Upgrading buildings in Anno 117 is essential, but it's useful to know how to do it much faster

Upgrading residential buildings is a key mechanic in Anno 117. Advanced production chains require a higher level of workforce, which can only be obtained from upgraded residences. Upgrading residential buildings one by one is, however, long and very tedious. In this text, you will learn why to upgrade buildings and how to upgrade multiple buildings at once.

• Why upgrade residential buildings?
• How to upgrade multiple buildings at once?

Why upgrade residential buildings?

Economic expansion in Anno 117 will require you to constantly unlock increasingly valuable resources. The more valuable the resource, the higher the level of workforce needed to produce it. Acquiring this workforce requires you to upgrade residential buildings, which you can do after fulfilling all the needs of a given household (e.g. access to food and clothing) and spending a small amount of construction resources. By upgrading a house, you will lose some lower-level workforce but gain higher-level workforce.

The required workforce cannot be replaced by another type. For example, only first-level workers (libertus) can work in a sawmill. Their positions cannot be taken by any higher-level workers (e.g. plebeians). Therefore, be cautious when upgrading buildings, as excessive upgrading of the workforce may cause a shortage of workers in your most basic facilities. If you make a mistake, you can downgrade the residence from its contextual menu.

How to upgrade multiple buildings at once?

Since residential buildings will make up the majority of your city, you will be upgrading them very often during the game. Upgrading residences one by one can be very tedious. However, you can speed up this process by using the "upgrade" icon on the bottom bar of the screen. Clicking on it will immediately highlight all the buildings that can currently be upgraded, displaying an upward arrow above them. You can now select all the buildings you want to upgrade by holding down the left mouse button. Once you release it, all the selected buildings will be upgraded instantly. This way, you simplify the upgrading process, which would normally require several clicks for each building.

See also:

1. How to plan the city in Anno 117? One mechanic you must be aware of

Anno 117: Pax Romana

November 12, 2025

Rate It!

• Overview
• Review

• Ubisoft
• RTS
• Anno (series)