Influence
Influence is a sixth resource introduced with Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — The African Royals and used by the Hausa and Ethiopians. It pays for selected Minor Civilization units and technologies, Mercenaries and Artillery, while ordinary workers, buildings and many standard units still require Food, Wood or Coin.
How it works
Influence cannot be bought or sold through the Market. It comes from a passive trickle, livestock, Minor Civilization Trading Posts, upgraded Trade Routes, shipments and age-up rewards; the two African civilizations also have distinct building-based sources. Food-based purchase costs convert at 0.8 Influence per Food, while Wood and Coin costs convert one for one; final costs are rounded to the nearest five.
Player decision
Track Influence against a planned purchase rather than treating it as a universal substitute for the standard economy. Hausa players can use University placement to develop the resource; Ethiopians can choose how much mined Coin to redirect through their Mountain Monasteries. Livestock is a shared source, so protect it and compare a technology or artillery purchase with the other units needed for the next fight.
The two civilizations spend it differently
Influence is shared as a resource name, not a shared purchase list. Hausa and Ethiopians have distinct buildings, age-up choices and unit rosters, so check the specific civilization page before treating a cost or generation method as universal. The resource operates in parallel with standard gathering: continuing to fund Villagers and ordinary production remains necessary while Influence unlocks its specialized options.
Livestock and African buildings provide the main income choices
Owned livestock produces a passive 0.15 Influence per second; Transhumance raises that rate to 0.3 per second, and fully fattened animals can reach 0.65 per second with the upgrade. A Trading Post on a Minor Civilization settlement also provides a passive source. At a Livestock Market, Royal Banquet sells the herd for Influence equal to half of the Food value in the animals, turning a protected herd into an immediate resource when an army or technology needs it. Hausa Universities generate Influence, with nearby Town Centers, Palaces and Trading Posts improving the rate. Ethiopian Mountain Monasteries instead allow the player to redirect a chosen share of Coin mined into Influence; that setting applies across the civilization rather than separately to each Monastery. Special technologies, Home City cards and age-up rewards provide additional bursts. Choose the source that fits the map: keep animals safe while fattening them, or invest in the building whose income can be protected.
Influence costs are not interchangeable with normal resources
African civilization options use Influence for specific purchases rather than letting the player pay the same bill with any resource. Minor Civilization units and technologies convert their Food, Wood or Coin cost using the published rates, while selected Mercenaries and Artillery use Influence directly. The resource conversion rounds to the nearest five, so the displayed purchase cost is the amount to plan around. A University or Mountain Monastery does not remove the need for Food to produce Villagers or for Wood and Coin used by ordinary buildings and troops. If a shipment or age-up grants Influence, reserve it for the unit or technology that was the reason for choosing that option; otherwise the player can reach a fight with a large special-resource balance but not enough standard resources to support the army.