18/18 is good for your first build but right now I'm 24/15 and quite happy with it. With my special warhammer, I deal an average of 30 (I think) damage against 60 armour, giving me lots of opportunity for 1-2 hit kills on most opponents. That said, I'm quite practiced with my weird little weapon. If it's your first time 18/18 with the sarranid cavalry sword would probably work quite well for you, especially if you don't want to use the huscarl. Bear in mind that having high speed stats isn't very noticeable for 1h+shield. With a huscarl you get dragged down hugely, and moving slowly often means you need more armour so you end up even slower. That said, if you can find a quick build with the sarranid cavalry sword you'll be quite versatile. You'll likely have to find help for fighting good tin cans but everything else should be good pickings.