IMO cav has the same problem as xbow hybrids. Just a few points into riding and some gold ( which doesnt matter anymore as we all know ) and voila, you are now cav. There are no real sacrifices that come along with cav as for example for throwers or archers.
Cav might not be able to deal with a piker and an archer simultaniously for example but at what price ? A single cav can speed through the map and will sooner or later find someone who is not aware, which then results into 1 hit backstab kill. Enemies who ARE aware can simply be avoided by superior mobility. To counter cav however you need multiple players to work together and watch each others backs, who also have to sacrifice some fighting potential by switching your favourite bec de corbin or GLA for a long stabby horse rearing support weapon for example.
Even when you kill the horse, the rider might stand up with a good amount of HP left and a completely viable shielder build. Buying a horse as it is is a straight up UPGRADE to any footsoldier without a horse. Needless to say you get a free crushthrough knockdown charge by just running people over.
And although this is all theoretical stuff, the same holds true in the field. Cav team = autowin. Especially on EU4 with low population, there is absolutely no reason to play if the enemy team is cav stacking, as one cav has simply the same killing and supporting power as 2 footsoldiers from the other team. You get completely facerolled.
Just split horse requirements into riding points for speed and "riding wpf" for manoeuvrability/acceleration. This way you have to choose between actually different cav builds:
- Much riding points, no riding wpf build:
You get the same speed as currently but heavily reduced turn rate. More planning, awareness and timing needed when approaching your target. No more last second U-turns because you saw that peasant in the corner of your eye. Preparing an attack by aligning your horse in good time is vital. Fast hit and run build.
- Minimum riding points, A ton of riding wpf build:
Can corner like a housefly but is rather slow. Good for surgical bumping or picking off enemies in group fights. Easy to handle manoeuvrability BUT at the cost of getting caught easier once the enemy is close.
- Max riding/riding wpf:
Horse handling would be equal to a high riding build you can achieve now at the cost of not having a fully maxed melee build. Very fast and manoeuvrable but more squishy.
And there you have it. Cav is now its own class that consists of more than a piece of equipment and a few skillpoints.
