This article is about the building in Age of Empires III. For the building in other games in the series, see Outpost. |
“ | Tower that can be used to defend the frontier. | ” |
—In-game description |
The Outpost is a defensive building in Age of Empires III that attacks nearby enemies and also serves as a drop-off point for Home City shipments. It is available to the European civilizations (except the Russians, who build the Blockhouse), United States, and Mexicans.
Native American civilizations build War Huts instead of Outposts, which combine the functions of a Barracks and an Outpost. Asian civilizations build Castles, which combine the functions of an Artillery Foundry and an Outpost. African civilizations build Watch Towers, which combine the functions of a Tavern and an Outpost.
Tactics[]
Outposts have a fairly high amount of hit points, and a ranged attack that does ×1.5 damage to cavalry and shock infantry, so scouting parties should be careful. They also have an anti-ship attack with an extremely long range, which can be particularly powerful if the TEAM Coastal Defenses Home City Card is sent. Outposts are more effective if surrounded by walls and a gate, slowing down enemy units, and effectively protecting the own Outpost until reinforcements arrive.
Outposts can be garrisoned by villager-type units, making them effective at securing resources such as huntable animals and mines, and gaining crucial map control. Unlike the Town Center, garrisoning villagers does not increase the Outpost's attack.
The player can build up to 7 Outposts at a time, which can be increased to 13 with the Extensive Fortifications Home City Card available to most civilizations.
The "Outpost Trick" refers to using a unit with high ranged resistance and/or hit points to distract a Outpost or Town Center while it is being attacked, or troops move past it instead (especially Settler, or Villager for Outposts, Explorer, War Chief, and Monk for both). Against Fortified Outposts, higher hit points are preferable (ranged resistance is useless), and drawing the area of effect fire away from the main force attacking from a different angle. The AI will never manually switch targets with an Outpost or Town Center, or focus fire with them, and most players fail to do so either. Furthermore, loosely grouped outposts and other defensive buildings will have blind spots in their coverage that only allow 1-2 of them to attack simultaneously if attacked from certain angles.
In the Definitive Edition, the "Castrametation" Home City Card allows the Explorer to build Outposts.
Upgrades[]
Age | Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
Frontier Outpost | 400 wood 200 coin |
Upgrades Outposts into Frontier Outposts (+50% attack) | |
Fortified Outpost | 800 wood 400 coin |
Upgrades Outposts into Fortified Outposts (+50% hit points, +50% attack, +100% anti-ship attack, and a bombard attack with an Area of Effect of 3); requires Frontier Outpost |
- The only way for the Knights of St. John to research Fortified Outposts is through use of the Heavy Fortifications card available to them in the Fortress Age.
Civilization differences[]
Revolutionary[]
- Revolting to Hungary or Romania causes Pandours/Hajduks/Magyar Hussars/Hungarian Grenadiers or Roșior Dragoons and Wallachian Horse Archers to spawn at every existing Outpost. All Hungarian and Romanian Home City Cards also increases the Outpost's build limit by 1 when shipped, and some even causes more units to spawn at existing Outposts.
Further statistics[]
Building strengths and weaknesses | |
---|---|
Strong vs. | Infantry, cavalry, shock infantry, ships |
Weak vs. | Siege units, artillery |
Improvements | |
Hit points | State Constitutions (+25%; United States only) Flying Buttress (+20%) Byzantine Legacy (+15%) |
Attack | Heated Shot (+50% multiplier vs. ships) |
Line of Sight | Somali Lighthouses (+10) Gas Lighting (+4) |
Build time | Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-25%) |
Cost | Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood) Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-10%) |
Other | Yoruba Eredo Legacy (ships 2 Outpost Wagons) Öresund Customs (trickle 0.25 coin) Somali Ajuran Engineers (build limit +4) Jagiellonian Legacy (units and resources already earned from age-ups are provided again) |
Penalties | Customized Merc Weapons (+30% cost; John Black's Mercenaries only) Code Napoleon (+25% cost; French only) |
- "Jagiellonian Legacy" affects The Governor.
Home City Cards[]
- Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Outpost
Some cards are highlighted with: | |
Green | TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team |
Purple | Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times |
Red | Shipment that can be sent twice |
Blue | Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds) |
All[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Natural Lookouts | Outposts, Outpost Wagons, Blockhouses, War Huts, Castles and Watch Towers cost -30% wood; Nobles' Huts and Palaces cost -15% wood and coin | 1 | |
Improved Buildings | Buildings get +40% hit points | 10 | |
TEAM Improved Buildings | Buildings get +25% hit points | 10 | |
Frontier Defenses | Ships 2 Outpost Wagons | 1 | |
Advanced Frontier Defenses | Ships 3 Outpost Wagons; upgrades Outposts/Blockhouses to Frontier (if not already) | 10 | |
Heavy Fortifications | Grants all defensive building upgrades (if not already); costs 250 wood | 25 | |
Extensive Fortifications | Frontier fortifications, Walls, and Forts get +25% hit points; Outpost build limit +100% | 1 | |
TEAM Coastal Defenses | Defensive buildings get +0.8 multiplier against ships | 25 |
- "TEAM Natural Lookouts" is available to the Haudenosaunee and Portuguese.
- "Improved Buildings" is available to Europeans (except the Maltese) and Federal Americans.
- "TEAM Improved Buildings" is available to the Inca, Indians, and Maltese (in the Industrial Age).
- "Frontier Defenses" is available to Europeans (except Russians) and Federal Americans.
- "Advanced Frontier Defenses" is available to Europeans (except British, French, Germans, Italians, Maltese, and Portuguese) and Federal Americans.
- "Heavy Fortifications" is available to Europeans (except Germans, Ottomans, Russians, and Spanish) and Federal Americans.
- "Extensive Fortifications" is available to Europeans (except Germans, Portuguese, and Russians) and Mexicans.
- "TEAM Coastal Defenses" is available to Europeans and Federal Americans.
Europeans[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
Castrametation | Ships 1 Fort Wagon; Fort build limit +1; the Explorer can build Outposts and Forts | 25 | |
Lantakas | Artillery, buildings, and ships get +15% attack | N/A | |
Monumental Architecture | Buildings get +30% hit points; Town Centers get +35% attack | N/A | |
Lexington Minutemen | Ships 16 Militiamen; Militiamen retain their hit points 80% longer and can now be called from Outposts and Forts | N/A |
- "Castrametation" is not available to the Maltese.
- "Lantakas" is available to the Dutch and Portuguese upon revolting to Indonesia.
- "Monumental Architecture" is available to the Spanish and Portuguese upon revolting to Peru.
- "Lexington Minutemen" is available to the British, Dutch. Italians, French and Swedes upon revolting to United States.
French[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Génie Troops | Enables Grenadiers to mine, chop wood and construct Field Hospitals, Trading Posts, Barracks, Stables, Artillery Foundries, and Outposts |
- "Génie Troops" is available upon revolting to Revolutionary France.
Germans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Witch Hammer | Ships 3 Inquisitors; Inquisitors can be trained at Tavern/Mercenary Camps, Town Centers, Church and Outposts; outlaws use -2 population space; +2 Uhlans |
Hungary[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Military Frontier | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Grenzer; Grenzers can now build Outposts/Blockhouses | |
Hajduks | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Hajduk; Hajduks can be trained at Tavern, Barracks, Forts, Galleons, Outposts/Blockhouses | |
Hungarian Grenadiers | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Hungarian Grenadier (Grenadier with +6 Line of Sight and range) | |
Magyar Hussars | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Magyar Hussar | |
12 Crabats | Ships 12 Crabats; Crabats can be trained at Tavern, Stables, Forts, Galleons, Outposts/Blockhouses | |
10 Pandours | Ships 10 Pandours; Pandours can be trained at Tavern, Barracks, Forts, Galleons, Outposts/Blockhouses |
- "Hajduks", "12 Crabats", and "10 Pandours" also available to Romania.
Italians[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Frontier Defenses | Ships 4 Outpost Wagons |
Japanese[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Ashikaga Castle | Ships 1 Castle Rickshaw/Outpost Wagon/War Hut Travois/Camp Builder | 25 | |
TEAM 2 Azuchi Momoyama Castles | Ships 2 Castle Rickshaws/Outpost Wagons/War Hut Travois or 1 Palace Builder | 1 |
Maltese[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Knights of Bodrum | Ships 1 Hospitaller for each Outpost owned by the player | |
Wignacourt Constructions | Villagers gather natural resources 10% faster, and an additional 20% faster when nearby a Town Center, Outpost, or Commandery | |
De Redin Towers | Ships 2 Outpost Wagons; Outposts can now train Crossbowmen, Pikemen, Hospitallers, Sentinels and Fire Throwers | |
Fire Towers | Grants Frontier Outpost; Outposts now use a fire attack within a range of 10 |
Mexicans[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Plan of Veracruz | [Plan] Turns all Outposts into Falconets; upgrades Falconets to Field Guns (if not already); artillery get +4 Line of Sight; costs 250 food, 250 wood | |
Presidios | The General can build Outposts; Fort build limit +1; Walls cost -20%; Outposts cost -30%; Forts cost -40%; Outpost, Wall, and Fort build time -20% | |
Colegio de San Nicolás | Ships 500 XP; units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds | |
Trias Fortifications | Ships 1 Fort Wagon; Fort build limit +1; Outposts and Forts can use Levy | |
Talavera Architecture | Buildings get +30% hit points, build time -30%, and grant coin upon being built instead of XP | |
Chipotle Tactics | Ships 500 food; receive food when an enemy or own building is destroyed equal to 20% ~ 40% of its total cost | |
Maya Architecture | All buildings except Forts get +30% hit points; buildings now give food as well as experience when built; grants Redoubts |
- "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.
- "Trias Fortifications" is available upon selecting the Chihuahua Federal State.
- "Talavera Architecture" is available upon selecting the Puebla Federal State.
- "Chipotle Tactics" is available upon revolting to Central America.
- "Maya Architecture" is available upon revolting to the Maya.
Ottomans[]
Card | Description | Age | HC level |
---|---|---|---|
TEAM Military Wagons | Ships 2 Military Wagons; Military Wagons can build Outposts | 25 |
Romania[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Military Frontier | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Dorobant; Dorobants can now build Outposts/Blockhouses | |
Wallachian Horse Archers | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Wallachian Horse Archer | |
Roșior Dragoons | Each Outpost/Blockhouse spawns 1 Roșior Dragoon |
United States[]
Card | Description | Age |
---|---|---|
Spanish Immigrants | [Immigrant] Ships 1 Outpost Wagon; gives a trickle of 1.70 XP; Levy spawns 6 Tercio Pikemen (that do not lose hit points over time) from the Commerce Age; costs 300 food | |
Watauga Association | Ships 2 Outpost Wagons; all existing and newly-constructed Outposts and Blockhouses spawn 2 State Militia and support 10 population | |
Moultrie's Militia | Ships 12 State Militia and allows them to construct Barracks, Stables, and Outposts; the General's Inspiring Flag now boosts the damage of nearby State Militia by an additional 7% | |
Connecticut Shipwrights | Artillery train time -25%, buildings' build time -35%, and warships' train time -50% | |
The Alamo | Ship 16 Minutemen; when destroyed by enemies, your buildings spawn a number of Minutemen equal to 1.5% of their cost rounded up |
- "Watauga Association" is available upon selecting the Tennessee Federal State.
- "Moultrie's Militia" is available upon selecting the South Carolina Federal State.
- "Connecticut Shipwrights" is available upon selecting the Connecticut Federal State.
- "The Alamo" is available upon selecting the Texas Federal State, and spawns 4 Minutemen when an Outpost is destroyed.
Changelog[]
The WarChiefs[]
- The Outpost cannot reveal stealth enemies and has a ×1.5 ranged multiplier against shock infantry.
Definitive Edition[]
- The Outpost can reveal stealth enemies and is tagged as Frontier fortification.
- With update 13088, the Outpost has a ×1.3 ranged multiplier against shock infantry.
Trivia[]
- The in-game Outpost model does not resemble its building portrait because the Outpost design shown is of an earlier version, which can be seen in pre-release screenshots. The same goes for its upgrade icons (Frontier and Fortified Outpost) and their respective in-game models.
History[]
“ | Outposts are buildings that are used to gain territory in a military conflict. One example of their use is in the disputed territory of Clipperton Island. The Island was originally charted by Magellan in 1521. It changed hands between Spain, France, and the United States. Eventually, Mexico claimed it and built an outpost to reinforce their claim. Even with the outpost, though, Clipperton Island continued to change hands well into the twentieth century. | ” |