YMMV / Anno 1800

• Game-Breaker: Certain characters/items and DLC contents will make your life a lot easier, though they still require finetuning to make them run smoothly so it's not as simple as just building the structures.
  • The eponymous Docklands from The Docklands DLC allows you to create a sprawling harbor complex which is space-efficient and has massive Attractiveness if the modules are adjacent to each other. The biggest sell though, is the Export/Import feature, allowing your empire to specialize production and get better trading rates in the long run. This further makes your empire space-efficient as you can skip building certain farms while Captain Tobias fulfills all your needs thanks to his infinite cargo capacity.
  • Haciendas from Seeds of Change DLC allow you to build Hacienda-specific housings, farms and production facilities. These are more space-efficient than the standard model; plus, Hacienda farms bypass island Fertility. Haciendas also let you implement island-wide policies, the biggest of which is getting Influence from Obrero and Artista pops. To put in perspective how ridiculous this is, Obreros and Artistas are tier 2 and 3 pops in the New World, compared to Investors who are tier 5 in the Old World. There are limitations of course; Hacienda buildings can only be constructed within its area of effect and Hacienda housings require more needs than the normal ones, but it's oh-so-worth it.
• Jerkass Woobie: Edvard Goode is a repugnant jerk for most of the campaign, but his eventual remorse for framing his brother Samuel, which resulted in Samuel's murder, and his resignation facing his trial earns him some sympathy. It's implied he never actually meant for Samuel to die, resulting in Edvard's seizure of Bright Sands to be a hollow victory. At the end, it's clear that Edvard wasn't truly evil, just a sad, pathetic man who couldn't escape his brother's shadow.
• Scrappy Mechanic: Production is given in minutes per ton, instead of the far more useful ton per minute, requiring some annoying additional calculations when setting up supply chains.
• Tearjerker: Edvard's death at the hands of the Pyrphorians is surprisingly sad, with him showing no fear and using his final words to tell Hannah not to grieve for him. Hannah in turn says that Samuel will forgive Edvard on the other side.