Priestess

Priestess
Unit information
Introduced in	Definitive Edition
Civilization	Incas
Age	Exploration Age
Abilities	Heals injured units (10 hit points per second, range 12) Work at the Community Plaza as one and half villager.
Special ability	Conversion
Training
Trained at	Community Plaza (Holy Ceremony)
Training time	See Holy Ceremony
Training limit	16
Statistics
Hit points	360
Resists	20% vs. Ranged
Speed	4.5
Population	1
Melee attack
Damage	5
Rate of Fire	1.5

“	Heals injured units and converts enemy units.	”
—In-game description

The Priestess is a special unit in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition that is unique to the Incas and can be obtained through Holy Ceremony. It functions similarly to the Healer, but can work as one and a half Villagers at the Community Plaza and convert enemy units.

Priestesses can be garrisoned in the same buildings as settlers/villagers, and add to a Town Center's attack when doing so.

Special ability

Conversion: Converts an enemy unit (except heroes, Daimyo, villagers, and wagons) to the Priestess' side from a range of 12 with the process taking 6 seconds to complete, which can be shorter or longer depending on the unit in question.

Upgrades

The Priestess is upgraded in every Age up starting from the Fortress Age.

+30% hit points, +3 Conversion range, -1 Conversion time

+40% hit points, +3 Conversion range, -1 Conversion time

+50% hit points, +3 Conversion range, -1 Conversion time

Further statistics

As the Priestess is unique to the Incas, only technologies that they have access to are shown in the following table:

Home City Cards

As the Priestess is unique to the Incas, only their cards and other civilizations' TEAM cards are shown in the following tables:

Changelog

Definitive Edition

• Originally, Priestesses cost two population and work as two Villagers at the Community Plaza. With update 9476, they cost one population, work as 1.5 Villagers at the Community Plaza, and every card and Politician that deliver Priestesses now ships more Priestesses than before.
• Originally, Priestesses had a training limit of 15. With update 9476, they have a training limit of 16.

History

“

In Inca religion, women who lived in temple convents under a vow of chastity. Their duties included the preparation of ritual food, the maintenance of a sacred fire, and the weaving of garments for the emperor and for ritual use. At the time of the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century, the Virgins numbered several thousand and were governed by a high priestess, the Coya Pasca, a noblewoman who was believed to be the earthly consort of the sun god. The Virgins, not of noble birth, were village girls selected by officials for their beauty and talent; they were chosen at the age of 8 or 10 and shut up in the temples, which they were not allowed to leave for six or seven years. Of these girls, some became sacrificial victims, whereas others were sometimes made imperial concubines or the wives of nobles.

”

Gallery

Priestess image from the Compendium section

See also

• Healer – Haudenosaunee and Lakota counterpart
• Warrior Priest – Aztec counterpart