Age of Empires III Update 100.19.18806.0 Adds Map Changes and Balance Tweaks

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Update 100.19.18806.0 brings another round of civilization balance changes, gameplay fixes and map adjustments. Among the visible changes, manual ability tooltips now show cooldown times, and four maps gain winter snow effects. The official Update 100.19.18806.0 notes also detail new units, cards and cheat codes. The preceding October patch also addressed spectator and lobby issues alongside its balance pass for The Baltic Powers.

The update changes both standard play and Independence Mode. An earlier update added ranked queues and a technology tree to Independence Mode, and this patch continues its adjustments alongside changes to the broader civilization roster.

Timber Importer’s lumberjack has a more neutral model, while snow effects now appear on Labrador, Northwest Passage, Svalbard and The Arctic. The map pool also changes, with Borneo, Darfur, Horn, Low Countries, South Norway and Yucatan joining Standard Maps. Manual ability cooldowns are now shown in tooltips, giving players a clearer read on when those actions will be available again.

Patch Notes for Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Update 100.19.18806.0

Game

Graphics

• Timber Importer: Replaced the lumberjack with a more neutral model to avoid confusion with Settlers.

Interface

• Abilities: Tooltips of manual abilities now display their cooldown time.
• Outlaws & Hand Shock Troop: Fixed an issue that prevented these unit classes from being displayed in the HUD.

Localization

• Korean: Fixed the untranslated prefix of Team Card names.

Quality of Life

Cheats

• Removed Explorers and other hero units from the DOPPLEGAENGER cheat code.
• Sharing the full list of new cheat codes introduced in The Baltic Powers:
  • ANYPORTINASTORM – Randomizes decks for all active players, taking into account cards from any Home Cities in the game
  • CAPYBARANATION – Take control of all Gaia units.
  • DOPPELGAENGER – Copies your current army and gifts it to a random enemy player.
  • FREEREFILL[1-9] – Spawns a big enemy army of random units for player X [1-9].
  • FROZENFATIH – Spawn an Arctic monster truck.
  • HUEHUEHUE – Spawns Air Sled One.
  • POWERRANGER – All units and buildings with range attacks get +10 range and +10 LOS.
  • REMOVETHISCIVFROMTHEGAME – Removes all instances of a random civilization from the current game, can hit yourself!
  • SNOWPROBLEM – Spawns a Snow boxer.

Gameplay Changes

Units & Buildings

• 25 Bourbon Allies (IV): Now respects the unit build limit of 25.
• 25 Sufi Allies (IV): Card added to Indians and Ottomans.
• Bagpiper (House of Stuart): Hitpoint aura effect decreased 10% → 5%.
• Canoe:
  • Range reduced 18 → 16.
  • Speed reduced 8.5 → 7.5.
  • Train time increased 10s → 15s.
• Circassian: Mercenary added.
• Companion (House of Vasa): Melee siege damage increased from 17 to 24.
• Murid (Sufi): Unit added.
• Sámi Noaidi: Full building construction rates restored, but population cost increased from 1 to 2.

Cards & Technologies

• Hire Circassian Mercenaries (III): Added to Indians, Ottomans, Poles and Egypt (Revolution).
• Imperial Farming upgrades (V): Imperial food gather rate improvements for buildings not available to civilizations are now only half as effective:
• NEW] TEAM House of Helstein-Gottorp (IV, 1500c): Sends 1 Culverin and 10 Northern Guard Musketeers. This card is shared with:
• Sami Allies (III): Cost reduced 300c → 200c.

Civilization Balance

Aztec

• Otontin Slinger:
• Added “Native Warrior Combat“(II) card.

Danes

• Børsen (II): Cost reduced: 100w 100c → 75w 75c
• Disruption (II): Cost changed 150f 250w → 150f 200c.
• Esingolen (IV, Kongeloven): Reduced Espingol HP bonus 35% higher → 40% higher.
• Fulling Mills (I): Card removed.
• Great Belt Tolls (IV):
  • Shipment tax increase reduced 700 → 600.
  • Arrival time reduced 100s → 60s.
• Gunboat: Damage increased 25 → 30.
• Resource Crates (IV, Customs House): Resources delivered in Industrial Age and Imperial Age reduced 1300 → 1200.
• Royal Guards (IV): Increase in unit cost to exchange for cheaper Royal Guard upgrades is decreased +50% → +35%.
• Royal Service (III): Cost increase reverted 250f 500w → 250f 250w.

Dutch

• Dutch East India Company (I): Now also increases Merchant limit by +5.
• Schutterij (I):
  • Reverted cost increase 20c → 10c.
  • Lowered Merchant damage increase +6 → +4.

Ethiopians

• 22 Somali Allies (IV): Now correctly respects the build limit of 22 Darood Militia.
• Jesuit Alliance: The unlocked Conquistador now costs 2 population slots.

French

• Ancien Regime (I): Increased the build limit of the Royal Musketeers enabled this card from 15 → 25.

Germans

• Cigar Rollers: Removed the duplicate effect for Rice Paddies.
• [NEW] Baden Barricades (German Confederation): Sends 4 Barricade Wagons and enables them in Stables.

Haudenosaunee

• Mantlet: Population cost increased from 2 to 3.

Inca

• Huaraca: Hitpoints increased 150 → 160.
• Villager: Build limit increased 90 → 99.
• Wamani (II):
  • Cost reduced 250w → 200w.
  • Fixed missing shield of the Age II Bolas Warrior.

Japanese

• Meiji Restoration: Export cost increased 3250 → 3500.
• Morutaru: Range decreased 40 → 38.
• Red Seal Ship (IV): Conversion ration of Coin to Export reduced 83% → 75%.
• Shogun: Units training speed -15%.

Lakota

• Bow Rider: Hitpoints increase reverted 230 → 225.
• Fur Trade: Card removed.
• [NEW] Lakota Fur Trade (II):
  • Exchanges all current Food for an equal amount of Coin.
  • Improves yield of natural food resources.
  • Gives +10 Bisons.
• The Wise Woman: Huntables gather rates improvement reduced +10/20/30/40% → +10/15/20/25%. Overall reduction 30%.

Mexicans

• Insurgente: Cost reverted 75f → 70f.
• State Religion (II): Cost reduced 500c → 350c.
• Tlaxcala Alliance (II, Tlaxcala): The unlocked Conquistador now costs 2 population slots.

Poles

• 4 Tabors (Cossack Hetmanate): Cost reduced 500c → 100c.
• Contraband (Krakow Republic): Shipment tax per resource reduced 300 → 250.
• Grain Export: Can now only be sent 3 times.
• Piechur: Ranged damage multiplier against Heavy Infantry increased 1.5x → 1.75x.
• Tax Haven (Krakow Republic): Shipment tax reduced 400c → 250c.
• TEAM Lithuanian Cavalry Combat: Light Cavalry hitpoints and damage improvement increased 10% → 15%.

Russians

• Cigar Rollers: Card removed.
• Poruchik: Adjusted hitpoints calculations. Overall -8% hitpoints reduction across all Poruchik upgrades.
• Sevastopol (III): Wall build time reduction decreased -50% → 20%.

Swedes

• Allotment System (III): Now sends 1 Carolean for every 2 Torps.
• Dalecarlian Rebellion (III): Cost reduced 400c → 200c.
• Gustavian Guards (II, Treaty of Roskilde): Cost reduced 1700f → 1500f.
• Surströmming: Reverted fattening rate from 2f/s -> 1f/s.

Independence Mode

• Ancien Regime/ Oldenburg Kings: Fixed an issue preventing native technologies from being enables in the Embassy as intended.
• Villagers: Gather rate bonus increased 10% → 15%.
• Native Americans: Community Plaza limit reduced from 3 to 2.
• Federal Americans: Activated Advanced Arsenal for parity with Europeans.

Chinese

• Tigermen (improved Rattan Shields) now cost 1 population, but no longer have a build limit.

Dutch

• Activated Dutch East India Company.
• Activated Schutterij.

Germans

Mexicans

• Fixed the untrainable Conquistador in the Native Embassy.

Ottomans

• Activated Mosque Construction.
• Activated Derbentler.

United States

• Activated Tammany Festival.
• Now starts with +1 Pilgrim.

Regicide

• Minimap markers are now shown for Regents hiding in ships.

Maps

Map Changes

• Added snow effects to the following maps:
  • Labrador
  • Northwest Passage
  • Svalbard
  • The Arctic
• France: Increased the amount of natural resources.
• Nunavut: Fixed the lack of treasures.
• Quebec: Fixed treasure spawns being too close to the map border.
• Stranded Whale (Treasure): Improved food reward 130 → 160.

Standard Maps

• Added Borneo.
• Added Darfur.
• Added Horn.
• Added Low Countries.
• Added South Norway.
• Added Yucatan.
• Removed Alps.

Team Maps

• Added Deccan.
• Removed Heligoland.
• Removed Hudson Bay.

Ongoing

Investigation

• Regicide: Addition of minimap markers for Regents garrisoned in Ships.

Which civilization or map change do you expect to alter your next match the most? Follow the continuing balance updates through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.