Cow

The Cow is a herdable animal in Age of Empires II: The Forgotten, Age of Mythology, and Age of Empires III.

Age of Empires II

Cow
Herdable animal
Hit points	14
Line of Sight	3
Maximum food	150
Recommended no. of shepherds	4-6

Introduced in The Forgotten, Cows yield 150 food, similarly to Water Buffalo (which in turn appear in Rise of the Rajas). They appear primarily on European maps.

But, they have 14 HP rather than 7 HP, the only one out of six herdables in the game, meaning that Scout Cavalry and Militia in the Dark Age will find it harder to deprive a player of livestock. However, their speed is only 0.65 (all other herdables have 0.7). Like all herdables, they have 3 Line of Sight.

In the Honfoglalás scenario, players can train Cows for 35 food at the Town Center. Players can also train Sheep there, but Cows are a bit more cost-efficient.

In the Definitive Edition, Cows appear now in four different variants known as Cow A, Cow B, Cow C, and Cow D. These variants are listed as different units in the Scenario Editor and are not different sprites of the same unit, like the variants in Age of Empires III. All four cows are identical except in coat: A is black and white (like the old Cow), B is all black, C is brown and white, and D is all brown. All variants have the same icon.

Gallery

HD sprite of the Cow

Villagers herding Cows to a Town Center

All Cow variants in the Definitive Edition

Age of Mythology

Cow
Herdable animal
Hit points	20
Maximum food	400
Recommended no. of shepherds	4-7

In Age of Mythology, the cow can be found in the wild on several Norse-themed, such as the Midgard and Jotunheim (making it rarer than Pigs and Goats). Cows fatten over-time (at a base rate of 0.51 food), and have a maximum capacity of 400 food, which is 100 more food that the one both Pigs and Goats provide.

Unlike in Age of Empires II, Cows in Age of Mythology are not advised to be used as scouts due to their small line-of-sight, and poor speed. The use of Cows in food production can be effective after researching Husbandry and after all usable hunt has been exhausted; as a herdable unit, it is the second fastest form of food gathered by Villagers, behind the aforementioned hunt.

Age of Empires III

Cow
Herdable animal
Hit points	20
Speed	4-6
Line of Sight	9
Food cost	80
Trained at	Livestock Pen (Europeans except Portuguese and Spanish, with the Ranching Home City Card) Farm (Native Americans, with the Ranching Home City Card)
Train time	15 seconds
Train limit	20
Initial food	50
Maximum food	500
Fatten rate	0.25 1 (when tasked to Livestock Pen, Farm, or Village)
XP generation rate (Indians)	0.1 0.2 (when tasked to Sacred Field)
Shrine resource generation rate	0.14
Recommended no. of shepherds	1

Cows tasked to a Sacred Field

In Age of Empires III, the Cow is a much more effective livestock animal than the Sheep. Stray Cows can be found on the Texas and Painted Desert maps and can be obtained from Treasures. Every European civilization but the Dutch, can send a shipment of 7 Cows. Alternatively, all European civilizations save the Spanish and Portuguese can send the Ranching Home City card, which grants the ability to produce Cows from the Livestock Pen. They are excellent herdables, costing 80 food, and, when fully fattened, granting 500.

In The Asian Dynasties, the Indians cannot kill Cows (or any other herdables) for food. Instead, they get experience points slowly as the time passes. They get XP faster when Cows are tasked on a Sacred Field. They are known as Sacred Cows when captured/trained by Indians. The Japanese cannot gather food from herdables either. Instead, they can task them to Shrines to increase that Shrine's gather rate.

Home City Cards

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

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All Card Description Age Home City level Stockyards Livestocks fatten 30% faster when tasked to Livestock Pens, Farms, and Villages 1 The Stockyards card is available to European civilizations except Dutch and Portuguese, Iroquois, and Chinese. British Card Description Age Home City level TEAM Wool Staple Ports Livestock fattens 20% faster; Indian livestock generate +20% XP; Japanese livestock contributes 20% more to Shrines' resource/XP trickle 10 Europeans Card Description Age Home City level 7 Cows Ships 7 Cows 1 The 7 Cows card is not available to the Dutch. Indians Card Description Age Home City level TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and attack 25 Goraksha Livestock generates +80% XP and Sacred Cows cost -20% +1 Villager 10 Spanish Card Description Age Home City level TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 LOS 10

History

“

Scientific Name: Bos taurus Approx. Size: 5 ft. at the shoulder, 1,200 lb. Diet: Grasses Cattle accompanied Europeans to the Americas. Spanish expeditions often traveled with herds of oxen, cattle, sheep, and pigs in tow. The famous Texas Longhorn was bred from Spanish cattle brought from Santo Domingo, though who brought them is unclear. The original herd is said to have accompanied a viceroy, Gregorio de Villalobos, but other Spanish longhorn cattle drives are attributed to Coronado and even Christopher Columbus. Most of the cattle that lived in the central plains of North America, the herds that sparked range wars and gave birth to cowboys, came from the breeding of these Spanish longhorns and the northern European cattle brought east by other settlers.

”

Gallery

Cow portrait in the Age of Empires III beta