The effectiveness of Mounted the Mounted Crossbow.

**IrishMike** · 12-21-2005, 20:53

I found them to be quite effective for defending bridges when you don't have the nessasary forces to hold them at the bridge head. Allows you to adopt a more mobile defense in depth strategy and reduced the infantry before they reach yours. The slow rate of fire helps by allowing you to repeat this process for a longer amount of time.

**Vladimir** · 12-22-2005, 14:44

They're one of my favorite units. It all depends on what your target is. The heavier the armor the more you want the X-bows. They also have a better defense and (I think) morale. Once you tech them up a bit they can fit both the light cav role due to their speed and the medium role due to their defense and upgrades. I use mine mostly as "king killers" because that's what the crossbow is good for. I get in position to take out the heavily armored generals when defending (or the damned Huscarls in VI) and the AI always reaches a point when it leaves its archers vulnerable. I'm not sure if step heavy cav missiles are more or less armor piercing but I'd rather use those than anything. ONE of the things I love in XL about the Armenians is that you can have mounted crossbows and archers, that makes for some interesting tactics.

**mfberg** · 12-22-2005, 16:59

With their speed, armour-piercing and mid-weight armour they are very good at taking on any knights in a chase. With armour and weapon bonuses they become decent medium cavalry. When I am playing Hungarians I use them extensively along with my HA and Szekely. The mounted crossbows take out the VG and Kataphracts, Knights, and Halbreds; the HA and Szekely take on spears, Byz swords, and archers.

mfberg

**m52nickerson** · 12-23-2005, 03:17

Load up on mounted Crossbows and head for Constantinople. The Byz Kats will fall before the faster MC's.

**Ciaran** · 12-23-2005, 17:29

They´re even tougher in the XL Mod and can beat Mounted Sergeants in close combat, as I found out to my misfortune.

**matteus the inbred** · 12-23-2005, 18:06

i can't remember how many German generals my one unit of valour 6 mounted x-bows has assassinated..certainly more than 4, including an emperor! one unit, kill the knights; use foot archers to decimate the rubbish, and as i haven't got the XL mod, my mounted x-bows are never allowed to go up close and personal with anyone except routing peasants.

**el_slapper** · 12-27-2005, 12:38

Every unit is useful(bar the crappiest ones). But it's always tough to find a use for EVERY in each strategy.

Mounted X are useful as an extra unit, outside the main group. They can slush armoured inf from position & lure it outside a defensive position(at least against IA). And having one or 2 is often a big annoyance for the enemy. More is a good way to lack firepower, though.