Everyone wants to earn fat stacks in life, and the same goes for the virtual life you’re living in Anno 1800. It’s especially important for you to rake in revenue, as you’re the city planner.
After all, your careful planning will go straight to the dumps if you don’t have the money to execute your strategy. That’s why we’re here to tell you exactly how to make more cash—and quickly—in Anno 1800.
How does money work in Anno 1800?
In Anno 1800, money is the game’s heartbeat, and your account balance is the pulse of your gameplay success.
In the top-left corner, keep an eye on the three symbols denoting your financial landscape:
- The first symbol, the dollar sign ($), gives you the lowdown on your current cash stash. It’s a dynamic number, always in flux as you rake in the bucks and manage your expenses.
- The next symbol dishes out your present income and outflows. If it dips into the red, watch out—that negative figure can spell financial trouble down the road.
- The third symbol represents your residents, and they’re not just there for looks. They directly impact your earnings by paying taxes. More residents means more cash flowing in, so the bigger your city, the fatter your revenue.
The seven best tips for making money quick in Anno 1800
Trading is key
You can make money by selling goods to other players, but to do this, you need trading rights. You must develop your diplomacy by improving your relationships. That said, there is always one player on the map who is well-disposed to you from the beginning. Try to track them down to get trading rights early.
Once you have trading rights, players can visit you to buy the goods they need. If you click on your account, all your goods will be displayed to you. Here, you can determine how many goods should remain with you and how many you can sell. Note that trades only occur when a player needs goods and wants to pay for their need by buying them. Don’t expect too many sales, but you shouldn’t miss out on this revenue.
This is the quickest and most effortless way to make money in Anno 1800. Trading with the neutral AI, and even with opposing AI, can make your treasury overflow fast. That said, you need to know which goods (raw or processed) to trade for with each AI faction since they all have different needs and wants.
There are two ways to trade goods in Anno 1800. They are as follows:
- Passive trade: This entails simply marking goods or resources for sale at your Trading Post buildings. This way, any faction can snag them, making it a laid-back, secure, and hassle-free approach, even though the returns might not be as impressive as those from active trade routes.
- Trade routes: This method is all about building ships, letting them load and haul goods automatically to other factions’ Trading Posts for sale. It’s a solid option if you want to target specific factions, but be ready for a bit more excitement—pirates and not-so-friendly factions might spice things up a bit with unwarranted hostility.
Producing and selling goods
In the world of Anno 1800, you’re not just building a city—you’re running a business. Get ready to churn out and sell all sorts of goodies, from basic food and clothing to swanky luxury items.
You need to set up multiple production chains to whip up these goods, then turn around and sell them to the AI traders. But the most important thing to keep in mind is staying tuned to what your citizens are craving. Watch that demand and tweak your production accordingly. Keep your finger on the pulse of your population, and you’ll be raking in moolah.
Implement and increase taxes
In Anno 1800, the cash mainly comes from taxpayers, hanging out across five levels in the Old World and two in the New World. Your cash flow interacts closely with the population level, so boosting citizens to a higher level is the key move to rake in more dough.
When you climb up the population ladder, you’ll need fancier buildings. Easy does it, though—upgrades are like a slow dance, needing some pocket-friendly moves since your money’s got places to be beyond just fancying up the joints.
Now, when you’re giving a facelift to the lower-level buildings, like Farmer’s Houses, always set up another building for the farmer. This keeps the crowd happy, avoiding eviction drama and sour faces.
But not every building you slap together is a cash cow. Take a farmhouse, for example; it gets you four coins in medium-income settings, but the real jackpot is hitting those luxury cravings. Throw in a pub for the farmers’ liquor fix, and bam, that’s four more coins in your pocket.
So, for a sweet balance, throw up enough houses to keep folks happy, but not too many—just what your peeps need without drowning in excess. That’s the ticket to happy citizens and a wallet filled with their taxes.
Complete your quests
In Anno 1800, quests aren’t just a side gig; they’re a legit way to stack up that cash. Completing quests earns you a nice chunk of change as a reward. And hey, if the game isn’t handing you a quest on a silver platter, don’t be shy—just ask for one.
Hit that middle button under your minimap, pick a player, click “Actions” on the left, and select “Ask for Quest.” It’s that easy.
Now, quests are usually a breeze, but sometimes you might need to put in a bit of elbow grease. No worries, though, because the payoff is worth it: A sweet sum of money for your island.
And it’s not just about the money. Quests and expeditions can score you all sorts of goodies. Some might have you hauling goods or passengers, while others could throw you into the pirate-busting or hostage-rescuing business.
Speaking of expeditions, those are a whole other adventure. Send a ship and crew on a journey to some far-off place, and besides money, you’ll be raking in other cool rewards. Plus, it’ll boost your reputation with other players.
Building ships and selling them
In Anno 1800, a seriously lucrative hustle is crafting ships and flipping them for a sweet profit. It’s a breeze to get started and not too heavy on the wallet, but here’s the catch: The construction time can feel a tad long. Nonetheless, you can peddle your ships to other AI traders, raking in a nice chunk of change. And hey, as you level up, unlocking those snazzy advanced ship models can mean even more money.
Now, here’s another trick up your sleeve. Consider sending that ship you want to sell to a friendly team member. Once it docks, give ’em a ring. In the pop-up menu, hit up the $ symbol, and voila—you’re ready for a sweet offer. Ships tend to fetch some serious cash, so you’re usually in for a serious deal.
Work on your city’s tourism
The more visitors and tourists you attract to your city, the more income you’ll earn from tourism. It’s as simple as that. A surefire way to bolster tourism in your city is through increasing its Attractiveness rating.
Now, making your city attractive involves some tricks, like keeping factories away from where folks live while also adding in lots of parks and ornaments. But the real tourist magnet? A zoo and a museum.
These buildings aren’t just for show, and they need stuff to lure people in—artifacts for the museum and animals for the zoo. Getting these, however, is a whole different game. Send your ships on expeditions, and let the adventure begin.
One thing to keep in mind is that the museum can go wherever, but your zoo needs space. It’s modular, so you can keep expanding with different animal enclosures. A zoo packed with critters is a surefire tourist hit, so plan that layout ahead of time for maximum appeal.
Another smart move in beautifying your city to attract tourists is setting up a visitors’ pier on your waterfront, but you’ll need to have Artisans unlocked to do this.
Buying your peers’ islands
Once you’ve scoped out the islands of your fellow players and feel like making a bold move, hit that circle symbol at the top of the screen to dive into the Shares menu. It’s not the cheapest gig, as those shares come at a price, but trust me, the long-term benefits are worth it. A solid boost in revenue will be coming your way.
Now, fair warning—players might not throw you a parade for buying their shares, especially if you end up snatching the whole island from under them. But hey, sometimes you’ve gotta play the long game.
If you decide to go all in and buy every single share, you’re in the clear to grab the entire island. Sure, it’s a hefty price tag, but think of it as an investment that puts a serious dent in your competition. It might seem a bit counterintuitive in the short term, but in the grand scheme of things, this move pays off big time—especially when it comes to monetary returns.
