Cavalry guide:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is very easy to get onto a horse, since most people don't think that they are that strong, but if used correctly, they can be incredibly satisfying and effective to play, and you will be able to get many kills with it.

 

 

THE GOLDEN RULE FOR THE CLASS:

Keep Moving. It hard to stress how important this rule is, it is THE thing that will keep you alive more than anything else. The main advantage you have as cavalry is mobility so use to to the maximum. Your horse is fairly tough and you have more health than a normal class but to counter this you are much more visible on top of a horse and there is no way for you to take cover like the infantry can. If you are stood still or moving slowly you are a golden target for snipers and you won't live long, if you are running or sprinting its exceptionally hard for even the most skilled snipers to land multiple hits on you. It helps at close range too, it will reduce the amount you take from an assault from lethal to about half, which you can then go and recover. The only time you should be moving slowly or be stationery is when you are away from the frontline dropping health to heal yourself. Even when capping flags run round in a circle, it may look stupid but it will still help, as you still may be shot at. Follow this rule and even the most new cavalry player will probably double their effectiveness.

 

 

Weapons:

Your two main weapons are the Russian 1895 cavalry and the cavalry sabre. The 1895 is what you start as your primary when you spawn, but I'd highly recommend most players switch to the sabre immediately and treat that as the primary of the class. This isn't to say the 1895 is bad at all, it can be effective from horseback in the hands of experienced players, it remains a 2 shot kill with a fast reload. However the reliably getting 2 shots on someone while moving quickly is hard, its way beyond my skill level and i imagine i speak for the majority of players in that regard.  Instead treat the 1895 as a utility weapon to reach people you can't simply charge at. If theres a sniper camping on a water tower on Sinai for example, feel free to slow to a trot and shoot him. However the rest of this guide will be assuming the use of the sabre as the main weapon.

 

 

General Play:

Your play style is massively different to anything else, its not the same as infantry or a tank. You don't want to be charging straight at the front lines. Yes you will get a couple of kills and you'll die soon after without having really achieved much. You simple don't have the health to take on a full squad of enemies like that, and are much better served by trying to flank the enemy. You move quickly so spend that little extra time to hug the sides of the map, and then cut inside once you are behind enemy lines. This works the best on operations, as an attacker you can hit the defenders line while they are preoccupied with your main force helping your team advance, and as a defender you can remove tickets by killing people who are running up to the objective without paying attention. Cavalry works the best when the enemy has no idea you're coming. It's also fine to skirt round the edges of the map attacking people who are alone, or using your mobility to go clear out a hill full of snipers. This is all helping your team to win and is more effective than charging blindly.

 

The main strength cavalry has is the ability to choose engagements and there is nothing wrong with backing out of a fight you don't think you can win. If you start coming under fire from a support somewhere, there is nothing wrong with simply running away to heal or to attack from a different angle. He can't follow you and has no idea where you will appear next. You have the ability to dictate the terms of engagement so make use of this fact. Retreating is a perfectly valid option, staying alive to kill more elsewhere is better than dying. Don't weigh up fights solely on the one person who is firing at you, you probably could charge him and kill him, but put it in the context of the game. How will you handle the next enemy when your sat on the B flag with 30 health?

 

 

Combat:

Like mentioned previously, the best way to charge people is from the side or behind where they can't do much about it. Attacking from the front is fine as well, but try to do it where the gap is short as possible so they have little time to fire at you. You have enough health to take a couple of shots. What should be avoided is charging at an enemy who can see you from far away. You probably can kill them but with virtually no health left. If you must do this, then don't run in a straight line at the person you're charging, weave around as you make your way forward, you will get there with more health.

 

The sabre has a decent swing to it and hits on either side of the horse. Its an instant kill to all but the elite classes. What you can't do while moving quickly is swing wildly. Each swipe of the sabre must be timed because spamming the fire button won't constantly damage someone and its very likely you will miss them. When sprinting this is even more important, so practice timing the swing of the sabre to come down as you pass your enemy. If you are a struggling then it's ok to slow down to a canter instead of galloping, you can swing your sword faster that way and it makes it a bit easier to land a hit. With practice you'll be able to hit most of the time while sprinting which is incredibly satisfying.

 

You can also simply run the horse into people which results in a roadkill. Sometimes you'll be aiming for a sabre kill and end up with this, that's ok it's the same result. This has added advantage of being able to hit people on the ground. The sabre won't reach to people who are prone, and if you try you'll just swing into the air. This is doubly important as experienced players will drop prone just before you reach them if they see you coming to avoid dying. So be prepared for the enemy to do this and instead of moving slightly to side like normal, trying and run directly over them instead. This even works if you are about to die, aim the horse at the target and if you get shot off, the horse will still be moving and you can still get the kill.

 

Sometimes you will miss the target, don't worry it happens to all of us. The natural urge is to turn straight around and attack again. DON'T DO THIS. If you try and turn too tightly the horse will stand still and rear up, sort of turning you on the spot. This animation takes a while and you are totally vulnerable while it's going on, and the guy right next to you will just kill you. Instead make sure to turn in wider circles if it's safe to attack again, like running around a building again to attack rather than turning on the spot, that way you keep moving. Sometimes its better to accept that you missed and keep moving to find a new target, you can always go back to the spot later.

 

AT grenades:

You have light AT grenades as cavalry, you carry 2 and they resupply automatically after a short while of being used. This is useful but it doesn't make you a tank hunter. It is hilarious to strafe round a noob tank driver and kill him solo, and i have done it before, but most of the time you'll just end up dead. Instead use the grenades as opportunity attacks as you pass a tank while playing. It's chipping in on the damage to the tank that's helping your team, leave dedicated tank busting to the assaults. Most of the time you want to stay away from tanks, direct hits from the AVs cannon will kill your horse so when approaching them again, do so from the side or rear. What you are well suited for is hunting down artillery trucks. They have less health and usually camped well back, if you can get near them you can do significant damage to them, and as a one man vehicle the driver is totally alone and getting out to deal with you isn't really an option. The grenades have a few other uses, they're your only way to deal damage to people in bunkers and buildings. You can hit AA guns and field guns too. Your teams pilots will do much better if you rush and destroy the enemy AA guns as soon as you can, i make this is a priority most games.

 

 

Objective and Team play:

You have the ability to drop health and ammo as cavalry. Often you will use the health drop on yourself when you've retreated to heal up, but when you pass friendlies also make sure to drop health and ammo. I never see cavalry do this and it's a great shame, you are a like a hyper mobile hybrid of medic and support and you help your team that extra bit.

 

When playing for objectives think about how your mobility can help the team the most. If the home flag is being taken on conquest by 1 or 2 enemies for example, you are the perfect candidate to rush back and deal with it. You can also threaten undefended enemy flags far away from the front line which the enemy thinks are safe, and you will either capture or draw enemies away from other areas to stop you, making it easier for your team elsewhere. You can act as a sort of fire fighter, rushing between flags that are being captured to make sure you hold onto them, as well as provided that extra man on a cap that needs it.