Priestess (Age of Empires III)

Priestess
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
Type	Healing unit
Civilization(s)	Inca Maya Peru
Age	Commerce Age
Training
Trained at	Community Plaza (Healers Ceremony) Cathedral (Maya) American Citadel
Cost	200 Coin 1 Population
Train time	60 seconds
Train limit	16 1 (Maya)
Statistics
Hit points	320
Resistance	20% Ranged
Speed	4.5
Line of Sight	16
Ability	Works at the Community Plaza as one and half Villager
Special ability	Conversion
XP train bounty	20
XP kill bounty	20
Healing
Healing	10/s
Range	12
Hand attack
Damage	5 Hand
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 Inca and can be obtained through Healers 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, Shogun Tokugawa, villagers, healing units, wagons/travois/rickshaws/builders, and Hot Air Balloons) 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. 60 seconds cooldown.

Upgrades

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

• +30% hit points, +4 Line of Sight and Conversion range, -1.2 sec. Conversion time
• +40% hit points, +4 Line of Sight and Conversion range, -1.2 sec. Conversion time
• +50% hit points, +4 Line of Sight and Conversion range, -1.2 sec. Conversion time

Civilization differences

• The Mexicans can get 1 Priestess named María Uicab upon revolting to the Maya through the "María Uicab" Home City Card. María Uicab has 150% more hit points, and can be retrained at the Cathedral for 300 coin if she dies.
• The Portuguese and Spanish can send the "6 Priestess" Home City Card upon revolting to Peru, which delivers 6 Priestesses and can be sent an infinite number of times.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Nothing
Weak vs.	Everything
Improvements
Hit points	Mission Fervor (+50%; Europeans and Mexicans only) Medical Science (+35%; United States only) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Attack	Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Medical Science (+15%; United States only) Apache Endurance (+5%)
Train time	Immigrants (-10%; -5% spawn time)
Other	Mission Fervor (+50% healing rate; Europeans and Mexicans only) Jagiellonian Legacy (delivers 3/5/5 Priestesses if The Wise Woman was chosen for the Inca to reach the Commerce/Industrial/Imperial Age respectively)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Priestess

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)

All

Card	Description	Age
6 Priestess	Ships 6 Priestess

• "6 Priestess" is available to the Inca, alongside the Portuguese and Spanish upon revolting to Peru.

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Yongle Infrastructure	Ships 1 Mongol Scout; infantry, land villagers, healing units, Envoys, and Disciples get +5% speed
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and attack

• "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" does not stack with the Inca "TEAM Inca Bridges" card.

Ethiopians

Card	Description	Age
Ignatian Spirituality	All units get +5% hit points and regeneration capability even while in combat

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
Wanderlust	Land units get +5% hit points; land villagers and wagons get +5% speed

• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.

Inca

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Aqllakuna	Ships 2 Priestesses
1 Priestess	Ships 1 Priestess
5 Priestess	Ships 5 Priestess
Temple of Mama Killa	Priestesses get +30% hit points and attack, +20.0 multiplier against heroes, -35% train time, and +3 Line of Sight and Conversion range
Road Building	Land military units get +10% speed
TEAM Inca Bridges	Ships 1 Chasqui; infantry, land villagers, healing units, and Envoys get +5% speed
Chicha Brewing	Kancha Houses generate resources 60% faster; Priestesses can gather crates and pick up treasures

• "TEAM Inca Bridges" does not stack with the Chinese "TEAM Yongle Infrastructure" card.

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Dravidian Martial Arts	All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +20% hand attack instead; +1 Villager
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
National Servant	All units get +10% hit points; Padre healing 200% faster
María Uicab	Ships 1 Priestess named María Uicab with +150% hit points and +12 Conversion range; María Uicab can be retrained at the Cathedral for 300 coin

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
• "National Servant" is available upon selecting the Estado de México Federal State.
• "María Uicab" is available upon revolting to the Maya.

Russians

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Patriarchy	Healing unit cost and train time -50%; Healer, Warrior Priest, and Priestess train time -15% instead

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Ships 1 Inquisitor; all units get +10 Line of Sight

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.
• Originally, conversion range improves by +4 in the Fortress and Industrial Ages. With a later update, conversion range improves by +4.5 in the Fortress and Industrial Ages.
• Conversion delay reduces 1 per Age.

The African Royals

• With update 47581, conversion delay reduces 1.5 per Age.

Knights of the Mediterranean

• With update 13.18214, Conversion range improves upon reaching the Fortress, Industrial, and Imperial Ages by +5.
• With update 13.27885, Conversion range improves by +4 and conversion delay reduces 1.2 per Age.
• With update 15.59076, Priestess hit points reduced from 360 to 320.

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

An in-game Priestess

See also

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