Commerce Age
The Commerce Age is the second standard stage and the first broad point at which many civilizations can field a conventional army. Advancing opens additional military production, Market improvements, Home City options and civilization-specific rewards. Its timing often determines whether the player pressures early or builds toward the Fortress Age.
How it works
The exact unlocks vary by civilization and expansion. Many factions can add a Barracks or Stable and train more unit types; others use distinct structures, age-up choices or access rules. Commerce shipments can support an attack, stabilize the economy or help prepare for the next advance. An Age-up reward should be considered together with the units and resources it enables.
Player decision
Decide whether the next minutes are for attacking, defending or aging again before spending the first large stockpile. Scout the opponent’s production and choose units that answer the visible threat. A greedy transition is strongest when workers and map control are safe; if they are exposed, spend on enough defense first.
What changes when a player reaches the Commerce Age
The Commerce Age is the second age in Age of Empires III, called the Colonial Age before Definitive Edition. The standard age-up costs 800 Food and takes 90 seconds, though civilizations and scenarios can modify this. It is the point when most civilizations can establish their core military production and begin contests over resource sites. Advancing also improves building line of sight by 7 and increases hero hit points and attack by 25%; pets receive 20% more hit points and attack under the cited rules. The age therefore improves scouting and creates a timing window, but it does not automatically provide a complete army. Players must choose an age-up method, prepare production and use the transition to protect the economy.
Choose between a Commerce Age army and a fast Fortress
A common decision is to spend Wood on early military buildings and troops or save resources for the Fortress Age. Two hundred Wood often pays for a main production building, so several Wood crates can support a Commerce Age army and map control. A fast Fortress plan instead gathers toward the Coin requirement and accepts limited early production in exchange for access to units such as Falconets and other advanced shipments. The right approach depends on scouting: a nearby enemy rush calls for defense, while a quiet map may reward an earlier advance. A fast age without units can lose the map, and an oversized Commerce army can delay the upgrades that would improve it.
Politicians and civilization-specific age-ups
European civilizations usually select a politician when aging through a Town Center. The Governor can add an Outpost Wagon and Coin; The Naturalist delivers Settlers and livestock; The Quartermaster supplies Wood; The Logistician can add an Arsenal or Military Wagon or change unit availability, depending on civilization; and The Inventor improves the Explorer’s options and grants experience. Other civilizations use their own age-up systems: Ottomans choose from Viziers, Asian civilizations construct Wonders, African civilizations use alliance or influence-linked choices, and Federal Americans and Mexicans can have their own progression. Read the reward and prerequisites before choosing, since a politician can grant different units to different civilizations.
Early production and unit access
The Commerce Age unlocks the first regular military buildings for many civilizations and gives access to their basic infantry and cavalry. Unit availability is not uniform: the Dutch can train Skirmishers early, some civilizations can build an Artillery Foundry or train Grenadiers earlier than others, and the Portuguese or Russians may use age-up bonuses that alter Town Center or Blockhouse production. Healing units such as Priests, Imams and Missionaries also begin to appear in some rosters. These exceptions are civilization rules, not a general Commerce Age unlock. Build the structure required by the unit you actually need, then maintain enough Food, Wood and Coin to keep production active.
Home City shipments and resource crates
Home City cards are central to the age-up transition. Resource crates can pay for buildings, Villagers or an earlier Fortress advance, while unit shipments can defend a Trading Post or punish an exposed economy. A shipment also contributes experience to future cards under the game’s Home City system. Decide whether the next card solves an immediate problem or compounds the economy over time. If the player sends Wood but has no Villagers available to gather it, or sends troops with no population space, the shipment loses tempo. Keep the shipment arrival area safe and plan the resource assignment before it lands.
Map control and economic expansion
Small battles often begin during the Commerce Age because players compete for hunts, mines, Trading Posts and Native settlements. A Trading Post can provide experience and route rewards, while a Native site can unlock a complementary unit or technology. These investments must be protected; a forward building that falls quickly may cost more than the bonus it created. Use the improved building line of sight and Explorer to scout routes before sending builders. If the opponent is producing early cavalry, keep Villagers near the Town Center and use Outposts or infantry to cover the exposed resources. Expand when the map gives enough safety to keep gathering.
Age-up timing and defensive response
The 90-second standard transition is a vulnerable period: builders and resources are committed while the opponent may continue producing troops. Start the advance when the economy can support it and keep a defensive force near likely attack routes. A faster politician or military reward can be more valuable than a long-term economic bonus if the opponent is preparing a timing attack. Conversely, overreacting to a harmless scout can delay Fortress access and surrender the initiative. Watch production buildings, shipments and forward Outposts to distinguish scouting from an actual attack. The age-up should support a plan that can begin as soon as the new age completes.
Version terminology
Colonial Age is the name used by the original release and older strategy guides; Definitive Edition renamed it Commerce Age. Many underlying concepts remain, but civilization rosters, politician rewards, technology values and Home City cards have changed across updates. A guide that uses Colonial Age may describe the original game or an older expansion balance. When comparing a build, identify the edition and civilization, since the same age can have different unit access and age-up rewards. This page uses Commerce Age for the current terminology while noting Colonial Age as the original name.
Building choice and resource balance
A Commerce Age army requires buildings, population support and a resource mix that can sustain unit queues. Before placing a Barracks or Stable, check which resource the chosen units consume and whether the current Villager assignment can fund them. Houses and Outposts also compete for Wood. The age-up reward may solve one of these costs, but only if its resources arrive at the right time. Keep one plan for defense and a fallback if the opponent’s composition changes; switching buildings after a full investment can delay the next age.
When to defend instead of expand
If an enemy forward base or rush appears during the transition, use the new line of sight to spot approach routes and build defense near the threatened resource. A shipment of units or an Outpost can matter more than a second Trading Post. Once the attack is repelled, resume map control rather than leaving the opponent with all outer resources.
Effects beyond unit access
Reaching the Commerce Age improves the Explorer and pets under the standard rules, which can improve treasure control and map scouting. Buildings gain seven line of sight, helping detect raids or contest a Trading Post. These changes are modest but useful during the transition: the Explorer can reveal the next resource site while the army guards the builders. They do not make a forward position safe by themselves; Outposts, troops and a clear retreat route still matter.
Transition summary
The Commerce Age is where an opening becomes a military and map-control plan. Pick a reward, establish production, protect the economy and decide whether the next objective is a stronger Commerce army or a timely Fortress advance.
Do not age up without a follow-up
Spend the time and cost of advancement on a concrete follow-up: a new unit, technology, shipment or map objective. If the economy cannot use the new access immediately, an earlier age-up may not repay its delay.
A strong age-up produces immediate value
After advancement completes, gather the reward, queue the intended unit and use the improved sight to secure the next objective. A player who reaches the age but leaves the shipment uncollected or buildings idle gives the opponent time to recover.
Follow through on advancement
Use the age-up reward promptly to protect the new position.
The first major production and matchup decision
Reaching the Commerce Age moves a standard match from a mostly economic opening into a stage where many civilizations can field their core military units and add the first sustained production buildings. The transition is not identical for every faction: Asian Wonders, Native Tribal Councils, African age-up choices and later federal systems can replace the familiar politician choice or change its reward. Before clicking an age-up, identify which resource the selected route requires and whether the builder or age-up reward will be exposed. On completion, queue the building or unit that turns the new access into pressure; an Age advance by itself does not defend workers or control the map. The first military choice should answer the opponent’s scouting information, while leaving enough Villagers on Food and Coin to keep the queue active. If the opponent ages first, use scouting to distinguish an immediate attack from a fast Fortress plan rather than reacting blindly.
Shipments, upgrades and map control after aging
The Commerce Age also changes what the player can do with Home City shipments, Market research and map access. A shipment of resource crates can fund an immediate unit or economic upgrade; a military shipment can arrive faster than local production but does not provide a replacement stream. Market technologies improve gathering over time, so their value depends on how long the workers continue using the affected resources. Trading Posts can create experience, secure a route or unlock a settlement roster, and early access may be more valuable than another base structure on some maps. Compare these choices with the next Age cost: spending all available Food on units can delay Fortress access, while aging too quickly can leave the player without the army to protect the new economy. A useful Commerce Age plan states what the shipment, production building and first fight are meant to achieve, then changes if scouting shows a different threat.