The Philosopher Prince is a Commerce Age politician in Age of Empires III, available to all European civilizations except the Dutch, French, and Maltese. As soon as the player advances to the Commerce Age by choosing him, 500 food appears in the Home City shipment point (750 for the Italians if the Advanced Politicians Home City Card was sent).
Before the Definitive Edition, The Philosopher Prince is available to the Dutch by default, the French at a level 10 Home City, the British at a level 40 Home City, the Ottomans at a level 50 Home City, and the Russians and Spanish at a level 60 Home City.
Strategy[]
Much like The Naturalist, choosing The Philosopher Prince gives the player a food bonus in the start of the new Age, which can make up for the advance cost. The Philosopher Prince enables the player to perform a Fast Fortress strategy, as the food may help to skip the Commerce Age; otherwise, the Food can also be invested in early technologies or troops for a rush. The Ottomans and Italians can get better food crates if they get the Silk Road or Advanced Politician shipments, respectively.
Recommended shipments are addressed below.
All civilizations[]
- Villager Shipments (all except the Russians and Portuguese): For performing a boom
- Exploration and Commerce age Crates of food and Chests of coin: Sending these may enable the player to jump into the Fortress Age, for example the player may pick Infinite Chests of 300 coin once in the Exploration Age, then once in Commerce age pick Crates of 700 food (for a total of 1,200 food) then pick Chests of 700 coin (for a total of 1,000 coin). In a few shipments, the player can get the required 1,200 food, 1,000 coin for aging up to the Fortress Age.
- Native Lore: Native technologies cost -20%. Most native technologies costs food, so this may be helpful if the player intends to use these technologies for several purposes.
- Advanced Arsenal:Arsenals can be built in the Commerce Age; provide Arsenals with Flint Lock, Paper Cartridge, Military Drummers, Pillage, Professional Gunners, and Trunion. Many of these technologies require food so it may be helpful for a rush. British, Italians, Swedes and Germans should prefer to pick The Logistician for this purpose instead of The Philosopher Prince.
- Fencing School (all except the Ottomans and Spanish): If the player intends to use the food for training troops and perform a rush this should be considered.
- Riding School (all except the Spanish): If the player intends to use the food for training troops and perform a rush, this should be considered.
- Advanced Market: Markets get +20% buy/sell factors. The food may be exchanged with a better price if needed.
- Any economic upgrade.
- Medicine: Villager cost and train time -15%.
- Livestock shipments: Livestock cost food but provides food in return; so with this the player may save the food from The Philosopher Prince for something else.
- Commerce Age military units shipments: If performing a rush, this may save some resources so the player may use the food for training additional troops.
British[]
- TEAM House of Tudor and Virginia Company: British Manors spawns settlers so having cheaper manors eases the production of settlers and this indirectly impacts food savings.
Italians[]
- Lombard Shipments: The food can be deposited on Lombards if needed in order to get wood and coin.
- Advanced Politicians.
- Broken Lance Company, Croatian Company and Maltese Company: These three shipments requires food, coin and wood to be sent, The Philosopher Prince can address the food on this so the player just need to gather wood and coin.
Ottomans[]
- Silk Road: this is an essential shipment if picking The Philosopher Prince, with this instead of 500 food the player may get 625 food.
- Matrakci School: For an infantry rush.
- Sublime Porte: Exchanges all food for 1.25 times the wood: with this shipment the player may use The Philosopher Prince as a replacement of The Quartermaster. If used in combination with Silk Road the player may get a total 781 wood out of the original food from the Philosopher Prince.
Portuguese[]
Russians[]
- Dueling School: Infantry train time -25%. Useful for a rush.
Spanish[]
- TEAM Hidalgos: Reduces the training time of regular coin free infantry units, useful for a rush.
- House of Trastamára: The next Age up is researched 8.5% faster and costs 80 resources less for each shipment that has been sent in the current Age including this one; Resources are proportional to amount required (approximately 43.6 food, 36.4 coin for Fortress Age, 50 food, 30 coin for Industrial Age, 40 food, 40 coin for Imperial Age): Helpful for a Fast Fortress strategy when picking The Philosopher Prince.
Swedes[]
- Surströmming: Ships 2 Surströmming crates (provides 100 food which increases at a rate of 1 food every second if not gathered); only 10 Surströmming crates can be present at a time.
- 15 Elk
- Blueberries: Torps spawn a Blueberry Bush (which have +200 food and are gathered twice as fast by Torps) instead of Berry Bush when built; turns all Torps' Berry Bushes into Blueberry Bushes.
- TEAM New Sweden: Ships 1 Torp Wagon.
- Oxenstierna Reforms: Exchanges all coin for 1.25 times the food.
Changelog[]
Age of Empires III[]
- Dutch and French: Can choose The Philosopher Prince to advance to the Colonial Age.
Definitive Edition[]
- Dutch and French: The Philosopher Prince removed from the Commerce Age politician options.
- Home City level requirement removed.
