Mounted Knights in defense

**Remedius** · July 05, 2011, 03:01 AM

Knights are for attacking - that's what they do and they do it really well.

But there are situations when they get caught in the open by - say a charging enemy - or perhaps when your front line lacks enough men to form a decent wall.

What then?

Mounted Knights and HCav generally seem to have pretty decent defensive stats that indicate they may be good defensive troops as well as excellent shock troops. I am too nervous to try and embarrassed to ask but has anyone tried or even uses them largely in this capacity?

For myself if an enemy charges a unit of Knights and I can't countercharge for any reason I tend to turn the Knights to face the attacker and tell them to guard the area - I think it helps but this may be my imagination.

Anyone?

**kingtigertank** · July 05, 2011, 03:23 AM

They can be used in defense. But you must still withdraw charge them or they will be destroyed by dismounted knights and other enemy infantry. I find my mounted knights are good for holding off the enemy because of the power of their charge while I reorganise behind them. Just keep withdrawing and charging and the enemy will be severely delayed as well as sustain heavy losses. Whatever you do with your mounted knights, withdrawing and charging is always a must.

If an enemy charges your knights and you can't countercharge, run away if you can, turning the knights to face the enemy is a last resort. You must get your charge bonus always. Guard mode i find is useless.

**Remedius** · July 05, 2011, 07:05 AM

Thanks

**cpt krunch13** · July 05, 2011, 12:17 PM

Yeah, whenever my knights get caught in the open and are immboile long enough to get surrounded and fight a pithced battle they get slaughtered

always try to keep them on the move. This is why I tend to clump all my cavalry into one large unit, that way if I do forget about them for a little bit and they get surrounded in the open the units, being close together, will support eachother and delay their routing until I get back to using them.

**PrestigeX** · July 05, 2011, 03:18 PM

Caught in the open, without support - they die.

Defensive use of Knights / Mounted Troops -- I usually think more of a Line of Spearmen/Infantry, and the knights in a line directly behind them - maybe put on guard mode. the most obvious use of this is when your smaller force is defending high-ground and the last thing you want is your knights charging down the hill b4 the right time.

Helps so that if the enemy charges your infantry and breaks through a little they are faced with your own knights --- say if you have Mailed knights and infantry, and the enemy has tons of Elite Heavy Cav.
Same goes for the Siege Defense - you don't want your knights charging at the wrong moment and getting slaughtered.

Then at the right moment you take the cavalry off guard mode, and send them to attack - usually that extra momentum sends the whole of the enemy into a rout

**Remedius** · July 06, 2011, 06:25 AM

I don't mean using them defensively as a tactic but how capable they are at defending themselves standing their ground as it were - if they did prove to be good defender then I would consider them more in that role.

**PrestigeX** · July 06, 2011, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by Remedius

I don't mean using them defensively as a tactic but how capable they are at defending themselves standing their ground as it were - if they did prove to be good defender then I would consider them more in that role.

Yeah they're good, I mean you can see their stats -- "Defense Skill / Armor / Shield" give you an idea how a unit will perform against other enemies -- Very high armor, lower defense skill - the unit is vulnerable to "armor piercing" foes, but all-round very good. High Defense Skill -- is the best, because it minimizes the impact Armor Piercing units have on it.

But why would anyone want to use Cavalry as a main defensive unit, its just.. pointless... Okay if you had to defend a gate / bridge and you have nothing but cavalry -- Repeated charges, to try and stop enemy access - you don't just park your men there by themselves, they'd drop like flies once the enemy infantry gets there.

Cavalry is assault / mobility, it's kind of obvious, they are not that well suited to just sitting in a spot waiting for the enemy to attack them.

**Aeratus** · July 06, 2011, 03:07 PM

Well if you're really lazy with your Knights, and the Knights totally outclass the opposing infantry, then there shouldn't be a problem.

Even though it's not ideal, there's nothing wrong per se with being lazy. When I have the economy to keep cranking out full stacks of chiv knights, I don't mind charging the knights right into halberds.