Anno 117 Pax Romana: Complete War Types Guide - Limited War vs All-Out War Strategies

Anno 117 Pax Romana challenges players to expand influence while balancing diplomacy, economy, and the pressure of rival powers. This guide breaks down two core war paradigms and how to leverage them for victory, without revealing every tactic in advance. Across sections, you'll learn when to wage restrained conflicts and when to unleash total war, plus how diplomacy shapes outcomes.

Limited War: Contained Conflicts, Strategic Gains

Core Principles of Limited War

Limited War is a strategy of bounded objectives and restrained means. Objectives are specific, fronts are limited, and escalation is kept to a minimum to preserve diplomatic options and economic stability. In practice, you chase incremental territorial or political goals while avoiding coalitions that could overwhelm you.

When to Use Limited War

Use Limited War when borders are contested but not yet open for full-scale invasion. Early skirmishes, border defense, and targeted pressure on key resource nodes allow you to gain leverage without provoking a pan-Empire response.

Tactical Setups and Units for Limited Engagements

Prioritize mobility and sustainability: light infantry and skirmishers for rapid incursions, siege engines for fortress assaults, and navy for selective blockades. Fortified outposts and flexible line tactics enable pinning enemy forces while you consolidate gains.

Economic and Diplomatic Trade-Offs

Limited engagements preserve your treasury and keep alliance networks intact. You can leverage limited victories to win favorable trade terms and minimize the political price of conflict, avoiding long troop redeployments and supply-line strains.

All-Out War: Mobilize Everything for a Decisive Victory

Core Tenets of All-Out War

All-Out War demands total mobilization of your economy, technology, and military. The objective is a decisive, rapid victory that collapses the opponent’s coalitions and denies them the ability to recover. High tempo offensives, broad fronts, and relentless pressure dominate this approach.

Decisive Campaign Setups

Plan campaigns that overwhelm a single front or two with superior logistics, overwhelming artillery and siege capabilities, and rapid reinforcements. Exploit enemy fatigue by maintaining uninterrupted pressure and cutting supply lines.

Unit Compositions and Technologies for Total War

Heavier divisions, siege towers, upgraded naval fleets, and advanced engineering unlocks are crucial. Prioritize technologies that shorten build times, improve morale, and extend combat range for rivers and coasts.

Countering Alliances and Diplomatic Pushback

All-Out War often triggers coalition responses. To counter this, secure quick pacts with neighboring powers, threaten a stalemate path to force mediator intervention, and use intelligence and diplomacy to isolate the primary adversary before they can field an effective alliance.

Diplomacy and Economic Levers in War

Negotiating Peace and Alliances

Diplomacy remains essential even in total war. You should pursue armistices with limited concessions when it shortens the war, form non-aggression pacts with buffer states, and cultivate long-term alliances to balance stronger foes.

Resource Management Under Siege

During war, resource flow becomes the lifeblood of success. Prioritize essential crops, ore, and strategic materials. Use stockpiles and trade to weather sieges, while avoiding inflation from excessive spending.

Trade Route Security and Piracy

Protect sea lanes and caravan routes with capable fleets and escorted convoys. Counter piracy and saboteurs by surveillance, intelligence sharing with allies, and targeted patrols.

Timing, War Fatigue, and Readiness

Seasonal War Windows

Weather, harvests, and supply logistics create natural windows for war. Strike when logistics are strongest and enemy supply lines are stressed, and pause when morale and resources dip to maximize effectiveness.

Tech Unlock Timings

Align your war efforts with the tech tree so that critical improvements—siege, navigation, and production efficiency—arrive as campaigns commence, not after you’re already deep in conflict.

Public Support and War Fatigue

Public mood drives taxation, conscription, and morale. Manage narratives and provide tangible gains to maintain support during protracted campaigns.

Practical Battle Scenarios

Coastal Invasions

Control sea lanes, land on fortified beaches, and establish a beachhead with minimal losses. Use naval bombardment to soften defenses before landing.

River Crossings

Rivers complicate maneuver and supply. Build ferries or bridges, execute flank movements, and disable river forts early to secure a stable crossing.

Urban Sieges and Fortresses

Urban warfare requires timing, siege equipment, and morale management. Concentrate on choke points, reduce city defenses with diplomacy or subversion, and exploit morale breaks.

Conclusion

The art of war in Anno 117 Pax Romana is a balance of restraint and force. Master when to apply Limited War for steady gains, and when All-Out War will deliver a decisive advantage. Couple military campaigns with savvy diplomacy and disciplined resource management to sustain victory across seasons and fronts.