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Aoe2de food

Food is a primary resource players must collect in all titles of the Age of Empires series, including Age of Mythology.

Players must constantly gather food for creating units, researching technologies, sending shipments, and advancing their empire through all the Ages.

Meatgathericon aoe2de

There are various ways to gather food, all of which are listed here. If not stated otherwise, these methods are available in all games of the series.

Foraging[]

Main article: Berry Bush
Foodgathericon aoe2de
Villager berrybushanim aoe2de

Berry picking in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Berry Bushes are typically scattered throughout the map in clumps at the start of the game. They are mostly used early on since they are relatively accessible, allowing a boost for growing civilizations. The advantages of Forage Bushes over hunting is that they are fixed in one location throughout the game and the food does not decay over time, making gathering food more efficient. Bushes usually do not last very long because they are not very common and do not replenish once they are consumed. They also fall behind all other food sources in later stages of a game, as technologies improve gathering rates.

Hunting[]

Main article: Hunt
Hunticon aoe2de
Villager huntanim aoe2de

Two Villagers hunting a deer in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Other than gathering berries, hunting animals and wild game is the first way that a player can go about gathering food. During the early parts of the game, hunting is by far the best way to acquire food for one's settlement as the gather rates are faster than any other source of food. Most Animals can be found in groups all through the maps, when one is shot, the others will run in the opposite direction.

This can be useful, because with enough patience, the player can use their units to herd them closer to drop-off points. The major downside of animals is that they are non-sustainable and players will do a lot of traveling to get to find them.

On the other hand, stronger animals such as Boars will defend themselves and can pose a threat to single Villagers. However, this, too, can be taken advantage of by having a single Villager attack them and gradually retreating closer to a drop-off point with other hunters ready to kill it. These animals are typically found alone or in pairs, but they also hold much more food than prey animals.

There are animals in the game that cannot be hunted such as birds as well as animals such as Wolves which can be killed but do not provide food. It is important to note that in all Age of Empires games (excluding Age of Empires IV), the food content of an animal deteriorates over time; thus, ideally animals should be collected from by more than one Villager to minimize this food loss.

Herding[]

Main article: Herdable animal
Meatgathericon aoe2de
Sheepfind anim aoe2de

Scout searching for herdeable sheep in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Age of Empires II introduced the Sheep as a domestic animal, with more types of herdable animals being introduced in later games. Herdable animals can be found anywhere on the map as Gaia/Mother Nature units ,and when they come in contact with a player-controlled unit, they will fall under the control of that player. However, if the herdable animal subsequently gets in contact with another player's unit without a unit of their current owner nearby, they will immediately fall under the other player's control.

When tasking a Villager on a domestic animal, the Villager will herd them to the nearest food drop site and slaughter them one by one and start gathering meat, similar to a hunted animal.

In Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III, herdables do not start out with their full food values, but "fatten" over time, until they are killed. In Age of Empires III, Livestock Pens, Villages, and Farms can train herdables, and fatten them faster.

Farming[]

Main article: Farm
FarmDE
Farming anim aoe2de

A Villager farming in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Farms provide a steady amount of food that is easy to gather from because its placement is done by the player so the Farms can be placed at a safe and economically beneficial position (close to a drop-off point). Also, the gathering rate of Farms is comparatively high. In Age of Empires II and Age of Empires, the food held by Farms is finite, but the amount held can be increased by researching certain technologies.

In Age of Empires III, there are two different buildings that can be considered Farms: The Farm and the Mill. They provide infinite food.

The major downside is that Farms cost wood which is why, especially in the early game, other food sources should be used as long as they are available. In games where Farms provide infinite food, they are also slower food sources early on, while benefiting from multiple technologies to increase the gathering speed.

Fish Traps[]

Main article: Fish Trap

Fish Traps appear in Age of Empires II and are essentially aquatic Farms worked by Fishing Ships. They cost more wood, but provide more food. The drop-off point for the Fishing Ships is the Dock.

Fishing[]

Main article: Fishing
Villager fishanim aoe2de

A fishing Villager.

Fishicon aoe2de

Fishing Boats, Fishing Ships, Caravels, and Villagers can usually gather Fish if there is a significant amount of water on the map. In Age of Empires III and the expansions, all forms of Canoes and the Marathan Catamaran gather slower than all other fishing ships.

Fishing is most effective in Age of Mythology because fishing spots contain an infinite amount of food. However, only one Fishing Boat can gather from a fishing spot at a time, similar to Farms.

Resource exchange[]

Main article: Market

At the Market, gold can be traded for food, but for the exchange, trade fees apply. The resource exchange is unavailable in Age of Empires.

Other methods[]

Relics for Burgundians and their allies will also create food.

Trade Cart for Bengalis and their allies will also create food.

For Gurjaras, they can garrison herdables into the Mill to get infinite food.

The Feitoria, the unique building of the Portuguese, creates 1.6 food per second.

Gathering rates[]

AoE2-DLCicon-0 Age of Empires II[]

Villagers gather food from different sources at a different speed. The table below shows all theoretical (no walking time) gathering rates in descending order:

Villager type Resource Gathering rate (resources/second)
Villager f food aoe2DEVillager m food aoe2DE Fisherman Fish preview Fish (all) 0.43
Villager f food aoe2DEVillager m food aoe2DE Hunter Deer aoe2de Huntable animals 0.41
Villager f food aoe2DEVillager m food aoe2DE Shepherd Sheep prev aoe2de Herdable animals 0.33
Villager f food aoe2DEVillager m food aoe2DE Farmer FarmDE Farm 0.32
Villager f food aoe2DEVillager m food aoe2DE Forager Foragebushes prev aoe2 Berry Bush 0.31

A generic Villager farming right next to a drop site, including walking time, results in a practical gathering rate of approximately 0.356 food/second without any upgrades, and 0.49 food/second with all upgrades.

Work rates per second for the Fishing Ship are:

Resource Base gather rate With GillnetsDE Gillnets
Fish preview Deep-sea fish 0.5 0.6
Fish trap aoe2DE Fish Trap 0.36 0.43
AoE2 DE shore fish icon Shore Fish 0.28 0.34

3Icon48px Age of Empires III[]

Age of Empires III offers a wider variety of options to obtain food. They are explained below.

Politicians and Tribal Council[]

Main article: Politician
Main article: Tribal Council

Aging up brings its own benefits, including resource deliveries.

Trading Posts[]

Main article: Trading Post

Building Trading Posts is another way to obtain food, and produce around 120 units of a selected resource for free each minute by a Stagecoach, Trade Cart, or Train (144/min) at the Trade Route. Minor native civilizations may provide food bonuses otherwise unobtainable as well.

Rice Paddies[]

Main article: Rice Paddy

Rice Paddies can be tasked to generate food and if they are, they provide a steady and unlimited trickle of food.

Factories[]

Main article: Factory

Factories can be tasked to generate food and if they are, they provide a steady and unlimited trickle of food.

Decay rate[]

Huntable and herdable animals decay at a rate of 45.6 units per minute.

Gather rates[]

This table shows the initial gathering rates. Card and Consulate granted trickle rates are fixed and cannot be increased, though they can be stacked with other trickles available to that civilization. Trade Routes will vary depending on length and number of sites available; shown is the average one can expect on the majority of maps.

The Japanese can not gather food from huntable, or herdable animals except via shrines. Indians can not gather food from herdable animals, but can hunt.

Note: The gather rate for Coureur des Bois, and Cree Coureur des Bois is not a typo, they do gather slower from a Berry Bush or Cherry Orchard than a Mill. Therefore, Mills are always preferable to berries for anyone using them. On the other hand, Farms are inferior to berries for The WarChiefs major civilizations. Finally, Settler Wagons gather from hunts slightly faster than two Settlers or Villagers, though Wagons gather from crates much slower than two of those units.
Method Initial rate
Grazing (card) 3 food per minute per Sowar and/or Zamburak, 6 wood per minute per elephant (including Brahmin and War Elephants)
Shrine 6 coin, wood, and 8.4 food per minute per Shrine (20 maximum, 168 food/min)
TEAM Sumptuary Laws (card) 12 coin, food, wood, and 6 export and experience per minute
Canoes / Catamaran (fish) 13.2/min per Canoe or Marathan Catamaran (finite source)
Sumptuary Laws (card) 18 coin, food, wood, and 9 export and experience per minute
Toshogu Shrine 21 coin, wood, and food per minute, and increases regular shrine gather rates by 33%
Huntable 50.4/min per Settler/Villager, 62.4/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 102/min per Settler Wagon (finite source)
Fishing Boats / Ships 40.2/min per ship (finite source)
Farm 30/min per Settler/Villager, 37.2/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 60/min per Settler Wagon (10 maximum, 300/min, 372/min, 600/min)
Berry Bush / Cherry Orchard 40.2/min per Settler/Villager, 49.8/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 80.4/min per Settler Wagon (finite source)
German ally (Consulate) 75/min as long as they remain an ally
Colbertism (card) 75/min
Trade Route (stagecoach/trade cart) 120/min per Trading Post
Herdable 120/min per Settler, 75/min Villager, 150/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 240/min per Settler Wagon
Factory 330/min per factory
Porcelain Tower 180 (Colonial), 270 (Fortress), 360 (Industrial), or 390 (Imperial) food per minute depending on the Age in which it is constructed.
Mill / Rice Paddy 40.2/min per Settler/Villager, 50.4/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 80.4/min per Settler Wagon (10 maximum, 402/min, 504/min, 804/min)
Crate (all) 460/min per Settler/Villager, 600/min per Coureur des Bois/Cree Coureur des Bois, 900/min per Settler Wagon

Technologies[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.

Home City Cards[]

Age of Empires III also offers the option of Home City Cards and native shipments as a means to get extra food. The WarChiefs, and The Asian Dynasties allow alternative native shipments, new cards, and Consulate shipments. Once selected, food arrives in the form of crates, huntable herds, or trickle effects to the shipment point, which by default is the Town Center. Settlers, and Villagers must work on the crates and huntables to unpack or harvest them to add to the food supply.

Civilization differences
Click for a list of Home City Cards related to Food
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
Red Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All[]

Card Description Age
Spanish Home City 1 (300 Food) Crates of 300 Food Ships 300 food
Age I tech tree aoe3
Spanish Home City 1 (600 Food) Crates of 600 Food Ships 600 food
Age II tech tree aoe3
Spanish Home City 1 (700 Food) Crates of 700 Food Ships 700 food
Age II tech tree aoe3
Spanish Home City 1 (1000 Food) Crates of 1000 Food Ships 1,000 food
Age III tech tree aoe3
Portuguese Home City 1 (1600 Food) Crates of 1600 Food Ships 1,600 food
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
Colbertism Colbertism Gives a trickle of 1.5 food
Age I tech tree aoe3
French Home City 4 (Fur Trade) Fur Trade Exchanges food all for 1.2Ɨ the coin
Age I tech tree aoe3
The Germans receive Uhlans from every shipment in equal amounts of Age number, except Exploration Age.
The Indians receive a Villager from every shipment except TEAM and INF cards.
The Japanese can ship resource cards twice.
The "Crates of 600 Food" card is not available to Inca.
The "Crates of 700 Food" card is not available to Haudenosaunee and Japanese.
The "Crates of 1000 Food" card is not available to Aztec, Haudenosaunee, Inca, and Ottomans.
The "Crates of 1600 Food" card is available to Chinese, Dutch, Hausa, Italians, Maltese, Mexicans, Portuguese, Russians, Spanish, Swedes, and United States.
The "Colbertism" card is available to Dutch, French, and Swedes.
The "Fur Trade" card is available to French, Haudenosaunee, Indians, and Lakota.

Asians[]

Card Description Age
Japanese Home City 4 (Sumptuary Laws) Sumptuary Laws Gives a trickle of 0.3 food, 0.3 wood, 0.3 coin, 0.15 export, 0.15 XP
Age I tech tree aoe3
The Indians have TEAM Sumptuary Laws instead.

Africans[]

Card Description Age
Charity Charity Exchanges all food for 0.75Ɨ the influence
Age I tech tree aoe3

Dutch[]

Card Description Age
Dutch Home City 4 (Dutch Paintings) Dutch Paintings Exchanges all coin for the 1.0Ɨ food
Age I tech tree aoe3

Haudenosaunee[]

Card Description Age
Iroquois Home City 1 (300 FWC) Crates of 100 Food, 100 Wood, and 100 Coin Ships 100 food, 100 wood, 100 coin
Age I tech tree aoe3
Haudenosaunee Home City 1 (800 FWC) Crates of 300 Food, 300 Wood, and 200 Coin Ships 300 food, 300 wood, 200 coin
Age II tech tree aoe3
Iroquois Home City 1 (900 FWC) Crates of 300 Food, 300 Wood, and 300 Coin Ships 300 food, 300 wood, 300 coin
Age III tech tree aoe3
Iroquois Home City 1 (1200 FWC) Crates of 400 Food, 400 Wood, and 400 Coin Ships 400 food, 400 wood, 400 coin
Age III tech tree aoe3
Iroquois Home City 1 (1800 FWC) Crates of 600 Food, 600 Wood, and 600 Coin Ships 600 food, 600 wood, 600 coin
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
Iroquois Home City 1 (1500 FWC Inf) Crates of 500 Food, 500 Wood, and 500 Coin Ships 500 food, 500 wood, 500 coin
Age IV tech tree aoe 3

Hausa[]

Card Description Age
Hausa Home City 4 (Koose) Koose Gives 30 food for every Field built; Villagers gather food from Mills, Farms, Rice Paddies, Fields, and Haciendas 10% faster
Age I tech tree aoe3

Inca[]

Card Description Age
Inca Home City 4 (Camayos) Camayos Exchanges all food for 1.0Ɨ the coin
Age I tech tree aoe3

Indians[]

Card Description Age
Indian Home City 4 (TEAM Sumptuary Laws) TEAM Sumptuary Laws Gives a trickle of 0.2 food, 0.2 wood, 0.2 coin, 0.1 export, 0.1 XP, 0.1 influence
Age I tech tree aoe3
Indian Home City 2(Grazing) Grazing Camel units (Sowars, Zamburaks, Berber Camel Riders and Gatling Camels) generate 0.05 food per second; Elephant units (Indian Monks, Mahout Lancers, Howdahs, Flail Elephants, Siege Elephants, and War Elephants) generate 0.1 wood per second; Sacred Cows generate 0.075 coin per second, +1 Villager
Age II tech tree aoe3

Italians[]

Card Description Age
Italian Home City 1 (TEAM Pizza) TEAM Pizza Ships 100 food, 100 wood, 100 coin, 100 XP
Age II tech tree aoe3

Japanese[]

Card Description Age
Japanese Home City 1 (600 Food) Crates of 600 Food Ships 600 food
Age II tech tree aoe3
Japanese Home City 1 (1000 Food) Crates of 1000 Food Ships 1,000 food
Age III tech tree aoe3

Lakota[]

Card Description Age
Sioux Home City 1 (600 Food) TEAM Crates of 600 Food Ships 600 food
Age III tech tree aoe3
Sioux Home City 1 (1000 Food) TEAM Crates of 1000 Food Ships 1,000 food
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
Sioux Home City 4 (Great Hunter) Great Hunter Villagers gather from huntable animals 20% faster, and adds 10% of all food collected from hunted animals so far to the player's stockpile (up to 1,500 food)
Age II tech tree aoe3

Maltese[]

Card Description Age
Maltese Home City 1 (Merchant Republics) Merchant Republics Returns 25% of resources previously gained from Trade Routes; Trade routes generate 35% more resources
Age I tech tree aoe3
Maltese Home City 3 (Barrakka Gardens) Barrakka Gardens Exchanges all food for an equal amount of wood
Age I tech tree aoe3
Maltese Home City 4 (Sicilian Supply) Sicilian Supply Villagers gather from Mills 25% faster; grants a trickle of 2.75 food
Age IV tech tree aoe 3

Mexicans[]

Card Description Age
Mexico card Chipotle Tactics Chipotle Tactics Receive food when an enemy or own building is destroyed equal to 20% ~ 40% of its total cost; Ships 500 food
Age II tech tree aoe3

Ottomans[]

Card Description Age
Ottoman Home City 1 (Silk Road) Silk Road Crates and Trade Routes contain +25% resources and XP
Age I tech tree aoe3
Ottoman Home City 4 (Sublime Porte) Sublime Porte Exchanges all food for 1.25Ɨ the wood
Age I tech tree aoe3

Portuguese[]

Card Description Age
Portuguese Home City 4 (Feitorias) Feitorias Town Centers generate 0.5 food, 0.24 wood, 0.24 coin per second (totally 0.98 per Town Center)
Age I tech tree aoe3

Swedes[]

Card Description Age
Swedish Home City 1 (Sursrtƶmming) Surstrƶmming Ships 2 Surstrƶmming crates (provides 100 food which increases at a rate of 1 food every second if not gathered); only 10 Surstrƶmming crates can be present at a time
Age I tech tree aoe3
Swedish Home City 4 (Oxenstierna Reforms) Oxenstierna Reforms Exchanges all coin for 1.25Ɨ food
Age I tech tree aoe3

United States[]

Card Description Age
United States Home City 4 (Minneapolis Mills) Minneapolis Mills Ships 800 food; Villagers gather food from Mills, Farms, Fields, and Rice Paddies 10% faster
Age IV tech tree aoe 3

Cheats[]

The following cheat codes instantly grant the player food:

Resources in Age of Empires series
CommonFood Ā· Wood Ā· Gold/Coin Ā· Stone*
Age of MythologyFavorAOM Favor
Age of Empires IIIResource xp XP Ā· Aoe3 export Export Ā· Aoe3de influence Influence
Age of Empires IVAoE4 Bounty icon Bounty Ā· AoE4 Vizier Point icon Vizier Point Ā· Resource olive oil Olive Oil
Extractable resource sources in the Age of Empires series
CommonTree Ā· Gold Mine Ā· Stone MineĀ· Berry Bush Ā· Farm (I Ā· II Ā· M Ā· III Ā· IV) Ā· Animals (Fish Ā· Herdable animal)
Age of Empires IIFish trap aoe2DE Fish Trap
Age of MythologyAoM Gold Mine icon Jade Mine
Age of Empires IIICherry orchard portrait aoe3de Cherry Orchard Ā· Coal mine portrait Coal Mine Ā· Copper mine portrait Copper Mine Ā· Food crate icon AoE3DE Crate Ā· Gold mine portrait Diamond Mine Ā· Plantation aoe3de Estate Ā· Field portrait aoe3de Field Ā· Hacienda portrait Hacienda Ā· MangoGroveDE Mango Grove Ā· Mill aoe3de Mill Ā· China rice paddy icon aoe3de Rice Paddy Ā· Rock supply icon AoE3DE Rock Ā· Gold mine portrait Salt Mine Ā· Silver Mine icon AoE3DE Silver Mine Ā· Gold mine portrait Tin Mine
Age of Empires IVAoE4 OliveGrove Olive Grove
* not used in Age of Mythology and Age of Empires III
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