Cavarly charge: How-to and how you exploit it?

[kleemann]

Well i want to know how you use it? I'm bit exited about it, it is very powerful weapon..

How i use it:

1. Put all cavarly in one line and put it into one group.

####### <- like that, not using the wedge formation.

2. Attack with that group enemy general, he is behind other troops, make simple frontal assault.

enemy formation usually is

G <- General
S S S S <- spearmen, infantry
A A A A <- missile


###### <- my cavarly

3. The cavarly charges into nearest enemy unit

4. I let them fight for 4-6 sec and then reforming again in a single line quite far away 8-10 normal infantry unit depth distance.

####### <- like that, qute far away.

5. And press run so that they get thare quicker and have fewer losses.

6. ..and start again at point two.

I managed to destroy enemy army with a lot spearmen and other units. Battle odds were 2:1 against me. I had Templar Knights mostly

So how you use cavary?

[kleemann]

It took 6 charges..

[war general]

I normally run up on their flanks an charge their sides, then i wait untill my infantry come in and keep them in combat. Pull your cavelry out and charge again, repeat untill enemy are dead or routing

[Artos]

I use my whole cavalry on side to flank. After skirmishing the enemy for a while I first pepper them with flaming arrows to weaken their morale. Then I engage with melee troops on front, to tide their troops, and then flank them with my whole cavalry power from the side/rear. It's usually such a shock for the enemy that at least one unit breaks and then the panic spreads...

[Sher Khan]

Usually, I line up a few units of heavy cavalry up front and march them forward. I don't bother with the archers, since they'll skirmish away and make my knights run with swords instead of lances. Instead, I make a steady charge at the infantry behind the archers. Once I approach, the archers run and my horses charge into the spearmen and utterly crush them. However, the second they hit home with the charge, I pull them back as quickly as possible while sending in my own infantry line to attack.

All the while I have light and medium cavalry flank and attack the rear. They can get there quick and I don't have to worry about setting up a charge, since their charge isn't really crushing anyway.

[Cato the Younger]

Personally, I make sure they are in a 2-deep line (the thinnest you can get) and charge the unit I want, often pulling them back out of the fray to re-charge in a frontal assault. But..

I use mine in a variety of ways.

If the enemy doesn't have any spears, the long line of "Eat some Heavy Cavalry charge death," is often the tactic I use. However, if there are spearmen in the mix, I'll simply engage them with infantry and flank them, causing a rout fairly quickly; from there I usually continue the flank attack right up the enemy line, leaving the routers for my light cavalry. That being said, depending on my army make-up, I can sometimes get my Heavy Cavalry into the perfect position for a rear charge and completely decimate enemy units.

All in all, I use my cavalry charge for support, rarely for a full-on frontal assault (unless I know it won't put them in too much harm).

[Zhou]

Usually, I line up a few units of heavy cavalry up front and march them forward. I don't bother with the archers, since they'll skirmish away and make my knights run with swords instead of lances. Instead, I make a steady charge at the infantry behind the archers. Once I approach, the archers run and my horses charge into the spearmen and utterly crush them. However, the second they hit home with the charge, I pull them back as quickly as possible while sending in my own infantry line to attack.

All the while I have light and medium cavalry flank and attack the rear. They can get there quick and I don't have to worry about setting up a charge, since their charge isn't really crushing anyway.

Well said This is exactly how I use my cavalry. Your heavy cavalry usually will not suffer too extravagantly after they have gained some experience (I usually lose ~20 units out of 80 from a direct charge) and they shock the enemy front lines enough so that they will almost immediately break after making contact with your own heavy infantry. Light cavalry is ideal for the flanking/rear attacks because of their speed, which will also allow them to help mop up afterwards. The only wild card would be the position of the enemy general, as his unit will typically slaughter most light cavalry units.

[kkbob33]

well, lets face it. calvary is the best unit in western europe

with the english i use standard formation a little tweaked:

----mmmmmmm----
--iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii--
----iiiiiiiii---iiiiiiiiii----
-mmm---cccccccc
--------ggg--------

------A---A---A-----


m=missle
i=infantry
c=calvary
a=artillary

i beat the crap out of the enemy with my cannons and staked longbow type archers until inventory is empty if possible. then i retreat the archers back to the artillary and engage the infantry. the calvary is used as muscle(pure brute force), after all it was like a medeival tank. once the line starts getting thin i push the calvary into the battle line(preferably where spearmen aren't present).

if the enemy is full of spearmen i usually use the old RTW hellenic formation like this:

-------iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii---------
ccccccmmmmmmmmcccccccc
cccccc--mmm--mmm--cccccc
-------------G--------------
--------A----A----A----------

do same as before just hold the calvary away from the main line and try to get around it and flank the enemy. basic tactics.

note: i use only heavy calvary exept for one unit of light i keep for the routing units. I think i preffer the first method. think i was just getting tired of : engage infantry, flank with clavary.

i lose very few battles with these tactics

[weelillad]

There are 2 tactics I use, playing as the English with Vanilla AI at H/H difficulty.
My force composition is generally 2 units of spears, 2 units of archers, 2 units of cavalry and 1 general. When I get richer and get better units I augment that with 2 units of swordsmen/billmen, 1 archer unit and ribaults and catapults/bombards.

1) When I have superior numbers, I fix them in place with my foot units while my cavalry go around them to the back. The priority is to take out their general unit with a strong charge from behind. If my horses get chased I run back to my infantry lines and try again (usually the AI doesn't chase me all the way back). For greater impact my infantry charges the enemy line in front while my cavalry charges from behind. Usually 1 charge + minor fighting is enough to rout any unit.

When the enemy has archers they tend to rush them ahead of their main line to get within range. With a stiff frontal charge my cavalry usually get to them before they manage to retreat and rout them.

2) When outnumbered the AI tends to make a frontal assault. Then I make use of my longbowmen's stakes and put spearmen schiltroms at the flanks. My heavy infantry form a second line behind the archers and spearmen and my cavalry behind those, ready to charge out and scatter isolated enemy units before they hit my main line. Once the enemy hits my first line my heavy infantry move forward to add to the attack, while my cavalry attempts flanking/rear attacks.

The only times I lose battles is when the enemy finds a way to attack my troops shuffling behind the border in single units (usually rebels in ambush manage this), or when the enemy prepares a 2-hit combo of 2 big stacks.

Hope this is useful

[Ippius]

flanking is most useful but if u can hit them straight in the back (lol) with a nice charge (no wedge needed) u can easily wipe out half an enemy unit without too many casualties. Of course unless the cavalry unit u've charged with is good in combat (gothic knights, general etc.) I would usually retreat them after the maximum damage of the charge is inflicted on the enemy and charge again.
Distract the enemy with missile troops or tempt them with a weaker unit ie. peasants.

[Tlahtoani]

Hi everyone,

I think it depends on a combination on what kind of Cavalry is used and the enemy troops; Light Cavalry shouldn't be use on frontal charge, I think it is best used on flaking tasks. Heavy Cavalry in the other hand can be use to do a frontal charge as long as it is not to a spearman unit; however I just got the game a few days ago so I'm going on what History says about this

Happy conquering

[smitty]

An assault from the rear is incredibly devestating. I typically engage the enemy infantry with my own and then launch a full cavalry charge from the rear. If you run into an enemy infantry unit (regardless if sword, spear, bill, etc). You will inflict about 75% casualties as you run into them and the unit will most likely rout after that, which spreads throughout the army very quickly. Flanking maneuvers are good for support, but if the enemy has no defense behind them (Bodyguard, artillery, spearmen) then this maneuver is very effective. Even if the enemy has artillery in the back you can go ahead and run over them too.

Another strategy is to focus your cavalry on the thinly spread out archers. The enemy will often drag their archers into a long line that's about double-man thick. I had to engage in a battle with 6 heavy english knights against about 800. I ran around the map a bit getting the enemy to spread their troops out chasing me, and then ran through the gaps and charged at the spread out archers. The important thing was that I did NOT stop to fight, I merely charged and then continued running beyond, just like they do in King Arthur (I hate that movie btw) I was able to take down 20 archers with my 6 cavalry after 2 or 3 charges. Granted, I died because my cavalry sustained one death per charge but when this tactic of charging/fleeing is used in large numbers its devestating against enemy infantry/archers.