I mainly use kataprahkts as my Calvary, but so far I haven't seen them do much. Their armor is great, but when they go into combat half the time they lose and get killed. Also when my friend uses a phalanx they're almost useless because he has all the attacks against them and they just can't compete. Flanking usually doesn't work either because he just maneuvers it and turns it around. How do I use them effectively against a phalanx or just large groups of warriors?

Charging is everything. Lances if you can get them. If you dont charge with them then they are nothing more than regular infantry. Keep a mounted hero nearby for heroic charges and movements, that can help make charging easier.

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Dan
Current WIP: Denathor, Gandalf The White Mounted, Guard of the Fountain Court.

If you have infantry available, use it to tie up his phalanx while his rearmost pikemen are eviscerated by your Kataphrakts. A single infantryman can occupy six of his phalangites at once, so you don't need many for this to work. With cavalry alone, it gets a bit trickier. Against a phalanx, timing is everything. In every form of warfare, cavalry can win or lose the fight in the first engagement, which means that the moment of contact is best made on your terms. With a 24cm movement, this should not be a problem. The best way I have figured how to kill phalanxes is, on a turn when he has priority and has left an opening, to engage his two leftmost and rightmost units in the phalanx, tying up their supporting units. Then, you use the remainder of your cavalry to attack the pikemen on the flanks. With the pikemen next to them tied up in a fight, those pikemen have no support, and should be easy prey. and can leave your friend down three or four troops in the first round of combat with some luck. Some might goes a long way with cavalry as well, because if a fight isn't going well, saving your expensive troops is well worth a heroic move.

Use your Cavalry as Skirmishers to outrun their armoured units and strike behind their lines. Kill siege troops, archers or vulnerable Heroes. When those units are destroyed, you can turn around and catch them in a pincer movement.

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http://www.middle-earth-marauders.blogspot.co.uk/
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Unfortunately even they look great the katapracts are the worst cavalry in the game as they have no hitting power for their cost, your best bet is to upgrade them to F4, at least that way they will win more fights. Don't go charging a phalanx, they will just die.

thanks for the advice!

My experience has been cavalry are devastating on that first turn that they charge, but after that are slaves to priority & heroic moves or not up to much. For example, upgraded to F4, acting on a turn you've lost priority, and charging as few enemies with as many cavalry as possible, you should be able to put one horse on one footman. If he's using pikes, charge the pikemen, he can only turn to face you if you're all on one side. There's no reason not to split your cavalry up into groups or support them with infantry and come at him from two or three sides at once.

A charging Dragon Knight will beat an Easterling with a pike will kill him about 36% of the time and die himself only about 4% of the time. A warband of knights charging in might realistically kill 4 enemies and lose nothing. It's not the best thing ever, but it's a nasty punch in the nose. Alternately you run them with a hero chock full of might and try to recreate that charge even after the first press.

I use cavalry for harassment and threats. People are reluctant to bring their infantry into range of a cavalry charge and the threat of them is often more effective than the actual charge. Lurking around the edges of his formation 8-10 inches out will inhibit his movements and pay off while you're getting into position(s) for the first mighty charge.

If you can get any bows or throwing weapons you can try and thin down the numbers of pikemen before the calvary get in range, take a warband of archers and just volley fire into the middle of the phalanx

I've learnt the hard way about cavalry by starting with Rohan, I still need to remember to stick to the tactics and not charge too early.

First make sure you have a hero with your cavalry.

Second, don't charge until your infantry catch up (unless you are taking out a small isolated group).

Third, wait until your enemy has priority to charge, that way they cannot counter charge and outnumber your cavalry. It also means you have more chance to win priority and withdraw next turn.

On the turn after you charge pull back your cavalry, calling a heroic move if you don't have priority.

This should help keep your cavalry alive and allow them to keep charging.