The Commerce Age (Colonial Age before the Definitive Edition) is the second Age in Age of Empires III, after the start of the game in the Exploration Age. The Commerce Age is characterized by the start of a civilization's formal military and small battles over resources may break out, as players develop their economy.
In-game, this is often characterized by a focus on obtaining several sets of 200 wood, the cost required for construction of the main military buildings. Alternatively, civilizations may focus on the 1,000 coin required to get ahead to the Fortress Age and forgo development during Commerce Age, for earlier access to advanced units such as a shipment of Falconets. Large crates sent by Home City Cards tend to play an important role in either of these developments.
The Commerce Age also marks the spread of specialist work such as religion through introduction of the first healing units such as the Priest, Imam, or Missionary. Artillery is sometimes available in the Commerce Age; civilizations with access to Grenadiers are able to build the Artillery Foundry at this Age rather than in Fortress Age. Similarly, the Dutch can train the Skirmisher.
Advancing to the Commerce Age will have following effects;
- grants buildings a 4 Line of Sight upgrade
- Heroes get 25% hit points and attack (25% hit points for Explorer Dog)
- Pets get 20% hit points and attack
Methods[]
Advancement to the next Age requires the selection of a method to advance with. Different civilizations will have different methods available:
Politician | Bonuses | Civilization(s) |
---|---|---|
Ships 1 Outpost Wagon and 200 coin; +100 coin* | British Dutch French Italians Maltese Ottomans Spanish Swedes | |
Ships 1 Mosque Wagon and 1 Imam, Mosque built limit +1 Increased | Ottomans | |
The Explorer can use Hot Air Balloon; + 300 XP* | ||
Ships 1 Arsenal Wagon with 1 free Arsenal Technology; +1 Arsenal Wagon* | British Italians Maltese | |
Ships 1 Halberdier; Halberdiers can be trained in the Commerce Age | Dutch | |
Ships 1 Military Wagon and 1 Arsenal Wagon | French Swedes | |
Ships 1 Arsenal Wagon; Exploration and Commerce Age Home City Cards give one additional Uhlan | Germans | |
Crossbowmen, Pikemen*, and Musketeers can be trained at Town Centers; Crossbowmen and Musketeers get +1 ranged attack range, Pikemen get +0.5 hand attack range | Portuguese | |
Ships 1 Military Wagon; Blockhouses support 15 population | Russians | |
Exploration Age Home City Cards are shipped twice as fast and also ships 200 food, 100 wood, 100 coin | Spanish | |
Ships 2 Settlers and 2 semi-fattened Cows | British Dutch French Maltese Ottomans Portuguese Russians Spanish Swedes | |
Ships 1 Settler Wagon and 2 semi-fattened Cows | Germans | |
Ships 500 food; + 250 food* | British Germans Italians Ottomans Portuguese Russians Spanish | |
Ships 400 wood | Dutch French Germans Maltese Ottomans Portuguese Russians Swedes | |
Ships 1 Settlers and 1 Lombard Wagon; + 1 Settler* | Italians |
Aztecs[]
Member | |
---|---|
Ages up three times as fast | |
Ships 1 Farm Travois and Villagers gather from Farms and Estates 10% faster | |
Ships 2 Skull Knights | |
Ships 1 War Hut Travois, War Huts and Nobles' Huts get +10% hit points and attack | |
The Aztec War Chief gets +20% hit points and +25% attack, and can use the Swashbuckler Attack ability |
Haudenosaunee[]
Member | |
---|---|
Ages up three times as fast; ships 1 Travois | |
Ships 200 food, 100 wood, 100 coin, and 1 Travois | |
Ships 2 Aennas and 1 Travois | |
Ships 2 Travois | |
Ships 2 Villagers and 1 Healer* |
Incas[]
Member | |
---|---|
Ages up three times as fast and Chasquis can receive Economic Home City shipments; ships 1 Chasqui and Chasqui train limit +1 | |
Ships 3 Priestesses, and 1 Chasqui; Chasqui train limit +1 | |
Ships 3 Chimu Runners and 1 Chasqui; Chasqui train limit +1 | |
Grants Lumber Ceremony and Forest People Ceremony; ships 1 Chasqui and Chasqui train limit +1 | |
Ships 2 Builder Travois and 1 Chasqui; Chasqui train limit +1 |
Lakota[]
Member | |
---|---|
Ages up three times as fast | |
Ships 6 Bisons and Villagers gather from huntable animals 10% faster | |
Ships 1 Tokala Soldier | |
Ships 500 food | |
Ships 400 wood |
Chinese[]
Wonder | Shipment | Bonuses |
---|---|---|
Automatically train Flying Crows | ||
- | Automatically generates resources (Resource generation rate depends on the Age it was built) | |
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Automatically spawns War Academy banner armies | |
Allows Shaolin Master to heal injured units Transcendence active ability (heals all of the owner's units) | ||
Sacred Vault passive ability (increases Shaolin Master and Disciple hit points and attack, and the latter's train limit) |
Indians[]
Wonder | Shipment | Bonuses |
---|---|---|
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Acts as if it was a Fort | |
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Train Mansabdar units which enhances units of the same type | |
Keepers of the Rats Aura (increases nearby villagers' gather rate) | ||
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Cease Fire active ability (temporarily stops all units from attacking) | |
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Inspiration active ability (temporarily increases the hit points, attack, and speed of the owner's units) |
Japanese[]
Wonder | Shipment | Bonuses |
---|---|---|
Boosts one particular stats of the owner's land military units Has advanced Arsenal technologies | ||
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Informers active ability (temporarily see all enemies' LOS) | |
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Country in Chains passive ability (reduces the cost and train time of land military units) Retrains Daimyo | |
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Kami Worship passive ability (increases XP acquisition rate) | |
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Acts as if it was two Shrines Tomb of Ieyasu passive ability (increases the resource generation rate of all Shrines) |
United States[]
Age | Federal State | Bonuses | Federal Cards |
---|---|---|---|
Massachusetts |
Plymouth Settlers: Ships 300 food and 1 Native Scout; all existing Town Centers spawn 3 Pilgrims Boston Tea Party: Arrives fast! Deposits 350 coin and exchanges all current food for 25% more coin | ||
Virginia |
Virginia Plan: Gives 2 Home City shipments Culpeper Minutemen: Levy/Conscription global cooldown -50%; Minutemen hit point degeneration rate -50%; each Town Center spawns 6 Minutemen | ||
Delaware |
Fertile Lowlands: Ships 6 Cows with 150 food and 2 Homestead Wagons Delaware Blues: Ships 1 Regular for each shipment sent so far this game including this one | ||
Pennsylvania |
Philadelphia Convention: Ships 1 Meeting House Wagon and Pennsylvania Pound, 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, and Pennsylvania Cavalry available at the Meeting House Tammany Festival: Ships 1 Native Embassy Travois; Cree technologies and units available at the Native Embassy | ||
Rhode Island |
Corliss Steam Engine: Iron Horse cost removed and available in any Age; Steamers available in the Commerce Age and Ironclads available in the Fortress Age Slater Textile Mill: Grants 30 food for every Villager and 20 wood for every Fishing Boat; Villagers cost -30 food and Fishing Boats cost -20 wood |
Mexicans[]
Age | Federal State | Bonuses | Federal Cards |
---|---|---|---|
Chiapas |
Tzotzil Uprising: Ships 3 Maya Holcan Javelineers for each constructed Hacienda Maya Crops: All existing and newly constructed Haciendas spawn Maya Crops containing 300 food | ||
Durango |
Fortified Haciendas: Ships 1 Hacienda Wagon; Haciendas gain a ranged attack when villagers are garrisoned inside them Cerro de Mercado: Arrives fast! Deposits 350 coin and exchanges all current wood for 25% more coin | ||
Michoacán |
Colegio de San Nicolás: Ships 500 XP; units get +4 LOS and buildings get +8; temporarily reveals the enemy's position Michoacán Fishermen: Ships 2 Dock Wagons; ships 1 Fishing Boat for each shipment sent so far this game including this one | ||
Querétaro |
Arteaga Reforms: Arrives fast! The next Federal State research double its reward and the next upgrade researched at a Barracks is free Querétaro Haciendas: Ships 1 Hacienda Wagon and Haciendas now support 20 population | ||
Tlaxcala |
Tlaxcala Alliance: Ships 1 Native Embassy Travois; Conquistador, Smokeless Powder, Flying Buttress, Tlaxcala Initiation, and Tlaxcaltec Chocolate Recipes available at Native Embassy; Tlaxcaltec Scouting/Raiding/War Party available at Town Center; The player is considered to be allied with the Jesuit Mission for "Native Treaties" Tlaxcala Textiles: Ships 2 Settlers; each new and existing Hacienda musters 2 Settlers |
Ethiopians[]
Age | Ally | Shipments | Bonuses |
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Somalis |
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Habesha |
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Jesuits |
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Portuguese |
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Sudanese |
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Hausa[]
Age | Ally | Shipments | Bonuses |
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Berbers |
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Hausa |
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Moroccans |
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Songhai |
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Akan |
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Available units and buildings[]
- Artillery Foundry - Abus Gunner, Grenadier (Commerce Age for British, Dutch, Ottomans, and Russians)
- Barracks - Pikeman, Doppelsoldner, Crossbowman, Musketeer, Longbowman, Skirmisher (Dutch only), Janissary, Strelet
- Caravanserai (Indians only)
- Church - Priest and Missionary
- Corral (Haudenosaunee and Lakota only)
- Native Embassy (available once a Trading Post is built on a minor civilization settlement)
- Saloon (United States only)
- Tavern (European civilizations only)
- Stable
- War Academy (Chinese only)
- War Hut (Native American civilizations only)
- War Camp (African civilizations only)
- Palace (African civilizations only)
Ages in the Age of Empires series | |
---|---|
Age of Empires | |
Stone Age · Tool Age · Bronze Age · Iron Age Cut: Prehistoric Age · Republic Age | |
Age of Empires II | |
Dark Age · Feudal Age · Castle Age · Imperial Age | |
Age of Mythology | |
Archaic Age · Classical Age · Heroic Age · Mythic Age · Titan Age | |
Age of Empires III | |
Exploration Age · Commerce Age · Fortress Age · Industrial Age · Imperial Age Revolution | |
Age of Empires IV | |
Dark Age · Feudal Age · Castle Age · Imperial Age |