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This article is about the random map. For campaign scenario, see The Great Lakes. |
Minimap of Great Lakes
| “ | Fight around the outside of a large freshwater lake. Control of the single long Trade Route is crucial. Huron, Cheyenne, or Cree villages ring the lake. Resources, including fish, are plentiful. Build too close to the shore without controlling the water, and you risk having your town shelled by enemy ships late in the game. Sometimes the lake may be frozen over, presenting a different tactical challenge. |
” |
| —In-game information | ||
Great Lakes is a single-player random map in Age of Empires III.
Overview[]
| “ | Great Lakes: large lakes surrounded by a single circular trade route. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Great Lakes surrounded by Saguenay to the north, Great Plains to the west, Carolina to the south and New England to the east.
The map has large numbers of stray Sheep dotting along the lake as well as herds of Moose and Deer to hunt.
The Great Lakes has two different settings; a Summer and a Winter version. In the Summer version, the large lake is present with a small island in the center which contains a mine as well as trees to chop down. Schools of Salmon can be found swimming in large numbers in the lake. The large lake allows for a water boom and allows the player to weaken enemy defenses with warships.
In the snow version, the lake is nearly frozen (there is just a small pool of water left in the center). Fish can no longer be found swimming in large numbers and a navy will not be needed. Players can move their units across the frozen part of the lake but villagers cannot build on top of the frozen lake.
Regardless, there is a circular trade route that has six trading sites. Control of this trade route will be difficult but necessary as the generous awards it offers to the players.
Natives that can be found in this map include Huron, Cree, and occasionally Cheyenne. In the vanilla version of Age of Empires III, Iroquois and Lakota natives take the place of Huron and Cheyenne.
Click for a list of treasures and their guardians related to the Great Lakes
| Treasure | Reward | Guardians |
|---|---|---|
| A pot of blueberries worth | 140 food | 3x  Black Bear
|
| A stand of chokecherry trees bearing fruit worth | 40 food | 1x  Wolf
|
| Concord grapes worth | 85 food | 2x Black Bear
|
| Cranberries worth | 70 food | 2x Wolf
|
| A supply of maple syrup worth | 85 food | 2x Black Bear
|
| A patch of potatoes worth | 80 food | 2x Black Bear
|
| A stand of saskatoon trees bearing fruit worth | 100 food | 2x  Bandit Rifleman
|
| Squash plants worth | 75 food | 2x Wolf
|
| A drift of terrapin worth | 90 food | 3x Wolf
|
| A hoard of wild rice worth | 250 food | 4x Bandit Rifleman
|
| A ruin of the First Lost City of Cibola. It contains preserved food worth | 415 food | 3x  Pirate3x  Bandit Gunslinger
|
| A stand of basswood worth | 85 wood | 2x Bandit Rifleman
|
| A stand of cottonwood trees worth | 75 wood | 3x Wolf
|
| A stand of gum trees worth | 40 wood | 1x Black Bear
|
| A stand of tamarack trees worth | 75 wood | 3x Wolf
|
| A storage pit of the Second Lost City of Cibola. It contains usable lumber worth | 330 wood | 2x  Bandit Rider2x Bandit Rifleman
|
| Beaver whose pelts are worth | 35 coin | None |
| Beaver whose pelts are worth | 40 coin | None |
| A pool of quicksilver worth | 80 coin | 2x Wolf
|
| An altar of the Third Lost City of Cibola. It contains gold artifacts worth | 400 coin | 3x Pirate 3x Bandit Rider
|
| Marigolds worth | 80 XP | 2x Wolf
|
| Porcupines whose valuable quills are worth | 135 XP | 3x Black Bear
|
| A den of skunks whose pelts are worth | 25 coin, 25 XP | 1x Black Bear
|
| A map to the Fourth Lost City of Cibola. It is worth | 440 XP | 5x Bandit Rider
|
| The lost blanket of Empress Zoe worth | 420 XP | 2x Bandit Gunslinger 2x Bandit Rifleman2x Bandit Rider
|
| A trapped Coureur des Bois. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x  Coureur des Bois
| 5x Black Bear
|
| A trapped Native warrior. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x  Cherokee Rifleman
| 1x Bandit Rifleman 1x Bandit Gunslinger
|
| A trapped Native warrior. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x  Haudenosaunee Tomahawk
| 3x Wolf
|
| A trapped Native warrior. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x Haudenosaunee Tomahawk
| 3x Black Bear
|
| A trapped Native Scout, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 1x  Native Scout
| 1x Bandit Gunslinger
|
| An Outpost Wagon of the Fifth Lost City of Cibola, eager to join your side. | 1x  Outpost Wagon
| 2x Bandit Rifleman 2x Bandit Rider
|
| Two Eagle Warriors from the Sixth Lost City of Cibola, eager to join your side. | 2x  Aztec Eagle Warrior
| 3x Bandit Gunslinger 2x Bandit Rifleman
|
| A nearly-mature bear cub that you can tame. | 1x Black Bear
| 2x Black Bear
|
| Three stray sheep. | 3x  Sheep
| 1x Bandit Rider 1x Bandit Rifleman
|
| The cuirass of El Pollo Guapo, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 100% | 5x Bandit Rifleman
|
| The armor of Arkantos, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 40% | 3x  Cougar
|
| The King's Flute of the legendary Seventh Lost City of Cibola, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 100% | 4x Bandit Rider
|
History[]
| “ | The five Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - span over a 1,000 miles of the border between the United States and Canada. Water flows west to east from lake to lake, dropping 170 feet at the Niagara Falls between lakes Erie and Ontario before flowing into the St. Lawrence River and out finally to the North Atlantic. The names of the Great Lakes varied over the years from simple or colorful names or names that referenced Native American tribes nearby. Lac de Chat (or Lake of the Cat), was a French name for Lake Erie, probably in reference to the wildcats found in the area; the name "Erie" refers to a tribe of Native Americans that lived in the area. Lake Michigan had an unfortunate early name, "The Stinking Water Lake," but later came to be called Michigan after the Native American name for the lake, "michi gami." |
” |
Gallery[]
