Ubisoft has announced that Anno 117: Pax Romana will receive its first DLC on April 23. Called Prophecies of Ash, it adds Cinis, a volcanic island that doubles as the largest single landmass the Anno series has ever put in front of players.
The biggest island in Anno history, with a catch
Cinis is an expansion to the existing Latium province rather than a standalone map, so you are building outward from what you already have. According to Ubisoft's press release, the island is packed with river slots and mining nodes, making it genuinely attractive real estate. The problem, naturally, is the enormous volcano sitting in the middle of it.
Here's the thing: the volcano is not just set dressing. Prophecies of Ash introduces three distinct volcanic mechanics that will actively disrupt your carefully laid city plans. Eruptions will send boulders crashing into buildings, as shown in the announcement trailer. Volcanic winters appear to suppress agricultural output across the island. A third mechanic called the bloom phase seems to work in the opposite direction, likely sending food production into overdrive when conditions are right. Ubisoft has not spelled out the exact numbers on any of these effects yet, but the trailer makes clear that rocks landing on your forum is a real possibility you need to plan around.
danger
Prophecies of Ash is an expansion to the Latium province, not a new standalone map. Players will need Anno 117: Pax Romana to access it.
Cinis island overview
Obsidian, carved idols, and a temple to Vulcan
The DLC introduces Obsidian as a new resource, which feeds into new production chains. The outputs include carved idols and boardgames, which are the kinds of period-appropriate luxury goods the Anno formula thrives on. What most players miss in these resource chain additions is how much they ripple outward through existing supply lines, and Obsidian looks like it will demand dedicated infrastructure before you see any benefit.
The standout building is the Vulcan temple. Building one boosts mine productivity across your settlement and improves fire safety, which is going to matter considerably when your city sits downwind of an active volcano. It is a neat design loop: the same geological feature that threatens your city also creates the conditions that make the Vulcan temple worth building.
Vulcan temple build screen
Where Anno 117 stands heading into its first DLC
Anno 117: Pax Romana launched with the best opening numbers in the series' history, which is a meaningful achievement. The Steam reception has been more complicated. The game currently sits on a 'Mixed' rating there, driven partly by the inclusion of AI-generated art at launch (since removed by Ubisoft Mainz) and partly by the perception that the campaign shipped without its third act, leaving the story feeling unfinished.
None of that stopped players from showing up in large numbers, and Prophecies of Ash is the first real test of whether the post-launch content can shift the conversation. A new island with active disaster mechanics and a fresh resource chain is a more substantial first DLC than a simple cosmetic pack, which suggests Ubisoft Mainz is treating this as a genuine content push rather than a holding pattern.
For players who want to stay across everything the city-builder genre is doing right now, latest reviews are a good place to track how Anno 117 compares to the competition as more content arrives.
Prophecies of Ash drops on April 23. If you want to get your Latium province in order before Cinis opens up, our guides section has everything you need to get your supply chains running cleanly before the rocks start falling.
