Trading Post

“Build near Native settlements or Trade Routes. Provides experience points and other benefits.”

—In-game description

The Trading Post is an economic/military building in Age of Empires III that replaces the old-fashioned trade system of carts, boats, and caravans in the previous games. Unlike most buildings, Trading Posts can only be built on a square-shaped site found on Trade Routes and minor civilization settlements. It periodically grants experience or resources if built on Trade Routes or allows access to native warriors and native technologies if built on minor civilization settlements.

Minor civilizations Edit

Main article: Minor civilization

Units Edit

Main article: Native warrior

Technologies Edit

For each native tribe or religious community's technologies, please see their respective articles.

Upgrades Edit

Age	Upgrade	Cost	Effect
	Stagecoach Trade Cart	200 food, 200 wood	Upgrades the Trade Route where the Trading Post is built to use a stagecoach (trade cart in The Asian Dynasties maps) which can deliver resources, moves faster, and has greater LOS
	Iron Horse	300 wood, 400 coin	Upgrades the Trade Route where the Trading Post is built to use a train which moves faster and has greater LOS; requires Stagecoach/Trade Cart

Further statistics Edit

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Nothing (short-ranged units with Advanced Trading Post Home City Card)
Weak vs.	Everything, especially siege infantry, artillery, and Monitors
Improvements
Hit points	Flying Buttress (+20%)
Resource generation	Nanban Trade (+25%)
Attack	Heated Shot (+1.5x multiplier vs. ships)
Sight	Gas Lighting (+4, European civilizations only)
Construction cost	Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25% wood) Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood)
Penalties	Code Napoleon (+50% cost, French only) Customized Merc Weapons (+30% cost, John Black's Mercenaries only)

Home City Cards Edit

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Trading Post

Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team All Edit Card Description Age HC level Native Lore Native improvements cost no coin 1 Native Treaties Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of their respective native warriors 1 Advanced Trading Post Trading Posts get a ranged attack and +50% hit points, and cost -40% 25 Improved Buildings Buildings get +40% hit points 10 The Native Lore, Native Treaties and Advanced Trading Post cards are available to European and Native American civilizations. For information about how many units shipped by Native Treaties, please see the respective native warrior's articles. The Improved Buildings card is available at a level 1 Home City for the Sioux. The Indians have the TEAM Improved Buildings card instead of Improved Buildings. Asians Edit Card Description Age HC level Native Learning Native improvements cost -50% (also +1 Villager for the Indians) 1 Native Crafts Each different allied native tribe sends a shipment of 300 export (also +1 Villager for the Indians) 10 Trade Empire Ships 1 Trading Post Rickshaw and Trading Posts get +33% hit points and cost -25% (also +1 Villager for the Indians) 25 Indians Edit Card Description Age HC level TEAM Improved Buildings Buildings get +25% hit points 10 Mughal Architecture Buildings except wonders cost -20% wood and build time -50% +1 Villager 40 Ottomans Edit Card Description Age HC level TEAM Silk Road Crates and Trade Routes contain +15% resources 25 TEAM Cheap Trading Posts Trading Posts cost -40% 1 Portuguese Edit Card Description Age HC level House of Braganca Trade Route upgrades are free 40

Bugs/glitches Edit

• It is sometimes possible for Trading Post sites to be generated on broken terrain, which means that players cannot construct a Trading Post on these sites. Most notably this can occur on the New England and Amazonia maps. This problem has been addressed in patches, occurring with less frequency.
• Another common glitch is units getting stuck within the perimeter of a Trading Post as a result of trying to pass through it and not being able to get out. This most notably happens with Native Trading Posts. It is possible to destroy the units inside the confines of the Trading Post, but if an Explorer/Monk/War Chief get stuck inside, there is no way of removing them unless they can be ransomed.
• If the player gets any building HP improvement such as the Improved Buildings or Advanced Trading Posts Home City Cards, already built Trading Posts remaining HP will stay the same as before the upgrade (e.g. 2,500/2,500 before, 2500/2875 after).

History Edit

“Trading posts were established by early explorers of the New World as places to stop, barter, rest, and engage in commercial activities in support of their efforts to find wealth for their patrons, usually kings and queens, who sponsored their voyages.

Wealthy and powerful trading companies between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries competed viciously as they drove exploration of the New World in search of pelts (chiefly beaver), to market in Europe. They dotted the landscape with trading posts and continued driving west in search of new sources of pelts. The fur trade and the need for the trading posts declined as fashions in Europe changed and the demand for pelts collapsed. Many trading posts developed into proper settlements over time.”

Gallery Edit

A Trading Post built in Deccan

Train Car models

A train passing the Trading Post

A Trading Post, next to a Trade Route

Another train passing by the Trading Post

Add a photo to this gallery

Buildings in Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III
Civilian	House
Economic	Town Center · Trading Post · Market · Mill · Livestock Pen · Church · Plantation · Factory · Capitol
Military	Outpost · Dock · Barracks · Stable · Artillery Foundry · Arsenal · Fort · Saloon*
Other	Field Hospital · Native Embassy*
British	Manor
Dutch	Bank
Ottomans	Mosque
Russians	Blockhouse
The WarChiefs
Aztecs	Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Nobles' Hut
Iroquois	Longhouse · Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Corral · Siege Workshop
Sioux	Teepee · Fire Pit · Farm · War Hut · Corral
The Asian Dynasties
Chinese	Village · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · War Academy · Wonders
Indians	Sacred Field · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · Caravanserai · Wonders
Japanese	Shrine · Rice Paddy · Consulate · Castle · Monastery · Dojo · Wonders
* introduced in The Warchiefs
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