Fish are animals and a food source in every game of the Age of Empires series. They are a common sight on any map with open expanses of water.
General information[]
Fish are quite common and provide plenty of food. Either a Villager or Fishing Boat/Ship can be used for fishing, although a Villager can only reach fish alongside a shoreline or shallows. Fish have no hit points, and don't flee or fight back, making them a relatively easy source of naturally occurring food.
In Age of Empires, fishing vessels have a gathering rate of 0.4 food per second, which is the slowest rate in the game. Foraging and farming are a slightly faster 0.45 food per second, hunting is 0.4725, and Villager fishing is an incredibly speedy 0.6. Therefore, it is advisable to save shoreline-accessible fish for Villagers, who can deposit the food in a Town Center, Storage Pit, and (in Return of Rome) Dock. However, Shore Fish occupy just a single tile (whereas other types are 2x2 tiles), so multiple Villagers can easily run out of space to gather from a single source.
In Age of Empires II, Shore Fish are gathered faster by Villagers (0.43 versus 0.28 food per second), but Fishing Ships are speedier with other species (0.49 food per second). Shore Fish are the only type that is typically accessible from the shore, and as in the first game, only occupies one tile. On some maps they are replaced by Box Turtles, which function identically. All the other fish are found in deeper water, and take 2×2 tiles. In the Scenario Editor, it is possible to stack fish, thus creating practically inexhaustible sources of food, and to place ocean fish along the coastline.
Age of Mythology was the first game not to include shore-fishing (due to how rare fish spawn close enough to the shore line due to algorithms and their obstruction radii).
List of fish[]
The following list shows all types of fish that appear in every game of the Age of Empires series and the amount of food they yield.
Age of Empires[]
- Salmon - 250 food
- Shore Fish - 250 food (200 food since Return of Rome)
- Tuna - 250 food
- Whale - 300 food (removed since Return of Rome)
Since Return of Rome, fish from Age of Empires II were also added.
Age of Empires II[]
- Box Turtles - 200 food
- Dolphin - 350 food
- Dorado - 225 food
- Marlin - 350 food
- Perch - 200 food
- Salmon - 225 food
- Shore Fish - 200 food
- Snapper - 225 food
- Tuna - 225 food
Age of Mythology[]
- Anchovy - Infinite food (beta only)
- Herring - Infinite food
- Mahi-mahi - Infinite food
- Perch - Infinite food
- Salmon - Infinite food
- Shark - Not gatherable
Age of Empires III[]
- Bass - 500 food
- Carp - 500 food
- Catfish - 500 food
- Cod - 500 food
- Mahi-mahi - 500 food
- Mola Mola - 500 food
- Salmon - 500 food
- Sardines - 500 food
- Squid - 500 food
- Tuna - 500 food
- Fishing Ground - 10,000 food
Age of Empires IV[]
- Shoreline Fish - 500 food
- Deep Water Fish - Infinite food (1 cooldown period for every 1,000 food gathered)
“ | Use Fishing Boats to gather Food from the Deep Water Fish. Once depleted, Deep Water Fish will return after a while and can be gathered again. | ” |
Icons[]
Trivia[]
- Shore Fish were originally intended to appear in Age of Mythology, according to the presence of unused models in the Multiplayer Alpha. They were however cut when Villager fishing was removed.
- Whales in Age of Empires III are functionally similar to Fish, except they provide an infinite amount of gold instead of a finite amount of food, and can only be gathered by four boats at a time. Like Fish, they can also be gathered by the light warships Caravel, Galley, War Junk, and Fune.
Resources in Age of Empires series | |
---|---|
Common | Food · Wood · Gold/Coin · Stone* |
Age of Mythology | Favor |
Age of Empires III | XP · Export · Influence |
Age of Empires IV | Bounty · Vizier Point · Olive Oil |
Extractable resource sources in the Age of Empires series | |
Common | Tree · Gold Mine · Stone Mine* · Berry Bush · Farm (I · II · M · III · IV) · Animals (Fish · Herdable animal) |
Age of Empires II | Fish Trap |
Age of Mythology | Jade Mine |
Age of Empires III | Cherry Orchard · Coal Mine · Copper Mine · Crate · Diamond Mine · Estate · Field · Hacienda · Mango Grove · Mill · Rice Paddy · Rock · Salt Mine · Silver Mine · Tin Mine |
Age of Empires IV | Olive Grove |
* not used in Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III |