Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs file extensions

Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs is the first official expansion pack for the real-time strategy game Age of Empires III developed by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Game Studios and released in 2006.

Experience the power of the WarChief in the new expansion for Age of Empires III! In Age of Empires® III: The WarChiefs, play as one of three new civilizations - Aztec, Iroquois, or Sioux - each with unique units, buildings and abilities that will test your strategic mettle. Use upgrades for the European civilizations from the original games to earn civ-specific bonuses, build units at a new mercenary saloon, collect new Cards, and battle toward victory with the new Revolution feature. Explore the new single-player Campaign and follow the continuing tale of the Black family as they witness the birth of a new nation.

The Sioux Civilization

With the discovery of gold in their sacred Black Hills, the Sioux had sporadic conflicts with the new immigrants, leading to the Indian Wars and eventually the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Sioux Nation consists of three geographically distinct divisions of peoples who speak a Siouan language: the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota. In the language of the Sioux, the names Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota mean "friends".

The Sioux were famed for breeding and training horses. Military advantages of the in-game Sioux civilization are primarily cavalry based. The Sioux strike hard and fast.

The Iroquois Civilization

The Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, formed a League of Five Nations long before Europeans arrived in North America (a sixth Nation joined later). The Iroquois Confederacy had a constitution with rules for the selection of war chiefs, guidelines for council meetings, and even suggestions for proper oratory at funerals. Benjamin Franklin expressed great respect for the Iroquois Confederacy. During the American Revolution some tribes sided with the British, while others sided with the colonists, effectively dismantling the once-powerful Confederacy. Equipped with artillery and siege weaponry, the in-game Iroquois civilization can mount a powerful but slow-moving assault.

The Aztec Civilization

At their height, the Aztec represented the most powerful civilization in Mesoamerica. The Aztec constructed great cities, most notably Tenochtitlan on the site of modern-day Mexico City. Described by some early Spanish as grander than most European cities, Tenochtitlan's advanced infrastructure included temples, markets, and canals. In Aztec society, membership in the calpulli established each individual's religious and secular schooling, as well as warfare training. The men of a calpulli served together in battle and on numerous public works projects. The in-game Aztec civilization is based around a strong infantry consisting of several units, including elite infantry.