Merchant
Merchant is Dutch economic unit in Age of Empires III, available from the Exploration Age; obtained through Town Center. Its listed ability is Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 100 Coin
- Available
- Exploration Age · Town Center
- Training
- 25 sec · 1 population · 10 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 150 hit points · 20% hand resistance · 4.0 speed · 14 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 10 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 5.0x vs. Llama, 16
- Ranged attack
- 3 damage · 2-12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 4.0x vs. Huntable; 2.0x vs. Pet; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 5 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 3.0x vs. Resource enclosure
- Ability
- Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Town Center. It has 150 hit points. It moves at 4.0 speed and uses 1 population. Training costs 100 Coin; it takes 25 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 10 damage. Ranged attack deals 3 damage. Siege attack deals 5 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 5.0× against Llama, 16. Ranged attack bonuses: 4.0× against Huntable, 2.0× against Pet, 2.0× against Artillery, and 0.5× against Villager. Siege attack bonuses: 3.0× against Resource enclosure*. Special ability or role: Gathers resources; Builds buildings; Claims treasures.
Matchup & timing
Dutch Merchants cost Coin and can construct Banks, so their queue competes directly with the passive-income investment that defines the Dutch economy. Decide whether the next Merchant should gather, build a Bank or complete a forward structure before training it. Coin access and worker production matter more than its weak attack profile; keep Merchants away from the frontline.
Dutch worker and Bank role
The Merchant is the Dutch economic unit trained from the Town Center in the Exploration Age. It costs 100 Coin, uses one population, takes 25 seconds and has 150 hit points, 20% hand resistance, speed 4 and line of sight 14. It gathers resources, builds structures and claims Treasures, giving it a worker role despite its Coin cost. Its 10-damage hand attack has a special multiplier against Llamas, while the low ranged damage is not a military role. Dutch Merchants are associated with Bank construction, so they connect the civilization’s worker economy to its passive Coin buildings. Train Merchants while balancing Coin for Banks, age-ups and units. Their ability to claim Treasures can support exploration, but avoid exposing a worker to guardians or enemy raids. The Merchant is distinct from the standard Settler used by many European civilizations; use the Dutch and Bank pages to understand its role and construction permissions.
Gathering and Bank construction
A Merchant is a Dutch Villager-type unit with 150 hit points and 20% hand resistance, but it costs Coin rather than the Food used by many Settlers. Its 100-Coin cost and 25-second train time should be considered alongside Bank construction and military needs. Dutch Merchants gather resources, build structures and claim Treasures, and they are associated with building Banks. This lets the Dutch turn a workforce into passive Coin generation, but workers still need to gather Food and Wood to fund the rest of the economy. Use the Merchant’s building role to expand the Bank network safely, and do not expose it to a Treasure guardian or raid just because it has a small hand attack. The low ranged attack is primarily a utility profile, not a reason to send Merchants into combat. Train additional workers when the economy can afford the Coin cost and enough Banks or gathering sites are available. The Dutch economy depends on balancing Merchant production with passive Bank income; too many Banks without enough Food and Wood workers can still stall military queues.
Coin worker management
Merchants cost Coin and are produced at the Town Center, so their worker count competes with Dutch unit production. Expand the workforce when Coin income can support it and keep enough workers on Food and Wood for Banks and buildings.
Treasure and construction
Merchants can claim Treasures and build structures in addition to gathering. Use those options when the route is safe, but do not expose a Coin-cost worker to guardians or an enemy raid.
Worker production and Bank income
Dutch Merchant production costs Coin, while Banks produce Coin passively. Coordinate both sources: too few Merchants can leave Food and Wood short, and too many early workers can delay the Banks and army that define the Dutch economy.
Dutch economic pacing
Merchants support Bank construction but cost Coin, so plan them around the passive income from existing Banks. Keep enough workers gathering Food and Wood to prevent the army from stalling.
Town Center production
Merchants are trained at the Dutch Town Center and cost 100 Coin. Keep worker production aligned with Bank income, and avoid spending all available Coin on Merchants when the army needs units.
Dutch worker costs
Because the Merchant costs Coin, factor its production into Bank income and army spending. A growing workforce needs enough Food and Wood gatherers to support Houses and military buildings.
A Coin-funded workforce
The Merchant is the Dutch Villager counterpart, and the cost type changes how Dutch players plan the first minutes. At 100 Coin and 25 seconds per worker, it competes directly with the resource used for Banks, age advancement and many military units. Passive Bank income can fund additional Merchants over time, but the workforce still needs Food and Wood gatherers to pay for Houses, production buildings and an army. Avoid reading the unit’s attack line as combat advice: its small attacks and listed bonuses against animals and artillery do not turn it into a battlefield unit. Its core actions are gathering, building and claiming Treasures. Send it to a Treasure only when the route is safe and the reward is worth the time away from resource collection. Merchants can build Banks, the defining Dutch economic structure, so early worker production should be coordinated with the number and placement of Banks rather than maximized without a plan. If Coin income is committed to training workers, slow military production deliberately and keep enough Food gatherers to avoid a stalled queue.