Nathaniel Black
Nathaniel Black is Black Family Estate hero in Age of Empires III. Its listed ability is Builds Trading Posts; Claims treasures; Regeneration.
Recorded values
- Durability & mobility
- 1,000 hit points · 40% hand resistance · 5.0 speed · 24 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 20 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Ranged attack
- 35 damage · 16 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 20 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- Builds Trading Posts; Claims treasures; Regeneration
Role, availability & values
It has 1,000 hit points. It moves at 5.0 speed. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 20 damage. Ranged attack deals 35 damage. Siege attack deals 20 damage. Special ability or role: Builds Trading Posts; Claims treasures; Regeneration. If reduced to zero hit points, it collapses rather than dying; after regenerating 100 hit points, a friendly unit or building nearby can revive it.
Matchup & timing
Nathaniel’s role belongs to the Fire and Shadow campaign, where mission forces and objectives change across the story. Use his Trading Post ability after clearing the approach, and keep him near the army so his recovery can take place safely if he collapses. Follow the individual mission page for the active faction and objective.
Campaign hero role
Nathaniel Black is a hero associated with the WarChiefs campaign and the Black family story. As a campaign hero, his availability and objectives are controlled by scenario scripting rather than ordinary skirmish production. The hero’s role is to lead the player’s force through story missions, interact with mission-specific characters or objectives and survive battles where the normal economy may be limited. Follow the scenario objective panel and protect the hero when an objective requires him to reach a location or remain available. Campaign units may have abilities or health rules that do not match an ordinary civilization unit, so use the mission’s own profile rather than assuming the same stats carry into every scenario. The linked campaign and mission entries explain when Nathaniel appears and what the player must accomplish around him. In combat, keep him with a supporting army, clear guardians or defenders before interacting with an objective and avoid using a hero as a lone siege unit. His importance to the narrative makes preserving him sensible even when a mission does not explicitly require a survival objective.
Scenario-driven hero
Nathaniel Black belongs to the WarChiefs campaign narrative and is controlled by its scripted missions. His use and survival conditions can change from one scenario to another, so consult the mission objective panel instead of applying skirmish assumptions. Keep him with the force that can protect him while the player completes the scenario’s named tasks.
Hero use in campaign missions
The campaign can provide scripted units and resources that differ from standard play. Preserve Nathaniel when objectives depend on his presence, and use his linked scenario pages for mission-specific routes rather than assuming a universal role across the whole campaign.
Campaign context
His entry is a guide to a scripted hero, so availability is tied to campaign chapters rather than standard civilization production. Check each mission’s own objectives and force setup for precise directions.
Using mission links
Follow the related campaign and scenario pages to see the exact mission in which Nathaniel appears. His broad hero description cannot replace the scripted objective, which determines the useful route and force composition.
Black family hero and Trading Post construction
Nathaniel Black is a hero in the Black Family Estate campaign. His 1,000 hit points and 40% hand resistance let him accompany the expedition, while a 35-damage ranged attack at 16 range and a 20-damage hand attack provide options at different distances. He can claim Treasures and build Trading Posts, which can secure a route or create a useful map foothold when the scenario allows it. Scout before construction and keep troops nearby to defend the site. The hero’s role is broader than combat: preserving him maintains exploration and building utility as the mission progresses.
Collapse, regeneration and mission continuity
Nathaniel regenerates and collapses rather than dying at zero health. After he reaches 100 hit points, a nearby friendly unit or building can revive him, so keep an ally close and protect the recovery area if he falls. Withdraw before that point whenever possible; losing time or control of the site can make a scripted mission harder. Use the ranged attack to contribute from behind the frontline and avoid sending him alone into a base. Optional Treasures can be useful, but only challenge guardians the expedition can defeat without jeopardizing the hero needed for later objectives.