Skuda Uaezdaettae (Scythian Noble Cavalry)

[Zlovie]

Well, as I have currently started a game with Pontus, I would really like some clarity on which weapons these guys use.
I had always assumed they used their bows, but as I read this * in the unit description (on the EB site) I start to doubt that.

*Now, the Skuda Uaezdaettae, or Skythian Nobles, fight in a matter almost more similar to the Greeks than their nomadic ancestors, preferring the xyston or spear and sword to archery, even though they still carry composite bows.

But do they use their bows? If they do, they would be pontus' ultimate heavy cavalry :D
Then they would be worth (at least to me) to built type 3 government instead of anything better...

thnx in advance

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

No, they don't use their bows. Primary weapon is the spear, secondary is the sword. Sorry, but they are completely Hellenized in EB, and are not like Sauromatae FM's.

http://europabarbarorum.heimstatt.net/index.php?mp=unit&unit=steppe%20cavalry%20scythian%20nobles&text=&ownership=any&class=any&category=any

[Poulp']

First things first,
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?80557-Trading-card-style-unit-cards-for-offline-use

In their unit card, Skuda Uaezdaettae are mentioned having a lance and sword, so no, they don't use bows.
They're still a violent heavy cavalry unit and spotting them in my neighbour's armies usually means I should raise more slingers and spearmen for my border garrisons.

[vollorix]

They're still a violent heavy cavalry unit and spotting them in my neighbour's armies usually means I should raise more slingers and spearmen for my border garrisons.
Only that your slingers would be quite useless against them due to their large shield ( value: 3 - you´d need at least value: 6 to make a skratch on them, and even then, they´ll cut down your light units to pieces, since they got the "high lethality" swords, aka 0.225, iirc ).

You better play Pahlava then, those "uber super heavy" monsters are exactly what you are looking for :)

[Poulp']

Hayasdan Border Forces must do with what they have... not much actually.
I should have specified that my border forces usually between 3 to 6 chevrons; new units are just raised to soak up casualties so that my forces never leave the border.

To conclude, I'd like to add that the unit stats in the link Scato provided are more up to date compared to the unit cards. I still use the cards to have a broader view.

[Zlovie]

Thanx, everyone.

Although I've played quite a lot of EB, I had seen neither that site nor that thread before now...

Also, I'm not looking to create a perfect cavalry army or anything like that. I've played as the Pahlava, and they're awesome.
In this campaign, I'm just trying to survive (and, if possible, thrive) as pontus, and I'm thinking about what medium/heavy cavalry to use in my mixed armies...

[CashMunny]

Scythian Nobles are vicious, but they're not the gods on hooves that the Sauromatae bodyguards are. If you're looking for cavalry that can charge home and then stay there until the other guy leaves, they're your men. If you want versatility, you might look at another unit, as they have only that one purpose; To charge things and kill them with swords. They perform their job very well, but they aren't going to be chasing down many routers, or luring anybody into an ambush.