If you’re new to Anno 1800 and struggling with your economy, these trade strategies will help you build wealth efficiently. Here’s how you can maximize profits in the early game and beyond.

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1. The Soap Trade Route (Early Game Strategy)

One of the easiest and most profitable early-game trade routes involves producing soap and selling it to Eli Blakeworth at the prison harbor.

• Why Soap?
  • Unlocked as soon as you reach the Worker tier.
  • Each unit of soap sells for 384 gold at Eli’s Harbor.
  • A full shipment of soap can generate 6,000+ gold per minute.
• Setting Up the Soap Trade:
  • Step 1: Settle a second island dedicated solely to soap production.
  • Step 2: Build pig farms and rendering works to produce tallow.
  • Step 3: Construct soap factories and ship the goods to Eli Blakeworth for constant income.
  • Step 4: Repeat and scale up until you accumulate 500,000 gold, which is the target capital to move to the next phase.

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2. The Pocket Watch Trade Route (Mid-Game Strategy)

Once you unlock Enbesa (requires DLC), you can start a highly profitable pocket watch trade route.

• Why Pocket Watches?
  • Katema in Enbesa buys pocket watches for 13,312 gold each.
  • Archibald Blake sells pocket watches for 8,320 gold each.
  • Profit per unit: 4,992 gold per pocket watch.
• How to Set Up This Trade Route:
  • Step 1: Accumulate 500,000 gold from the soap trade.
  • Step 2: Purchase pocket watches from Archibald Blake’s Harbor.
  • Step 3: Manually sell them to Katema’s Harbor in Enbesa.
  • Step 4: As profits grow, set up a trade route with multiple ships ferrying pocket watches continuously.

Pro Tip: A full cargo of 100 pocket watches yields 500,000 gold in profit!

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3. Selling Cannons and Luxury Goods

Once you have more production capacity, you can further increase profits by selling high-demand items.

• Cannons:
  • Sell to Isabel Sarmento for 912 gold per unit.
• Luxury Goods:
  • Steam Carriages: Sell to Katema for 66,000 gold each.
  • Gramophones: Sell to Katema for 44,000 gold each.

Tip: If you’re overproducing any of these goods, set up regular shipments to maximize profits.

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4. Min-Maxing Soap Production with Perfumer Prunella

• Perfumer Prunella is a specialist that changes soap production requirements:
  • Replaces tallow with wood.
  • Reduces workforce needed.
  • Streamlines production since wood is easier to obtain than tallow.

Using this specialist, you can make soap production even more efficient and increase profits.

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5. Using Bauxite for Aluminum Production (Experimental Trade Strategy)

With the new DLC, bauxite can be used in place of steel to create aluminum profiles, which can be a potential high-value commodity.

• Military Logistician Specialist:
  • Converts weapons factories to use bauxite instead of steel.
  • Produces aluminum profiles instead of standard weapons.
  • Still being tested, but has potential for significant profits.

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Final Thoughts

These three main trade routes—Soap, Pocket Watches, and Cannons—are excellent ways to generate wealth in Anno 1800.

• Start with soap for early capital.
• Transition to pocket watches for massive mid-game profits.
• Expand into luxury goods for continuous income.

By following these strategies, you’ll be able to compete with AI, expand your empire, and dominate the economy. Happy trading!