How do you use cavalry?

[Servius]

I use Dragoons early on, and have toyed with Reg. of Cav. but haven't been very impressed. The larger unit size for Dragoons helps their survivability and improves the odds for breaking morale.

I agree that cav in ETW is less powerful than in previous TW games, and that doesn't really bother me. Heavy Cav was the powerhouse in nearly all earlier games (except maybe RTW), but I feel that Line of Foot really shine in ETW and I think that's rightly so.

I use cav primarily to mob up routers at the end of a battle. I also put them on the flanks and use them to more quickly encircle the enemy forces as Line Infantry are kinda slow and clumbsy when you ask them to change their facing too drastically. I usually end up having Line Infantry forming a big C around the enemy and then charging my cav in from the open portion of the C, into the rear of the enemy line. I'm happy that the battle AI seems to do a good job of keeping my Line Infantry from firing when friendly units are too much in the firing arc, so I can charge into this shooting gallery pretty safely.

I haven't had access to any lance-based cavalry in my GB or Prussian campaigns. I tried Malta and Papal States once and I think they get them. I think France might too, so I'll have to give that a shot. The lance-based forces have much better melee and charge values at the cost of defense, but since we seem to still want to use cavalry primarily for a charge that breaks units, my guess is that the lance-based cav units in ETW would do a better job. I'll have to try and see if that's true.

[Skott]

I dont use cavalry a lot in my armies. I'd rather have an Line infantry unit or a artillery unit but when I do use them I use them to secure my ends or to fend off enemy cavalry attacks that try to go round behind and get my artillery and of course I use cavalry to chase down routers.

Like others have said cavalry in this game are not that strong or important in the hands of a human player. The AI seems to get better use of them than I can for some reason. If I charge my cavalry in they dont do as much damage and seem to take more damage. Plus getting the timing right is hard. The AI however doesnt seem to have a timing problem and its attacks do more damage.

What I do use cavalry for quite often is for raiding undefended towns, farms, mines, shops, and etc., They are really good for bleeding a region dry of income since they have a longer movement range than infantry. I prefer Dragoons since they can dismount and fight on foot if needed. Dragoons are great for crowd control in conquered capitols too. I use them for that more than any other thing in the game.

[Kulgan]

Not even the best cavalry such as life guards can actually hurt enemy line infantry, quite ridiculous!

Lateley I'v been using more and more light dragoons, playing mostly defensive battles I keep them behind the infantry line, shooting from horseback. When the opportunity presents it they charge rears/sides of enemy units, go after the enemy cannons and in the end chase down routers.

I love defending a slope with light infantry screen, then line infantry and behind them light dragoons : 3 rows of firepower + lots of horses to chase down routers. Ok light infantry isnt good but it gives flavour to your army. ( except long rifles offcourse )

[Daveybaby]

There really isnt that much point in chasing down routers in ETW - I find that most of the time the defeated army is totally destroyed without chasing down routers, so there's no longer the need to minimise the size of a surviving stack that there was in previous TW games. Also, no selling prisoners any more.

I tend to keep a maximum of 2 or 3 units of cavalry in a full stack, including the general. These get used for rapid mobile support for any line infantry engaged in melee with a large number of enemy.

The other use is, of course, for taking out that pesky enemy artillery. However this is starting to feel more and more like an exploit because the AI never seems to provide any kind of protection for it's arty, so i'm seriously considering banning myself from doing it in my next campaign.

[Didz]

Not even the best cavalry such as life guards can actually hurt enemy line infantry, quite ridiculous!

Not really ridiculous, in fact its historically accurate.

If used historically against broken and disrupted formations cavalry are quite deadly to infantry in ETW, the only really problem I have with the game is that the AI infantry doesn't react properly to the presence of cavalry.

Not only does it not panic enough when charged in line, but I've even had the AI target my cavalry deliberately with its infantry which is really annoying. Historically, only the British at Minden actually advanced on formed cavalry in line, and even then it was considered suicidal. At Minden the British had the discipline to hold their formation even when charged, and even though eyewitness accounts report that the French horse did manage to penetrate between the intervals of the Regiments on several occassions the men stood their ground and stayed in formation leaving the second line to deal with them.

There really isnt that much point in chasing down routers in ETW - I find that most of the time the defeated army is totally destroyed without chasing down routers, so there's no longer the need to minimise the size of a surviving stack that there was in previous TW games. Also, no selling prisoners any more.

I still do it though, as I discovered early on that the AI uses 'Routing' as a deception to extract units from awkward situations. The unit claims to be 'Routing' until it gets clear and then you see its status change to 'Running' and finally it turns and comes right back at you when and where you least expect it. Sending a cavalry unit to chase a 'Routing' unit down is usually enough to disperse it and make sure it doesn't reform.

[SMZ]

indeed, cavalry is good to make sure Routing units become Shattered units, which cannot reform...

also lance based cavalry is the only thing you should charge with... other types of cavalry have limited use - lance cavalry can destroy a unit of infantry... as long as they don't take volleys on their way there - cavalry as a whole requires a lot of tactical focus... you can't just release them and sit back... they need detailed management so that their charges can hit home

[Didz]

Couldn't find the name of the original poster, but I've been experimenting with his idea that one should click on a point beyond the target unit and run the cavalry through the formation rather than at it.

It actually seems to work quite well, but is best used when the target units cohesion has been disrupted by running or crossing an obstical. The movement of the cavalry through them seems to cause panic and lead to a quick rout.

[Kulgan]

@ Didz :

Historically there are tons of accounts where units of infantry become totally destroyed when being charged by heavy cavalry when they were not ready.

Prepared infantry in a square would repell any cavalry charge but when caught surprised, or rear/flank charged they would often insta rout and get slaughtered.

At least this is what I have read in books handling warfare throughout the musket era.

[Cheetah]

Couldn't find the name of the original poster, but I've been experimenting with his idea that one should click on a point beyond the target unit and run the cavalry through the formation rather than at it.

It actually seems to work quite well, but is best used when the target units cohesion has been disrupted by running or crossing an obstical. The movement of the cavalry through them seems to cause panic and lead to a quick rout.

This is an age old MP tactic (exploit) still used widely. Disrupts the enemy line, drops its morale while your line can move up or keep firing. In fact you can pull through your cavs from front to back then pull through back again from back to front towards your lines.

[Prussian to the Iron]

The lance-based forces have much better melee and charge values at the cost of defense, but since we seem to still want to use cavalry primarily for a charge that breaks units, my guess is that the lance-based cav units in ETW would do a better job. I'll have to try and see if that's true.

Marathas gets (I think) the best lancer cavalry in the game (Sipahis). Unless PL's Winged Hussars are lancer's, but then again they are in a different part of the world.

Lancers aren't as good as you might think. despite their enormous charge and great attack stats, i've seen militia defeat Sipahi's, and light infantry without stakes beat Winged Hussars!

basically the moral here is: the only thing non-dragoon or carbine cavalry are good for is chasing down routers, or charging the back of a melee-engaged infantry unit.

Also: if you are playing marathas: DO NOT get pindari horsemen!! it is a much better investment to get shaturnal camel gunners. they have 90 range and can kick ass in melee if you need them to, plus they are good versus cavalry :)

if you are playing meditteranean factions: get carabiners! better than dragoons.

[SMZ]

Lancers aren't as good as you might think. despite their enormous charge and great attack stats, i've seen militia defeat Sipahi's, and light infantry without stakes beat Winged Hussars!

only if the player doensn't pay attention - cavalry that gets bogged down will get slaughtered by the greater infantry numbers, larger target they present and (if playing on harder difficulties) the stat bonuses the AI gets... however, if you micro-manage your cavalry, they can still destroy armies

[Servius]

If you play as a western Euro nation that doesn't get lancers in their national army list, what's the most expeditious route to get lancers?

What are the regions where you can recruit lance-based cav?

[Prussian to the Iron]

i dont think that factions with no national lancers can recruit lancers. if they could, i would wager that maybe in north-west india or the southern ottoman empire for Sipahis?

[Prussian to the Iron]

only if the player doensn't pay attention - cavalry that gets bogged down will get slaughtered by the greater infantry numbers, larger target they present and (if playing on harder difficulties) the stat bonuses the AI gets... however, if you micro-manage your cavalry, they can still destroy armies

trust me; ive tried using the time-tested chrge-retreat-charge technique. no go.

[Marquis of Roland]

trust me; ive tried using the time-tested chrge-retreat-charge technique. no go.

You're probably doing something wrong then. Or maybe you're playing on VH battle difficulty where militia>guard infantry. Lancers being killed by militia in that manner is unheard of in my game (M battle, VH campaign).

If you're using carbine-armed cav to only chase down routers, you're not using them properly. They should be place behind your line infantry to create, along with light infantry in front of the line, 3 overlapping fields of fire. Chasing down routers should be secondary; in fact, heavy cavalry is better at chasing routers because they take almost no casualties while doing so.

I use 2 heavy cavalry and 2 light dragoons in my stack. The light dragoons form my third line that can fire without causing friendly casualties. The heavy cav protects my flanks from enemy cav, protects my artillery, attacks enemy artillery and specialist troops (grenadiers/light infantry).

There is only 1 type of unit you should be afraid of, and that is square-forming infantry (probably elephants too but you don't see too much of those). The fact that its still possible in the game to form square AFTER you've been charged makes any type of cav completely ineffectual against. Maybe they'll change that down the line more.

RTW ruined cav expectations for this game lol.

@Servius
You can recruit Uhlans in German/Austrian/Polish regions.

[Prussian to the Iron]

dude. everything you just said, yeah, it doesnt apply to me.

on E/E difficulty with 2 units of Bargir lancers versus a mughal unit of.......some gunpowder unit i cant remember. lost. one would think, a unit with no bayonets with 160 men who are non-proffesional versus 2 proffesional units of lancers adding up to 120 would lose. nope.

[Marten]

Mmmmh ... usage depends on faction. Playing as GB, my 2 Yeoman Squadrons from start get very old. I use them only for recon and chasing routers.

As France or Austria i always had 1 or 2 lancers ("ULANEN") in a stack, just for the "feel" and to engage other cavalry or artllery. Playing as Prussia,
2-3 units of hussars are always in my army. For the same reasons as the lancers in austrian armies.

All my armies are mostly made of line infantry and 12-pounders and howitzers, maybe 2 grenadier units - that's all.

And my "Jäger-Feldwebel" at the army always said: Infantry is the queen of the battlefield!

[Didz]

trust me; ive tried using the time-tested chrge-retreat-charge technique. no go.

I've noticed that too. Thankfully it looks like CA have finally removed this expliot from the game mechanic's. It still gives a slight benefit but its not so overpowered as it was in other versions. I remember watching my son defeat an entire army using this expliot and one cavalry unit.

However, I have noticed that charging cavalry through a formation seems to work as it would have historically. If you can find a unit which has lost cohesion due to crossing an obstical or being rushed around too much and actually target your cavalry to gallop, not at it, but through it, I found that nine times out of ten having the cavalry pass through them will cause panic and rout.

Once they have routed it just becomes a case of slaughtering them as they try and escape. This also has the advantage of keeping your horsemen moving so that they don't get bogged down in a pointless melee with infantry.

For me this tactic also has the added attraction of being the closest I can get to using TW cavalry in the way it was used in real battle.

[resonantblue]

I guess I'm more of a purist, but I'm not a fan of dragoons. I use them mainly for raiding towns on the campaign map as they can usually retreat out of danger and if attacked by a similarly sized force they can inflict some casualties without taking much damage and flee if needed.

light cavalry in ETW stinks. it's primary uses in real life - what made them so useful - are not within the scope of the game. recon, screening, foraging, raiding, attacking lines of communications, etc... they were serious force multipliers in real life, but not in ETW. but cuirassers are game changers.

if you're using 1 unit of cavalry and charging it into 1 unit of line infantry and wondering why cavalry sucks, you're doing it wrong. cavalry are still the decisive arm. they are just less decisive than in the medieval era and unlike that era, can not be decisive on their own. combined arms is the most effective way to win a battle in this era and cavalry is by far the best arm for achieving combined arms superiority. without it you lose the iniative completely. with it you can force your opponent to do what you want.

if you play a competent human opponent and don't bring any decent cavalry to the plate you're going to get crushed.

against the AI, you could honestly build an army of 19 artillery with cannister/frag and beat anything they can throw at you. or alternately 19 line infantry, fix bayonets and just charge. the AI in every single TW series has failed to operate the way a human operates by concentration and protecting flanks... instead committing forces piecemeal in the attack and defense.

[Didz]

Well the thing I use dragoons for mostly is keeping the civvies under control. Nothing quietens down the revolting peasants as effectively as a dragoon regiment garrisoned in their city.

[Cheetah]

Marathas gets (I think) the best lancer cavalry in the game (Sipahis). Unless PL's Winged Hussars are lancer's, but then again they are in a different part of the world.

Winged hussars have the highest charge bonus in the game alongside with Sipahis but the hussars have better melee stats.

[Megas Methuselah]

I only ever use dragoons and carabineers. Any ranged cavalry is good, to be honest, particularly horse archers (100 range) and camel gunners (90 range).

A good combo of ranged cavalry can beat any heavy cavalry, and are great for outmaneouvering (sp?) the enemy.

[Papewaio]

Russia Ultra VH/VH

3 Units of standard melee cavalry early on to take on non-line infantry or pre-plug bayonet line infantry which are already in a shooting match. Will slaughter the unit. The 3 units can all approach from one flank.

3 units of standard melee cavalry can slaughter one unit of light infantry if they approach from opposite sides.

2 units of cavalry charging a unit of any infantry that is in a line and already in melee with its equivalent unit.

1 unit of cavalry for charging down an undefended cannon. I prefer using terrain and engaging them with a infantry unit in hand to hand. Not recommended for the general.

1 unit of cavalry for each of the compass directions to hunt down retreating enemies (highly recommended for the general).

In general the enemy has to be pre-occupied with something else or you need equal numbers and flank attacks. The biggest bonus with cavalry is that they move fast and you can separate up the enemy like lambs from a flock. If the enemy gets divided up enough then cavalry can be very good. They are not shock troops in ETW so they shouldn't be used to break enemy formations by direct attack. By maneuvering around them the enemy will divide its attention between cavalry on a flank or behind and cannons and infantry to the front. Once the enemy has committed its forces it is then best to have as many of your cavalry engage the enemy at its weakest point. My order of preference of units that are separated out from the herd to knock off would be general/artillery/cavalry/light infantry/line infantry.

The other use of cavalry is as bait to funnel the enemy into a prepared position. Particularly useful if you have static cannons.