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Master Anno 1404 with our comprehensive gameplay walkthrough. Learn to establish settlements, manage resources, satisfy citizens, and expand your empire from start to finish.

This section provides a detailed gameplay walkthrough for Anno 1404, covering continuous game mechanics similar to the Campaign or Scenarios, but without story elements or special quests. NPCs may offer random quests.

Gameplay Walkthrough:

1. Starting Out: If you begin with only a ship or an escort, purchase all available wood from Lord Northburgh's Warehouse. For an aggressive start, sell fish and buy as many tools as possible.
2. Island Selection: Settle on a large, flat island with no lakes, close to a neutral port, centrally located, and possessing Cider and Hemp fertilities, plus at least two deposits each of Stone and Iron Ore. Settle on the southern end for initial deliveries, later adding Harbor Master's Offices on other sides for efficiency.
3. First Settlement: Immediately after landing, build three woodcutters near the warehouse, ensuring they have space and are supplied with Trees. Build two Fisherman's Huts connected to the port. Create a Marketplace and surround it with houses, adding more as wood becomes available to increase tax income.
4. Tax Management: Initially set taxes to 'Euphoric' for population growth, then to 'Happy' as houses fill. Once houses are full and peasants cannot ascend, increase taxes to 'Calm' for more revenue. Revert to 'Euphoric' when you want peasants to ascend.
5. Cider Production: Once 60 peasants settle, build one or two Cider farms. Cider increases tax revenue and is necessary for citizens to ascend. A Chapel is not needed until peasants are satisfied with cider.
6. Exploration: Send your Flagship to explore the archipelago to claim good islands. Visit Northburgh to buy a Diplomatic Scroll (using 50 honor from reaching 90 peasants). Purchase more Tools and Wood if gold allows.
7. Al Zahir's Quest: Deliver the Diplomatic Scroll to Al Zahir's harbor to receive a Caravel with Tools, Wood, and Dates. Use this ship to aid your main island's construction or start an Oriental settlement.
8. Stone and Tool Production: While exploring, focus on producing Stone and Tools to reduce reliance on NPC purchases. Limit ascension rights after reaching 16 Citizen houses (240 capacity) to conserve tools. Build basic necessities like Fish, Cider, and a Chapel. Construct Stonemason's huts for stone and an Iron Ore mine and Charcoal burner for the Tool chain.
9. Citizen Needs: With Tools production established, satisfy Citizen needs for Linen Garments (using Hemp Farms and Weavers Huts) and Ropes (using Hemp Farms and Rope Yards). Set up a second Tools chain. Implement Fire protection with Carpenters or Fire stations once you exceed 355 Citizens.
10. Oriental Settlement: Settle a large Oriental island with Spices and Dates fertilities. Build 10 Nomad Houses to enable Spice production. Establish Date plantations for local consumption.
11. Spice Trade: Once 150 Nomads settle, build Spice plantations and use an Oriental ship to deliver Spices to your northern island via a Trade Route.
12. Oriental Development: Aim for at least 440 Nomads (30 houses) on the southern island to access buildings and gain honor. Build Milk farms for tax income but defer Carpet production. Raise taxes to 'Calm' once houses are full. A Stonecutter's hut is useful for upgrades and potential harbor defenses.
13. Northern Development: With Spices, Citizens can progress to Patrician level. Settle a new northern island with Brine deposits, a river, and Crop and Herb fertilities.
14. Patrician Needs: Produce Bread (Crop Farms, Mill, Bakery), Beer (Monastery Garden, Crop Farm, Monastery Brewery), and Leather Jerkins (Pigs, Salt Mine, Salt Works, Charcoal Burner, Tannery). Set up trade routes for these goods and sell surplus.
15. Honor Points: Use Honor points to upgrade trading fleets of Al Vizir and Northburgh to increase their visit frequency and purchasing capacity.