Factory
The Factory is a powerful Industrial Age economic structure, usually delivered by a Home City shipment and built by a Factory Wagon. It can automatically gather Food, Wood or Coin, or produce a civilization-specific heavy artillery unit. Its 5,000 hit points make it durable, but its limited access and high strategic value make placement important.
Recorded values
- Available
- Fortress Age (United States) ; Industrial Age
- Builder
- Factory Wagon
- Function
- Auto gather resources or automatically trains heavy artillery
- Construction
- 30 sec
- Structure
- 5,000 hit points · 12 line of sight · 5x5 footprint
Function
Choose whether the Factory should generate Food, Wood or Coin, or produce the heavy artillery available to the civilization. Resource output starts at 5.5 per second and can reach 7.15 with improvements; artillery does not cost its normal unit price, but the Factory gives up that resource income while the cannon is training. British Factories produce Rockets, Italian Factories Papal Bombards, Ottoman Factories Great Bombards, and most other eligible civilizations Heavy Cannons. A destroyed Factory removes both its continuing income and production option, so protect it.
Placement & timing
Place it behind a protected line and select the output that answers the current bottleneck. Resource production can help sustain a long match; artillery can strengthen a push or counter a fortified opponent. Protect the Factory with field units and avoid leaving it idle or exposed after the shipment’s investment.
Construction and economic output
The Factory is a major economic and military building in Age of Empires III. It is normally placed by a Factory Wagon shipped from the Home City in the Industrial Age; the United States can receive one earlier by choosing New Hampshire in the Fortress Age, though its advanced Factory technologies and heavy artillery production remain locked until the Industrial Age. The building costs 200 Wood and 400 Coin, takes 30 seconds to construct, and has 5,000 hit points. Once operating, it can be configured to gather Food, Wood, or Coin at a base rate of 5.5 resources per second. Improvements can raise the relevant rate to 7.15 per second. This is automatic income: no Villagers need to be assigned, and the Factory keeps producing while the player handles the army elsewhere. The configuration can be changed to match the economy, so choose a resource that supports the next production or age-up plan rather than leaving the building on a default setting.
Artillery production and upgrades
Instead of producing resources, the Factory can train heavy artillery without charging the unit's ordinary listed resource cost. The artillery type depends on civilization: British Factories produce Rockets, Italian Factories produce Papal Bombards, Ottoman Factories produce Great Bombards, and most other eligible civilizations produce Heavy Cannons. This queue still has an economic cost in time. While the Factory builds a cannon, it is not generating Food, Wood, or Coin, so the unit is not truly free. At a resource setting of 5.5 per second, a long production queue can forgo more income than the cannon's normal price. Factory technologies improve gathering rates and artillery training time; the Imperial artillery upgrade also improves the matching gun. Choose between passive resources and military production based on whether the army needs immediate siege support or the economy needs a continuing stream of resources.
Position and vulnerability
A Factory is too valuable to leave exposed. It has 5,000 hit points, but once destroyed it cannot normally be rebuilt because its delivery depends on a limited Home City shipment or another specific civilization rule. Place it behind the main defensive line, within the protection of the base, and avoid using a Factory Wagon to build next to an active front unless the position is secure. Its passive income can support a late game economy for a long time, while its artillery option adds military value without tying up ordinary unit buildings. Losing one removes both the income and the production choice, so scout for raids and protect the approaches. If an enemy siege force is advancing, keep mobile troops ready to intercept it rather than expecting the Factory itself to hold.
Civilization-specific access
Factory access is not identical across civilizations. Chinese players in The Asian Dynasties can ally with the Russians at the Consulate to receive a Factory Wagon, and the Definitive Edition allows the resulting Factory to research the Imperial Cannon improvement. United States players can get an early Factory through the New Hampshire Federal State, but its production and research restrictions last until the Industrial Age. The Mexican California revolution can ship and build up to three Factories, an exceptional rule that can create a very large passive economy. Cards such as Factory, Industrial Revolution, and Robber Barons have their own civilization or revolution requirements. Check the chosen deck and Federal State before planning around multiple Factories, since a card or shipment available to one roster may not exist for another.
Choosing a configuration
Resource production is steady and predictable, making a Factory useful when Villagers need to remain on the map or when the player has reached the practical limit of safe gathering sites. Coin can fund upgrades and artillery, Wood can support buildings and ships, and Food can keep Villager or infantry queues running. A player with two Factories may dedicate each to a different resource or use one for artillery when siege is urgently needed. The right choice changes as the match develops: before a push, artillery production can shorten the time needed to break defenses; during a quiet period, resource production compounds over time. Do not switch to artillery automatically just because it is available. Compare the value of the gun with the resources the Factory would otherwise gather, its long production interval, and the ability of the opponent to counter it.
Choosing the moment to build
A Factory shipment competes with other Home City deliveries, and the wagon must reach a safe location before income begins. Send it when the economy can protect the route and when a long period of production remains; the earlier a Factory starts gathering, the more time it has to repay its shipment opportunity cost. A Fortress Age Factory from New Hampshire is an exception because its resources begin earlier, but its advanced functions are delayed. If the enemy is already pressuring the base, place the Factory behind existing defenses rather than near a new expansion. When artillery is needed, compare the wait for a Factory queue with the time required to train a gun at another building or receive one by shipment. Resource settings provide reliable income, while artillery gives a unit that can be lost. Switch back to resources once the immediate siege need has passed.
Expansion and defense
A second Factory is useful only when the player can afford its shipment or has a civilization rule that grants another one. Spread the buildings far enough that one siege attack cannot threaten both, but keep them inside a connected defensive area so the army can answer raids. If the Factory is configured for Coin or Wood, protect nearby routes that attackers could use to approach. The building does not require Villagers for income, which lets the economy continue while the army is away; that independence is also why losing it has such a large effect. Check the map and shipment options before placing the wagon, since moving it after construction is not an option.
Shipment-delivered production and resource choice
A Factory is an Industrial Age building normally delivered through a Home City shipment. It can automatically gather Food, Wood or Coin, or train a civilization-specific heavy artillery unit. Because the output continues after the shipment, the choice between economic production and artillery changes the Factory’s role for the rest of the match. Set the resource to address the economy’s current shortage and reconsider it when the army plan changes. Some civilization rules affect which artillery can be produced. Factories are limited and cannot simply be rebuilt after destruction, so their shipment and placement deserve careful planning.
Protecting a lasting investment
A Factory costs 200 Wood and 400 Coin in the recorded profile, takes about 30 seconds to construct and has 5,000 hit points with a 5-by-5 footprint. The Factory Wagon is the listed builder, so the delivery can occur away from the main base but should still be protected during construction. Place it behind the army where it cannot be reached quickly by cavalry or siege. If it produces resources, give it time to repay the shipment and resource cost; if it creates artillery, plan population and escorts for the unit. Losing the Factory removes a continuing source of value, so defend it as part of the economy rather than treating it as a disposable forward building.