Mercenary Cavalry

For the Bannerlord version, see Mercenary Cavalry (Bannerlord).

Mercenary Cavalry
Troop Information
Culture	Mercenaries
Wages	72-38 denars/week
Acquired from...	Mercenary Horseman - or - Taverns
Upgrades to...	None
Upgrade Cost	None
XP for Kill	? experience
Ransom Value	204 denars

Mercenary Cavalry are tier-five mercenary cavalry in Mount&Blade and Warband.

Tactics

Despite their tier, their fighting ability is generally held to be comparable to - or slightly weaker than - Vaegir Knights, hence many players consider Mercenary Cavalry not worth their higher wages. Still, their relative abundance can be enticing and that they can be used as pit-stop fill-ins for missing cavalry in one's army is also beneficial and they do this job well enough.

Although Mercenary Cavalry are fairly well armored, they wear hide boots and no gloves. This does make them much more vulnerable than knights in combat because, being mounted troops, most attacks will hit their legs rather than their body - their body armor, however, does compensate slightly for this by extending below the waist, thus granting them additional leg armor. They are armed with Heavy Lances and either a Bastard Sword or a standard Sword in combination with a Heater Shield. Their horses are either Hunters or War Horses, making them slightly more vulnerable than knights while being slightly more maneuverable and generally faster.

Mercenary Cavalry are good for beginner-to-mid-level players who require a decently strong escort since they are very powerful troops and their relative abundance makes it rather easy to amass a large force of them. They are faster than other top-tier cavalry and, when unhorsed, still match up to high-tier infantry. They are great for filling missing places for heavy cavalry and can hold their own against high-tier cavalry. Unfortunately, Mercenary Cavalry are no match for most factions' top tier cavalry - they have been known to defeat Khergit Lancers but Sarranid Mamlukes and Swadian Knights will make short work of them in single combat yet groups of 2-3 Mercenary Cavalry can overpower them.

It is ultimately up to the player whether to spend their money on these troops - they are expensive and not overwhelmingly effective but, against low-or-mid-tier infantry, can give a good account of themselves and, as long as they do not stop charging, can even defeat top-tier infantry. Like all mercenaries, their main strength is that, unlike faction troops, they can be recruited combat-ready instead of requiring training - picking up a squad of them early is the fastest way to protect the player from bandits without sacrificing mobility, provided the player can get enough money to recruit them and pay their wages.

Stats and Equipment

Note: Troops have a set of default stats; at the beginning of a new game, these stats are randomly adjusted for each type of troop. The following is the default set for this troop as seen within the game code and may not reflect the specific stats you will see during actual gameplay. For more information, see troop stats.

Mercenary Cavalry - Default Stats and Equipment

Attributes Stat Points Level 25 Strength 7 Agility 5 Intelligence 4 Charisma 4 Health 50 Armor Head Kettle Hat Flat Topped Helmet Helmet with Neckguard Mail Coif Body Cuir Bouilli Banded Armor Hand None Foot Hide Boots Skills Skill Points Ironflesh 4 Power Strike 4 Power Throw ? Power Draw ? Weapon Master ? Shield 5 Athletics ? Riding 5 Horse Archery ? Looting ? Trainer ? Tracking ? Tactics ? Path-finding ? Spotting ? Inventory Management 2 Wound Treatment ? Surgery ? First Aid ? Engineer ? Persuasion ? Prisoner Management 1 Leadership 1 Trade 2 Proficiencies Weapon Type Points One Handed Weapons 130 Two Handed Weapons 130 Polearms 130 Archery 130 Crossbows 130 Throwing 130 Weapons Melee Heavy Lance Bastard Sword Sword Ranged None Shield Heater Shield Mount War Horse Hunter

Mercenary Troops
Sellswords						Sword Sisters
	Farmer	Townsman	Caravan Master			Peasant Woman	Refugee
	Watchman					Camp Follower
	Mercenary Crossbowman	Caravan Guard		Bandit		Camp Defender
		Mercenary Horseman	Mercenary Swordsman		Brigand	Huntress
		Mercenary Cavalry	Hired Blade			Sword Sister