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The third game in the series might be one of the more divisive entries in the franchise, but there’s no denying the fact that Age of Empires 3 is still a great title, with its expansions being even better. The Asian Dynasties is easily the finest one of the lot, and players can check out the following mods to augment their experience even more!
Updated on March 13th, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Age of Empires 3 is a brilliant RTS game that most people don’t really talk about all that often, which is a shame. The attention mainly goes to its predecessor or the long-awaited sequel, with the third game becoming somewhat of a footnote instead. It’s a shame, since Age of Empires 3 features some great RTS gameplay, with its expansion — The Asian Dynasties — doing a great job of adding more amazing content to this title. Fans who want even more from this game can check out the following mods, which are pretty brilliant in their own right.
14 Struggle Of Indonesia
A journey through the history of Indonesia is a pretty enticing prospect indeed. With the Struggle of Indonesia mod, players can enact history with a bunch of new civilizations and entirely new areas as well!
Struggle of Indonesia is a great mod for fans who want to change up things in Age of Empires 3. The sheer amount of work put into the original civilizations in the game itself make it well worth the price of admission.
13 Age of Dynasties (Remake)
The Age of Dynasties mod was one of the best and most ambitious mods for Age of Empires 3. After development stalled on it for a while, a new modder joined up with the original’s creator to release a remake of this excellent mod.
The game feels almost brand new, given the massive number of changes made by this mod. It’s a great way to freshen up the experience of playing Age of Empires 3.
12 Fall Of Civilizations
The greatness of certain civilizations during the medieval period was quite astounding indeed. This mod aims to emulate that by changing up the systems of the game and letting it represent these glorious powers before their eventual downfall.
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This leads to a bunch of new civilizations for a fresh and engaging experience with the game. Out of all the mods on this list, this one features relatively minor changes and is a great choice for players who don’t want to drastically alter the experience of playing Age of Empires 3.
11 Hundred Days
Napoleon’s reign was a tumultuous and chaotic one. This mod aims to replicate the wars happening around the same time in Age of Empires 3.
It’s a fairly entertaining way of reliving the hundred-day war, even though it might not be all that authentic. The changes made are pretty impressive and make for a great time in their own right!
10 The Ottoman Empire Mod
The Ottomans are one of the most entertaining civilizations to play around with in Age of Empires 3. Their background and history is pretty engaging as is, and it seems that modders wanted to build upon this interesting civilization even more.
This mod is great for fans of the Ottoman Empire in the game. It changes up the gameplay of this specific civilization while also adding and tweaking the buildings and units that players can generate as well.
9 Improvement Mod
Players who don’t want to experiment around with too many mods can try out the comprehensive Improvement Mod instead. It’s a great modification of the game which touches upon each and every aspect of Age of Empires 3.
The amount of minor yet impactful changes this mod brings to the table does wonders when it comes to improving the overall gameplay of the title. It’s a must-have mod for players who don’t want total conversions but just want the base gameplay to be improved considerably.
8 Knights And Barbarians
Knights and Barbarians is one of the many conversion mods on this list that will wow most players. This mod allows players to play as one of fourteen civilizations stretching from the Roman Empire’s heyday all the way to the start of the Italian Renaissance.
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Players who find Age of Empires 3 to be somewhat repetitive will be more than elated with the changes brought about by this mod. Its historical focus is definitely one of its biggest strengths!
7 The Ancient Age
Another historical total conversion mod that is pretty engaging in its own right, The Ancient Age is another great way to freshen up the gameplay loop of Age of Empires 3. The new changes brought about by this mod make for a unique and engaging experience across the board.
The Carthaginians, Celts, Hellenes, Persians, and Romans are the five civilizations added in this mod. Each civilization is unique and allows for plenty of varied gameplay.
6 Age Of Empires 3: Wars Of Liberty
Wars of Liberty is one of the biggest and most comprehensive conversion mods on this list. The mere fact that it took a whopping ten years to come out is a testament to the sheer amount of work put into this impressive mod.
The setting of Africa allows for the maps of the game to take on a unique perspective of their own. This, coupled with the fleshed-out maps and civilizations, makes Wars of Liberty a must-have for people who might be bored of the usual humdrum in Age of Empires 3.
5 Napoleonic Era
Another mod that has been in development for the longest time, the Napoleonic Era mod is another stellar conversion mod. It brings with it seven new civilizations while reworking upon two existing ones as well.
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It’s one of the most popular mods of Age of Empires 3 by a country mile. The improvements it makes to the overall gameplay should also be lauded!
4 Age Of Empires 3 Unleashed
While Age of Empires 3 might be a satisfying game to play through, the game does impose some limits so that players don’t end up running wild with the developments they can make in the game.
This might allow for more balanced mechanics, but the element of fun is sacrificed in the process. Age of Empires 3 Unleashed ends up removing most of the limits set by the game and allows players to go all-out as they construct buildings and form units to their hearts’ content.
3 Unlimited Units And Improved Ground Corpses
The function of this mod is written in the name itself and lends itself to some simple yet satisfying changes. Similar to the mod discussed above, this mod lets players make as many units as they want without worrying about the population cap.
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Along with this, it also tweaks the game’s systems so that corpses last on the map long after their death. It takes a total of five minutes for these bodies to disappear, which does wonders when it comes to reflecting the brutality of war.
2 CC AOE3 Mod
The Improvement Mod has already been discussed on this list, but the CC AOE3 mod significantly takes things up a notch. As a result, it’s the perfect alternative for players who might not like all the changes made in the Improvement Mod.
The sheer number of changes made by this mod is immense and will definitely make playthroughs more engaging. Hardcore players will have a ton of fun as they get used to the tweaks present in this add-on.
1 AOE 3 - The King’s Return
The King’s Return is an impressive conversion mod that hammers in the realistic aspect of gameplay. This mod adds five races and all of them function in a unique capacity.
Mongols pillage and subjugate foes, while European civilizations can go so far as to keep their enemies as slaves! It’s an extremely realistic mod that will make for a unique change in Age of Empires 3’s gameplay.
Age of Empires 3 was released on October 18, 2005 and is available to play for PC.
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