC adds new ships including papyrus ships designed to navigate river channels.
- Pyramid mechanics and regional projects (weight 0.35): Pyramids function like a colosseum or racetrack where processions are held for small bonuses. Pyramids can be reconstructed cooperatively with other regional governors, granting prestige and a chance at heroic specialists.
- New AI opponents and traders (weight 0.33): The DLC adds a new enemy competitor named Decimus and a new trader. New characters include Epistrategos Heron, Decimus Naukratius Nerva, and Kandis de Kashta.
- Connected provinces and region connection (weight 0.32): Aegyptus can be connected with other provinces, featuring connected provinces and province starts as part of the game structure.
- New story chain and quests (weight 0.32): The DLC adds a new story chain and the region has its own quest chain centered on Nymphaeus. Missions are part of the new region.
- Increased complexity and new gameplay (weight 0.3): The update introduces new gameplay loops and new mechanics, adding complexity. With all DLC enabled, the game offers extensive complexity in long playthroughs.
- Egyptian gods and religions (weight 0.23): Egyptian culture includes its own gods: Isis-Baset, Sobek, and Thoth-Trismegistos. New religions and deities provide bonuses and gameplay implications.
- Research and technology tree (weight 0.22): Research and timegates are part of progression, and the game has a technology tree with unlock requirements.
- Co-op play support (weight 0.22): The expansion supports co-op play, allowing cooperative reconstruction of pyramids with other regional governors.
- Start game in Egypt (weight 0.21): Players can start a new game from the new region, and the game can be started in Egypt.
- Build along the Nile (weight 0.21): Players build along the Nile instead of on islands, and rivers serve as buildable terrain.
- Scribes as population group (weight 0.12): The DLC includes scribes as a population group, adding to the new population tiers.
- New patrons added (weight 0.12): The DLC adds 3 new patrons.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues persist (weight 0.36): Multiple clusters report poor optimization, lag, and slowdowns. Cluster 5 specifically mentions crashes every 5 minutes.
- Positive performance with DLAA (weight 0.25): One cluster notes that the game runs well when DLAA and frame generation are enabled. Another cluster mentions fluent FPS.
- DLC degrades graphics (weight 0.15): After the Dawn of the Great Delta DLC, players had to lower graphics settings from near-maximum to medium. This suggests the expansion negatively impacts performance.
- Audio glitch on interaction (weight 0.14): Scratching noises occur when clicking on ships or harbor buildings. This is a specific audio bug reported by a player.
- Bug-free experience reported (weight 0.13): One cluster states no bugs have been encountered so far. This contrasts with other reports of crashes and glitches.
- Limited Egypt map exposure (weight 0.12): A reviewer barely had time to see the Egypt map. This indicates limited gameplay time or content access.

Recommendations:
- Worth the money (weight 0.52): Multiple reviewers consider the DLC good value, with several calling it worth every buck and worth paying for. The expansion is also described as great and worth replaying for base game fans.
- Buy via season pass (weight 0.23): Reviewers suggest purchasing the season pass or year pass instead of individual DLC because the bundled price makes it reasonable. One player specifically recommends the season pass over buying separate DLC.
- Mixed or negative value (weight 0.23): Some reviewers state the DLC is not worth it, including one season pass holder who feels it does not deliver value. These opinions contrast with the positive value assessments.
- Recommended for base game fans (weight 0.14): The DLC is recommended as worth replaying for players who enjoyed the base game. It is positioned as a solid follow-up for existing fans.
- Buy only on sale (weight 0.13): A reviewer advises definitely buying this content only when it is discounted. This suggests the full price may not feel justified for some players.
- Appeal for Egypt fans (weight 0.13): Players who like Egypt or want a new region are encouraged to get this DLC. The new setting is presented as a reason to purchase.
- Wait for character rework (weight 0.12): One reviewer does not recommend the content until Kandis von Kashta is thoroughly reworked. This points to dissatisfaction with that character's current state.
- Wait for season 2 (weight 0.12): A reviewer advises waiting until season 2 is finished, if one exists, before starting a long-lasting save. This reflects concern about save compatibility or ongoing changes.
- Good for the unsure (weight 0.12): One reviewer says that if you are unsure, the content is worth trying. This encourages cautious players to give it a chance.

Other player notes:
- Substantial new map content (weight 0.44): The DLC adds a large, detailed Egyptian region with NPC towns, riversides, floodplains, and a towering pyramid. Players feel it matches the price and is the most beautiful map in Anno history.
- DLC scope exceeds base game (weight 0.43): The new region is larger in scope than the base game's Albion region and is compared favorably to Albion and Anno 1800's New World. It also blends elements of Enbesa with Albion.
- Egyptian setting praised (weight 0.35): The historically accurate Ancient Egypt content and detailed architecture and landscapes remind reviewers of Assassin's Creed Origins and Children of the Nile.
- Part of season pass (weight 0.32): The DLC is part of the first season of Anno 117 and is sold with a year pass, indicating a seasonal content model.
- Update packs substantial content (weight 0.15): The accompanying update packs in a large amount of content, enhancing the overall experience.
- Previous DLCs underwhelming (weight 0.15): The first DLC was considered underwhelming and the second barely deserved to be called DLC, setting low expectations.
- DLC has standalone story (weight 0.14): The DLC story takes place in its own little universe, separate from the main campaign.
- FSR recommended for performance (weight 0.13): Reviewers advise enabling FSR to achieve better results when playing the DLC.
- Strong base for future updates (weight 0.13): The extension is described as a strong foundation for future updates, indicating long-term support.
- Balancing still in progress (weight 0.12): Developers are still overhauling balancing, suggesting ongoing adjustments.
- Missing research institute equivalent (weight 0.12): After completing the new region, there is no research institute equivalent on the main island.
- Campaign Act 3 unreleased (weight 0.12): The campaign's Act 3 has not been released yet, leaving the story incomplete.
- No new trader added (weight 0.12): No new trader is added because Valeria handles the trade port as in the Latium region.
- Full completion achievable (weight 0.11): The base game and Vulkan DLC can be completed to 100%, according to one reviewer.
- Stamps added in free update (weight 0.11): Stamps were introduced via a free update, adding a new feature.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.23): Players are disappointed that the game remains unfinished with an incomplete campaign, and the Egypt map lacks the expected long Nile layout. The DLC's new region feels generic and empty, with reused Roman assets, excessive production chain recycling, and missing harbour buildings, while the small island building space and high price further diminish satisfaction.
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Frustration stems from severe technical issues including frequent crashes, horrendous optimization, persistent sound problems, and the inability to enter the game after updates. Gameplay problems like endlessly respawning raider ships, a nearly invincible enemy, broken balancing and diplomacy, and technology tree progression bugs compound the annoyance.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players feel satisfied with the expansion's beautiful environment, fresh and challenging content, and the new looks, loops, and mechanics that make replaying worthwhile. The DLC finally brings something new and is considered a great addition that feels very much like Anno.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Excitement is driven by the DLC finally adding the awaited complexity and new production chains, which players find fantastic and fun. The new content and gameplay provide a magical experience that players are thoroughly enjoying.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.06): Enthusiasm comes from the expansion introducing meaningful new mechanics and a beautiful new region, along with an awesome map featuring new goods and complexity. The gameplay innovations and extensive complexity of long games with all DLC enabled are highly praised.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the beautiful new map and the creative three-area Egypt island concept, as well as the new flood mechanics and stunning visuals.
- Admiration (weight 0.04): Admiration is expressed for the incredible visuals, scope, and production chains of the DLC. The beautiful landscapes, NPC towns, riversides, floodplain, sands, pyramids, lighting, and immersive music of the map are particularly praised.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy comes from finally having an Ancient Egypt city builder on this platform, with starting in Egypt feeling like a new game. The game is filling in what was previously lacking, bringing delight to players.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Annoyance is caused by papyrus ships taking inefficient routes and moving at minimal speed, as well as some buildings still not matching the region's style.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): Players feel grateful to Ubisoft for delivering the Egypt setting they had long hoped for.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players love the delta setting, which they find looks great.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.02): Mixed feelings arise because the pyramids feel underwhelming to some players.
- Gripe (weight 0.02): A gripe is raised about the story reasoning for fixing the pyramids.
- Bafflement (weight 0.02): Bafflement is expressed at the sheer amount of value, content, fun, and hours of gameplay the DLC offers.
- Amazement (weight 0.02): Amazement is felt because the DLC exceeded expectations.
- Sadness (weight 0.02): Sadness is felt as the reviewer wished for more love to detail and unique content.
- Delight (weight 0.02): Delight is inspired by the detailed design, flood ideas, different map orientation, and strong graphics.}