Cavalry is already the most powerful thing in M&B.
No. Its just you footmen (most of you) that are totally incompetent. You personally need to learn awareness, then all you have to do is turn around and 1 stab the horse, then 1 slash the rider before he can get up.
However, cavalry can still be done. Imho its the same as in native. The only difference is that most crpg-maps are anti-cav-maps/ archers paradise.
What I just dont like is that you cant play as heavy cavalry. Its two completely different playstyles. I can get kills with Rouncey, Leather Jacket, Khergit Boots, Light Lance, thats all I need, but I have to play as sneaky back-stabber all the time because the horse dies in 1 or 2 hits what is crazy.
The heavy cavalry is more a infantry support weapon, like a tank in WW2, to charge. Since charge damage was removed, its pointless, especially because the throwing damage is insane.
The issue with throwing could be solved easily by reducing the ammo. 1 throwing lance instead of 2, and the other stuff reduced to 2 pieces of shit for each slot.
I just played Singleplayer, and some Taiga Bandit 1 shotted me of the horse, and I do play as a Knight in Singleplayer, there at least I can afford the good stuff. So throwing is just overpowered in Warband, and its the same in crpg.
fuck K:D, i'm absolutely sure my team benefits more when i ride around on charger than on destrier. aye i might not get 2 more kills i'd get on faster horse but i can survive on a charger a very long time sucking all the ranged shit enemy throws at me instead on footmen. their archers focus me and are not aware if they're shoot at by archers of my team. no to mention i'm often being hunted down by wolfpack of light horses that always prefer rather to hunt chargers down than to hit my teamates. aye and i can kill any archer from a charger without taking any serious damage (unless he puls out some melee weapon when i'm about to ride him down).
In your dreams.
In reality, one throwing lance is enough to kill your horse. (I think you have very high shield skill, so your shield magnetism makes survive your horse survive so long. Its the shield who does the work. The horse itself, even the plated charger, cant take that much especially since the archers got buffed again with some nice extra damage points.)
One half-decent lancer on an unarmored horse kills you in a second, when you cant hide behind your pikemen and archers.
The heavy horses are only for fun atm, a very expensive hobby.
But its fun. So in a week the elephant rider should be back. =)