How to Win Catan: 13 Tips and Tricks

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The top tried and true techniques to become a competitive Catan player and rise to the top
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Ready to end a losing streak in Catan and become the best settler around? That’s the spirit—you should never settle, after all. Whether you want to turn around a devastating series of defeats from all those board game nights or you just want to impress your friends with killer strategies, you’ve come to the right spot. Here, we’ll cover dice rolling, resource management, route building, and trading in one super digestible list. So, scroll through these tips to plan world—or at least Catan —domination!

Things You Should Know

  • Place your settlements on hexes that you're likely to roll for, like a "5" or an "8."
  • Collect all 5 resources—wood, brick, sheep, wheat, and ore to build more settlements, roads, and cities.
  • Take advantage of development cards. For example, the Longest Road or the Largest Army each give you 2 Victory Points.
  • Mix and match strategies to collect 8 additional Victory Points (VP) on top of the 2 VP you start off with. Win the game when you rack up 10 VP.
1

Claim hexes with the best dice odds.

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  1. When you play Settlers of Catan , keep an eye on all the hexagons placed down—they represent resources. Take a look at the dots, or “pips,” at the bottom of each hexagonal tile, or “hex.” 1 dot means you’ll have a low probability of rolling for it, while 2-5 dots tell you that you’ll have a much greater chance of your dice landing on the hex’s number. Put your settlements down on hexes with the most pips since you’re more likely to roll for them. [1]
    • 1 dot represents rolling for the numbers 2 or 12.
    • 2 dots represent rolling for the numbers 3 or 11.
    • 3 dots represent rolling for the numbers 4 or 10.
    • 4 dots represent rolling for the numbers 5 or 9.
    • 5 dots represent rolling for the numbers 6 or 8.
    • 7 is the number you’re most likely to roll, but it activates the Robber.
    • Place a settlement piece at the intersection of 3 hexes.
    • When you have 3 hexes and each have lots of “pips,” you’re more likely to roll for an important resource—like wood, brick, sheep, wheat, or ore.
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2

Place settlements on different kinds of resource hexes.

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  1. Ideally, position your first 2 settlements so you get 1 of every resource ASAP. To start collecting wood, brick, sheep, wheat, and ore right away, place 1 settlement at the intersection of 3 hexes that each represent 1 resource. In the next round, put 1 settlement down between 2 hexes for the last 2 resources. [2]
    • For example, place 1 settlement down between 3 hexes that’ll give you wheat, brick, and sheep. Then, put 1 settlement down between 2 hexes that’ll help you collect wood and ore.
    • A road is built with 2 resources—1 wood and 1 brick.
    • A settlement is built with 4 resources—1 wood, 1 brick, 1 sheep, and 1 wheat.
    • A city requires the most resources. You’ll need 3 ore, 2 wheat, and 1 settlement. Overall, a city costs 9 resources.
3

Build the Longest Road.

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  1. To earn 2 extra Victory Points with the Longest Road development card, make sure you have 5 road pieces that are all connected to each other. If another player has the Longest Road card, take it away by building a continuous road that’s longer than theirs. [3]
    • For example, if your opponent claimed the Longest Road card because they had 6 road pieces, build a continuous road out of 7 road pieces and take the development card from them.
    • To hold onto the Longest Road card for good, build a continuous road out of 15 road pieces before anyone else does. Each player only gets 15 road pieces, so as long as you beat them to the punch, you’ve got 2 Victory Points in the bag.
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4

Grow the Largest Army.

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  1. To collect 2 Victory Points with the Largest Army development card, collect 3 Knight cards and play them during your turn. In order to hold onto your precious 2 Victory Points so they’ll help you get closer to the 10 Victory Points you need to win Catan, gather more Knight cards. [4]
    • If your opponent plays more Knight cards, they’ll be able to swipe the Largest Army card from you. Foil their plans by holding onto any of the Knight cards you pull.
    • There are 14 Knight cards in the base game of Catan.
5

Make use of Knights.

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  1. If an opponent rolled a “7” and slyly moved the Robber from the desert to one of your hexes, protect your valuable resources. Provided you have at least 1 Knight card, play it to kick the Robber off. Once you do, place the Robber on another unlucky opponent’s hex and steal one of their cards.
    • If you play 3 Knight cards, claim a Largest Army card and earn 2 Victory Points.
    • You’ll probably have lots of chances to use Knight cards to your advantage. After all, Knight cards make up 14 out of the 25 development cards in Catan, which accounts for 56% of the deck.
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6

Set down a Robber.

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  1. When you roll a “7,” you’ve basically got two options—show mercy or be petty (all in good fun, of course). If some of the other players only have 2 Victory Points each, be a “Friendly Robber” and give them a pass. However, if everyone has more than 2 Victory Points, move the Robber to any hex and take a resource from an opponent whose settlement is bordering the tile. [5]
    • Once the Robber is on a hex, that tile won’t be able to produce any resources.
    • If a player rolls another “7,” then the Robber returns to the desert.
    • A player can kick a Robber off their hex with a Knight card.
    • If you want to play super nice, put the Robber on a hex no one’s using.
7

Steal resources with a Monopoly.

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  1. When you draw the Monopoly card, you’re in luck—but for everyone else, it’s probably a turn for the worse. Play this intimidating development card during your turn to announce 1 resource, like sheep, that you’d like to take from everyone. They’ll have to give you all of those resource cards in their hand. [6]
    • Keep in mind that tensions can get pretty high when you play the Monopoly card.
    • If you want some extra spicy gameplay, throw down the Monopoly card when there’s a resource shortage. For example, if everyone’s been waiting for someone to finally roll a “4” so they can collect some long-awaited wood, play the Monopoly card to swipe it all.
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8

Scoop up wood and brick.

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  1. If you’d like to pave the way toward the 10 Victory Points you need to conquer Catan, collect these 2 go-to resources. You’ll be able to not only build settlements for 1 Victory Point each but also the Longest Road for 2 Victory Points. [7]
    • Settlements and/or the Longest Road can just be ways to quickly pad your amount of Victory Points if you’ve already racked up some VP from building cities or the Largest Army.
    • Since everyone starts off with 2 settlements, you’ll have 2 initial Victory Points. Build 8 settlements to earn 10 Victory Points overall—of course, you’ll need 8 wood and 8 brick as well as 8 sheep and 8 wheat. It’s definitely “playing the long game,” but you’ll probably make your friends laugh.
    • 2 starting Victory Points, 1 Longest Road, and 6 settlements will also help you win Catan.
9

Negotiate trades with players.

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  1. Expect some friendly banter and easy exchanges when you kick off a game of Catan. If you’re short on sheep, some smooth talking might earn you a flock of 3 for the low price of 2 wood. However, as everything draws to a close and people race to get their last Victory Points, anticipate some stinginess. You’ll probably have to haggle your heart out for 1 measly resource. [8]
    • In the first rounds of the game, players usually want to branch out and build as many settlements and roads as they can, so they’re typically more willing to trade.
    • When Catan draws to a close, every Victory Point counts. Your opponents will probably want to hoard their resources in case they come in handy. If they do trade, they might ask for a steep price. For example, they might fleece you by asking for 5 sheep just for 1 brick.
    EXPERT TIP

    Ashton Wu

    Board Game Expert
    Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.
    Ashton Wu
    Board Game Expert

    Sharpen your Catan strategy by making strategic trades. Avoid making deals that primarily benefit your opponents, as each resource you give them brings them closer to winning. Instead, wait for fair trades that can benefit both parties (especially you). Trading is key to conquering Catan, but be patient.

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10

Strike a 4:1 deal at the bank.

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  1. If you don’t want to give an opponent an upper hand, give the bank any extra resources you have. While a 4:1 deal might sound expensive, it’s a pretty great situation if you need to offload anything. For example, you might really need 1 wheat, so you’ll let the bank take 4 wood off your hands. With that slick trade, you might be able to build, for instance, that city that will help you dominate the game with 2 Victory Points. [9]
    • It’s possible that your friends might be a little bummed that they couldn’t trade with you, but the advantage you get will probably be worth it.
11

Position yourself near 2:1 or 3:1 ports.

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  1. If a 4:1 return feels too pricey, handle your trades at ports. When you build a settlement at a port, you’ll be able to trade 2 of one resource for 1 resource or 3 of one resource for 1 resource. The ratio just depends on whether you built a settlement on a 2:1 or 3:1 coastal hex in Catan: Seafarers .
    • For example, if you built a port on a 2:1 coastal hex, trade in 2 wheat and claim 1 ore from the bank.
    • Catan: Seafarers is an expansion for the base game.
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12

Upgrade settlements into cities.

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  1. For a fast track to the 10 Victory Points required to win Catan, level up your settlements. Spend 3 ore and 2 wheat to turn each settlement into a city. With every city that you establish, you’ll earn 2 Victory Points. 3 cities give you 6 Victory Points, so if you pair them with the Largest Army card—worth 2 Victory Points—you’ll earn 8 Victory Points and conquer Catan. [10]
    • Remember, you start off with 2 Victory Points after placing your first settlements, so if you earn 8 Victory Points, you’re golden (and a winner).
13

Get lucky with Victory Points.

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  1. In the last rounds of Catan, it’s okay to get a little wild. Maybe you played it safe by quietly building 2 settlements for 1 Victory Point each and 2 cities for 4 Victory Points overall. In this case, trade in 3 or more Knight cards to claim the Largest Army card and get the final 2 Victory Points to steal the show and beat Catan. [11]
    • Create a longer road than someone else and steal their Longest Road card to earn 2 Victory Points. You might just need to put down a couple more road pieces for this slick trick.
    • Start randomly upgrading your settlements into cities to steal a win before your friends’ eyes with all those extra Victory Points.
    • Trade at a bank or port to get that last resource you need, like 1 brick, to put down a settlement and get that final Victory Point that’ll tip the scales for you.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What are the best 2 numbers to start with?
    Thequestioner555
    Community Answer
    8's and 6's are the best numbers to start building on. Be sure to take into account the total odds of all the numbers adjacent to your settlement.
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  • Question
    Can you still have your victory points if another player takes the largest army or the longest road?
    Thequestioner555
    Community Answer
    The player with the longest road or largest army maintains their two victory points until their record is overtaken by an opponent.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://cs.stanford.edu/people/nick/settlers/DiceOddsSettlers.html
      2. ↑ https://www.catan.com/sites/default/files/2021-06/catan_base_rules_2020_200707.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www3.nd.edu/~pbui/teaching/cse.30872.fa17/challenge15.html
      4. ↑ https://www.catan.com/sites/default/files/2021-07/catan-dice-game-extra.pdf
      5. ↑ https://startyourmeeples.com/2018/05/03/catan-strategy-the-five-personalities-of-the-robber/
      6. ↑ https://startyourmeeples.com/2020/03/09/monopoly-catan/
      7. ↑ https://developingcatan.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/the-brick-wood-paradox/
      8. ↑ https://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/alex/papers/cig2014_persuasion.pdf
      9. ↑ https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/econ/2021/12/17/catan-nomics/
      1. ↑ https://www.catan.com/faq/basegame?keywords=&page=4
      2. ↑ https://blog.colonist.io/how-to-gain-victory-points-in-catan/

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