Canoe (Age of Empires III)

This article is about the unit in Age of Empires III. For the unit in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, see Canoe (Age of Empires II).

Canoe
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Ship War ship Fishing boat Transport
Civilization(s)	Native Americans (except the Inca)
Age	Commerce Age
Requires	Trading Post on a Native American settlement
Training
Trained at	Dock (Asians, Europeans, Federal Americans, and Native Americans) Port (Africans)
Cost	100 Wood
Train time	10 seconds
Train limit	20
Statistics
Hit points	220
Resistance	50% Ranged
Speed	8.5
Line of Sight	22
Garrison	20
Ability	Gathers from fish and whale Transports land units
Train XP	10
Kill XP	10
Ranged attack
Damage	16 Ranged
Range	18
Rate of Fire	2.0
Siege attack
Damage	40 Siege
Range	18
Rate of Fire	2.0

“	Native boat that can attack or transport units.	”
—In-game description

The Canoe is a basic water unit available from the Dock after building a Trading Post on a Native American settlement in Age of Empires III. It is also available for the Native American civilizations (Aztecs, Haudenosaunee, and Lakota) in The WarChiefs.

Overview

Canoes can attack, fish (though they are less efficient than Fishing Boats), and transport units, making them very practical, but not necessarily as powerful as other naval ships. They have the same damage output and hit points as a Marathan Catamaran.

Because of its relatively low cost, Canoes are excellent in scouting and providing reconnaissance on nearby enemy territory. However, they are not designed to withstand many enemy attacks and engage in front lines so they should not be sent directly to a fortified enemy base, however if necessary, they would be better off fighting larger ships such as Galleons and Caravels in large numbers, their low cost rendering it an easy task.

Strategy

Water Ceremony and War Ceremony both boost ranged warships. The former requires a card, the latter does not. Ranged attack can be boosted as high as 36, siege damage 91 and 588 hit points with the former ceremony and all upgrades. 32 ranged attack, 58 siege and 275 hit points with only the latter ceremony and upgrades, depending on whether the player wishes to send a card or not.

River Raids, Improved Cordage, and Legendary War Boats do not affect them, preventing Native American civilizations from strengthening their Canoes.

Gathering rates

Resource	Source	Gathering rate
		per second	per minute
Food	Fish	0.22	13.2
Coin	Whale	0.17	10.2

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Ships, buildings close to shore
Weak vs.	Artillery especially Culverins, defensive structures
Improvements
Gather rate	Long Lines (+30%) Gill Nets (+15%) Huron Fish Wedding (+15%) Fasting (+10%) Aztec Chinampa (+5%) Klamath Work Ethos (+5%) Collective Economy (+50% from whales; Asians only) Excessive Taxation (+50% from whales; Europeans only) Excessive Tribute (+50% from whales; Native Americans only) Mountain State Gold Rush (+40% from whales; United States only) Large Scale Farming (+35% from whales; Africans only) Navajo Craftsmanship (+20% from whales) Somali Coinage (+10% from whales)
Hit points	Rawhide Covers (+30%; Haudenosaunee only) Armor Plating (+50%) Heavy Riverboats (+25%; Africans only) Byzantine Legacy (+15%) Cipactli Worship (+10%; Aztecs only) Tar Kilns (+10%) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only)
Attack	Flaming Arrows (+30%; Lakota only) Carronade (+25%) River Skirmishes (+25%; Africans only) Cipactli Worship (+10%; Aztecs only) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Somali Ajuran Engineers (+20% multiplier vs. Frontier fortification)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Train time	Immigrants (-10%) New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only) Strangers' Quarters (-10%; Africans only)
Other	Meritocracy (-20% upgrade cost) Öresund Customs (auto gather 0.05 coin)
Penalties	Pennsylvania Pound (-10% coin gather rate; United States only)

Civilization differences

• African civilizations can train Canoe for 100 influence.
• Native American civilizations (except the Inca) can train Canoes by default. However, the Inca can still train Canoes at their Docks after building a Tambo in a native settlement on America maps.

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Canoe

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Red	Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

Shared

Card	Description	Age
Advanced Dock	Dock damage +100%, heal work rate for ships +85%; war ship train time -33%
Fish Market	Fishing boat gather work rate for fish +25%, for whale +20%
Rendering Plant	Fishing boat gather work rate for fish +30%, for whale +25%
Whale Oil	Fishing boat gather work rate for whale +30%
Improved Warships	War ship hit points and damage +25%
TEAM Improved Warships	War ship hit points and damage +10%
Naval Gunners	War ship damage +20%
Offshore Support	War ship damage +15%, Line of Sight and ranged attack range +2
European Cannons	War ship damage +15%, Line of Sight and ranged attack range +2
Admiralty	Dock war ship technology cost and research time -60%

• "Advanced Dock" is not available to Africans.
• "Fish Market" is not available to the Japanese and Portuguese.
• "Rendering Plant" is not available to the Mexicans and Native Americans.
• "Whale Oil" is available to the Japanese, Portuguese, Swedes, and United States.
• "Improved Warships" is not available to the Chinese, Lakota, and United States.
• "TEAM Improved Warships" is available to the Chinese and Maltese.
• "Naval Gunners" is available to the British, French, Italians, Maltese, Russians, Swedes, and United States.
• "Offshore Support" is available to the Aztecs, Germans, Inca, Maltese, and Ottomans.
• "European Cannons" is not available to Europeans and Native Americans.
• "Admiralty" is not available to Africans and Native Americans.

Africans

Card	Description	Age
Advanced Port	Port damage and heal work rate for ships +100%; war ship train time -33%
Feudal Armies	Unit train time -15%; hero respawn time -15%

Aztecs

Card	Description	Age
Artificial Islands	War ship wood cost -35%

British

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Whale Oil	Fishing boat gather work rate for whale +15%

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Western Reforms	Unit hit points and damage +8%
Acupuncture	Unit (except monk) train time -20%; Summer Palace banner army, Flying Crow, and Heavy Cannon spawn time -5%

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +5%, regeneration rate +1.0 (even in combat)
Roof of Africa	Villager and fishing boat gather work rate for food sources +25%
Fazogli Gold	Villager and fishing boat gather work rate for coin sources +20%; Abun gather work rate for Mountain Monastery +20%; Mountain Monastery auto gather work rate +20%; Hacienda auto gather work rate for coin +20%
Land of the Sea	The Ras increases the attack of war ships he is garrisoned in by +35% (stacks if multiple Rases are garrisoned in one ship)

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Economic Theory	Villager and fishing boat gather work rate for all resources +10%
Lantakas	Artillery, building, and ship damage +15%

• "Economic Theory" is not available to the British, Dutch, Spanish, and Swedes.
• "Lantakas" is available to the Dutch and Portuguese upon revolting to Indonesia.

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Wampum	Unit train bounty +35%, train time -20%, siege unit and artillery train time -5% instead; building build bounty +35%
Watape	Canoe wood cost -20%
TEAM Birchbark	Canoe, War Canoe, Tlaloc Canoe, and Battle Canoe wood cost -15%; Fishing Canoe wood cost -5%

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Salt Ponds	Villager gather work rate for hunted and herded animals +20%; fishing boat gather work rate for fish and whale +20%

Indians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	Unit hit points and damage +5%
Bombay Marine	Ship train time -30%, train bounty +30%; +1 Hindu Villager

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Sengoku	Unit upgrades cost -20%
TEAM Chonindo	Villager and fishing boat gather work rate for all resources (except hunts) +8%; Abun gather work rate for Mountain Monastery +8%; Hacienda auto gather work rate +8%
Fish Market	Fishing boat gather work rate for fish +25%, for whale +20%
Peacetime Fishing	War ship gather work rate for fish and whale +125%

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Winter Counts	Unit train bounty +40%; building build bounty +20%
Birchbark	Canoe, War Canoe, and Tlaloc Canoe wood cost -25%

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post present on the map; unit hit points +2%
Speronaras	Ship speed +10%; Fishing Boat and Order Galley speed +30% instead

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military building training and research work rate +400%, unit speed +10%
TEAM Rendering Plant	Fishing boat gather work rate for fish and whale +10%
Colegio de San Nicolas	Delivers 1 Large Collection of Books (500 XP); unit Line of Sight +4; building (except Wall) Line of Sight +8; reveals enemy units' positions for 20 seconds
National Servant	Unit (except herded animals) hit points +10%; Padre heal work rate +200%	Imperial Age

• "Colegio de San Nicolas" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.

Native Americans

Card	Description	Age
4 Canoes	Delivers 4 Canoes
Water Ceremony	Enables Water Ceremony at the Community Plaza

• "4 Canoes" is not available to the Inca.
• "Water Ceremony" is not available to the Lakota.

Portuguese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Fish Market	Fishing boat gather work rate for fish and whale +10%

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Cold Water Port	War ship cost -15%

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic unit Line of Sight +10

United States

Card	Description	Age
Indiana Mobilization	Delivers 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game, including this one; unit train time, technology research time, Age up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
Vermont Coppers	Estate technologies are free and research instantly; all coin incomes +5%
Connecticut Shipwrights	War ship train time -50%; building build time -35%; artillery train time -15%, Heavy Cannon train time -10% instead	Imperial Age

• "Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
• "Vermont Coppers" is available upon selecting the Vermont Federal State.
• "Connecticut Shipwrights" is available upon selecting the Connecticut Federal State.

Changelog

Age of Empires III

• Canoes have 24 LOS and 20 range.

Definitive Edition

• Canoes have 22 LOS and 18 range.

In-game dialogue

The Canoe uses the Haudenosaunee Canoe's dialogue files when acquired by Africans, Asians, Europeans, the Haudenosaunee, and the United States, while for the Aztecs and the Lakota it has its own dialogue files, for the Inca it uses the Chincha Raft's dialogue files, and for the Mexicans it uses the Aztec Canoe's dialogue files.

Trivia

• In Age of Empires III, the fighter in the Canoe used a rifle. Since the release of The WarChiefs, he uses a bow instead. Nevertheless, the icon continued to show a rifle until the release of the Definitive Edition.
• The models used by the rower and fighter in the Canoe are the same as the Maya Holcan Spearman and the Cree Tracker, respectively.

History

“

The word canoe comes from Arawak, a language spoken by the natives of the Caribbean. It refers to boats generically, but has come to mean a specific kind of vessel. The birch-bark canoe, common to the Native Americans in northeastern North America, is what most people would identify as a canoe. Small birch-bark canoes could accommodate as few as one or two people; the largest canoes could hold more than three dozen. Canoes allowed Native Americans, and later Europeans, to navigate the many rivers and creeks of North America. The craft were light enough to be carried and durable enough to last years if properly maintained. Canoe builders peeled the outer bark off of a birch tree, making a long cut down the length of the trunk to reveal the inner bark, then peeled that from the tree in layers. The inner bark of a tree left standing would grow a new coating of outer bark, allowing the tree survive the canoe-making process. White cedar, because of its resistance to decay, was used for the canoe frame. Cuts, called gores, allowed the birch bark sheathing to be sewn together and fitted to the frame. Ribs shaped from boiled cedar gave the canoe strength and tension. Pitch made from pine tar or gum sealed the seams, and the birch-bark canoe was ready to paddle.

”

Gallery

An in-game Canoe

An in-game Canoe, side view

Canoe model

Lakota Canoes heading towards a Dutch colony

Canoe in Age of Empires III vanilla. It is possible to notice that the fighter used a rifle.

An in-game Canoe in the Definitive Edition

Canoe image from the Compendium section