Low riding skill

[Ronin]

With 3 riding only, if an enemy cavalry catches you; you won't have a chance to retaliate. Believe me I tried doing horse archery with low riding, thinking it will be useful to enemy infantry. It was not useful at all. First encounter with an enemy lancer was my end, no matter how many times I dodged their lances I got being catched again and end up dead. And believe me, a cavalry will always be chasing you. Don't ever think that you'll be able to ride around the battlefield, find an unaware infantry and kill him from behind. You'll either get shot or get caught with enemy lancers, or a good infantry user will just kill you when you get near them. Because you'll be slow, easy to spot and be vulnerable that you won't be able to dodge at all.

If you plan on playing as a cavalry, 5 riding is essential so you can compete as a cavalry with other cavalry. With 3 riding only, you can do well in sieges using a saddle horse to quickly reach backdoor or going to the flanks to make a ninja charge (which is highly unlikely with 12 agi). You'll basically be a mounted sergeant. Riding a horse will be only useful for travelling purposes. You'll need to dismount in order to engage with enemy.

[Commodore_Axephante]

If all of these anti-low-riding opinions are true, then it almost reveals a game-balance issue, I think. That 1-4 riding should be so absolutely useless seems...

...well, I suppose all of the other skills are useless at those levels too (besides maybe throwing).

I'm going to try this on a STF. I'll let everyone know how it goes. However, it seems most of you already have a good guess


EDIT: Oh, and to Ronin, a 12 agi character is certainly no ninja, but you would be surprised how fast 4 athletics and no armor weight will get you moving.

[Joseph Porta]

Effective? No. But it does add a huge fun factor, which is always a plus for me.

[CrazyCracka420]

When I'm leveling and have 3 riding I do a lot better than trying to fight on foot.  I honestly don't mind 3 riding on a rouncey, just have to play smart (as I suggested earlier).  You shouldn't be riding off in the distance far away from your infantry.  You should be staying close enough that you can retreat to your infantry if a cavalry on a courser tries to chase you down.  You do that, and 3 riding will be just fine to use. 

[Commodore_Axephante]

When I'm leveling and have 3 riding I do a lot better than trying to fight on foot.  I honestly don't mind 3 riding on a rouncey, just have to play smart (as I suggested earlier).  You shouldn't be riding off in the distance far away from your infantry.  You should be staying close enough that you can retreat to your infantry if a cavalry on a courser tries to chase you down.  You do that, and 3 riding will be just fine to use.

Huseby, in a hostile world, you always tell me what I want to hear.

[Jarold]

I say get the 3 riding. It makes playing the game more fun when you're bored of being on foot for a little while. If you get used do it and play smart you'll to great with it.

[Commodore_Axephante]

Side note while I've got all this experienced attention: 2h great axe - alright on horseback?

[Dach]

Yes its' good. 

49 cut + Str build + speed from the horse = You'll probably one hit a lot of people. 

[Penitent]

When I'm leveling and have 3 riding I do a lot better than trying to fight on foot.  I honestly don't mind 3 riding on a rouncey, just have to play smart (as I suggested earlier).  You shouldn't be riding off in the distance far away from your infantry.  You should be staying close enough that you can retreat to your infantry if a cavalry on a courser tries to chase you down.  You do that, and 3 riding will be just fine to use.

This is true.

3 Riding can be fun, and you can do pretty good with it.  The key is to play smart, and be cautious.  Once you get on that horse, realize your speed, and become hypnotized by the thundering hooves....it is easy to get carried away and start zooming around the battlefield with bloodlust trying to trample everybody down.  Then you die. 

DO:
think ahead and play it safe
Flank enemy positions
support friendly infantry by bumping engaged enemies

DONT:
engage enemy cavalry
get shot by archers
charge enemies who are aware of you
get cocky cuz you're on a horse

Doing the above things can help you have fun and perhaps a bit of success with 3 riding!  I recommend getting some armor LOL.  When you are on horseback, the "speed bonus" applies to you as well.  If you are at high speed and get hit, you will be 1-shot.

Palfrey's are like Rounceys, but worse in pretty much every way.

[Commodore_Axephante]

I'm making myself a re-mesh of some armor so that I can sufficiently shows off my virtual gun-show and yet be a little less vulnerable (to archers, mostly), but there is the standing problem that I'm named NAKED_FANATIC, so I need to retire and rename myself something more appropriate, but it has taken me 2 months to get to lvl 28 due to frequent hospital stays so I'm reluctant to start all over...

And thanks to your impeccable taste in poetry, I don't really need the loom points...

so I'm conflicted!

But, I'm inspired. I think next gen (if I end up biting the bullet) I'm going to give minimal riding a try. Because, fuck min-maxing. I'm in this for the glory.

[San]

With the bit of throwing, it might not be that bad to take on another horse every now and then. Who knows, you might enjoy it.

[WITCHCRAFT]

Based on your build so far, I would suggest finishing your 27 strength and 9 powerstrike first. After that, branch out. If you do get 2 or 3 riding (sumpter horse is probably a better choice to remodel - you will see many rounceys but NO ONE else will have a sumpter horse, giving you that unique visual flair) then your horse is most useful as a taxi to whatever part of the map you want to fight at. Park it in a corner/stable/shed and go to fight. If you clear the area of enemies or see a massive wave of infantry charging you, hop back on the horse and pick a new fighting location.

Really, with 3 (or 2) riding all you can expect from your horse is to vroom around at the start of the round then dismount before enemy cavalry that is faster and more maneuverable skewers you. If not hidden very well, the parked horse will get slaughtered. Even your teamates will kill it as soon as they see it with no rider.

Not an optimal investment of points, but I have done stupid things like that for fun when I had extra points left over at level 30 (and planned to retire at 31).

BTW, 2 months for your first generation as someone just starting the game isn't that off. Unless you play all day or get into really big strategus battles, levels get really slow past level 25 or so.

[OpenPalm]

Just so you know, if you buy a horse for your skip the fun character, you  can't transfer it back off that character and your STF will have it forever.

[Commodore_Axephante]

ALRIGHT SCRUBS

GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME FOR ME ONE LAST TIME

I need to suck less. So, after messing with my low-throwing build, while I've had a lot of fun, I'm ready to give that up in the pursuit of greener pastures... so I submit to you, here, a lvl 31 2h cav build, presented both at lvl 30 and 31 so you can see how I would build it. This is constructed using the advice you've given me above, so if it sucks, it's your fault. Gear will focus on the Rouncer, I think, and light armor, because I'm cool like that. What do you think?

At level 30, with 2 skillpoints floating and 14 agi, ready to pop on 5 riding and WM next level:

Code: (2h LIGHT CAV) [Select]

Level:           30

Strength:        27
Agility:         14

Skill to attr:   12

Power Strike:     9
Riding:           4
Weapon Master:    4

Two Handed:     138
^{using cRPG NewGen calc}

At level 31, full stop, with his extra skillpoint put into Athletics just for fun:

Code: (2h LIGHT CAV) [Select]

Level:           31

Strength:        27
Agility:         15

Skill to attr:   12

Power Strike:     9
Athletics:        1
Riding:           5
Weapon Master:    5

Two Handed:     147
^{using cRPG NewGen calc}

What do you think? Will I be useless on foot? Will the world tremble before me?

[CrazyCracka420]

I don't like that at all...

I'd suggest this for level 30:

    Strength: 24
    Agility: 15
    Hit points: 59

    Skills to attributes: 8

    Power Strike: 8
    Athletics: 5
    Riding: 5
    Weapon Master: 5

And this at level 33:

    Strength: 27
    Agility: 15
    Hit points: 66

    Skills to attributes: 8

    Ironflesh: 2
    Power Strike: 9
    Athletics: 5
    Riding: 5
    Weapon Master: 5

All WPF into 2h

Alternatively you could go with 3 WM and the rest into IF, or 0 WM and all IF, but I prefer to use offensive skills (WM and WPF) rather than passive/defensive skills (IF).  I prefer to go with the approach of "not getting hit" versus trying to tank hits.