Veracruz is an Imperial Age Federal State in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, available to the Mexicans. As soon as the player advances to the Imperial Age by choosing Veracruz, a Fort Wagon appears at Home City shipment point and the build limit of Forts is increased by one, and the following Home City Cards will be added into the Mexican player's deck:
| Card | Description |
|---|---|
 Port Veracruz
|
Forts gain +6 range and LOS, and can now attack buildings |
 Veracruz National Guard
|
Fort work rate +200% |
Strategy[]
For players that prefer a Fort drop or a turtle strategy in the Imperial Age, Veracruz is a great option for the Mexicans. Unlike its twin federal state Puebla (which also has a focus on defense and Forts), Veracruz prioritizes the offensive aspects of Forts rather than their hit points or focalized defense around Forts.
The Port Veracruz federal card enables Mexican Forts to attack enemy buildings, an ability no other Fort in Age of Empires III has. It also increases its range and Line of Sight substantially, so Mexican Forts may take down enemy Forts from a distance. The second Federal Card, Veracruz National Guard, gives Forts a better work rate, but the player will need Barracks, Stables, and Artillery Foundries for researching unit upgrades.
The best Commerce Age federal states if the player is going for Veracruz are Durango, Tlaxcala, and Querétaro. Durango allows Fortified Haciendas for performing a turtle; Tlaxcala with the Tlaxcala Alliance card enables the player to research Flying Buttress, which increases building hit points; Querétaro Arteaga Reforms may allow the player to get 2 Fort Wagons and increase the build limit of Forts by 2 by sending this shipment before aging up to the Imperial Age with Veracruz. For Fortress Age, the best options are Coahuila or San Luis Potosí; Coahuila Land of Zaragoza allow Inspiring Flags to increase the work rate of military buildings by 25% (which stacks with Veracruz National Guard if using the Inspiring Flag near a Fort). San Luis, on the other hand, has Bustamante, which enables the General to create Field Hospitals. In the Industrial Age, Chihuahua is the most useful federal State, as it allows the Trías Fortifications federal card, which enables Levy/Town Militia for Forts and Outposts and ships 1 Fort Wagon.
Alternatively, the player may opt for a Revolution instead of picking a Fortress Age federal state, revert to Mexico, and then pick Veracruz. Central America offers several shipments that address defenses and buildings, and should be preferred over Baja California.
The advantages Veracruz and Puebla have over the Texas revolution (which has a Fort focus) are:
- The player is still able to get the Imperial Age upgrades for their units
- The Mexican infantry roster does not change to the United States infantry roster, so the player may include in their deck shipments that are specific improvements to Mexican infantry unique units (which do not benefit the United States infantry roster).
Recommended shipments[]
- Leather Soldiers: Changes the coin cost of Soldados, Salteadores, Chinacos, and Dragoons to wood on the first time, and vice-versa on the second time. This can be useful for spamming these units with the help of Veracruz National Guard.
- Plan of Veracruz: Turns all Outposts into Falconets. Useful for transition from defending to attacking.
- TEAM Mariachi: For the next 30 seconds, military buildings have their work rate increased by 400%. This stacks with Veracruz National Guard.
- Advanced Trading Post: Trading Posts get a ranged attack, +20% hit points, and cost -35%.
- Pioneers: Villagers get +65% hit points. Can be obtained from the base deck or through the Central America revolution.
- Land of Hidalgo: Grants Cry of Dolores; The Padre gets +2 LOS and healing range, his Cry of Dolores ability now applies to Inspiring Flags and the Cathedral as well, and its AOE and healing rate are doubled.
- Palace of Iturbide: Town Centers gain a bombard attack that can be used even when not garrisoned by villagers.
- Improved Buildings: Buildings get +40% hit points. Can be obtained from the base deck or through the Central America revolution.
- Frontier Defenses: Ships 2 Outpost Wagons. Can be obtained from the base deck or through the Central America revolution.
- Heavy Fortifications: Grants all defensive buildings' upgrades and technologies (if not already).
- Advanced Frontier Defenses: Upgrades Outposts to Frontier (if not already); Ships 3 Outpost Wagons. Can be obtained from the base deck or through the Central America revolution.
- Presidios: The General can build Outposts; Fort build limit +1; Walls cost -20%; Outposts cost -30%; Forts cost -40%; Wall, Outpost, and Fort build time -20%.
- Fort: Ships 1 Fort Wagon; Fort build limit +1.
- Chapultepec Castle: Fort build limit +1 and get +2 LOS and +10.0× multiplier against Heroes; Ships 1 Fort Wagon.
- Campeche Fortifications: Bastion available at Walls.
- Advanced Dock: Docks get +100% attack and repair ships twice as fast. Useful for naval maps.
- Porfiriato: Factories get +100% hit points and are repaired for free.
- Chipotle Tactics: Receive food when an enemy or own building is destroyed equal to 20%-40% of its total cost. Can be obtained from the base deck or through the Central America revolution.
- Stonemasons: Villagers build buildings 65% faster.
- TEAM Coastal Defenses: Defensive buildings get +0.8× multiplier against ships. Useful for naval maps.
- Criollos: Ships 9 Spanish Musketeers and allows them to be trained at Forts.
- Tulancingo Cuirassiers: Ships 6 Gendarme Cuirassiers and allows them to be trained at Forts.
- Spanish Sympathizers: Ships 15 Garrochista Lancers and allows them to be trained at Forts.
- Coach Guns (Baja California): Trading Posts get +12 LOS and the Shotgun Messengers charged attack ability.
- Catrachos (Central America): Settlers turn into Revolutionaries when killed.
- Town Militia (Central America): Town Centers get +50% attack and can use Town Militia.
- Fortified Haciendas (Durango): Haciendas can use a ranged attack when garrisoned by villagers; Ships 1 Hacienda Wagon.
- Colegio de San Nicolás (Michoacán): Ships 500 XP; Units and buildings get +8 LOS; Sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds.
- Tlaxcala Alliance (Tlaxcala): Enables Flying Buttress technology at the Native Embassy.
- Arteaga Reforms (Querétaro): The next Federal State ships twice as much units/resources; The next unit upgrade at the Barracks is free.
- Bustamante (San Luis Potosí): The General can build Field Hospitals for free; Musket Infantry get +10% hit points; Field Hospitals can train Soldados.
- Land of Zaragoza (Coahuila): The General's Inspiring Flag ability cooldown reduced to 4 seconds; Inspiring Flags further increases the work rate of military buildings by 25%.
- Aztec Pueblos (Guerrero): Native Embassies gain a ranged attack.
- Trías Fortifications: Forts and Outposts can use Levy/Town Militia; Ships 1 Fort Wagon.
