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This article is about the building in Age of Empires III. For the building in other games in the series, see Outpost. |
| “ | Tower that can be used to defend the frontier. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
The Outpost is a defensive building in Age of Empires III that attacks nearby enemies and also serves as a drop-off point for Home City shipments. It is available to the European (except the Russians, who build the Blockhouse) and Federal American civilizations.
Native American civilizations build War Huts instead of Outposts, which combine the functions of a Barracks and an Outpost. Asian civilizations build Castles, which combine the functions of an Artillery Foundry and an Outpost. African civilizations build Watch Towers, which combine the functions of a Tavern and an Outpost.
In-game information[]
| “ | The Outpost is a strong defensive building with a lot of hitpoints, good line of sight, and a good attack. They can be upgraded to Frontier Outposts that are significantly tougher and stronger. Outposts are useful for defending territory, whether in your colony, near Trading Posts and Native settlements, or other strategic map locations. There is a limit to the number of Outposts you can build in a single game, though that number can be increased by certain shipments from the Home City. |
” |
Overview[]
Outposts have a fairly high amount of hit points, and a ranged attack that does 1.5x damage to cavalry and 1.3x to shock infantry, so scouting parties should be careful. They also have an anti-ship attack with an extremely long range, which can be particularly powerful if the "TEAM Coastal Defenses" Home City Card is sent. Outposts are more effective if surrounded by walls and a gate, slowing down enemy units, and effectively protecting the own Outpost until reinforcements arrive.
Outposts can be garrisoned by villagers, making them effective at securing resources such as huntable animals and mines, and gaining crucial map control. Unlike the Town Center, garrisoning villagers does not increase the Outpost's attack.
The player can build up to 7 Outposts at a time, which can be increased to 14 with the "Extensive Fortifications" Home City Card available to most civilizations.
The "Outpost Trick" refers to using a unit with high ranged resistance and/or hit points to distract a Outpost or Town Center while it is being attacked, or troops move past it instead (especially Settler, or Villager for Outposts, Explorer, War Chief, and Monk for both). Against Fortified Outposts, higher hit points are preferable (ranged resistance is useless), and drawing the area of effect fire away from the main force attacking from a different angle. The AI will never manually switch targets with an Outpost or Town Center, or focus fire with them, and most players fail to do so either. Furthermore, loosely grouped outposts and other defensive buildings will have blind spots in their coverage that only allow 1-2 of them to attack simultaneously if attacked from certain angles.
In the Definitive Edition, the "Castrametation" Home City Card allows the Explorer to build Outposts.
Upgrades[]
| Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 Frontier Outpost
|
400 wood 200 coin |
Upgrades Outposts into Frontier Outposts (+50% ranged attack damage) |
 |
 Fortified Outpost
|
800 wood 400 coin |
Upgrades Outposts into Fortified Outposts (+50% hit points, +100% anti-ship attack damage, and get a bombard attack); requires Frontier Outpost |
- The only way for the Knights of St. John to research Fortified Outposts is through use of the Heavy Fortifications card available to them in the Fortress Age.
Civilization differences[]
Revolutions[]
- Revolting to Hungary or Romania causes Pandours/Hajduks/Magyar Hussars/Hungarian Grenadiers or Roșior Dragoons and Wallachian Horse Archers to spawn at every existing Outpost. All Hungarian and Romanian Home City Cards also increases the Outpost's build limit by 1 when shipped, and some even causes more units to spawn at existing Outposts.
Further statistics[]
| Building strengths and weaknesses | |
|---|---|
| Strong vs. | Infantry, cavalry, shock infantry, ships |
| Weak vs. | Siege units, artillery |
| Improvements | |
| Hit points |  State Constitutions (+25%; United States only) Flying Buttress (+20%) Byzantine Legacy (+15%)
|
| Attack |  Heated Shot (+50% multiplier vs. ships)
|
| Line of Sight |  Somali Lighthouses (+10) Gas Lighting (+4)
|
| Cost |  Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood) Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-10%)
|
| Build time | Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25%)
|
| Other |  Yoruba Eredo Legacy (delivers 2 Outpost Wagons) Jagiellonian Legacy (delivers 1 Outpost Wagon if The Governor was chosen) Öresund Customs (auto gather 0.25 coin/s) Somali Ajuran Engineers (+4 build limit)
|
| Penalties |  Customized Merc Weapons (+30% cost; John Black's Mercenaries only) Code Napoleon (+25% cost; French only)
|
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Outpost
| 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) |
- Shared
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 TEAM Natural Lookouts
| Outpost, Outpost Wagon, Blockhouse, War Hut, Castle, and Watch Tower cost -30%; Nobles' Hut and Palace cost -15% |  |
 Improved Buildings
| Building hit points +40% | |
 TEAM Improved Buildings
| Building hit points +25% | |
 Frontier Defenses
| Delivers 2 Outpost Wagons |  |
 Advanced Frontier Defenses
| Delivers 3 Outpost Wagons; grants Frontier Outpost and Frontier Blockhouse | |
 Heavy Fortifications
| Grants all defensive building upgrades; costs 250 wood | |
 Extensive Fortifications
| Outpost build limit +100%; frontier fortification, Wall, and Fort hit points +25% | |
 Chipotle Tactics
| Delivers 1 Huge Crates of Food (500 food); grants food when an enemy or own building is destroyed equal to 20% ~ 40% of its total cost | |
 TEAM Coastal Defenses
| Building anti-ship attack bonus damage against ships +0.8 | |
- "TEAM Natural Lookouts" is available to the Haudenosaunee and Portuguese.
- "Improved Buildings" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese) and Federal Americans.
- "TEAM Improved Buildings" is available to the Inca, Indians, and Maltese.
- "Frontier Defenses" is available to Europeans (except Russians) and Federal Americans.
- "Advanced Frontier Defenses" is available to Europeans (except British, French, Germans, Italians, Maltese, and Portuguese) and Federal Americans.
- "Heavy Fortifications" is available to Europeans (except Germans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish) and Federal Americans.
- "Extensive Fortifications" is available to Europeans (except Germans, Portuguese, and Russians) and Mexicans.
- "Chipotle Tactics" is available to the Mexicans, and also Spanish upon revolting to Mexico.
- "TEAM Coastal Defenses" is available to Europeans and Federal Americans.
- Europeans
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Castrametation
| Delivers 1 Fort Wagon; Fort build limit +1; enables the Explorer to build Outposts and Forts | |
 Military Frontier
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Grenzer/Dorobant; enables Grenzers/Dorobants to build Outposts/Blockhouses, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 |  |
 Hajduks
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Hajduk; enables Hajduks to be trained at Outposts/Blockhouses, Barracks, Taverns, Forts, and Galleons, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 12 Crabats
| Delivers 12 Crabats; enables Crabats to be trained at Outposts/Blockhouses, Stables, Taverns, Forts, and Galleons, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 10 Pandours
| Delivers 10 Pandours; enables Pandours to be trained at Outposts/Blockhouses, Barracks, Taverns, Forts, and Galleons, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 Hungarian Grenadiers
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Hungarian Grenadier; fully replaces Grenadiers and Humbaracis with Hungarian Grenadiers at Barracks, Artillery Foundries, Forts, Galleons, and on the map; enables them to be trained at Outposts/Blockhouses, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 Magyar Hussars
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Magyar Hussar (Hussar with +200% hit points and +50% damage), +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1; costs 500 coin | |
 Wallachian Horse Archers
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Wallachian Horse Archer (Cavalry Archer with -25% hit points, -33% Rate of Fire, and +10% speed); enables Wallachian Horse Archers to be trained at Outposts/Blockhouses, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 Roșior Dragoons
| Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Roșior Dragoon; enables Roșior Dragoons to be trained at Forts, +1 Outpost Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1 | |
 Lantakas
| Artillery, building, and ship damage +15% | |
 Monumental Architecture
| Building hit points +30%; Town Center and Command Post damage +35% | |
 Lexington Minutemen
| Delivers 16 Militiamen; upgrades Militiamen to Lexington Minuteman, which lose 0.4% hit points per second and can be called from Outposts and Forts | |
- "Castrametation" is not available to the Maltese.
- "Military Frontier", "Hajduks", "12 Crabats", and "10 Pandours" are available upon revolting to Hungary and Romania.
- "Hungarian Grenadiers" and "Magyar Hussars" are available upon revolting to Hungary.
- "Wallachian Horse Archers" and "Roșior Dragoons" are available upon revolting to Romania.
- "Lantakas" is available to the Dutch and Portuguese upon revolting to Indonesia.
- "Monumental Architecture" is available to the Spanish and Portuguese upon revolting to Peru.
- "Lexington Minutemen" is available to the British, Dutch, Italians, French, and Swedes upon revolting to United States.
- Federal Americans
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 The Alamo
| Delivers 16 Minutemen; when destroyed by enemies, your buildings spawn a number of Minutemen equal to 1.5% of their cost rounded up |  |
- "The Alamo" is available to the United States upon selecting the Texas Federal State, and Mexicans upon revolting to Texas, and spawns 4 Minutemen when an Outpost is destroyed.
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Génie Troops
| Enables Grenadiers and Young Guards to mine, chop wood, gather from crates, and build Trading Posts, Outposts, Barracks, Stables, Artillery Foundries, and Field Hospitals | |
- "Génie Troops" is available upon revolting to Revolutionary France.
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Witch Hammer
| Delivers 3 Inquisitors; enables Inquisitor to be trained at the Tavern/Mercenary Camp, Town Center, Command Post, Church, and Outpost; outlaw population cost -2 (to a minimum of 1), +2 Uhlans | |
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Frontier Defenses
| Delivers 4 Outpost Wagons | |
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 TEAM Ashikaga Castle
| Delivers 1 Castle Rickshaw/Outpost Wagon/War Hut Travois/Camp Builder | |
 TEAM 2 Azuchi Momoyama Castles
| Delivers 2 Castle Rickshaws/Outpost Wagons/War Hut Travois or 1 Palace Builder | |
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Knights of Bodrum
| Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Outpost present on the map | |
 Wignacourt Constructions
| Villager gather work rate for natural resources +10%, and an additional +20% when nearby Town Centers, Command Posts, Outposts, and Commanderies | |
 Squires
| Military building training and research work rate +80%; Fort training and research work rate +260% instead | |
 De Redin Towers
| Delivers 2 Outpost Wagons; enables Outposts to train Crossbowmen, Pikemen, Hospitallers, Sentinels, and Fire Throwers | |
 Fire Towers
| Grants Frontier Outpost; Outposts get a fire attack with a range of 10 | |
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Plan of Veracruz
| Transforms all Outposts into Falconets; grants Field Guns; artillery Line of Sight +4; costs 250 food, 250 wood | |
 Presidios
| Enables the General to build Outposts; Fort build limit +1; Wall cost -20%, Outpost cost -30%, Fort cost -40%; Wall, Outpost, and Fort build time -20% | |
 Colegio de San Nicolas
| Delivers 1 Large Collection of Books (500 XP); unit Line of Sight +4; building (except Wall) Line of Sight +8; reveals enemy units' positions for 20 seconds | |
 Trías Fortifications
| Delivers 1 Fort Wagon; Fort build limit +1; enables Militiamen to be called from Outposts and Forts | |
 Talavera Architecture
| Building build time -30%, hit points +30%, grant coin build bounty instead of XP | |
| 3 Outpost Wagons
| Delivers 3 Outpost Wagons | |
 Maya Architecture
| Building (except Fort) hit points +30%; buildings grant food as well as experience when built; grants Redoubts | |
- "Colegio de San Nicolas" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
- "Trías Fortifications" is available upon selecting the Chihuahua Federal State.
- "Talavera Architecture" is available upon selecting the Puebla Federal State.
- "3 Outpost Wagons" is available upon revolting to Central America.
- "Maya Architecture" is available upon revolting to the Maya.
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 TEAM Military Wagons
| Delivers 2 Military Wagons; enables Military Wagons to build Outposts | |
| Card | Description | Age |
|---|---|---|
 Spanish Immigrants
| Delivers 1 Outpost Wagon; adds 1.7 to XP trickle rate; Town Centers, Outposts, Blockhouses, and Forts can use Patrol from the Commerce Age; costs 300 food | |
 Watauga Association
| Delivers 2 Outpost Wagons; frontier fortification population support +10; all existing and newly constructed Outposts and Blockhouses spawn 2 State Militia | |
 Moultrie's Militia
| Delivers 12 State Militia; enables State Militia to build Outposts, Barracks, and Stables; the General's Inspiring Flag now boosts the damage of nearby State Militia by an additional +10% | |
 Connecticut Shipwrights
| War ship train time -50%; building build time -35%; artillery train time -15%, Heavy Cannon train time -10% instead | |
- "Watauga Association" is available upon selecting the Tennessee Federal State.
- "Moultrie's Militia" is available upon selecting the South Carolina Federal State.
- "Connecticut Shipwrights" is available upon selecting the Connecticut Federal State.
Changelog[]
The WarChiefs[]
- The Outpost cannot reveal stealth enemies and has a ×1.5 ranged multiplier against shock infantry.
Definitive Edition[]
- The Outpost can reveal stealth enemies and is tagged as Frontier fortification.
- With update 13088, the Outpost has a ×1.3 ranged multiplier against shock infantry.
Trivia[]
- Unlike their tower predecessors from the previous games, the Outpost and its upgrades does not follow the architecture set of the civilization that built it.
- Before the Definitive Edition, the in-game Outpost model did not resembled its building portrait because the Outpost design showed was of an earlier version, which can be seen in pre-release screenshots. This still goes for its upgrade icons (Frontier and Fortified Outpost) and their respective in-game models, since the upgrade icons were not updated in the Definitive Edition to resemble their in-game models.
History[]
| “ | Outposts are buildings that are used to gain territory in a military conflict. One example of their use is in the disputed territory of Clipperton Island. The Island was originally charted by Magellan in 1521. It changed hands between Spain, France, and the United States. Eventually, Mexico claimed it and built an outpost to reinforce their claim. Even with the outpost, though, Clipperton Island continued to change hands well into the twentieth century. | ” |
Gallery[]
In-game Outpost
In-game Frontier Outpost
In-game Fortified Outpost
The beta Outpost model
The beta Frontier Outpost model
The beta Fortified Outpost model
In-game Outpost in the Definitive Edition
In-game Frontier Outpost in the Definitive Edition
In-game Fortified Outpost in the Definitive Edition
Outpost image from the Compendium section
