Light Cavalry

**IGdood** · March 05, 2012, 12:26 AM

What are your uses for light cavalry in SP, if any?

Their unit size is low, their stats are subpar, even dismounted they're not too great.

However, they have a bonus in spotting hidden units, are able to hunt generals effectively, can maneuver through gaps in enemy lines because of their small unit size, and are great if only to cause a morale penalty from being flanked/rear attacked.

**Robin de Bodemloze** · March 05, 2012, 12:33 AM

Early on they're great for hunting archers and general units, as well as being the hammer unit. In my games the unit of LC you start off with usually lasts a long time and becomes so veteran they almost match a fresh yari cav for stats. Once you start being able to afford the higher tiers of cavalry though they slowly become obselete in my opinion.

**wealthmonger** · March 05, 2012, 01:29 AM

Speed. They can dart around the battlefield to where you need them. They can't do alot once they get there but sometimes a little at the right spot is all you need.

It's also good to have one just to help rundown the fleeing enemy.

**Marshyl** · March 05, 2012, 02:19 AM

Even without stat bonuses, LC can charge and take down a general unit with no problem. I wouldn't expect to lose 50% of the unit before the general routs.

**Noif de Bodemloze** · March 05, 2012, 07:12 AM

Flanking and backstabbing enemies. Also good if you can suprise enemy archers/matchlocks.

I always have 1-2 LC in begin of campaign.

**AveiMil** · March 05, 2012, 07:25 AM

I buffed Light Cav in AoW, I am now using them frequently to great effect.

**fws2468** · March 05, 2012, 12:39 PM

Recruiting light cavs early on is useful because they allow you to chase down more enemy routers and their general, which when routing, would be almost impossible for your own general to catch otherwise. They also take some cav losses which would have been inflicted on your general otherwise without their support. Later in the game though, they become obsolete against more professional armies and advanced cav units. But they're still cheap to recruit and should be adequate in supporting any of your armies on a particular front where the enemy has already been greatly weakened.

**Jayzilla** · March 05, 2012, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by wealthmonger

Speed. They can dart around the battlefield to where you need them. They can't do alot once they get there but sometimes a little at the right spot is all you need.

It's also good to have one just to help rundown the fleeing enemy.

Yes! Instead of 'light cav' think of them as 'fast cav.' My favorite trick to do with them is to take the long way around to get behind the enemy, and then just sit them there, not even attacking. Having an enemy cav unit behind infantry gives them a 'huge' morale penalty. Then when a unit is near breaking..... chomp on them.

Another great trick is to pretend like you're going to attack their flanks by charging from a good distance away. nine times in ten, they'll respond by attacking with their yari. Right before they make contact, tell the cav to spin around and run away. End result? There's an isolated unit of yari out away from his main force. Wreck them quick and the routing yari will give a morale pen to the enemy before you've even committed your whole force.

**Skasian** · March 06, 2012, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Jayzilla

Another great trick is to pretend like you're going to attack their flanks by charging from a good distance away. nine times in ten, they'll respond by attacking with their yari. Right before they make contact, tell the cav to spin around and run away. End result? There's an isolated unit of yari out away from his main force. Wreck them quick and the routing yari will give a morale pen to the enemy before you've even committed your whole force.

Something similar to that, the AI is stupid (even on Legendary) and will always send units after your cav. During castle sieges where you are defending and I was greatly outnumbered I've managed to pull 4 units of yari's away from the attack with a single light cav. I took them for a long stroll around the border of the map until my defenders were freed up.

Otherwise rear charges. Hit and run style, don't leave them in melee.

Chasing down routing units. As they are the only unit capable of catching up to routing cav units (i.e. generals). Even if they do nothing all battle and are there just for mopping up routers, it is still worth it in your campaign. Chasing down routers till they are about 10~15% of their max unit number will ensure they unit is disbanded after battle. 1 unit of light cav can ensure your enemies army will drop significantly after a won battle, greatly aiding the war.

Use them as bait for enemy cav. Another thing the AI does is send his cav units at your cav (even his general). Grab a unit of light cav, pair them up with 1 unit of yari, place them away from your army/castle and the AI will charge right into your spear wall even though it's in plain sight (they really wanna kill your light cav).

Don't dismount them. Their stats and unit size make them horrible for any dismounted purposes pretty much. Any of the above formentioned tasks are a better option.

**Jayzilla** · March 06, 2012, 09:58 PM

I actually think that dismounting them is quite viable, but really only in MP when you want to capture nodes.

**IGdood** · March 07, 2012, 01:40 PM

Dismounted light cavalry are actually yari samurai except lower in all stats by about 1-2 points.

**flyby2412** · March 08, 2012, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by IGdood

Dismounted light cavalry are actually yari samurai except lower in all stats by about 1-2 points.

I agree but they are more like naginata attendants (Rise of the Samurai DLC), they have the better stats than their ashigaru cousins but pay for those points in unit size, easily over whelmed. O use light cav to simply draw the enemies cav away. MP like legendary AI while send yari and cavalry alike to kill one measly LC, but the LC has speed, and with this you can either sacrifice them or use em as a gureilla unit. Many cases have MP players sent 2 yari cavalry units after my LC only to find after our armies collide and he needs his cav, he finds them tired at the corner of the map.

**jonny duck** · March 08, 2012, 04:48 PM

Inflicting moral penalties on enemy units engaged in combat. Either charge them into the rear of the engaged unit or just have them run the length of the line behind the enemy. The position of one of your units behind them should be enough to cause ashigaru to route. Moping up archers and enemy generals as well as chasing down routing soldiers is also a good use for them.

**Kraut** · March 12, 2012, 07:40 AM

LC is useful to hunt down routing enemies - this is also their primary "training method" for me, it makes them better and more useful for the following tasks.

Their main use on the battlefield is to hang around and look for an opportunity to come down on some unexpecting archer units. The AI is not that good on protecting their range units. Normally you can mow down plenty of archers if you micromanage your LC well (i.e. charge - withdraw - charge - withdraw, then move to another position to evade melee troops coming in)

Always look out for the enemy general. From time to time, the AI will expose him isolated in silly position. Then rush all LC you have to kill the General. They will take heavy losses, but the moral punch to the enemy once his general is killed is well worth the sacrifice of some LC in my opinion.

So LC is useful as a) rout-killer, b) archer killer, c) General killer.
But never, really, never ever let them do prolonged melee against melee units. No fight with infantry, archers only!

**roodbaard67** · March 21, 2012, 02:07 PM

It at least once saved my live when Iwas outnumbered in a siege defence(early game) en used it to distract the enemy and take out the other armies 4 SAMURAI ARCHERS with hit and run tactics an and using my own archers from inside the castle.
Short when in need in a castle defence use light cavalry good distractions are they.

**CptAustus** · March 21, 2012, 06:49 PM

I also found a use for light cavalry in siege battles: silly AI deploys its generals all by themselves. After that ashigaru rout upon contact and samurai wont reach the walls if you have matchlocks.

**Mr. Battle** · March 23, 2012, 01:34 PM

Their speed makes them good for flanking. It's not a good idea to have a ton of them, but keeping one unit of light cavalry in your stack, even if it is only used to run down routers, will make a huge difference in the final body count. My light cavalry units typically have the most kills of all my units just because of mop up duty. It's nice to be able to eliminate an enemy stack in one battle rather than having to chase down the stragglers on the campaign map and reengage them 2 or 3 times.

**BattleCrier** · October 12, 2017, 04:12 PM

I'm playing as Takeda atm. Usual use of LC in my army is, as other guys noted, flanking and killing routes. I got bow cavalry from quest and 2 LC to support them. Sometimes when your LC is hidden, bow cav. taunts enemy general. As he is separated from Yari units, LC flanks him. Nearly 0 loses and enemy dead general is a very strong game changer. It is not a rule that this will happen tho.