Cataphracts??

[edyzmedieval]

I'm a little puzzled.... Who can train cataphracts and where??? I have never seen the cataphracts.... Please help..

[Dutch_guy]

Parthia , Seleucid Empire , cna train the Cataphracts with an elite cav. stable
( the 3rd in line of the cav. buildings )

Also the Armenians can train Cataphract archers ( 2nd level stables ) and normal cats ( third level stable )

Also Pontus can build Cappadocian Cav, who are just like cataphracts, don't know much about those though.

[Es Arkajae]

I prefer Cappadocian cavalry to normal Cataphracts, they don't look so stupid

[NihilisticCow]

Cataphracts are very much superior to Cappadocians, as Cataphracts have an armour piercing mace as their secondary attack... so they'll easily beat practically any other heavily armoured cavalry.

[Es Arkajae]

Cataphracts are very much superior to Cappadocians,

No they're not for me as I think they look stupid.

as Cataphracts have an armour piercing mace as their secondary attack... so they'll easily beat practically any other heavily armoured cavalry.

Well good for you.

I seem to remember commenting on aesthetic appeal, not statistical comparisons.

[InsaneApache]

Also Parthia can build Cataphract camels.....man they rock against cavalry

[IliaDN]

Also camels frighten horses.

[NihilisticCow]

I seem to remember commenting on aesthetic appeal, not statistical comparisons.

Oh sorry - I don't spend a lot of time considering comparitive aesthetics; maybe, it is something I should do more.... Yes maybe catas don't look that good, but the sight of all the dead Cappadocians afterwards more than makes up for it

And yes Camel Cataphracts are great against cavalry but they're so slow (so you need a combination of both).... but of course they don't match up to the pretty boy Cappadocians aesthetically... So quite obviously Cappadocians are the superior unit here... In everything that counts anyhow

[The Stranger]

in RTR also sarmatia can build cats. they can also build sarmatian nobles. those are a lighter form of cats

[Conqueror]

The Marius reforms make all the eastern factions generals become cataphract generals. They are a force to be feared

[Titus Livius]

An interesting (for me, anyway) note on Cataphracts at the Battle of Carrhae.

It seems that Crassus had brought some Gallic cavalry with him to the battle. When these Gauls realized they had no chance in a stand-up fight against the Parthian Cataphracts, the former would dismount and either grab the long lance of the Parthians and swing them to the ground (making them essentially helpless) or get under their horses and gut them.

I'd pay to see that on the game.

[Armoryk]

Closest I've seen to that maneuver (gutting the horses) is when I sent my Velites Gladiators against Selucid Scythed chariots. I had paused the battle to check in on some cavalry that was gettin a phalanx up their butt and I looked over at my Gladiators and thought...damn, they're all dead already! But they weren't. When I unpaused they let the chariots pass over and then jumped up on the back to pull the riders off. If you haven't used the Gladiators, send them in against some chariots or elephants, they are fun to watch!

[Viking]

What? Your gladiators jumped on the back the chariot to pull the rider of?!

[Mikeus Caesar]

Your gladiators jumped on the back of chariots? as this happened with any other soldiers? If not, then i have just found a good excuse to use Gladiators...

[Dutch_guy]

never seen gladiators do that before , however It is a lon gtime since I used them in Vanilla RTW