How to use cavalry effectively?

[godspeedthunder]

Ive just come from UGCW where all you have to do is point and click and they massacre units, and I'm struggling to see what I'm doing with them here.

I tried using them to chase down fleeing units but they don't pursue.

I tried using them to flank but if an enemy infantry engages them then they just disintegrate because of the unit size discrepancy.

I tried using them to charge into melee with the cold steel button, they just stayed at distance firing their weapons.

I tried mass charging with the alt button but you have to select each individual unit, you can't select a HQ to do this even if all of the units are all cav.

Do they have any practical combat benefit over infantry or cannons or are they just simply meant to be used as scouts?

[Old War Dog]

If you look at another thread with close to the same name there are several pages that speak about this issue.

[Old War Dog]

My bad looks like it may have been deleted.

[Old War Dog]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/?fp=9
found it :) long discussion on Cavalry you may get something out of it

[godspeedthunder]

Originally posted by Old War Dog:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/654890/discussions/?fp=9
found it :) long discussion on Cavalry you may get something out of it

Many thanks

[Erazor]

Can't seem to get the link to work - just takes me to page 9 of discussions with no relevant cavalry thread.

I'm a noob myself, but i tend to keep a cavalry unit behind/close to the fighting infantry as they give a moral bonus (small, but better than nothing). When possible and 'safe' i sometimes move them around on a flank to just get some shots off to try to break the enemy. Or i sometimes send them with a cavalry charge after a unit thats about to break (ALT + click -> makes them melee charge). Same for attacking lonely artillery. But beyond that they do break way to easily.

[BullGod]

Originally posted by Erazor:

Can't seem to get the link to work - just takes me to page 9 of discussions with no relevant cavalry thread.

I'm a noob myself, but i tend to keep a cavalry unit behind/close to the fighting infantry as they give a moral bonus (small, but better than nothing). When possible and 'safe' i sometimes move them around on a flank to just get some shots off to try to break the enemy. Or i sometimes send them with a cavalry charge after a unit thats about to break (ALT + click -> makes them melee charge). Same for attacking lonely artillery. But beyond that they do break way to easily.

Try using them more like mobile infantry, not as typical cavalry.
Move them on horseback, then dismount, get them into loose order (skirmishing formation) and harass enemy.

[Old War Dog]

Originally posted by Erazor:

Can't seem to get the link to work - just takes me to page 9 of discussions with no relevant cavalry thread.

I'm a noob myself, but i tend to keep a cavalry unit behind/close to the fighting infantry as they give a moral bonus (small, but better than nothing). When possible and 'safe' i sometimes move them around on a flank to just get some shots off to try to break the enemy. Or i sometimes send them with a cavalry charge after a unit thats about to break (ALT + click -> makes them melee charge). Same for attacking lonely artillery. But beyond that they do break way to easily.

The Thread is: Please Address Cavalry in the next patch.

[Machiavelli]

cavarly was on its way out in this period. i only use them, like others said, as a harassment force that dismounts and starts unloading their faster firing carbines on the flanks. They are abit finicky tho with the order delay. They make a great force for running down routed units to get extra kills for that major victory.

it's always good to have a few units of cav. it doesnt hurt. but i feel they require alot of micro to keep them from getting wiped out.

[osheamat]

quickest way to defame a commander - CAV

[godspeedthunder]

I've just done a no infantry campaign and cav are actually fantastic with the right weapons.

I was getting 5:1 k/d ratio in fire fights with infantry with their 16r/m repeating rifles, even when the enemy had twice the men fielded than me.

Their mobility meant that I could gang up on the end unit in their line and then proceed to just roll up the entire line.

They also never seem to get exhausted unlike infantry and they are so much more versatile than infantry with the extra speed too.

At first I was using them dismounted but I found keeping them mounted worked better so they could close the distance easier with their shorter range guns.

When I was using them dismounted the enemy kept fallback firing against me and I couldn't keep in range very well.

After playing 50 battles without infantry I now don't want to use infantry again.

[rahonbass]

Cavalry are best used as scouts. I never leave camp without a unit or two and often have full divisions in all my corps. They watch side roads and flanks and if need be dismount and hold a point until infantry can arrive. Useful to probe flanks and spoil enemy advances. Also do not discount the effect on state support even a small independent all cavalry corps can cause in the raiding stance.

[Have A Drink On Me]

Originally posted by osheamat:

quickest way to defame a commander - CAV

LOL

[Towlie]

Originally posted by osheamat:

quickest way to defame a commander - CAV

quickest way to get xp for a commander is cav. Just gotta be VERY careful with them and only charge already routed troops

[Towlie]

Originally posted by Erazor:

Can't seem to get the link to work - just takes me to page 9 of discussions with no relevant cavalry thread.

I'm a noob myself, but i tend to keep a cavalry unit behind/close to the fighting infantry as they give a moral bonus (small, but better than nothing). When possible and 'safe' i sometimes move them around on a flank to just get some shots off to try to break the enemy. Or i sometimes send them with a cavalry charge after a unit thats about to break (ALT + click -> makes them melee charge). Same for attacking lonely artillery. But beyond that they do break way to easily.

Unless you have a 2500 brigade of them use them to harass on flanks. If they have Maynards, or something else that's longer ranger early war, then it makes them pretty deadly. Just let the enemy walk up, target an infantry brigade then swing your cav around to their flank and dismount. Works when attacking too. Move infantry up and the cav to support by picking on their flanks.

[andrelemgard]

Cavalry are skirmishers,dismount them before combat keep them in the flank of your infantry, depending if you go union or confederate or union but as confederates when you get richmond carbines that is almost as good as a springfield rifle just sligtly less range, this is a massive upgrade compared to what you have before. if your union go maynard rifle.

Dismount the cavalry, loose order and shoot into the infantry you will boost the morale of your own infantry and kill at least 3 to 1 in kills as long as you use cover and then upgrade the cover perk,