Calvary needs a buff.

[UrLukur]

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Level 30
Strength: 18
Agility: 18
Hit points: 50

Power Strike: 6
Shield: 5
Athletics: 6
Riding: 6
Weapon Master: 6

One Handed: 154
Polearm: 10

You play on horse, up to destrier. You can play all the time with standard mail that offer some protection (my standard 1h+shield use such gear as footmen). Going dedicated footman there is also option to put those 6 points in throwing or ironflesh. Ironflesh hardly give any advantage, Throwing is nice. So it's one of two most viable build choices infantry 1h+shield can make. 2h and Poles can make better pure build, 1h cannot (18/21 or 21/18 with gimped shield - 3 or 4, better 4 for huscarl - is also option, but it's not that much efficient).

[bruce]

Well, truth be told, with IF and extra armour (I figured I could upkeep a total of 56 body armour fairly easily without a horse and with my shield plus SCS combo, although it's not exactly a footman's weapon), it might be noticeably more survivable. But still... not a big deal, and the worst high-damage offenders like throwing don't give a toss if you've got 44 body armour or 56, it's still a twoshot.

I'm currently playing a 1h/crossbow horseman hybrid, it's fun and effective. More effective then the footmen I made? Slightly, yes, on maps which allow it, it's a bit weaker (well, noticeably to be honest) on foot then a pure 1h would be or a pure 1h/cav would be, but oh well. The extra efficiency on the cavalry-tolerant maps compensates, and I probably have more experience fighting on horseback then on foot.

If I went as a footman I'd almost certainly go for a 21/15 build, I had that last generation and it was effective when I was dehorsed despite the 5 skill points spent in riding, and split 1h/polearm proficiencies (well, that wasn't that much of a handicap actually since I'd grab my masterwork glaive sometimes for infantry maps, nice to have in combo with shield+sword).

By the way, it took me quite a while to get used to the 1h way of combat, it's fundamentally different then fighting with 2h/polearms. Someone used to fighting with a glaive needs time to cope with the fact he can't counterattack after a block everytime. But after some time even with the really slow SCS I could do reasonably well vs most people using some sort of modified Gnjus style.

Anyway, the whole story about cavalry needing a buff, no they don't. They've got plenty of upsides to compensate for the inability of cavalry to fight someone headon. The agility of horses (especially the superdupermaneuver line of horses) enables you to be the perfect backstabber. Sure, some people might detest that role, but it's what cavalry does. You can't have both the ability to be the super backstabber and being able to frontally charge. The fairly evenly split of yes/no suggests that cavalry currently is fairly balanced, since almost half the people fail at playing the class according to the poll (the people who voted "yes").

[Soldier_of_God]

You know, i wonder how many archers, throwers, and polearm people voted on this thread that horses dont need a buff. it really pisses me off since the patch that horses suck ass; people like that just rub salt in the wound... they fight ranged because they cant fight hand to hand. oh, and God forbid if calvary is the only units that can kill them while they run away for a better shot.

[PhantomZero]

there really isnt any reason to use a plated charger or wear heavy armor on horseback. I think the price on the plated charger should be cut in half or its effectiveness increased. Any blunt weapon can 2-hit a heavy plated charger at speed if the rider isn't already dead.

[Whalen207]

being able to frontally charge

 
U sure you've been a cav?

[UrLukur]

You know, i wonder how many archers, throwers, and polearm people voted on this thread that horses dont need a buff. it really pisses me off since the patch that horses suck ass; people like that just rub salt in the wound... they fight ranged because they cant fight hand to hand. oh, and God forbid if calvary is the only units that can kill them while they run away for a better shot.

I am cav. I voted no.

[Tears of Destiny]

You know, i wonder how many archers, throwers, and polearm people voted on this thread that horses dont need a buff. it really pisses me off since the patch that horses suck ass; people like that just rub salt in the wound... they fight ranged because they cant fight hand to hand. oh, and God forbid if calvary is the only units that can kill them while they run away for a better shot.

My retort is that people fight hand-to-hand because they don't know how to fight range (I have seen the vast majority of archers shoot and it disgusts me).

Regardless, in all seriousness, I am an archer and I voted Yes, as Cavalry are a good counter to archers. As it is, Cavalry costs too much upkeep in my opinion. I have memories of 10 cav on one 90 person map, but I have much more memories of there just being two or three (Too few) in that size of a fight.

We need to see just a little more cav, somehow, or some kind of buff to make them more viable.

[Gorath]

We need to see just a little more cav, somehow, or some kind of buff to make them more viable.

Ew.  And I even use anti-cav weapons in melee primarily (not counting my mancleaver).  But more cav than the 10+ we have on any map with 2 inches of flat ground somewhere would start to be too much cav.

[Engine]

Would you prefer the pre-patch 10+ Catas and the sprinkling of Plated Chargers on each map, instead? You'd think people would be happy at how painful it is to field any unarmored cav above Rounceys, nowadays. 

[EponiCo]

My retort is that people fight hand-to-hand because they don't know how to fight range (I have seen the vast majority of archers shoot and it disgusts me).

Regardless, in all seriousness, I am an archer and I voted Yes, as Cavalry are a good counter to archers. As it is, Cavalry costs too much upkeep in my opinion. I have memories of 10 cav on one 90 person map, but I have much more memories of there just being two or three (Too few) in that size of a fight.

We need to see just a little more cav, somehow, or some kind of buff to make them more viable.

Get different maps.
On EU often there are 10 to 20 cav on 100 person server.

[Gorath]

Would you prefer the pre-patch 10+ Catas and the sprinkling of Plated Chargers on each map, instead? You'd think people would be happy at how painful it is to field any unarmored cav above Rounceys, nowadays. 

No.  Or rather, I'd be ok with that only if I can have my level 36+ back with the ability to be a 3-4 weapon hybrid.  Then ok.

[Tears of Destiny]

Get different maps.
On EU often there are 10 to 20 cav on 100 person server.

I find it fascinating how the different servers have vastly different playgroups, heh.

[PhantomZero]

I think the best way to help cav, would be to make the shield actually protect the rider from the front when the lance is down. It is far too easy to score a rider hit when they are riding at you with their lance down and their shield sticking out to the side instead of infront of them. With arrows, rocks, bolts, whatever it doesn't matter, the shield does nothing when the lance is down in couch mode.

[Xant]

Cavalry doesn't need any "help."

[UrLukur]

Cavalry doesn't need any "help."

Calvary on the other hand need serious buff, when you seen it last time in the game ? It must be fubar atm if nobody use it.