Heavy Horse -- Anti Infantry / Anti - Cav ?

[PrestigeX]

Pretty simple topic, Heavy Cavalry are widespread in the game and atleast every faction has some to choose from. Some factions have far more than others... and I guess, my question really boils down to...

What type of Cavalry is best against other Cavalry ?

What type of Cavalry is better used vs. infantry ?

I don't mean what troops is the Best (and end up with people posting Gothic knighs! Hospitaller! Quakapukuluku !), but rather what are the qualities that make a troop better in some situations...

things like --- type of mount, the charge bonus , weapons (sword, axes, etc) , armor, defense skill, etc.


Thinking of factions like Russia, France especially, or Spain -- where there are a number of different kinds of Heavy Horse and maybe what you guys (and gurls) have noticed about them.

[Aeratus]

Charger cavalry: high charge bonus (Lancer, most knights)
Brawler cavalry: carries AP maces or axes (eastern cavalry, norse war cleric, huscarls, gothic knight)

In vanilla, there's no distinction in charging power between charger and brawler cavalry because the charge stat has minimal effect. Therefore, brawler cavalry is always better than charger cavalry in vanilla.

In Kingdoms, there's more of a distinction.

In mods like SS, there's an even bigger distinction. Javelin cavalry acts as an anti-cavalry in SS. Two units of javelin cavalry can destroy a general bodyguard unit in a few seconds.

[Silverheart]

Any cavalry works great against both other Cavalry and Infantry alike - it´s just a matter of using them right.
I wouldn´t say that there are any cavalry units better suited for eradicating melee troops other than simply those with more charge power and higher stats.

However, I also know that the terrain can be a big gamechanger.
For example, Huskarls become really crappy in deserts (I know, I tried) and Muslim cavalry become easily outmatched if they´re forced to fight in a snowy landscape.
But still, it all boils down to using them right.

[.L.]

Also If a cavalry unit is staying still in a wedge, charge one side of the wedge with a spread out line formation.

[PrestigeX]

Good to know about the Charge bonuses ... and the AP secondary weapons, I'd already come to appreciate their usefullness against heavy armor -- so I often use my AP cav against other horsemen.

But what about the things like.. HEavy, Mailed, Barded, Armored, Eastern Armored -- the horses ...

I always kind of assumed that the heavier the horse barding, the better the unit would stand up to infantry - particularly spearmen -

Case in point being, France with.. Lancers, Chiv Knights, and Noble Knights -- at first, I only paid attention to stats / cost / availability -- but can each one be thought of as having a role it is best at > mostly I'm just using the noble knights because of lower upkeep and simillar stats as Chiv Knight.

Same with Russia -- Druzhina have axes and spears ,, meanwhile the Tsars Guard costs way way more and I honestly find them to be no better than druzhina, often taking more casualities -- mind you, I was using them to fight Muslims and Mongols -- would Tsar Guard be a lot better if I was using them to charge HRE's endless spear militias ?

[Aeratus]

But what about the things like.. HEavy, Mailed, Barded, Armored, Eastern Armored -- the horses ...

The mount type only affects the "mass" stat, which is a hidden stat that affects the charge mechanic. It has no effect in melee combat.

In terms of mass, the ranking is:

Armored Horse = Eastern Armored Horse > Mailed Horse > Barded Horse > Heavy Horse > Fast Pony

Same with Russia -- Druzhina have axes and spears ,, meanwhile the Tsars Guard costs way way more and I honestly find them to be no better than druzhina, often taking more casualities -- mind you, I was using them to fight Muslims and Mongols -- would Tsar Guard be a lot better if I was using them to charge HRE's endless spear militias ?

Well, Tsar's guard has better stats than Druzhina across the board. It doesn't have axes, but has a huge attack.