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The Yak is a herdable animal in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties and in Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon. In both games, it features in maps associated with the Chinese.

Age of Mythology[]

In Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon, the Yak can be found in the wild on several Chinese maps. Similar to the Cow, the Yak yields 100 food at the beginning of the game; when fully fattened, this increases to 400, which is 100 more than pigs and goats.

The Yak Caravan is the Chinese trade unit. In Immortal Pillars, the yak was replaced with the Mechanical Ox as the trade unit for the Chinese.

Curiously, Yaks under the control of a Set player have the same aura emanating from them as other Animals of Set despite being a herdable.

Further statistics[]

Technologies

Age of Empires III[]

Herd animal. Fattens over time. Fattens faster if tasked on a Livestock Pen, Farm, or Village.
—In-game description

In Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Yaks cannot be trained at a Livestock Pen, Farm, Village, or Sacred Field, and can only be found roaming wild in the Himalayas, Silk Road, and Mongolia maps. Since the Definitive Edition, Yaks can be shipped through the Kumis technology.

They hold 100 food when found, and 400 when fully fattened, making them useful livestock, if not as good as the Cow and Water Buffalo, then as useful as the Llama, and better than the Goat and Sheep.

Gathering rates[]

Resource Source Gathering rate
per second per minute
All resources Shrine 0.1235 7.41
Food Hacienda 0.133333 7.99998
Wood 0.25 15
Coin 0.113334 6.80004
XP Sacred Field 0.175 10.5
Influence Livestock Market 0.08
0.3 (fattened)
4.8
18 (fattened)

Further statistics[]

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Nothing
Weak vs. Nothing
Improvements
Fatten rate Navajo Shepherds (+100% auto gather; +30% from Livestock Pens, Farms, Villages, Livestock Markets, and Haciendas)
Large Scale Gathering (+50% from Farms; Native Americans only)
Selective Breeding (+25% from Livestock Pens, Farms, Villages, Livestock Markets, and Haciendas)
Punjabi New Year (+10% from Livestock Pens, Farms, Villages, Livestock Markets, and Haciendas)
XP generation rate Navajo Shepherds (+30%)
Punjabi New Year (+10%)
Ritual Bovine (+10% from Sacred Fields)
Shrine resource generation rate Navajo Shepherds (+35%)
Punjabi New Year (+10%)
Influence generation rate Transhumance (+0.15)
Hit points Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only)
Tar Kilns (+5%)
Line of Sight Town Watch (+2; before the Definitive Edition)
Other Kumis (delivers 1 Yak carrying additional 150 food for every 3 minutes of game time, up to 30 minutes)
Cow Loans (fattened herded animal sold at Livestock Markets spawns an unfattened one; Africans only)
Royal Banquet (sells for 50% of its food as influence; Africans only)
Día de Muertos (+5 XP for every lost; Mexicans only)

Home City Cards[]

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Yak
Some cards are highlighted with:
Green TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Blue Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

All
Card Description Age
Stockyards Herded animals fatten 30% faster when tasked to Livestock Pens, Farms, Villages, and Haciendas
  • "Stockyards" is available to Europeans (except the Dutch and Portuguese), Federal Americans, the Chinese and Haudenosaunee.
British
Card Description Age
TEAM Wool Staple Ports Herded animals fatten 20% faster and 20% faster when tasked to Villages, Livestock Pens, Haciendas, Farms, and Livestock Markets; Indian herded animals generate +20% XP; Japanese herded animals generate +25% resources/XP when tasked to Shrines
Chinese
Card Description Age
Western Reforms All units get +8% hit points and damage
Hausa
Card Description Age
Habbanaya Exchanges all cattle for 70% the influence received from selling them otherwise, and spawns unfattened ones in their place
Moroccan Leather Cattle gives 50 influence when harvested; sheep or goat gives 30 influence when harvested
Kilishi Jerky Cattle get +100 food capacity; sheep or goat get +60 food capacity
Indians
Card Description Age
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and damage
Goraksha Herded animals generate +80% XP; Sacred Cows cost -25 food; +1 Hindu Villager
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 Delivers Large Collection of Books (500 XP); units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds

All
Card Description Age HC level
Stockyards Herded animals fatten 30% faster when tasked to Livestock Pens, Farms, and Villages
1
British
Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Wool Staple Ports Herded animals fatten 20% faster and 20% faster when tasked to Villages, Livestock Pens, and Farms; Indian herded animals generate +20% XP; Japanese herded animals generate +25% resources/XP when tasked to Shrines
10
Chinese
Card Description Age HC level
Western Reforms All units get +8% hit points and damage
40
Indians
Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics All units get +5% hit points and damage
25
Goraksha Herded animals generate +80% XP; Sacred Cows cost -25 food; +1 Villager
1
Spanish
Card Description Age HC level
TEAM Inquisition All units get +10 Line of Sight
10

History[]

Scientific Name: Bos grunniens
Approx. Size: 2,200 lb. (male)
Diet: Sparse vegetation

The wild yak once roamed the regions between Kashmir and West China, but extensive hunting has reduced the population to a small number that now graze on elevated plateaus above 14,000 feet. It was hunted primarily for its rich meat and wooly hide. The wild yak, now endangered, has a dark brown coat and may grow to a shoulder height of more than 6 feet. Its body features a humped back, a bushy tail, and a set of long horns that spread outward and upward at the tips.

For centuries, natives of Tibet have domesticated and crossbred the yak for use as a beast of burden, as well as for its continuous milk supply, used for quality butter and curd. They eventually introduced the domesticated yak to other parts of Asia. It can be recognized by its smaller size and its shorter horns. The domesticated yak's coat also varies in color, and can be brown, red, black, and even albino.

Gallery[]

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
Predators Arctic Wolf · Crocodile · Bear · Hyena · Lion · Lizard* · Panda Bear* · Polar Bear · Serpent (Predator) · Tiger* · Wolf
Military animalsAnimal of Set · Golden Lion · Relic Monkey
Fish Herring · Mahi-mahi · Perch · Salmon
Decorative animalsBird ( 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 animalsAnchovies · Camel · Musk Ox · Nubian Goat · Shore Fish · Unicorn
Animals in Age of Empires III
Land
Herdables Cow · Goat · Llama · Sacred Cow · Sanga Cattle · Sheep · Water Buffalo · Yak · Zebu Cattle · Big Benny
Huntables Bighorn Sheep · Bison · Capybara · Caribou · Deer · Elephant · Elk · Gazelle · Giant Salamander · Giraffe · Guanaco · Ibex · Marco Polo Sheep · Moose · Musk Deer · Musk Ox · Nilgai · Ostrich · Pronghorn · Rhea · Saiga · Serow · Tapir · Turkey · Zebra
Treasure guardians Alligator · Baboon · Black Bear · Black Panther · Beast · Beast of Gévaudan · Brown Bear · Cougar · Coyote · Crocodile · Elephant · Ethiopian Wolf · Grizzly Bear · Hippo · Honey Badger · Hyena · Jaguar · Leopard · Lion · Lion-Tailed Macaque · Mad Dog · Monitor Lizard · Orangutan · Panda · Polar Bear · Rhino · Snow Leopard · Snow Monkey · Tibetan Macaque · Tiger · Warthog
Unknown-exclusive Cash Cow · Wood Cattle
Military Dog · Intrepid Turkey Scout · Lamb of the Creator · Tengri Wolf
Water
Treasure guardians Alligator · Hippo · Great White Shark · Orca · White Tiger · Wild Boar · Wolf
Fish Bass · Carp · Catfish · Cod · Mahi-mahi · Mola Mola · Salmon · Sardines · Squid · Tarpon · Tuna
Whales Beluga Whale · Humpback Whale · Minke Whale
Air
Bird · Bird (unit)