When Age of Empires 3 first debuted, the Spanish were thought of as the worst empire to try to play with. Amateurs and veterans alike did not understand their appeal at all and thought that maybe some kind of mistake was involved. Receiving several limitations that other nations did not have, they were quickly in the cellar in win rate. Even fans of them from Age of Empires 2 dismissed them as a joke civilization.
Then a couple of pro gamers started to regularly win tournaments with them. Other pro players followed suit. What was the key to their success? They had figured out the Spanish Empire. Once understood as an unorthodox yet balanced choice, fans quickly flocked back in an attempt to master their strategy. This list is a compilation of years of work and research from experts who took the Spanish from worst to first.
10 Fixed Problems
Those who purchased The Asian Dynasties expansion for Age of Empires 3 will already be aware of this major fix. Those who have just recently purchased Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition will also be treated to this critical update (among other improvements).
Throw out any old guides because they will base the Spanish off of a limitation of one Factory and Fort. The Spanish can still only build two, but doubling this number means this tremendous disadvantage has been greatly alleviated.
9 Unique Economy
The problem with writing to the editors and demanding changes for the next installment, like improving the "bad" Spanish economy, is it misses the real brilliance of how the Spanish are just as good as the other empires without typical harvesting.
The Spanish rely heavily on their shipments instead of standard harvesting. They have an upgrade that makes it so the Home City Shipment goes faster and requires 27% less experience. This does mean the Spanish have to be engaged in combat to really take advantage of this, but that's simply another Spanish strong suit.
8 Leaving Villages Alone
The general strategy for most other civilizations is to attack after producing a bunch of special units, then withdraw, then do it again. The idea is to put the enemy out of their misery with a gigantic tidal wave of force and then recoup until another attack is prepared to launch.
This is not the way of the Spanish. Their special units have an advantage against enemy forces but actually have a disadvantage against buildings. So this is conducive to fighting units but letting villages live. Keep enemies alive, don't go for the throat, that will happen later. Farm the experience from eliminating their units and don't destroy the villages that create these units to kill.
7 Long Fights Are Good Fights
Watching the trailer for Age of Empires 4 reinforces the glamor of a gigantic, singular battle with the highest stakes possible. If that's something a player is looking for from their empire, then the Spanish are the worst possible option.
As already mentioned, the Spanish economy is based on killing lots of units and letting the enemy build more units and then killing those new units. But from a practical perspective, Spanish units are fast and defensive, so the fighting process is long and slow. Embrace the long fights and, when the opponent tries to retreat, that's the best time to finish them off.
6 Fast Fortress
The most common strategy for the Spanish is the "Fast Fortress" strategy and with a very good reason. The Spanish are given access to all four unique units (most other civilizations have only two) and all three Royal Guard units (most other civilizations, once again, have only two) by the Fortress Era.
It's time to give the opponents the harsh reality of running a country in a video game. Use all seven units and push this advantage hard. Use both factories to rush this process along and use whatever cards are necessary to get to this sweet spot fast. Then unleash a full, powerful, and versatile army.
5 Sic 'Em
The developers did not mess around too much with history, for better or for worse, with the Spanish Empire. It's hard to say whether this is good news for gamers looking forward to new games that feature animals, but using dogs in war is a historic reality.
The War Dogs are classified as a unique unit to the Discovery Era for the Spanish. Most unique units stop being great after their time has passed, but the War Dogs quietly get a free upgrade with each passing era, so they are never obsolete. They are great explorers early and surprisingly great at closing the distance and attacking artillery later on.
4 Counting Blessings
The Missionary is the Spanish version of the Priest and it blows its counterparts completely out of the water. It is the fastest healer in the game and, when used in conjunction with Mission Fervor, it becomes one of the fastest land units in the game entirely.
That's not all. The function of the Unction (rhyme not intentional) card increases attack damage (total, not base!) and the aura stacks. The unit is limited to ten total, but that's more than enough to completely throw off the balance of the game in a fight.
3 Voiding Out Powerful Enemies
On the surface, the Rodelero doesn't appear to be all that powerful. They deal even less damage than a standard Pikeman against calvary and, aside from their speed, no single statistic really jumps off of the page. One doesn't have to wait for their Espadachin upgrade before realizing their worth, however.
They have passive traits that negate melee attack multipliers, adds melee resistance, and tacks on extra hitpoints. Combined with their tremendous speed, the Spanish have unarguably the best "tanks" in the game. Add on a few Missionaries and they are invincible at any stage.
2 Taking To The Seas
History buffs are likely scratching their heads and wondering when the vaunted Spanish Armada is going to make an appearance on this list. The Spanish don't have any particular ship that strikes fear into other empires, but they do have some cards that bring this history to life.
The "Galleon" card incredibly increases both durability and attack by 30%. Stack this up with the appropriately named "Armada" card which adds 25% to all warship durability and suddenly Age of Empires 3 becomes a great video game nod to medieval history by recreating the Spanish Armada in all its splendor.
1 Overwhelming Might
Unlike video games that run parallel to Game of Thrones, Age of Empires 3 doesn't have any room for backstabbing and espionage. There is only war. And, at the end of the game, with a good flow of resources, the Spanish are more than capable of winning that war.
Possessing the Tercios (Pikemen), Espadachins (Rodeleros), and Garrochistas (Lancers) as Royal Guard units (and don't forget the passively upgraded War Dogs!), the Spanish have the single most powerful army at the end of the game with no real weakness. The only issue is the resources to fund them, so as long as the early and middle game are filled with fighting, the end will be a breeze.