Minor civilization

A Native American minor civilization's settlement as it appears in the game (Cheyenne).

An Asian minor civilization's settlement (Sufi Mosque).

Minor civilizations (also referred to as minor tribes, Natives, or Native allies) feature throughout the campaign scenarios and random maps of Age of Empires III. All playable civilizations can ally with a minor civilization by constructing Trading Posts at settlement sites. Each minor civilization typically offers three technologies to research and access to at least one unique military unit; trained in limited amounts with two unit upgrades.

Players retain access to the minor civilization's technologies and units for as long as the Trading Post is not destroyed. With both The WarChiefs and The Asian Dynasties expansions, a total of 22 minor civilizations exist.

Units

Native units always cost a certain amount of wood, food, and/or coin, but never population. Instead, native units have a build limit which players can increase by allying with further settlements of the same minor civilization.

From The WarChiefs, players can build Native Embassies to train allied minor civilization units at locations beyond the Trading Post site.

Upgrades

All native units' hit points and damage can be upgraded first in Fortress Age by +25% for 200 wood and 150 coin and a second time by +40% in Industrial Age for 400 wood and 300 coin. The native unit upgrades from Age of Empires III and The WarChiefs are called Elite and Champion while in The Asian Dynasties they are called Disciplined and Honored. In the Imperial Age, players can improve hit points and damage again by researching Legendary Native Warriors in the Capitol for 1,500 food and 1,500 wood.

A wide array of Home City cards can boost native units.

Native mercenaries

Most civilizations can send native allies from their Home City, which are technically mercenary shipments as they cost Coin. Furthermore, native units sent from Home City have their own build limit, an additional mercenary tag and they are treated by the game as different units. Because of that the visually identical native mercenaries and native units will not simultaneously select when double-clicking one of them. Military unit upgrades in the native settlement still affect both, native mercenaries and native units.

Ships

• Allying with Native Americans grant the ability to train 20 Canoes;
• Allying with Bhakti, Udasi or Sufi grants the possibilty to train 20 Marathan Catamarans;
• Allying with Zen and Jesuits in Asian maps, grant the possibility to train 3 Wokou Junks;
• Allying with Berbers, Akan or Yoruba grants the possibility to train 3 Privateers;
• In East African water maps, 20 Bandit Catamarans can be trained from the start.

List

While Age of Empires III and The WarChiefs feature Native American settlements, the paradigma changes in The Asian Dynasties to religious communities or Holy Sites (as developer Big Huge Games labels them in the game manual).

Age of Empires III

Age of Empires III included the following twelve Native American settlements:

Tribe	Units	Technologies	Maps
Aztecs (replaced by Zapotecs)	Aztec Eagle Warrior Aztec Jaguar Warrior	Aztec Initiation Aztec Chocolate Recipes Aztec Chinampa Aztec Garland Wars	Sonora Yucatan
Carib	Carib Blowgunner Carib Ambusher*	Carib Kasiri Beer Carib Garifuna Drums Carib Ambush Party Carib Ceremonial Feast	Amazonia Caribbean Hispaniola Orinoco Florida
Cherokee	Cherokee Rifleman Settler*	Cherokee War Dance Sequoyah's Cherokee Syllabary Cherokee Basket Weaving	Bayou Carolina New England Ozarks
Comanche	Comanche Horse Archer	Comanche Trade Language Comanche Horse Breeding Comanche Mustangs	Great Plains Ozarks Rockies Texas Colorado Dakota Ozarks
Cree	Cree Tracker Cree Coureur des Bois	Cree Tanning Cree Kinship Cree Textile Craftsmanship	Great Lakes Saguenay Yukon Dakota
Quechua	Quechua Huaminca Quechua Bolas Warrior	Quechuan Metalworking Quechuan Diet Quechuan Mountaineering	Andes Upper
Iroquois (replaced by Huron)	Iroquois Tomahawk Iroquois Mantlet	Iroquois Lacrosse Iroquois League Iroquois Morning Wars	Great Lakes New England
Lakota (replaced by Cheyenne)	Lakota Axe Rider Lakota Dog Soldier	Lakota Hunting Grounds Lakota Horse Trading Lakota Dog Soldiers	Great Lakes Great Plains Rockies
Maya	Maya Holcan Spearman Medicine Man	Maya Cotton Armor Maya Calendar	Orinoco Sonora Yucatan Mexico
Nootka	Nootka Clubman Nootka War Chief*	Nootka Bark Clothing Nootka Potlatch Loyal Nootka War Chief	California Northwest Territory Yukon Cascade Range Alaska
Seminole	Seminole Sharktooth Bowman	Seminole Guerilla Wars Seminole Bowyer	Bayou Carolina Florida
Tupi	Tupi Blackwood Archer Buttercup the Pet Cougar	Tupi Poison Arrow Frogs Tupi Forest Burning Tupi Animal Lore	Amazonia Pampas Gran Chaco Orinoco

The WarChiefs

With their introduction as major civilizations, The WarChiefs removed the Aztecs, Iroquois, and Lakota (Sioux) as minor civilizations:

Tribe	Units	Technologies	Maps
Apache	Apache Cavalry	Apache Cactus Use Apache Endurance Apache Raiders	Painted Desert Sonora Texas Mexico
Cheyenne (replaces Lakota)	Cheyenne Rider	Cheyenne Hunting Grounds Cheyenne Horse Trading Cheyenne Fury	Great Lakes Great Plains Rockies Ozarks
Huron (replaces Iroquois)	Huron Mantlet	Huron Sun Ceremony Huron Trade Dominance Huron Fish Wedding	Great Lakes New England Saguenay Plymouth
Klamath	Klamath Rifleman	Klamath Work Ethos Klamath Huckleberry Feast Klamath Strategy	California Northwest Territory Cascade Range
Mapuche	Mapuche Ironwood Clubman Mapuche Bolas Rider (Definitive Edition)	Mapuche Ad-mapu Mapuche Tactics Mapuche Treaty of Quillin	Araucania Pampas Pampas Sierras Andes Upper
Navajo	Navajo Rifleman	Navajo Weaving Navajo Shepherds Navajo Craftsmanship	Painted Desert Sonora Baja California Mexico
Zapotec (replaces Aztecs)	Zapotec Lightning Warrior	Zapotec Cloud People Zapotec Cult of the Dead Zapotec Food of the Gods	Amazonia Orinoco Yucatan Mexico

The Asian Dynasties

The Asian minor civilizations in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties are, unlike the minor civilizations of Age of Empires III and The WarChiefs, based on religious movements instead of native tribes. With the exception of the Jesuits and Sufi, all native settlements are styled as temples.

The minor civilizations are:

Tribe	Units	Technologies	Maps
Bhakti Temple	Tiger Claw	Yoga Reinforced Gauntlets Vegetarianism	Ceylon Deccan Himalayas Himalayas Upper Silk Road
Jesuit Mission	Conquistador	Flying Buttress Smokeless Powder Christian Schools	Borneo Honshu Indochina Indonesia Atlas Highlands Malaysia Korea Pepper Coast
Shaolin Temple	Rattan Shield	Clenched Fist Wood Clearing Dim Mak	Mongolia Silk Road Yellow River Central Plain Manchuria
Sufi Mosque	War Elephant	Pilgrimage Fasting Sharia	Borneo Deccan Indochina Indonesia Mongolia Silk Road Fertile Crescent Malaysia Darfur Horn Nile Valley
Udasi Temple	Chakram	Sikh Gurus Punjabi New Year Army of the Pure	Deccan Himalayas Himalayas Upper Silk Road Punjab
Zen Temple	Sohei	Meditation Master Lessons Meritocracy	Ceylon Honshu Silk Road Yellow River Hokkaido Manchuria Parallel Rivers

The African Royals

The African minor civilizations have differently shaped and bigger settlements than other minor civilizations. In certain African maps, Sufi and Jesuits can also be found. African native civilizations have more technologies than other minor civilizations.

Tribe	Units	Technologies	Maps
Akan	Akan Ankobia Akan Tufohen*	Akan Asafo Akan Fontomfrom Akan Gold Economy Akan Cocoa Beans Akan Palm Oil Exports	Gold Coast Niger Delta Niger River Pepper Coast Savanna
Berbers	Berber Camel Rider Berber Nomad Berber Salt Camel Berber Sultan*	Berber Fantasia Berber Kings of the Desert Berber Dynasties Berber Salt Caravans Berber Ghorfas	Atlas Darfur Lake Chad Tassili Tripolitania
Somalis	Somali Issa Warrior Somali Darood Militia Askari*	Somali Coinage Somali Jile Daggers Somali Ajuran Engineers Somali Local Forces Somali Berbera Seaport Somali Oryx Shields Somali Lighthouses	Great Rift Highlands Horn Nile Valley
Sudanese	Sudanese Dervish Askari* Sennar Horseman*	Sudanese Hakura System Sudanese Red Sea Trade Sudanese Quilted Armor Sudanese Local Forces	Highlands Lake Chad Nile Valley Darfur Sudd
Yoruba	Yoruba Oyo Legionary Yoruba Eso Rider	Yoruba Ida Swords Yoruba Twins Yoruba Herbalism Yoruba Wrestling Yoruba Eredo Legacy	Gold Coast Lake Chad Niger Delta Niger River Savanna

* This units are available through tech that ships or allow them to be trained at Trading Posts or Heroes

Trivia

• Near native villages, chattering can be heard. Small dialogues are hidden in the chatter, such as: Man: "The bounty is plentiful" and Little Girl: "Can I go?" Woman: "Let's go darling" Little Girl: "I don't think I can make it mommy" can be heard.
• Some random maps lack minor civilizations completely, like Patagonia and Siberia.
• Besides the above, the maps with the least native diversity are Andes, Caribbean, Hispaniola, and Plymouth, each with only one kind of native settlement (Inca, Carib, or Huron).
• The most diverse random map is Silk Road with five potential minor civilizations. If excluded as a variant of three other maps (Himalayas, Mongolia, and Yellow River) due to its changing environment, the title falls to Amazonia, with four potential minor civilizations (Carib, Inca, Tupi, and Zapotec).
• The most exclusive minor civilization is the Inca, who were left in Upper Andes for treaty games, altough were made a major civilization. The most common is the Sufi Mosque, which may be found in eleven maps.

Template:Civilizations (AoE3)