Dutch mercenary Treaty

DECK: 

Overview

Most strategies in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition ask you to balance food, wood and gold. This one doesn't. Mercenaries cost only gold, so you can skip food gathering almost entirely and put your economy into a single goal: building up a huge gold-based army by the time the 40-minute treaty ends.

The army is built around Highlanders supported by artillery. It is simple to execute, needs very little micromanagement, and gives you a large population space to work with.

Why Mercenaries in Treaty?

Mercenary units are paid for in gold alone, with no food cost. With 40 safe minutes ahead of you, that changes how you plan:

• No food gathering. You don't need farms, hunts or fishing for your army.
• Wood is only for essentials. You need a modest amount for buildings and for artillery.
• Gold is everything. Nearly all your villagers and trade income go toward it.
• No pressure to spend early. You can use the treaty period to build your economy and houses, then turn gold into army on your own schedule.

Opening and Build Order

The foundation is the same as in every treaty build:

1. Start with a house, max banks and market while produce villagers constantly until you reach 20 villagers.
2. Advance to the Second Age. Take church card and build 2 additional banks.
3. As fast as possible go to age III, then build 3 TC.
4. go V as fast as possible to take capitol upgrades.

Upgrades: Keep It Minimal

Mercenaries don't need a wide upgrade tree. You only need:

• Arsenal upgrades, which improve your artillery and your army's overall strength.
• The Age 5 selection. Always take Improved Mercenary.

Important: Make sure you pick Improved Mercenary when you reach Age 5. It is the key upgrade for this build, and skipping it significantly weakens your army.

The Army: Highlanders + Artillery

The core composition is straightforward:

• Highlanders form the main body of your army.
• Artillery supports them and breaks down defenses and enemy formations.
• If neccessary build some cav to stop opponent from playing only skirms type of units.

Wood goes into artillery and the buildings you need. Everything else is gold.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Lots of pop space for a large, sustained army
• No food needed, which simplifies your economy
• Easy gameplay, with few upgrades and a clear plan

Cons

• Resource heavy. Gold demand is constant, and your army size is limited by your income

Final Tips

• Build your gold income steadily. The whole build depends on it, and the treaty gives you time to grow it.
• Don't forget wood. A small but steady supply is still required for buildings and artillery.
• Take Improved Mercenary at Age 5. Don't forget it.
• Keep your houses ahead of your production so you never get supply-blocked.

Once your gold economy is running smoothly, this build lets you field a strong army with very little effort when the treaty ends.

CARD ORDER before 40min: Bank of amsterdam, bank of rotterdam, Rum distillery, cigar rollers, frugal constructions( when multi), Royal mint, textile mill, Factory, robber barons, tulip specializations, fencing school, advance arsenal.