Trading Post

Trading Post
Building information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Economic Military (with "Advanced Trading Post" Home City Card)
Civilization	All except Incas
Age	Exploration Age
Use	Periodically generates resource or experience points if built on Trade Routes Trains native units and research native improvements if built on native settlements
Construction
Wood	250 200 (The WarChiefs maps)
Max. builders	8
Build time	72 seconds 24 seconds (Heroes)
Statistics
Hit points	3,000
Line of Sight	14
XP build bounty	40
XP bounty	80
Ranged attack
Damage	25
Multipliers	×0.25 vs. Villager
Range	8
Rate of Fire	3.0
Notes
Must be built on a Trade Route or a native settlement Ranged attack only available with "Advanced Trading Post" Home City Card

“	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 trade system of carts, boats, and caravans in the previous games. Unlike most buildings, Trading Posts can only be built on site sockets found along Trade Routes and in 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 those settlements.

The Native American and Asian civilizations do not benefit from the Stagecoach Line of Sight; only European ones do.

The Incas build Tambos instead of Trading Posts.

Minor civilizations

Main article: Minor civilization

Units

Main article: Native warrior

Technologies

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

Upgrades

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

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 (+1.5× 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

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 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 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 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 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 Card Description Age HC level House of Braganca Trade Route upgrades are free 40

Bugs/glitches

• 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.
  • A similar bug occurs when it is not possible to build the Trading Post because the Trading Post site is near a cliff. It has been observed that this happens very often in the California map. It can also happen in the Yukon map, when it is very close to the river.
• 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

“

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

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

Trading Post site generated near a cliff in the California map, making it impossible to build the Trading Post on it