Yellow River is a map in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon, and Age of Mythology: Retold - Immortal Pillars. In each game, the map features a central river with two banks.
Age of Mythology[]
Tale of the Dragon[]
| “ | All players start on one side of a large river with only starting resources and no extra settlements: They can attack their enemies or settle on the other side of the river. | ” |
| —Map description | ||
Yellow River icon from the Random Map menu
On one bank, all teams, friend and foe, have their main Town Centers relatively close to one another and a limited number of resources available, with animals including some Pigs and Deer.
One the other, larger bank, are additional Settlements, Relics, resources, and Yaks to be found. The straight river also has a few pools of fish, Mahi-mahi to be precise. Huntables include more Deer and Ducks, the second found on the coasts of the major riverbank, and there are also Lizards, that may attack careless workers. Trees found are Jungle Trees, native to Chinese maps.
Players must choose whether to immediately attack the enemy or escape to the other side of the river to expand their operations.
Similar maps[]
- Team Migration
- Kerlaugar (Retold)
Immortal Pillars[]
Yellow River icon as seen from map selection menu
| “ | Predictable crossings on the Yellow River create chokepoints. Secure them and conquer the fertile banks. | ” |
| —Map description | ||
In Immortal Pillars, the map is quite different to its previous iteration. Players begin on opposite banks of a river, with the only crossings being at an island in the middle of the river.
Overview[]
| “ | The Yellow River divides the region and forks in the center to form an island. Shallow crossings offer passage, making attacks predictable and rewarding keen awareness of your opponent. Players must migrate to more fertile banks as the starting resources run dry. | ” |
| —Loading screen | ||
The map is somewhat similar in layout to Watering Hole, as players are separated from each other by waterways, except in the middle of the map, where shallow crossings provide access to a central island in the river, which also contains resources and Settlements. As such, control of the island is key to dominating the map, and it therefore favors major gods with strong defensive advantages, such as Gaia, Nüwa, Hades, Isis, and Freyr. There are plentiful resources, with many herds of Goats, Aurochs, and Spotted Deer roaming around between the numerous forests, as well as several Brown Bears. Combined with the closed nature of the map, this makes it ideal for turtlers. Although likely unintentional, Settlements may also spawn in the shallows near the island, making it easier to establish control over the area.
Similar maps[]
Age of Empires III[]
Minimap of Yellow River
| “ | During the dry season, the waters of the Yellow River recede to create fertile new islands, and animals often gather near the river's edge to drink. During times of flood, extra resources abound and naval craft are sometimes seen along the river. Recruit local groups as allies to take advantage of their multiple Trade Routes located along the borders of the map. | ” |
| —In-game information | ||
Yellow River features in Age of Empires III with a twist: the game has the chance to generate (including in Scenario Editor) either a "dry season" or a "flood season" map.
Overview[]
| “ | Yellow River: Offers extra resources and choke points when flooded, but is open and fertile when dry. Trade Routes on each side of the map, and many natives. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Dry season[]
A 4-player "dry season" map before the Definitive Edition
The map has two main banks, on which each side starts. On each end of the central river are two islands, each with a Native Settlement and a Trading Route.
Huntables are rich in both variety and numbers, and trees are also found in decent quantity, including Bamboos and ginkgo forests.
There is also a central island, connecting each of the landmasses divided by the river, where extra resources (including treasures) can be found, as well as a sole Native Settlement. This island often becomes an important point of focus, as apart from providing extra resources, it also provides a dependable and easily defended base of operations.
Flood season[]
A 4-player "flood season" map before the Definitive Edition
The flood variant of Yellow River is largely similar to the dry one, concerning the layout and the available land resources, but the focus of the map somewhat changes.
Unlike the "dry season" map, the central island is non-existent. Instead, the central island gives its place to water, where Shipment Drop Points are featured. These essentially push players to invest in a navy, and naval Home City Cards. The new focus on this map is to control the waters, in order to constrict enemies' expansion, but also to better defend the Trade Routes, with both land and naval units.
Also, Carps and Catfish can be found swarming along the banks, allowing Fishing Boats to gather them.
- Wildlife
- Herds: Ibex (400 food), Marco Polo Sheep (400 food), Serow (400 food)
- Bushes: Berry Bush (1,000 food)
- Water: Carp (500 food), Catfish (500 food)
- Mines: Silver Mines (2,000 coin each)
Click for a list of treasures and their guardians related to the Yellow River
| Treasure | Reward | Guardians |
|---|---|---|
| A nest of box turtles worth | 75 food | 3x  Tibetan Macaque
|
| Delicious kiwi fruit worth | 50 food | 1x  Tiger
|
| A patch of delicious wild mizuna worth | 120 food | 5x Tibetan Macaque
|
| Possible remnants of the fabled valley Shangri-La worth | 300 food | 2x  Mongol Rider3x  Smuggler
|
| A stand of Deodar cedar worth | 40 wood | 1x  Lion
|
| A stand of Deodar cedar worth | 75 wood | 2x Lion
|
| A stand of live oak worth | 145 wood | 3x  Panda
|
| A stand of live oak worth | 25 wood | 1x  Lion-Tailed Macaque
|
| A grove of Sandalwood trees worth | 30 wood | 1x  Monitor Lizard
|
| A grove of Sandalwood trees worth | 30 wood | 1x Monitor Lizard
|
| Possible remnants of the fabled valley Shangri-La worth | 250 wood | 4x Smuggler
|
| Possible remnants of the fabled valley Shangri-La worth | 250 wood | 4x Smuggler
|
| A stand of spruce trees worth | 30 wood | 1x Monitor Lizard
|
| A stand of spruce trees worth | 70 wood | 2x Tiger
|
| A stand of spruce trees worth | 115 wood | 3x Tiger
|
| Fragrant cinnamon quills worth | 45 coin | 1x  Black Bear
|
| A large ginger root worth | 250 coin | 4x  Masterless Samurai
|
| A pool of quicksilver worth | 75 coin | 2x Tiger
|
| A pool of quicksilver worth | 70 coin | 4x Tibetan Macaque
|
| Weasels whose furs are worth | 30 coin | None |
| Fragrant cinnamon quills worth | 70 coin | 2x  Blind Monk
|
| Fragrant cinnamon quills worth | 75 coin | 2x Black Bear
|
| A curious gibbon with an assortment of stolen goods worth | 30 coin, 30 XP | 1x Monitor Lizard
|
| A curious macaque with an assortment of stolen goods worth | 35 coin, 35 XP | 2x Tibetan Macaque
|
| A woodblock printing of a beautiful woman worth | 120 XP | 3x Monitor Lizard
|
| An artifact of the mystical Penglai mountain worth | 240 XP | 4x Tiger
|
| Two captive Iron Troops, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 2x  Iron Troop
| 5x Smuggler
|
| A nearly-mature monitor lizard that you can tame. | 1x Monitor Lizard
| 2x Monitor Lizard
|
| A nearly-mature panda cub that you can tame. | 1x Panda
| 2x Masterless Samurai
|
| A trapped Settler, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 1x  Settler
| 3x Tiger
|
| A trapped Settler, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 1x Settler
| 4x  Black Panther
|
| A pair of trapped Settlers, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 2x Settler
| 5x Smuggler
|
| El Halcon Sincero's scurvy prevention methods grants a 5% discount on most Food costs to whoever recovers it. | Unit and technology food cost -5% | 4x Panda
|
| The armor of Arkantos, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 60% | 4x Tiger
|
| Acupuncture methods that increase settler hitpoints by 15%. | Villager hit points +15%; unit affected by villager upgrades hit points +5% | 5x Monitor Lizard
|
History[]
| “ | The Yellow River, the second largest river in China, originates with a collection of springs and lakes in the Kunlun Mountains, and then travels southeast, reaching a length of 3,395 miles. It gets its name from the yellow silt that colors the waters between Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, a product of loamy soil deposits. Years of silt buildup in the Yellow River has led to devastating floods, which is the impetus for one of the river's less desirable nicknames: China's Sorrow. The environment contains diverse habitats. The deciduous forests are comprised of oaks, elms, and pistachios, with conifers and cypress growing in the higher regions. The wetlands serve as resting places for many migratory birds en route to their destinations. Today, overuse of the river has reduced its waters to near-crisis levels, but the Chinese government has taken steps to divert waters from other sources - including China's largest river, the Yangtze - to replenish the shrinking supply. | ” |
Gallery[]
