Anno 1800 is getting more DLC this year and is free for the weekend

Anno 1800, the latest in the long-running economic city-builder series, also happens to be one of the best, so it's good news that Ubisoft Blue Byte will be continuing to make DLC through its second year, starting this month. It's also celebrating the announcement that it hit a million players back in December with a free weekend. 

The first DLC that's coming as part of the second pass, Seat of Power, will let you build a flashy palace. It's a modular building that can house different departments that offer passive bonuses and let you pick policies to tweak your city. It's coming on March 24.

In the summer, the Bright Harvest DLC will bring modernity to the fields. Using the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, you'll be able to make more advanced farms with things like tractor modules that boost productivity but reduce how many workers you need.

Land of Lions seems like this season's most significant piece of DLC, introducing a new continent and a new storyline. You'll head to the African-inspired drylands to help Emperor Ketema make them less dry with a new irrigation system. Ubisoft Blue Byte also says it will have a deeper impact on what happens back in the Old World.

All the DLC will be accompanied by a free update, starting with the addition of three difficulty tiers to the influence system in update 7. The 6.3 update is also out today, and it includes a free ornament to commemorate the player number milestone. 

Season Pass 2 is available on Uplay and the Epic Games Store now. The announcement also adds that it will be available on Steam, where it will presumably returning to this year. It was available on Steam before launch, but was pulled after the exclusivity deal with Epic.

The free weekend will let you take Anno 1800 for a spin from March 12-15, but you can start preloading it now. Check out when it starts and ends on the map below.

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Fraser Brown
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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.