Nili the Playful Hippo
Nili the Playful Hippo is a pet unit in Age of Empires III with a bonus against Treasure guardians. It is available through special civilization or scenario content and is not an ordinary unit in every military roster.
Recorded values
- Cost
- 300 Food
- Training
- 17 sec · 30 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 420 hit points · 10% hand resistance · 5.0 speed · 12 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 15 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 1.2x vs. Treasure guardian; 0.1x vs. Villager
Role, availability & values
Nili has 420 hit points, moves at 5.0 speed, costs 300 Food and takes 17 seconds to train. Its hand attack deals 15 damage, with listed modifiers of 1.2× against Treasure guardians and 0.1× against Villagers. These effects make it more suited to special targets than regular combat.
Matchup & timing
Use Nili when Treasure guardians are part of the objective or the pet’s special access is available. Keep it with support if enemy military units are nearby, and do not rely on its weak Villager modifier for ordinary raids. Check the scenario or civilization that grants it.
Guardian role, age scaling and combat limits
Nili is a pet unit from The African Royals, obtained as a Treasure reward on Congo Basin, Great Rift, Lake Chad, Lake Victoria, Niger River and Sudd. Its base profile costs 300 Food, takes 17 seconds to train when available, has a limit of three, 420 hit points, 10% hand resistance, 5.0 speed and 12 line of sight. Its 15 hand damage attacks every 1.5 seconds. Nili deals 1.2 times its normal damage to Treasure guardians but only 0.1 times its normal damage to Villagers, so it is a specialist for clearing Treasure sites rather than for raiding workers. The pet sees stealth and earns 30 XP when trained or killed. These are age-based pet upgrades, not separate research at a building. Send Nili with an Explorer to help remove a guardian, collect the Treasure, and withdraw it before the opponent can focus it. Its high speed helps it keep up with a mobile hero, but the low Villager multiplier remains a firm combat limitation.
Automatic pet upgrades by Age
These automatic pet bonuses improve its survivability and guardian damage without requiring a separate technology. The Treasure guardian bonus remains its defining role, while the very low multiplier against Villagers still makes it a poor raiding choice.