Hexo Rules & Strategy Guide
Complete rules and strategy guide for Hexo — the online settlers-style hex board game. Learn resource production, trading, building costs, robber rules, longest road, largest army, development cards and winning tactics.
Articles
Quick reads
1. Game overview
Hexo is an online settlers-style board game for 2–4 players. You settle a randomly generated island of hex tiles, harvest five resources — wood, brick, sheep, wheat and ore — trade them, and race to build the strongest network of roads, settlements and cities. The first player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins.
You can play solo against a strategic AI or invite friends to a private room with a link and passcode. The rules below match the ones the Hexo engine enforces move by move.
2. Setup & first turn
The board is a hexagonal island of 19 land tiles surrounded by ports. Each land tile has a resource type and a number token (2–12 except 7). Setup places settlements in snake order: players place one settlement + road in turn order, then a second settlement + road in reverse order. The second settlement immediately grants one card of each adjacent resource.
After setup, the first player rolls two dice to begin turn 1.
3. Resources & production
- Wood — forest hexes, used for roads and settlements.
- Brick — hills hexes, used for roads and settlements.
- Sheep — pasture hexes, used for settlements and dev cards.
- Wheat — fields hexes, used for settlements, cities and dev cards.
- Ore — mountain hexes, used for cities and dev cards.
When the dice roll matches a tile's number, every settlement touching that tile earns 1 of its resource, and every city earns 2.
4. Anatomy of a turn
- Roll two dice. Distribute production, or resolve a 7.
- Trade with other players or with the bank / ports.
- Build roads, settlements, cities, or buy development cards.
- End your turn.
5. Building costs
| Item | Cost | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Road | 1 wood + 1 brick | — |
| Settlement | 1 wood + 1 brick + 1 sheep + 1 wheat | 1 |
| City (upgrade) | 2 wheat + 3 ore | 2 |
| Development card | 1 sheep + 1 wheat + 1 ore | varies |
6. Trading & ports
You can offer resources to any other player during your turn. You can also trade with the bank at 4:1. A generic port trades any resource 3:1, a specific port trades that resource 2:1.
7. The robber & rolling 7
When any player rolls a 7: players with more than 7 cards discard half; the roller moves the robber and steals 1 random card from a player with a settlement or city on that hex.
8. Development cards
- Knight — move the robber and steal. Contributes to Largest Army.
- Road Building — place 2 roads for free.
- Year of Plenty — take any 2 resources from the bank.
- Monopoly — name a resource; every other player gives you all of theirs.
- Victory Point — +1 point (kept hidden until you win).
9. Winning the game
Count victory points at the start of your turn. First to 10 VP wins.
Frequently asked questions
＋How do you play settlers online in Hexo?
Create a private room, share the link and passcode with friends, and take turns rolling dice, collecting resources, trading and building. You can also play solo against the AI. No downloads required — Hexo runs in your browser on desktop and mobile.
＋What are the basic settlers-style rules Hexo uses?
Each player starts with two settlements and two roads. On your turn you roll two dice, every settlement or city on a hex matching the roll produces resources, then you may trade with players or the bank, build roads, settlements, cities or development cards, and finally end your turn. Rolling a 7 activates the robber.
＋What are the building costs?
Road: 1 wood + 1 brick. Settlement: 1 wood + 1 brick + 1 sheep + 1 wheat. City (upgrades a settlement): 2 wheat + 3 ore. Development card: 1 sheep + 1 wheat + 1 ore.
＋How do you win a game of Hexo?
The first player to reach 10 victory points on their turn wins. Settlements are 1 point, cities are 2, the Longest Road and Largest Army bonuses are 2 each, and Victory Point development cards add 1 each.
＋How does the robber work?
When any player rolls a 7, everyone with more than 7 cards must discard half (rounded down). The roller then moves the robber to a new hex — that hex stops producing resources — and steals one random card from a player with a settlement or city on it.
＋Is Hexo free? Do I need an account?
Hexo is free to play solo or with friends. An account is required to save your stats and to host permanent Tables. Hexo Table is a one-time €20 upgrade that unlocks private leaderboards, persistent room names and custom themes.
Play Hexo free in your browser
Solo against the AI or with friends in a private room — no download.