“ | Recon unit | ” |
—In-game description |
“ | Flying surveillance unit with huge line of sight and a limited lifespan. | ” |
—Hot Air Balloon In-game description |
“ | Flying surveillance unit with huge line of sight. | ” |
—Advanced Hot Air Balloon In-game description |
The Hot Air Balloon is a unique unit in Age of Empires III that may be created via special Home City Cards, either temporarily or permanently. Aging up with The Inventor in the Definitive Edition can also enable this unit.
Overview[]
The Hot Air Balloon is an invulnerable, attack-less exploration unit that hovers above the ground. There are two types of balloons:
- Through the use of the Commerce Age card "Hot Air Balloons" or choosing The Inventor to advance to the Commerce Age in the Definitive Edition available to European civilizations, a player's Explorer gains the ability to release Hot Air Balloons. These balloons will remain active for 20 seconds, and can only be used once a minute, but may be called out an unlimited number of times.
- The Industrial Age card Advanced Balloon available to European nations spawns an Advanced Hot Air Balloon at the Home City gather point. This balloon remains active permanently. It cannot be sent a second time upon reaching the Imperial Age.
The Advanced Hot Air Balloon is slower (2.0) and has a smaller Line of Sight (34) than the Hot Air Balloon (3.0 and 44).
The balloons' Line of Sight can be increased through use of Town Watch and the Spanish card TEAM Inquisition.
- They cannot attack and it cannot be shot down. There is no effective counter for the use of balloons with the exception of downing the enemy Explorer as often as possible.
- Hot Air Balloons can be dropped on any area of the map instantly; it does not have to be a location near the Explorer. This means it does not have to fly over enemy walls; it can appear behind them and then begin scouting.
- Balloons are capable of capturing herdable animals, or stealing them from the enemy if undefended.
Further statistics[]
Unit strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Nothing |
Weak vs. | Nothing |
Improvements | |
Hit points | Tar Kilns (+5%) |
Line of Sight | Town Watch (+3) |
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the (Advanced) Hot Air Balloon
Some cards are highlighted with: | |
Green | TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team |
Blue | Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds) |
All[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Hot Air Balloons | The Explorer can summon the Hot Air Balloon to explore the map for a limited time | 10 | |
Advanced Balloon | Ships 1 Advanced Hot Air Balloon that remains permanently in the game | 40 |
- "Hot Air Balloons" is available to Europeans (except French) and Mexicans.
- "Advanced Balloon" is available to Europeans (except French) and Federal Americans.
French[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Aerostatic Corps | Explorer gains the ability to use a temporary Hot Air Balloon for reconnaissance; Hot Air Balloons can be called more often and can stay longer in the air; Hot Air Balloon grants +100 XP build bounty |
Indians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics | All units get +5% hit points and attack |
Maltese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Knights of the Round Table | Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center owned by the player; all units get +2% hit points |
Mexicans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
TEAM Mariachi | For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed | |
Colegio de San Nicolás | Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds |
- "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
Spanish[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Spanish Inquisition | Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight | 10 |
United States[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Missouri River Expeditions | Ships 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1; the General can summon the Hot Air Balloon |
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
- The Hot Air Balloon and the Advanced Hot Air Balloon cannot reveal stealth enemies.
Definitive Edition[]
- The Hot Air Balloon and the Advanced Hot Air Balloon can reveal stealth enemies.
History[]
Hot Air Balloon[]
“ | Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier are to hot air balloons what Orville and Wilbur Wright are to airplanes. They believed that their balloons were held aloft by smoke, burning hay and even shoes to keep early balloons up. Within just a few years, balloons appeared on the battlefield to scout and observe enemy movements and deployments. | ” |
Advanced Hot Air Balloon[]
“ | During the U.S. Civil War, both the Union and Confederate forces deployed balloons for reconnaissance purposes. Even though their use and efficacy in battle was limited, they did offer a glimpse of the future potential of air power. In June of 1861, Thaddeus Lowe rose 500 feet above Washington, D.C. as a demonstration to President Lincoln of the value of balloons. Even though the Enterprise was tethered, the sight of it above the capital impressed Lincoln enough to establish a Balloon Corps for the Union Army. Eventually, Lowe oversaw the construction of seven balloons, six of which actually saw service during the war. All of these balloons used hydrogen gas instead of hot air. |
” |
Trivia[]
- When a Balloon dies or is deleted by the player, the balloonist will cling to the balloon's ropes while it goes down, eventually crashing and killing him.
- Hot Air Balloons and the Spyglass ability are very similar to the Vision god power in Age of Mythology, even staying active for the same lengths of time.