Basic Beginner Cavalry Guide

“How to Crush Enemy Lines with Speed and Precision”

1. Core Principles

A. Cavalry’s Strengths

Speed: Amplifies armor penetration and lets you dictate engagements.
Mobility: Flank, retreat, and reposition faster than any unit type.
Shock Value: Break formations, disrupt ranged units, and assassinate lost infantry.

B. The 3 Pillars of Cavalry Dominance

Timing (Charge when enemies are distracted or unbraced).
Target Selection (Prioritize archers, bulk of enemies, out of position infantry/cav)
Survivability (Retreat after charges; don’t overcommit).

2. Meta Cavalry Units (2025)

S-Tier Cavalry

Unit	Tier	Role	Key Traits
Winged Hussars	T5	Flanker \| Charge	Long(est) Lance (Range)
Yanyuedao	T5	Hard CC \| AOE Spread Flanker	CCI – CC provider \| AOE DPS
Yeomen	T4	Flanker \| Charge	Increased charge stats \| Lancer
Dagger Lancers	T4	Flanker \| Follow Commander Charge	Strong buffs + Unpredictable Flanker with Commander Follow
Companion Cavalary	T4	Flanker \| Openfield fighter \| AOE split hitter	Two Weapon stages, high mobility, high AOE flank DPS + Sword autohits combined with high movement speed and selfbuffs

Budget Picks

T3 Outriders: Fast, cost-effective for harassing ranged units.
T2 Iron Cap Cavalry: Decent charge damage for early-game players, high DMG to out of position units

3. Charge Mechanics & Damage Optimization

A. The Charge Sequence

[Initiation Phase] → [Speed Build-Up] → [Impact] → [Retreat/Reposition]

Initiation: Use formation commands to build basic movementspeed up
Speed Build-Up: Charge downhill or on flat terrain for maximum speed modifier.
Impact: Aim for clumped infantry or unprotected ranged units.
Retreat: Withdraw to avoid braced pikes or hero ultimates.

B. Damage Formula

2. How Speed Modifiers Are Determined

The speed modifier (X) is not fixed—it scales dynamically based on:

Unit’s Base Speed: Faster units (e.g., comapnion cav at 9.8 speed) inherently gain larger modifiers.
Charge Momentum: Speed increases as cavalry builds momentum during a charge.
Terrain: Downhill charges boost speed (and thus X), while uphill charges reduce it.

Example Scaling (Community Estimates):

Cavalry Speed	Speed Modifier (X)
7.0 (Slow)	~1.0x
8.5 (Average)	~1.2x
9.8 (Fast)	~1.3–1.4x
10.5 (Max*)	~1.5x

*Assumes max speed buffs (e.g., veterancy perks, doctrines).

Final Damage = Base Damage × (1 – (Target Armor / (AP × Speed Modifier)) × Veterancy Bonuses

Example: Cav A (AP 1,800) at 9.8 speed (1.3x modifier) vs. T4 Infantry (600 armor):
Damage = 1,800 × (1 – (600 / (1,800 × 1.3)) = 1,800 × 0.74 ≈ 1,332 damage.

4. Positioning & Terrain

A. Ideal Charge Path (Diagram)

          [High Ground]  
              ▲  
              │ Speed Build-Up  
              ▼  
[Flank Route] → [Impact on Archers/Backline]  
              ▲  
              │ Retreat Path  
              ▼  
          [Supply Point]

Key: Avoid frontal charges into braced pikes. Use elevation to maximize speed.

B. Terrain Tips

Best: Plains, hills, and open flanks.
Worst: Forests, urban chokepoints, and uphill slopes.

5. Target Priority

A. Target Hierarchy

Ranged Units: Archers, muskets, and artillery (e.g., Shenji Grenadiers).
Isolated Units: Out of position Infantry, back braced pikes, range afk cav etc.
Clumped Infantry: Units mid-engagement (e.g., Sunward Phalanx in melee).

B. Avoid These Targets

Braced pikes
Shield walls + Range/Infantry with hero support unless mid fight

7. Countering Anti-Cavalry

A. Anti-Pike Tactics

Flank Braced Pikes: Never charge head-on. Use terrain to circle behind them.
Caltrop Avoidance: Look for visual area slow debuffs (caltrops, CD smoke etc) and dont charge in face of range / cc | stagger unit dps