---
title: "Anno 117 Patch 1.6.1 Is Live — The Hippodrome Needs Albion Granite"
description: "Anno 117 patch 1.6.1 dropped July 9, 2026: Cinis gets new space, commerce exploit fixed. In August, the Hippodrome DLC (60+ tiles) has one catch: Albion granite required."
url: https://after-strategy.com/en/anno-117-hippodrome-dlc-preview-patch-161-august-2026/
lang: en
published: 2026-07-11
author: "Simon Dougnac"
author_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/auteur/simon/
game: "Anno 117: Pax Romana"
game_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/anno-117/
categories: [rts]
tags: [anno-117, pax-romana, hippodrome, ubisoft-mainz, city-builder, edition-2026]
translations:
fr: https://after-strategy.com/fr/anno-117-hippodrome-dlc-preview-patch-161-aout-2026/
es: https://after-strategy.com/es/anno-117-hippodrome-dlc-preview-parche-161-agosto-2026/
publisher: "After Strategy"
---
# Anno 117 Patch 1.6.1 Is Live — The Hippodrome Needs Albion Granite
> Anno 117 patch 1.6.1 dropped July 9, 2026: Cinis gets new space, commerce exploit fixed. In August, the Hippodrome DLC (60+ tiles) has one catch: Albion granite required.
## Six weeks before the Hippodrome, Ubisoft Mainz clears the decks
Anno 117: Pax Romana patch 1.6.1 landed today, July 9, 2026, without fanfare. Four targeted fixes, no new mechanics — and a clear signal that the runway is being cleared for the summer's main event: the Hippodrome DLC, scheduled for mid-August alongside Update 2.0.
### What patch 1.6.1 changes
Four fixes worth knowing:
- **Cinis expands**: Earthquakes have unlocked additional building space on the volcanic island. The change is savegame-compatible — no restart required.
- **Crash fixed**: A crash tied to resolving large incidents in late-game sessions is now gone.
- **Commerce exploit closed**: A gamepad input trick allowed free goods from traders. The exploit is removed.
- **Vigiles repair fix** (Prophecies of Ash): Vigiles now repair buildings destroyed by volcanic activity and tremors — a bug that had gone unaddressed since the DLC launched.
None of these are headline changes, but they clear out technical debt accumulated since Prophecies of Ash shipped.
### The Hippodrome: Anno's largest monument yet
The numbers frame the ambition: **over 60 tiles long by roughly 25 tiles wide**. That's nearly twice the length of the Amphitheater, currently the only monument in Anno 117. The Circus Maximus held up to 250,000 spectators — the scale reference isn't accidental.
The DLC lets you host **chariot races** inside your city. Two practical results:
- **Governor prestige** increases, improving your diplomatic position and island bonuses.
- **New specialists** become recruitable, providing production, happiness, or military efficiency buffs when placed in existing buildings.
Included in the Year 1 Pass, with a standalone purchase option for those without it.
### The strategic catch: Albion granite
Here's the detail the general roadmap didn't emphasize: the Hippodrome can only be built **in Latium**, and it requires **Albion granite** — a resource exclusive to the Celtic province of Britannia.
The implication is direct. If your Anno 117 playthrough has been Latium-first with Albion on the back burner, you now need to:
1. **Establish or expand your Albion presence** to access granite quarries.
2. **Build a maritime trade route** to ship granite back to Latium.
3. **Plan the footprint**: 60 × 25 tiles of contiguous space in Latium takes serious urban planning.
With six weeks before the DLC drops, there's enough time to adjust production chains without a crisis. A player who waits until the Hippodrome appears in the shop to start sourcing granite will spend multiple sessions on logistics before placing a single foundation tile.
### Update 2.0 and the August schedule
The Hippodrome ships **alongside Update 2.0**, targeted for mid-August 2026. Ubisoft Mainz hasn't detailed the full contents of that update yet — expect Anno Union posts in the coming weeks.
After the Hippodrome, the Year 1 Pass closes out with **Dawn of the Delta** in November 2026 — a full Egyptian province built around the Nile delta, introducing new populations, deities, and production chains.
For context on what came before, check our [Prophecies of Ash review](https://after-strategy.com/en/anno-117-prophecies-of-ash-dlc-review-2026/) and [full 2026 roadmap breakdown](https://after-strategy.com/en/anno-117-pax-romana-year-1-roadmap-2026-hippodrome-dawn-delta/).
Start sourcing Albion granite now.
**What matters** is that the Hippodrome turns a prestige building into a logistics check. Players who secure Albion granite and Latium space beforehand will use the DLC immediately; everyone else will be building the supply chain first.
The August release itself, with the big changes of the update, is covered in [Anno 117 Update 2.0 and the Hippodrome DLC](https://after-strategy.com/en/anno-117-update-2-0-hippodrome-dlc-august-2026/).
---
*Sources: [Anno Union — Patch 1.6.1](https://www.anno-union.com/updates/anno-117-pax-romana-patch-1-6-1/) · [Ubisoft — Year 1 DLC Plans](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/anno/117-pax-romana/news-updates/4jz0kxVkH6JAk5ChEciaZf/year-1-dlc-and-update-plans-overview)*
## Frequently asked questions
### When does the Hippodrome DLC release in Anno 117?
The Hippodrome DLC launches in **mid-August 2026** with Anno 117: Pax Romana's Update 2.0. It's included in the Year 1 Pass or available as a standalone purchase.
### What materials are needed to build the Hippodrome?
The Hippodrome requires **wood** and **Albion granite**. It can only be built in **Latium**, meaning you need an established granite production chain in Celtic Britannia first.
### What does Anno 117 patch 1.6.1 fix?
Patch 1.6.1 (July 9, 2026) expands Cinis via earthquake events, fixes a crash tied to large incident resolution, removes a gamepad commerce exploit, and fixes Vigiles not repairing volcano-destroyed buildings in Prophecies of Ash.
## Sources
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Source : [Anno 117 Patch 1.6.1 Is Live — The Hippodrome Needs Albion Granite](https://after-strategy.com/en/anno-117-hippodrome-dlc-preview-patch-161-august-2026/) — After Strategy