First-person mode is Anno 117: Pax Romana’s best-kept secret. The game won’t tell you how to use it, and it’s not even mentioned in the keybinds, but it’s certainly possible to walk around like a local — just like you may have done in Anno 1800.
Here’s how to use first-person mode in Anno 117: Pax Romana and see Latium and Albion from a new perspective.
How to use first-person mode in Anno 117: Pax Romana
To enter first-person mode on PC, using a keyboard, press the “Ctrl”, “Shift”, and “R” keys simultaneously.
To enter first-person mode on consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X), using a controller, you must enter a sequence similar to the “Konami code,” a famous button sequence often used as a secret cheat code in various games.
The sequence is the same on every type of controller, but since the button names are different, there’s a slight variation near the end. Press the arrows on the left side of your controller to complete the “up, down, left, right” part, then move to the buttons on the right to complete the final part of the sequence.
- Enter first-person mode on Xbox: Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.
- Enter first-person mode on PlayStation: Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, Circle, X.
How to use third-person mode in Anno 117: Pax Romana
To enter third-person mode, use the same button combinations as mentioned above. Once you’ve entered first-person mode, you can use the scrolling wheel on PC to change between first- and third-person.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem possible to switch between first- and third-person if you’re using a controller. What you can do, if you’re playing on PC, is use the scroll wheel to zoom in or out, then continue exploring in third-person using the controller.
To exit first-person or third-person mode in Anno 117, press “Esc” on PC, hold “B” on Xbox, or hold Circle on PlayStation.
Things you can do in Anno 117’s first-person mode
Walking through the city streets is fun, but there’s more! Here are some Anno 117 first-person features we’ve discovered so far:
- Jump. Handy if you get stuck.
- Change appearance. In third-person mode, you will spawn as a random Roman. To change your character’s outfit and looks, press 1, 2, or 3 on PC, LB or RB on Xbox, and L1 or R1 on PlayStation.
- Enter building models. You can’t enter through doors, but you can walk on some of the models, including the clay pit, the cockle picker’s platform, grand buildings such as the Grammaticus, and similar buildings with a more “open” area. If you get stuck and the jump option is of no use, try to re-enter first-person mode right above that building.
- Ride wagons. Approach them and use the left mouse button on PC, the X button on Xbox, or the Square button on PlayStation to hitch a ride.
