Cavalry
From Warpedia
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Cavalry are a unit type present across the entire Total War series. Cavalry as a unit type were first introduced in Shogun: Total War, and have been present in every Total War game since. Cavalry are units mounted on war beasts that ride their mounts into battle to hit enemy flanks, screen allied forces, eliminate missile infantry and protect the flanks of their own army. Cavalry of this unit type can vary in specialty and purpose, with light cavalry specializing in mobility and hit-and-run attacks, heavy cavalry in brute force flanking maneuvers and for dealing with enemy cavalry, and missile cavalry for providing a mobile missile unit capable of raining down fire on the enemy while possessing the mobility to outrun their pursuers and change position quickly. While heavy cavalry usually sacrifice speed for power and heavy armor, they are mostly (with the exception of elephants) still able to outrun foot units. Cavalry are an invaluable part of any army, and while their usefulness in sieges is greatly reduced, they are still excellent for eliminating enemy missile troops (as they are able to outrun them, although most cavalry except light cavalry cannot catch missile cavalry) and for hitting enemy flanks with swift charges. Cavalry is vulnerable to spearmen however, and spearmen will quickly eliminate a frontal charge from a cavalry unit: they also have poor performance during sieges, as the narrow layout reduces their mobility and makes it easier to trap and destroy them, and thus they are best kept for open field battles.