Battle Ponies has anyone tried them?

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From what I've seen so far are the fighting "animals" or actually mounts?

[whit]

There's no mounts. If you really need the inspiration skill from the horse...I guess use it. Otherwise just use them for storage space.

Personally, I had one to test it out...but should of just made it a 4th pack mule.
I use 3 alpha wolves to pin archers.
2 bears to pin zealots and the like
the rest of the company dps murders everything else, hopefully before they have a turn. Rinse repeat.

[[e-mail]]

Thanks prefer to use Bears as combat animals. Might add that pack piggies look an option with a beast master - food only 2 - carry 30+. Carry less but eat way less. Select the as bacon the hoof and working pigs with saddle bags

[whit]

Yeah I tried a few boars, with the fat perk...it never triggered so they're long past food...I still have my first boar, that I captured...but I just put him in the back and use him to burn a turn if I don't want to move anyone else...lol

[Lightning]

I've never tried the battle ponies yet always stuck with the pack ones for more space

[[e-mail]]

Find them useful for cleaning up those with very low Hit Point Totals rather than waste a move / action off a Bear or a Character. Limited movement (odd pigs a sodding fast really) is a problem as they need to be at the back.

Am finding Wolves a good return - the +50% to critical chance if one has 3 or more is effective. I try to make "my pack" out of Alphas. Good move, decent resilience with that huge critical % - use as 2nd "man" in or 3rd as they can do sizeable damage and the bleeding effect is useful at finishing off too.

[whit]

oh yeah...I did use the battle pony to capture someone for a quest. Cause everyone else would crit her off the map.

[Foefaller]

War ponies are fighting animals, not mounts. Their main two perks over other beast companions is the fact they have their own line of armor, making them arguably second only to bears in terms of tanking (while eating half as much food and still carrying several times more weight than almost any other not-pony) and their ability to give everyone around them inspiration every turn for no VP cost, which can actually be extremely useful in terms of positioning troops for flanking or to engage an archer before they attack.

I find it useful to have exactly *one* War pony for the inspiration and as a meat shield against something I'm probably not going to bother trying to finish off that round. A second is just overkill, unless your actually pushing 25-30 on your company size and need that inspiration just to get everyone in range to where they can actually hit something.

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Most useful & helpful. So "inspiration" adds to movement? Man this game needs a Wiki for all the status, skills and other effects

[Ommamar]

It sounds like if you get to a point where you can control them plus make armor for them they can be worthwhile. When I tried it the pony was AI controlled with no armor so it didn't last very long.

It would be cool if at some point they could be used as a mount with an attached skill line to utilize it properly.