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Task Villagers on the Community Plaza to perform powerful ceremonies.
—In-game description

The Community Plaza (Fire Pit before the Definitive Edition) is a special building in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs that is unique to the Native American civilizations (Aztecs, Haudenosaunee, Inca, and Lakota). It grants a choice of "ceremonies" which provides special bonuses when Villagers are tasked to the Community Plaza, which can hold up to 25 units; the more units tasked to the Community Plaza, the more powerful the ceremony becomes. The percentage-based ceremonies use the final amount as base, instead of the unimproved amount, which means that the ceremonies are much more powerful than they would otherwise be in later Ages.

The Haudenosaunee and Lakota Healers, Aztec Warrior Priests, and Inca Priestesses can be tasked to the Community Plaza, where they are counted as 1.2, 2, and 1.5 units respectively. This makes the Aztec and Inca ceremonies have superior bonuses than others.

Ceremonies[]

Age Ceremony Effect Civ.
Age I tech tree aoe3
Fertility Dance Harvest Ceremony Increases unit train rate All
Gift Dance Gift Ceremony Trickles XP
War Chief Dance AztecsWar Chief Dance IroquoisWar Chief Dance SiouxWarchief Ceremony Inca War Chief Ceremony Increases War Chief hit points and returns him to the Community Plaza when collapsed
Alarm Dance Call the People Ceremony Spawns Warriors
Water Dance Water Ceremony Increases all ships' hit points and attack; requires Water Ceremony Home City Card All except Lakota
Founder dance Founder Ceremony Spawns Travois Haudenosaunee
Age II tech tree aoe3
HolyIroquoisHoly Dance AztecsHoly dance siouxHoly Ceremony Inca Healers Ceremony Spawns Healers (Warrior Priests for the Aztecs; Priestesses for the Inca) All
War Dance War Ceremony Increases all units' melee and ranged attack
TownDance icon Town Ceremony Increases all buildings' hit points and attack; requires Town Ceremony Home City Card All except Inca
Age III tech tree aoe3
Healing dance Healing Ceremony Units regenerate hit points while idle Aztecs
Earth mother dance Earth Mother Ceremony Increases population Haudenosaunee
Moon-dance-ceremony-icon-aoe3-150x150 Moon Ceremony Trickles wood Inca
Fire dance Charging Ceremony Increases all units' siege attack Lakota
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
Garland war dance Garland War Ceremony Spawns Skull Knights Aztecs
Supay-ceremony-icon-aoe3-150x150 Supay Ceremony Spawns Macemen Inca
War song dance Tokala Ceremony Spawns Tokala Soldiers Lakota

Technologies[]

Age Technologies Cost Effect Civ.
Age I tech tree aoe3
Founder Founder 50 food
50 wood
50 coin
The Aztec War Chief's aura triples XP bounty from nearby units' kills Aztecs
Age II tech tree aoe3
Secret Society Secret Society 200 wood
100 coin
The Haudenosaunee War Chief can use Heal Haudenosaunee
Age III tech tree aoe3
Royal Festival Royal Festival 300 food
400 wood
500 coin
Ships 2 Macemen immediately, and ships 1 Maceman for every 4 minutes of the game time, up to 30 minutes Inca
Age II tech tree aoe3
Battle Anger Battle Anger 300 wood
600 coin
The Lakota War Chief get +6.0 multiplier vs. artillery
Lakota cavalry get +2.0 multiplier vs. artillery
Lakota

Further statistics[]

Building strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs. Nothing
Weak vs. Everything
Improvements
Hit points Flying Buttress Flying Buttress (+20%)
Construction cost Cree Textile Craftsmanship Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-10%)
Tupi Forest Burning Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood)

Home City Cards[]

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Community Plaza
Some cards are highlighted with:
Green TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team

Aztecs[]

Card Description Age HC level
Aztec Home City 1 (High Priest of Ixtilion) High Priest of Ixtlilton The Aztec War Chief gets +50% hit points and attack; Warrior Priests get +10% effectiveness at the Community Plaza
Age I tech tree aoe3
1
Aztec Home City 3 (Calendar Ceremony) Calendar Ceremony Ships 1 Warrior Priest; Calendar Ceremony available at the Community Plaza
Age I tech tree aoe3
N/A

Indians[]

Card Description Age HC level
Team improved buildings TEAM Improved Buildings Buildings get +25% hit points
Age II tech tree aoe3
10

Native Americans[]

Card Description Age HC level
Spanish Home City 3 (Improved Buildings) Improved Buildings Buildings get +40% hit points
Age I tech tree aoe3
10
Iroquois Home City 3 (Town Dance) Town Ceremony Town Ceremony available at the Community Plaza
Age II tech tree aoe3
10
Iroquois Home City 4 (Old Ways) Old Ways Big Button improvements cost -50%
Age IV tech tree aoe 3
40
Iroquois Home City 5 (Water Dance) Water Ceremony Water Ceremony available at the Community Plaza
Age I tech tree aoe3
1
The Improved Buildings card is available at a level 1 Home City for the Lakota.
The Water Ceremony card is not available to the Lakota.

Changelog[]

The WarChiefs[]

  • The building is called Fire Pit, has 1,500 hit points, and must be placed 65 tiles away from enemy Town Centers.
  • The Fire Pit's in-game description is "Task Villagers on the Fire Pit to perform powerful dances."

Definitive Edition[]

  • The building is called Community Plaza.
  • The Community Plaza's in-game description is "Task Villagers on the Community Plaza to perform powerful ceremony." With update 9476, the Community Plaza's in-game description is "Task Villagers on the Community Plaza to perform powerful ceremonies."

Knights of the Mediterranean[]

  • With update 13.58326, Community Plazas have 1,200 hit points and must be placed 80 tiles away from enemy Town Centers.

History[]

The WarChiefs[]

For the aboriginal peoples of North and Central America, spirituality encompassed all the routines of daily life. Worship was not something that happened according to some arbitrary schedule. Hunting, cooking, meeting - all of life's activities had spiritual and ceremonial significance.

Long before recorded history, Native peoples have celebrated the mysteries of life, death, and the universe through the medium of dance. Many complex dance ceremonies emerged over the centuries, each with their own meaning and purpose. The ceremonial dance served as a way to unite people to face the day's challenges, while at the same time linking with the honored traditions of generations past.

Definitive Edition[]

Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have inhabited North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.

When European settlers first arrived in the Americas, there were an estimated ten million Native inhabitants in North America alone, speaking more than 300 different languages. Some were nomadic like the Lakota who followed the bison across the Great Plains. Others were sedentary like the Haudenosaunee of the Northeast Woodlands who, along with the Aztec (Mexico) and Inca (Peru), built permanent settlements and grew staple crops.

One thing that the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas shared was a strong sense of community—working together and sharing natural resources. The Community Plaza is a symbolic representation of these interdependent communities of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.

Trivia[]

  • The reason why the Fire Pit was replaced by the Community Plaza was because the Fire Pit was considered stereotypical to Native American audiences.[1]
  • Instead of dancing and playing drums at the Fire Pit, Villagers who are sent to the Community Plaza appear to be discussing plans and ideas.

Gallery[]

References[]

Buildings in Age of Empires III
Common
Dock aoe3de Dock · House indian aoe3de House · Livestock pen aoe3de Livestock Pen · Market icon aoe3de Market · Native embassy DE icon Native Embassy · Stables aoe3de Stable · Towncenter aoe3de Town Center · Trading post african aoe3de Trading Post · Wall aoe3de Wall
EuropeansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Artillery depot aoe3de Artillery Foundry · Barracks aoe3de Barracks · Capitol aoe3de Capitol · Church aoe3de Church · Plantation aoe3de Estate (formerly Plantation) · Fort aoe3de Fort · Mill aoe3de Mill · Outpost aoe3de Outpost · Tavern icon de Tavern
Native AmericansCommunity plaza aoe3de Community Plaza (formerly Fire Pit) · Corral aoe3de Corral · Plantation aoe3de Estate (formerly Plantation) · Farm aoe3de Farm · Tribal marketplace icon Tribal Marketplace · War hut aoe3de War Hut
AsiansJapan barracks aoe3de Barracks · Japan castle aoe3de Castle · Consulate icon aoe3de Consulate · Monastery aoe3de Monastery · China rice paddy icon aoe3de Rice Paddy · Advanced wonders Wonder
Federal AmericansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Artillery depot aoe3de Artillery Foundry · Barracks aoe3de Barracks · Capitol aoe3de Capitol · Plantation aoe3de Estate · Fort aoe3de Fort · Mill aoe3de Mill · Outpost aoe3de Outpost · Saloon aoe3de Saloon
AfricansArsenal aoe3de Arsenal · Field portrait aoe3de Field · Granary portrait aoe3de Granary · Hut portrait aoe3de Hut · Livestock market aoe3de Livestock Market · Palace portrait aoe3de Palace · Port portrait aoe3de Port · War camp aoe3de portrait War Camp · Watch tower aoe3de portrait Watch Tower
Unique
Flag BritishDE BritishHouse aoe3de Manor House
Flag DutchDE DutchBank aoe3de Bank
Flag GermanDE GermansMercenary camp portrait Mercenary Camp
Flag OttomanDE OttomansChurch aoe3de Mosque
Flag RussianDE RussiansBlockhouse aoe3de Blockhouse
Flag AztecDE AztecsNobles aoe3de Nobles' Hut
Flag IroquoisDE HaudenosauneeIro house icon Longhouse · Artillery depot aoe3de Siege Workshop
Flag SiouxDE LakotaTeepee icon DE Teepee
Flag ChineseDE ChineseChinese village aoe3de Village · China waracademy aoe3de War Academy
Flag IndianDE IndiansCaravanseraiDE Caravanserai · MangoGroveDE Mango Grove · SacredFieldDE Sacred Field
Flag JapaneseDE JapaneseCherry orchard portrait aoe3de Cherry Orchard · Dojo aoe3de Dojo · Shrine aoe3de Shrine
Flag IncanDE IncaInca kallanka Kallanka · Inca kancha house Kancha House · Inca stronghold Stronghold · Inca tambo Tambo
Flag SwedishDE SwedesSwedish torp Torp
Flag American act3 aoe3de United StatesMeeting house aoe3de icon Meeting House · State capitol aoe3de icon State Capitol
Flag Ethiopian aoe3de EthiopiansMountain monastery portrait aoe3de Mountain Monastery
Flag Hausa HausaUniversity portrait University
Flag MexicanDE MexicansCathedral portrait Cathedral · Hacienda portrait Hacienda
Flag ItalianDE ItaliansBasilica portrait Basilica · Lombard portrait Lombard
Flag MalteseDE MalteseCommandery portrait Commandery · Depot portrait Depot · Fixed gun portrait aoe3de Fixed Gun · Hospital portrait Hospital
Situational
Aztec temple portrait American Citadel (formerly Maya Castle) · Athos monastery portrait Athos Monastery · Battery tower portrait Battery Tower · Factory aoe3de Factory · Field hospital aoe3de Field Hospital · Regent's Castle aoe3de Regent's Castle
Scenario Editor/campaign only
Cherokee Warhut Portrait Cherokee War Hut · Wall aoe3de Command Post · Fixed gun portrait aoe3de Fixed Gun · Fort Tower icon AoE3DE Fort Tower · Gunpowder Stores icon AoE3DE Gunpowder Stores · Ossuary AoE3DE Ossuary · Fountain Youth Portrait The Fountain of Youth · Tower aoe3de Tower
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