How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
My question is simple. How do I use melee cavalry effectively? I usually play as Baktria, Carthage, or the Ptolemies, and most of the time, my cavalry can barely win a melee fight with the weakest infantry unit without taking severe casualties. Help.
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
Go for the flanks and rear.
Disengage and repeat charge.
Multiple converging charges against a single unit are your friend.
Last edited by Watchman; 04-20-2008 at 23:01.
"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."
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Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
You mean stuff like cataphracts? Generally the usual infantry bog down enemy infantry, you hit the enemy from the back with a xyston or its equivalent. I get huge amounts of kills from cataphract family members every battle. In my 1.0 Pontos campaign, I regularly kill 1/3 or 1/2 of the enemy with only my general.
If you're fighting enemy cavalry, use their spear. If you're fighting enemy infantry, alt + click to switch to their swords. If you can, don't try to fight enemy infantry in an all-out melee, especially spearmen. Retreat, and then charge with their lances, and repeat. Much more casualties on the enemy side rather than yours.
If you can get the enemy army to be just infantry, keep running around until the infantry are all exhausted. Now, hopefully you have killed the general, charge them, just keep doing it. If it's a cataphract, you can pretty much even charge spearmen, though do it fast so they don't reform correctly.
Ongoing EB Campaigns:
1.0 Pontos (245 BC)
Remanent or Supremacy - An EB Pontos AAR - Unfortunately postponed indefinitely.
1.1 Saka Rauka Gameplay Guide
1.1 Lusotannan Gameplay Guide
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
You know, most of the time the secondary weapon is better anyway. The lances have ludicrously low base attack values and seriously huge attack delays...
"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."
-Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
+1 to what Watchman said...
alt-right click from outside the cav units charge range. they will charge with their spear/lance then switch to the more effective secondary weapon after
Those who would give up essential liberties for a perceived sense of security deserve neither liberty nor security--Benjamin Franklin
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
I play on H/M Large settings.
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
Then you're just doing something tactically wrong.Sacred Band cav should eat pretty much any readily encountered horse in those parts for breakfast in melee; or rather, *does* - speaking from experience.
Last edited by Watchman; 04-20-2008 at 23:27.
"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."
-Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
But lances get higher kills, especially against cavalry. Because of more lethality, I guess. In custom battle, my sword using cataphracts are beaten by lance using cataphracts.Originally Posted by Watchman
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
Depends on how divergent the base values are... lethality doesn't count for much if you're barely ever rolling hits.
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
My thinking is that, since the cataphract spears are "spears" in the data, they would get +8 attack against other cavalry and -4 attack against infantry. So that's why I usually use the spear against cavalry and sword against infantry. It usually works quite well. I also find the AP and high lethality of the xyston, and other AP spears, much better for usage against infantry than their swords as well.
Last edited by Korlon; 04-21-2008 at 20:53.
Ongoing EB Campaigns:
1.0 Pontos (245 BC)
Remanent or Supremacy - An EB Pontos AAR - Unfortunately postponed indefinitely.
1.1 Saka Rauka Gameplay Guide
1.1 Lusotannan Gameplay Guide
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
Your melee cavalry should:
1) Win cavalry superiority.
2) Get behind your opponent's infantry line. Some of the AI mods (Darth's,etc) make this more difficult because the enemy uses depth, but dealing with that is another can of worms).
3) Find the right time and place to charge.
If your cavalry is all fresh and behind their lines, then by all means start charging/retreating/charging/retreating into the enemy troops. But if your cavalry had to fight to get there and is tired, you're better off holding it back until you see a good target to hit.
Fatigued infantry units that have taken losses are prime suspects for rear-charges which force localized routs... which will (with some nurutring) cascade into a total rout of the enemy army.
Melee cav without good charge ratings should only be used to engage light infantry/skirmishers, chase routers, or fight equivalent enemy cavalry. Of course if none of those are available and you need more troops to prevent a rout, I would use them as support for my infantry and use them to shore up weakening areas to prevent a rout - but this will only buy you time - it won't change your fortunes.
Cavalry is the decisive arm. When using cavalry - at all times your goal is to destroy enemy morale without losing your own.
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
I usually do charge into the rear as that's just common sense, but my cavalry are constantly slaughtered. Just today in the siege of Syracuse as Carthage, it had been under siege for 8 turns and they sallied fourth with there troops at less than half strength. My merc hippies were slaughtered in melee by akonistai and my general got killed by a unit of Tarentine cavalry. He took down the Tarentines until they had one man left but he couldn't kill the general (Hiero), the sole surviving Tarentine. Hiero killed my general and they routed.
Re: How to effectivley use melee cavalry?
Say... what battle difficulty are you playing with ?
"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. --- Proof of the existence of the FSM, if needed, can be found in the recent uptick of global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Apparently His Pastaness is to be worshipped in full pirate regalia. The decline in worldwide pirate population over the past 200 years directly corresponds with the increase in global temperature. Here is a graph to illustrate the point."
-Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
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