Whales are a marine animal that appears in Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, and Age of Empires III.
Age of Empires[]
| “ | Can be fished for food. | ” |
| —In-game description in the Definitive Edition | ||
Whales are a food source in Age of Empires, similar to fish (and incorrectly listed as such). Before The Rise of Rome, they provided 250 food, the same amount of food as fish. As such, whales offered no bonus compared to other fish and were less efficient as a food source compared to Shore Fish.
They were removed from the game in Return of Rome.
Gallery[]
Age of Mythology[]
Whales appear in Age of Mythology in scenarios and are available in the Scenario Editor. Like the Shark, Whales cannot be hunted as they are only decorative, serving an embellishment purpose for coastal maps. They always come in pairs.
Gallery[]
Age of Empires III[]
Whales are a common sight in coastal and marine maps in Age of Empires III. Instead of food, they provide an infinite source of coin. Three species of whale can be found:
Whaling[]
Players can fund their military efforts by assigning Fishing Boats to gather coin from Whales.
Only four Fishing Boats can gather from a single spot at a time. Whaling is slower than mining gold, copper, tin, and silver, but it is recommended for a late-game supply of coin when all the mines in the area have been depleted.
Each Fishing Boat gathers 30 coin per minute, and gather rates can be improved from Home City shipments (from the Harbor or its Native American/Asian counterparts) and from two Dock upgrades, Gill Nets and Long Lines.
Whales and random maps[]
The appearance of each species varies from map to map, with Humpbacks appearing in the majority of naval maps, whereas Belugas appear in Saguenay and Patagonia, and Minke Whales appear in New England and Plymouth.
Despite their different models and history files, they all provide coin at the same rate.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The in-game appearance of the Whale in Age of Empires and Age of Mythology is based on the Humpback Whale.
| Animals in Age of Empires | |
|---|---|
Until  Definitive Edition | |
| Huntables |  Gazelle ·  Elephant |
| Predators |  Alligator ·  Lion ·  Crocodile |
| Marine creatures |  Shore Fish ·  Tuna ·  Salmon ·  Whale |
| Animal Kings | Lion (Alpha) · Crocodile (Alpha) · Gazelle (Alpha) · Elephant (Alpha) |
| Other | Lion (tame) |
| Decorative |  Bird ·  Dragon |
| Cut |  Horse ·  Goat |
Including  Return of Rome | |
| Huntable |  Deer ·  Ibex ·  Iron Boar · Javelina ·  Ostrich ·  Rhinoceros · Wild Boar ·  Zebra |
| Herdable |  Cow ·  Goat ·  Goose ·  Llama ·  Pig ·  Sheep ·  Turkey ·  Water Buffalo |
| Predator |  Bear ·  Dire Wolf ·  Jaguar ·  Komodo Dragon · Rabid Wolf ·  Snow Leopard ·  Tiger · Wolf |
| Civilian |  Bactrian Camel ·  Camel ·  Donkey ·  Horse |
| Military animals |  Alfred the Alpaca ·  Furious the Monkey Boy ·  Penguin |
| Decorative |  Stormy Dog · Wild Bactrian Camel · Wild Camel · Wild Horse |
| Marine animals |  Box Turtles ·  Dolphin ·  Dorado ·  Marlin ·  Perch ·  Snapper |
| Animals (non-myth units) in Age of Mythology | |
|---|---|
| Herdable animals |  Cow ·  Goat ·  Pig ·  Yak* |
| Timid huntables |  Baboon ·  Caribou ·  Chicken ·  Crowned Crane ·  Deer ·  Duck* ·  Elk ·  Gazelle ·  Giraffe ·  Golden Pheasant ·  Monkey ·  Red Crowned Crane ·  Spotted Deer ·  Zebra |
| Aggressive huntables |  Aurochs ·  Black Bear ·  Boar ·  Elephant ·  Hippopotamus ·  Ram* ·  Rhinoceros ·  Walrus ·  Water Buffalo |
| Wild animals |  Arctic Wolf ·  Crocodile ·  Bear ·  Hyena ·  Lion ·  Lizard* ·  Panda Bear* ·  Polar Bear ·  Serpent (Predator) ·  Tiger* ·  Wolf |
| Military animals | Animal of Set · Golden Lion · Relic Monkey |
| Fish |  Herring · Mahi-mahi · Perch · Salmon |
| Decorative animals | Bird ( Eagle* ·  Hawk · Parrot* ·  Flying Red Crowned Crane ·  Vulture) ·  Panda · Hawksbill Turtle · Orca · Shark · Whale |
| Scenario Editor-exclusive animals |  Alfred ·  Dog · Giant Duck-Billed Platypus ·  Golden Fleece (also herdable) ·  Horse ·  Reindeer |
| Cheat animals |  Chicken Exploding |
| Cut animals | Anchovies ·  Camel · Musk Ox · Nubian Goat · Shore Fish · Unicorn |
