Minimap of Great Plains
| “ | Wide-open spaces, large herds of Bison to hunt, plentiful Mines, and as many as six Cheyenne and Comanche villages offer a wide variety of potential strategies. The Trade Route will have three Trading Post sites. Control the more dense forests near the edges of the map to supplement your late-game wood gathering, or rely on the scattered clumps of trees out on the plains. |
” |
| —In-game information | ||
The Great Plains is a map in Age of Empires III.
Overview[]
| “ | Great Plains: home of many Natives and plenty of Food. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Every player and even the Trade Route is shoved off to the southeastern side of the map, creating large plains to the northwest with several Native settlements and much expansion room. Because of the map being open, there are almost no choke points. Players should pay attention to the Natives, as they are very useful on this map.
The landscape of the plains allows many herds of animals to wander the map, but only hosts scattered patches of wood. There are a few mines to gather from, but they run out quickly; the Natives only cost food and wood, which can be used to the player's advantage. Because of the resources scattering the map, players should expect to send villagers out into the wilderness to find more coin or wood.
Click for a list of treasures and their guardians related to the Great Plains
| Treasure | Reward | Guardians |
|---|---|---|
| A pot of blueberries worth | 60 food | 2x  Coyote
|
| A stand of chokecherry trees bearing fruit worth | 30 food | 1x Coyote
|
| A patch of peanuts worth | 80 food | 3x Coyote
|
| Sunflowers worth | 110 food | 1x  Bandit Rider2x Coyote
|
| 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 grove of bois d'arc trees worth | 25 wood | 1x Coyote
|
| A grove of bois d'arc trees worth | 50 wood | 2x Coyote
|
| A stand of cottonwood trees worth | 85 wood | 2x  Grizzly Bear
|
| A storage pit of the Second Lost City of Cibola. It contains usable lumber worth | 330 wood | 2x Bandit Rider 2x Bandit Rifleman
|
| Beaver whose pelts are worth | 30 coin | None |
| Beaver whose pelts are worth | 35 coin | None |
| A pool of quicksilver worth | 75 coin | 3x Coyote
|
| An altar of the Third Lost City of Cibola. It contains gold artifacts worth | 400 coin | 3x Pirate 3x Bandit Rider
|
| The rare black-footed ferret worth | 210 XP | 3x Bandit Rider
|
| The elusive jackalope worth | 320 XP | 4x Bandit Rider
|
| Marigolds worth | 30 XP | 1x Coyote
|
| Marigolds worth | 60 XP | 2x Coyote
|
| A den of skunks whose pelts are worth | 80 XP | 3x Coyote
|
| The journal of El Pollo Guapo worth | 320 XP | 4x Bandit Rider
|
| 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
| 4x Grizzly Bear
|
| Two trapped Coureurs des Bois. They may join the cause of whoever rescues them. | 2x Coureur des Bois
| 5x  Outlaw Musketeers
|
| A trapped Settler, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 1x  Settler
| 6x Coyote
|
| A trapped Native warrior. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x  Haudenosaunee Tomahawk
| 3x Wolf
|
| 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
|
| Three stray sheep. | 3x  Sheep
| 1x Bandit Rider 1x Bandit Rifleman
|
| A stray dogie (Cow) you can capture. | 1x  Cow
| 2x Coyote
|
| Two stray dogies (Cows), which you can capture. | 2x Cow
| 3x Wolf
|
| A nearly-mature coyote pup that you can tame. | 1x Coyote
| 2x Coyote
|
| The shield of El Pollo Guapo, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 30% | 3x Wolf
|
| 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 Great Plains are a broad, grassy, sloping expanse of prairie land that extends from Texas in the south to the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in the north. The climate is semi-arid and the dominant vegetation of the region is a large variety of tall and short grasses. Trees and woody plants tend to grow only along streams and rivers. The area was once home to millions of bison (and dozens of Native American tribes who followed and relied on the herds) that were systematically hunted to near extinction for their hides and tongues. The bison were gone, and the Native Americans were forcibly removed to reservations or driven away. The Homestead Act of 1862 promised 160 acres to anyone who could settle and live on their claim for five years. Settlers had to be 21 years old, the head of a family, or a citizen (or in the process of filing for citizenship). The arid region wasn't especially suited to farming and the going was rough for many homesteaders. Those immigrants who came from the grassy steppes of eastern Europe and western Russia fared better than others, but many faced such hardships that they gave up their claims and returned east. |
” |
Gallery[]
Great Plains
Great Plains map on the loading screen
A herd of bison on the Great Plains
Bison in the Great Plains
Great Plains
Minimap of Great Plains before the Definitive Edition
Great Plains loading screen for the Definitive Edition
