Horse Archers

[Zopheir]

Are they worth having? Sieges and battlefields?

[Tuidjy]

In Native? They have their uses on the open battlefield, and they can be made to work in sieges, but are quite sub-optimal.

In some mods, they are the best unit you can have, and basically you can get away with never recruiting anything else (Perisno's Ku-ulan Kara Mergers, The Last Days' Noldorin horse archers, Floris' Khergit Mandugai, etc.)

Horse archers require a lot of micromanagement, even in mods where they are very good, though.

[Danny]

Originally posted by Tuidjy:

Horse archers require a lot of micromanagement, even in mods where they are very good, though.

In vanilla you COULD get away with just telling all your horse archers to follow you, as you circle around the enemy ^^

[Sir Harlz]

Horse archers can be really good if the map is good. On hilly terrain they suck though. Sometimes their AI acts braindead so make sure to give them their own group and forbid them from going into melee at the start of each fight or they will attempt it.

Also if you ever fought horse archers you know chasing them is one of the most annoying things of all time. Also a lot of mods make them downright OP. If you ever play POP, DO NOT ENABLE THE ADVANCED HORSE ARCHER AI....JUST DON'T.

[highfivingbears]

Horse archers also get massive bonuses for the auto battle, due to them being both archers and on horseback. That's one of the only reasons why the Khergits are even a viable faction at all, in my opinion.

[Esce]

Originally posted by highfivingbears:

Horse archers also get massive bonuses for the auto battle, due to them being both archers and on horseback. That's one of the only reasons why the Khergits are even a viable faction at all, in my opinion.

Lancer spam is more than viable and if you micro the archers Khergits become very good.

[Rommell8]

Originally posted by Danny:

Originally posted by Tuidjy:

Horse archers require a lot of micromanagement, even in mods where they are very good, though.

In vanilla you COULD get away with just telling all your horse archers to follow you, as you circle around the enemy ^^

yea this seems to be a great tactic even with only a 1/2 dozen they make the enemy flounder when yo u drag them through the back flanks

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Sir Comsalat:

Are they worth having? Sieges and battlefields?

Horse Archers really don't come into their own unless a mod has paid specific attention to improving their battlefield AI. In vanilla or any mod where there hasn't been a horse-archer AI improvement, they require a lot of micromanagement in order to be useful as true "horse archers."

[Danny]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

Originally posted by Sir Comsalat:

Are they worth having? Sieges and battlefields?

Horse Archers really don't come into their own unless a mod has paid specific attention to improving their battlefield AI. In vanilla or any mod where there hasn't been a horse-archer AI improvement, they require a lot of micromanagement in order to be useful as true "horse archers."

In vanila, the Khergit lancers can be very deadly though, atleast on the field ^^

[Esce]

Originally posted by Danny:

In vanila, the Khergit lancers can be very deadly though, atleast on the field ^^

Even in sieges they stand their man, due to high damage short weapons and a garantied shield.

[Rommell8]

Originally posted by Profaned Sir Harlz:

Horse archers can be really good if the map is good. On hilly terrain they suck though. Sometimes their AI acts braindead so make sure to give them their own group and forbid them from going into melee at the start of each fight or they will attempt it.

Also if you ever fought horse archers you know chasing them is one of the most annoying things of all time. Also a lot of mods make them downright OP. If you ever play POP, DO NOT ENABLE THE ADVANCED HORSE ARCHER AI....JUST DON'T.

horse archers were one of the most effective Units in World Military history in their time period

[ULTRA]

AI horse archers are dum dums and the units are underequipped, but players or companions equipped with a bow and lance on horseback are ridiculously OP

[ÄmJii]

Even in Native you can make them work, just don't use them as skirmishers. Use them like Dragoons: Park them in enemy's flank and catch enemy in crossfire with horse archers + regular archers.

Once they run out of arrows, they still make adequate light cavalry (for harrassing foot archers & chasing down fleeing troops). Just make sure you don't leave them in prolongued combat with enemy infantry, they're really lacking in Power Strike and armor when compared to other cavalry troops.