A Crate, also generally called a resource crate, cache, or supply, is a pile of resources in Age of Empires III which can be extracted by villagers (like Settlers and Villagers) extremely fast. There are several types of resource piles with different names. They all have the word "crate" in their name in the Scenario Editor.
Players begin standard games with some crates spawning near their starting Town Centers, and sometimes also from those constructed later. When resources are shipped from the Home City, they nearly always are in the form of crates. Players can gather resources from their own crates as well as from those of other players, including enemies. Unlike other resources, idle villagers automatically collect from crates nearby. This is convenient, as crates can be shipped from the Home City with a few villagers left idle or collecting other crates nearby, and they will start collecting when the new crates arrive, without the player having to manually task them.
The amount of resources in a crate depends on its size and name: the one named tiny have 50, normal ones (without any special prefix) have 100, huge/plentiful usually have 500, though they can also have 400 or 600, while some normal ones may have variant amounts like 85 or 150. Each individual crate can be usually gathered by a maximum of eight units at a time. By default, each Villager or Settler collects resources at the rate of 460/minute, a Coureur des Bois or Cree Coureur des Bois at 600/minute, and a Settler Wagon at 900/minute. Home City Cards like Silk Road and the technology Nanban Trade increase collection rates of specific types of crates.
Food supplies are in the form of Tiny Crate of Food, Crates of Food, Huge Crates of Food, Crates of 400 Food, Pile of Wheat, Large Pile of Wheat, Crate of Surströmming, Pile of Squash, Large Pile of Squash, Maya Crops, Delicious Feast, and Huge Delicious Feast. Wheat, squash, and turkey come in amount variants of 100 and 500 only. The Maya Crops always contain 300 food and look identical to Large Pile of Squash.
Food crates look different for European, Native American/African, and Asian civilizations.
Various standard crates of food Top: European and campaign-only civilizations Bottom-right: African and Native American civilizations Bottom-left: Asian civilizations
Other food supplies, clockwise: Delicious Feast, Maya Crops and Squashes, Piles of Wheat, and a Crate of Surströmming
Crate of Surströmming[]
A Crate of Surströmming is unique as it "fattens" over time like herdable animals do. It starts at 100 food and fattens at 1 food/second, with no upper limit. It is only available to the Swedes, and only 10 such crates can be present at a time. It looks identical to the Asian variant of a Huge Crates of Food. Once a player starts to harvest it, its food amount stops increasing.
Wood supplies are in the form of Cords of Wood, Cords of 400 Wood, and Huge Cords of Wood. Like food crates, wood cords also have three regional aesthetic variants: European, Native American/African, and Asian.
Various standard cords of wood Top: European and campaign-only civilizations Bottom-right: African and Native American civilizations Bottom-left: Asian civilizations
Coin supplies are always in the form of Chests of Coin, Chests of 400 Coin, or Huge Chests of Coin.
Unlike food and wood, chests of coin come in four regional variants, with the Native American and African civilizations having distinct styles of gold chests.
Various standard chests of coin, left to right: Top row: Asian civilizations, European / campaign-only civilizations Bottom row: Native American civilizations, African civilizations
Influence for the African civilizations comes in the form of Tokens of Influence, Plentiful Tokens of 400 Influence, and Plentiful Tokens of Influence. The bags seem to contain cowry shells.
Various Tokens of Influence (left)
Closeup
Home City Cards[]
Click for a list of Home City Cards related to Crates
Some cards are highlighted with:
Green
TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple
Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Delivers 1 Huge Crates of Food and 1 Crates of Food
Crates of 700 Food
Delivers 1 Huge Crates of Food and 2 Crates of Food
Crates of 1000 Food
Delivers 2 Huge Crates of Food
Crates of 1600 Food
Delivers 3 Huge Crates of Food and 1 Crates of Food
Crates of 500 Food, 500 Wood, and 500 Coin
Delivers 1 Huge Crates of Food, 1 Huge Cords of Wood, and Huge 1 Chests of Coin
Cords of 300 Wood
Delivers 3 Cords of Wood
Cords of 600 Wood
Delivers 1 Huge Cords of Wood and 1 Cords of Wood
Cords of 700 Wood
Delivers 1 Huge Cords of Wood and 2 Cords of Wood
Cords of 1000 Wood
Delivers 2 Huge Cords of Wood
Cords of 1600 Wood
Delivers 3 Huge Cords of Wood and 1 Cords of Wood
Cords of 1200 Wood
Delivers 2 Huge Cords of Wood and 2 Cords of Wood
Cords of 1000 Wood
Delivers 2 Huge Cords of Wood
Chests of 300 Coin
Delivers 3 Chests of Coin
Chests of 600 Coin
Delivers 1 Huge Chests of Coin and 1 Chests of Coin
Chests of 700 Coin
Delivers 1 Huge Chests of Coin and 2 Chests of Coin
Chests of 1000 Coin
Delivers 2 Huge Chests of Coin
Chests of 1600 Coin
Delivers 3 Huge Chests of Coin and 1 Chests of Coin
TEAM Chests of 1000 Coin
Delivers 2 Huge Chests of Coin
"Crates of 600 Food" is not available to the Inca.
"Crates of 700 Food" is not available to the Haudenosaunee and Japanese.
"Crates of 1000 Food" is not available to the Aztec, Haudenosaunee, Inca, and Ottomans.
"Crates of 1600 Food" is available to the Chinese, Dutch, Hausa, Italians, Maltese, Mexicans, Portuguese, Russians, Spanish, Swedes, and United States.
"Crates of 500 Food, 500 Wood, and 500 Coin" is available to the Haudenosaunee, and also French upon revolting to Revolutionary France.
"Cords of 600 Wood" is not available to the Haudenosaunee, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
"Cords of 700 Wood" is not available to the Haudenosaunee, Inca, and Japanese.
"Cords of 1000 Wood" is available to all civilizations.
"Cords of 1600 Wood" is available to the Aztecs, Chinese, Dutch, French, Italians, Mexicans, Portuguese, Russians, and Swedes.
"Cords of 1200 Wood" is available to the Ethiopians, Hausa, and Inca.
"Cords of 1000 Wood" is available to the Russians, and also Mexicans upon revolting to Yucatán.
"Chests of 600 Coin" is not available to the Aztecs, Inca, Indians, and Japanese.
"Chests of 700 Coin" is not available to the Aztecs, Haudenosaunee, and Japanese.
"Chests of 1000 Coin" is not available to the Aztecs, Haudenosaunee, Inca, Japanese, Lakota, Maltese, and Spanish.
"Chests of 1600 Coin" is not available to the Aztecs, British, Dutch, French, Germans, Haudenosaunee, Inca, Indians, Japanese, Lakota, Maltese, Ottomans, Spanish, and Swedes.
"Chests of 1000 Coin" is available to the Aztecs and Ottomans.
Delivers 1 Huge Chests of Coin (500 coin); villager gather work rate for mine, Estate, Rice Paddy (coin), Field (coin), and Hacienda (coin) +15%; Hacienda auto gather coin work rate for coin +15%
Maya Crops
All existing and newly constructed Haciendas spawn 1 Maya Crops (300 food)
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
Pánuco Waterway
Home City crates shipments cost 0, but arrive time +200%
Crates of 1000 Food
Delivers 2 Huge Crates of Food
Chests of 1000 Coin
Delivers 2 Huge Chests of Coin
Maya Ceramics
Delivers 2 Chests of Coin (200 coin) for each shipment sent so far this game, including this one; grants "Tonalá Ceramics"
Delivers 4 Cords of Wood (400 wood); villager gather work rate for tree and Mango Grove +10%
Minneapolis Mills
Delivers 2 Crates of 400 Food (800 food); villager gather work rate for Mill, Farm, Rice Paddy (food), and Hacienda (food) +10%; Hacienda auto gather food work rate for food +10%
Plymouth Settlers
Delivers 3 Pile of Squash (300 food) and 1 Native Scout; each Town Center and Command Post spawns 3 Pilgrims
New Jersey Seaports
Crate shipments from cards are delivered directly into stockpile and deliver +300 additional resources; any resource shipments which have been sent may be sent again
"Plymouth Settlers" is available upon selecting the Plymouth Federal State.
"New Jersey Seaports" is available upon selecting the New Jersey Federal State.
A cache of resources that gatherers can collect very quickly. Crates of Food, Cords of Wood, and Chests of Coin are generally delivered from the Home City to Town Centers or Outposts. They provide resources very quickly, but in a very limited amount. Any player can gather from any crate, which means allies can share them or enemies can steal them if they are left at a Town Center. Guard crates carefully, or better yet, use them as soon as possible!
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—In-game compendium section
Trivia[]
Export is the only resource in Age of Empires III which does not exist in the form of crates.
The icon of the technology Supplies in Age of Empires II shows a very similar-looking food crate.