Monitor

The Monitor is a ship featured in Age of Empires III.

Overview
The Monitor has a mortar fixed on the front for bombarding beaches or fortifications, but is weak against other ships and anti-ship units. It has an ability where it fires a more powerful shot that covers more range.

It is most effective against buildings, as it deals 10 times as much damage against them compared to units. It best works against Forts, though any building that is deemed a threat can also be targeted. Monitors are built at the Dock and can also be upgraded to an Imperial Monitor. They are able to be built in the Industrial Age, and upgraded in the Imperial Age. They may also be acquired via the "TEAM Monitor" cards.

It is generally considered better than the Ironclad for long-range attacks. With the "European Cannons" or "Offshore Support" Home City Cards, these ships can outrange all other ships. However, this range bonus only applies to its basic attack; the long-range attack is a fixed amount and damage versus ships is low (unless modified via the tactics discussed in the section below).

Unction, Water Dance, Fire Dance and Monitors
Due to the sizeable damage bonuses of the Unction aura for the Spanish (highest damage output), Water Dance for the Aztecs and Iroquois and Fire Dance for the Sioux they are the only civilizations capable of turning a monitor into a monster.

Makeshift Fixed Gun
If a puddle of water is large enough to build a dock, then it can usually hold a monitor either constructed from the dock or sent via the "TEAM Monitor" cards. This can grant easier control over a large area of a landlocked map, and obliterate or severely weaken any enemy units that encroach on the territory.

It is however limited due to cooldown, missionary, villager or warpriest requirements and availability of the team card and upgrades. It is most useful in Treaty and Deathmatch games, or fights against A.I. opponents.

For Spanish players a Russian ally who sends "TEAM Cheap Priests" could possibly allow a limited variant of the strategy into a Skirmish game. The presence of missionaries nearby however means they can not be utilized elsewhere on the map, but their speed (with an upgrade) might somewhat alleviate the problem. Furthermore, reaching the pinnacle of damage output for the ship requires many cards and upgrades, versus just sending a single card and/or activating a dance.

Aztec and Iroquois players would require an ally with the ability to send them a monitor, and their bonus is map wide, whereas the Spanish require their missionaries nearby. The use of water dance to boost a single unit means being less effective elsewhere. It may be easier to use in skirmish games as well.

Sioux have the same requirements, advantages and weaknesses as those above.

Shipments
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%; margin-bottom:0px; margin-top:1px;" ! sab="1148"| Click for a list of Monitor related Home City Cards
 * - sab="1147"
 * - sab="1149"
 * sab="1150"|

Ottomans

 * }

History
"Bomb ships or bomb ketches were made by removing the front masts of a warship to make room for one or more deck-mounted mortars. These ships could then bombard an enemy fortress from several miles away. The Star-Spangled Banner, the US national anthem, refers to such a bombardment."