Mounted Swordsmanship Guide

[Thel]

Archers/Xbowmen-  your easiest target,  Lancers will have a hard time fighting them but you will make mincemeat out of them.

Are we so sure about this...

 

[Qwertyman]

Archers/Xbowmen-  your easiest target,  Lancers will have a hard time fighting them but you will make mincemeat out of them.

Are we so sure about this...

which part?  lancers having a hard time or swordsmen finding them easy?

I hear lots of lancers claiming that ranged troops are a problem for them,  we have had a few threads on here claiming that archers are the counter for cavalry, and it should be the other way around.

for the second part-  I speak from experience,  if you close the distance using evasive movement, then dont let them get far enough away to shoot, they are dead. as I said -  this is just based on my personal experience, as i find archers and xbowmen to be easy kills,  unless of course they are a skilled player-  but even then they are at a major disadvantage towards me.

 

[okiN]

They're easier to kill than polearm infantry, but harder to kill than 1h infantry because they can damage your horse before you even get near. Still, one on one taking out an archer is generally no problem. One on three, you'd have to be suicidal to go near, whereas picking off a single infantryman from a group of three is very often doable. So really, archers are often quite tricky to deal with, especially if they're grouped together with polearm infantry. I won't go near that without support.

Also, against lancers, a top tip: fight them in a river, on a hilltop, or in tight quarters. Anywhere where you can deny them the couch. Most lancers are rubbish at mounted sword, which is why they're so reliant on their toothpick. If they're foolhardy enough to engage, they should be an easy kill.

Against firing horse archers, it's good to try to get alongside. If you do, block one shot and he's yours. Then you can nick his steppe horse.

Also, I think you underrate the saddle horse. It is, after all, very cheap. I'll generally go with one over a courser, then get a hunter when I have the cash.

 

[Polohaha]

range archers has blind spot were they cant aim so if you can get to that spot and chase them down that close enough for a strike then you will win surely...unless he pull out a 2 nd weap lol

 

[RF Nigth]

you cant call it a guide if you dont count in all asset fore the mouted player.
as the Saddle Horses and warhorse

 

[MaHuD]

sticky?

 

[okiN]

We can't really sticky every "guide" thread, there are so many. In fact, I was just thinking that we could reduce board clutter quite a bit by having a single compilation sticky linking to all the various guides...

 

[MaHuD]

Yes, one thread with a link to all guides is the way to go

 

[FLaviator]

My only (and extremely irritating) complaint is this:

WHY DOES THE MOTHER#@$ING SWORD SWING UNDER THE CENTER OF MY VIEW????????  I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE F$@#$#ING SKY TO SWING AND HIT ANYONE I RIDE PAST.



Just make the swords swing at the SAME LEVEL as the center of the screen- JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FREAKING ATTACK IN THIS GAME, and just the SAME WAY  M&B non warband does.

 

[DeeMull]

Warhorse/Charger---  not worth it if you ask me,  buying one will take money you could spend on weapons or armour,  and they just aren't agile enough.

ANNOUNCEMENT: My post in in regards to Single Player Mounted Combat. I'll delete my post if the topis is Multiplayer, and I apologize ahead of time if this is indeed a MP thread.
Actually, those two can be very effective given the right strategy. I have a friend who uses them extensively, and he has a knight-centered cavalry force. That's the key to using chargers and warhorses. You'll lose out in speed and maneuver but that trade-off comes at a massive armor and health improvement.

They work well with a "cut-off and surround" tactic, where you pursue a non-lance equipped enemy cavalry unit while you have your knights follow you, and cut them off at an angle as they turn. You have to slow down a lot to turn enough and you have to predict which way they'll turn and stay on the inside of their turn, but calculating where you'll contact is pretty predictable. It's mainly a group effort, as you have your knights follow you. I've seen my friend do it without them following him and, they sorta did that tactic in their own little slaughter groups.

He also likes to charge into an infantry group, in his full plate with his big war sword he nicknamed Anduril, and swing away while his horse absorbs most of the damage because of its high armor value.

It's a given to have a high riding skill and high level armor.

I use your style more xD thanks for the guide! I'm a horse archer/swordy hybrid though, so I value speed a little more as it keeps me just out of melee range when being pursued. PLUS, hitting the reverse key while turnin slows you down but makes the turn much, much sharper. It works well to get some distance between yourself and the enemy cavalry, and if used near a treeline can really screw them up. Never tried it on Multiplayer, as I was too busy dying gotta get used to that manual block!

 

[SockMonkeh]

Don't be afraid to combine everything mentioned here with use of a lance as well. I like to make my initial charge with the lance and then do the sword and board thing while it is on cool-down. All of the same equipment can be used for lancing as well, you really don't need a fast horse to do well with a lance. You're going to want a longer lance eventually, but it's not a huge deal.

 

[Vellocet]

Good guide!  Mostly stuff that I know about already, though I'm not that great as sword cavalry.  More of a lancer at heart. XD  I think I'll practise my timing and aim with the sword more, though.  I've only done the shield bypass with the reverse swing once--a lot of the time it gets blocked anyway, but that's probably because I release too soon.

Good to see the sword-n-horse folks making a turn out!  And, very nice guide for those interested in getting into the sword side of cavalry!

 

[Captain_Octavius]

I read the guide, I don't think it's really good. Rather than writing a guide in general, it is more a report of your experiences and preferences. A general guide should tell the reader about the different possible playstyles and their cons and pro's, instead of telling the reader "just don't do this, and don't use this". There is some useful stuff in it though.