Useful Core Cavalry in The Old World 1.5

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Given how much infantry has improved in version 1.5—especially core infantry—does core cavalry still have a place in the game under the new ruleset? Or has it been completely outclassed by troops on foot?

Let’s go through the cavalry units one by one, comparing them with the infantry options available within their own army. Because you can’t analyze a unit in a vacuum—not all armies are equal, and not all of them are in the same tier.

Spoiler: not everything will revolve around infantry in this edition.

Core Cavalry Bretonnia

Knights of the Realm

Has cavalry improved? Has infantry improved enough to make core cavalry a suboptimal choice? Probably not. But it’s true that having peasants for four points and Foot Knights to form solid blocks is a very tempting and efficient option.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Knights of the Realm are suddenly bad. I don’t think we’ll stop seeing them, but they’ll no longer dominate lists alongside the archers.

See the deal on Wayland

Errant Knights

These guys were barely seen before, but they might start showing up now due to their very low cost—only 19 points. Plus, their Impetuous rule, which used to be the main reason no one played them, is now much better. It’s now based on a Leadership check instead of being forced to charge on a 4+.

This is especially relevant in the first turn, when you don’t want to charge right away, as the enemy goes first and you’re still positioning. If you’re deployed close to your general, you’ll be testing on Leadership 9. That means it’s not only hard to fail, but your opponent probably won’t risk adjusting their movement just to try and bait that charge.

Core Cavalry Tomb Kings of Khemri

In this edition, Tomb Kings have a big problem due to their lack of mobility. Reaching objectives placed halfway across the table—or further—is often impossible for them. They can’t march, and most of their scoring units are slow infantry blocks.

Light Cavalry with Spears

I think these spear-armed riders are skippable. Their maneuverability is far more limited than the ones armed with bows. On top of that, chariots are probably better and more effective for high-movement combat roles, even with their limited turning.

Light Cavalry with Bows

On the other hand, the bow-armed riders have solid maneuverability. They get Vanguard and Reserve Move, which means they can take and hold an objective early on—even if just to die on it later. They’re dirt cheap (11 points), so it’s no big deal.

They’re also great for grabbing a quadrant in the final turn, for example. Another super important role they fill is harassing enemy units with Unit Strength 10 to bring them down and stop them from scoring—or even catching out an exposed character. They always hit on 5s anyway.

Core Cavalry Vampire Counts

Since we’re talking about Undead, let’s finish with them quickly.

Black Knights

Vampire Counts don’t have any cavalry that can score, and you’ll never see Black Knights holding objectives.

Why?

Because you have to choose between having them or Grave Guard count as scoring units. And you’ll always pick the Grave Guard—they’re cheaper, more numerous, easier to resurrect, and benefit from all the strengths of being infantry.

Core Cavalry (Dark Elves)

Dark Riders

The problem with Dark Riders is that large units get in each other’s way and don’t deal the damage they should, whether it’s charging soft targets or shooting. And small units are very easy to bring below Unit Strength 10 since they only have a 5+ save and Toughness 3—even with shields.

That said, you can pay for Scouts, which might allow them to start the game already on an objective. That plus their low cost puts them ahead of Ellyrian Reavers.

Core Cavalry High Elves

Ellyrian Reavers

They’re simply more expensive and bring the same problems and role. They were already rare due to their cost, and now they’ve become even worse compared to other core units. Expect to see even less of them.

Silver Helms

Now these do make sense. They’re cheap (24 points), fairly durable, fast, and don’t hit too badly. They’re good for clearing an objective and holding it, or reaching it early before repositioning to avoid a charge and dealing one Strength 3 attack each.

I’d field them in units of eight or so. Taking just five doesn’t make sense—losing one model drops you below Unit Strength 10 and they stop scoring.

Core Cavalry Wood Elves

Glade Riders

Glade Riders can play a role similar to Scouts—grabbing an objective your opponent isn’t too keen on contesting. Their high mobility and Reserve Move make them potentially useful throughout the game. Still, they’re fragile and costly once you start adding extra rules.

They’ll need to stay hidden because even a bad look can kill them and stop them from scoring. Maybe they’re good for moving between objectives, but depending on your list, other units might already cover that role better.

Core Cavalry Empire

The Empire has a unit that’s basically the same as the Silver Helms: Empire Knights. What’s nice is that they can belong to different knightly orders, two of which make real sense: the Knights of the White Wolf, and another one that gives them Evasive, which lets them reposition and change facing.

This might seem minor, but for this type of unit, it’s incredibly important.

Even if your opponent is still shooting at you, having the option to back up and turn to face them during their turn is huge. You can take units of eight without issue—they’re cost-effective, hit decently on the charge, and hold up fairly well.

Core Cavalry Warriors of Chaos

Chaos Knights

They’ve been improved by gaining Counter-Charge, but note that Frenzy still costs two points, which feels excessive now. And it’s still the only way to give them decent hitting power (and only on the charge).

Having Counter-Charge makes it more likely to benefit from those two attacks when charged, but against certain units—like infantry, which we’ll be seeing more of—you won’t be able to use it.

They’re expensive and not particularly durable, but considering how bad and overpriced Chaos infantry is, this will likely be the most-used core unit in the army.

Marauder Horsemen

Marauder Horsemen have taken a serious hit. Why? Because the Mark of Khorne has the same issue as with Chaos Knights, and the flail only applies on the charge now—it no longer works on the first round of combat whether you charge or get charged.

That kills their damage. They used to charge or get charged and deal two Strength 5 attacks. Now they get charged and cry. And after drying their tears, they hit back with one Strength 3 attack. Honestly, a terrible unit.

That said, they can still serve as a Harasser unit with the Mark of Tzeentch, where you can hide a wizard or two while holding an objective and benefiting from +1 to cast. They come at a low cost.

Core Cavalry Orcs & Goblins

I doubt we’ll see either of their core cavalry units on the table.

Why?

Because they’re Impetuous, and even if you pay for a boss, they’re Leadership 6. Without one, it’s 5. You’ll fail those tests more often than you think and get caught out of position. You’ll probably charge into something that’s going to kill you immediately.

They do have decent mobility—especially Wolf Riders—but Spider Riders aren’t Skirmishers, which makes them less useful for these small-scale missions.

Besides, core Orc units are so good and cheap that I don’t see anything replacing Orc Archers or Night Goblins as mainline choices.

Core Cavalry Daemons of Chaos

Saved the worst for last. I’m the kind of person who eats the ice cream first and saves the broccoli in case there’s still room.

Seekers of Slaanesh

Truly awful. Overpriced. They don’t shoot, they hit like a wet noodle, they can’t flee as a charge reaction, and of course, they crumble like nothing—especially against magic attacks.

Oh, and the Steeds deal Poisoned Attacks, so… they get to enjoy the poisoned nerf.

21 points each. Lovely.

Flesh Hounds of Khorne

The only unit you have to bring—if you’re brave enough to play Daemons. 34 points if you want them with Vanguard.

They’re still Impetuous and have Leadership 7 (which is rough). If you run them in units of eight, they lose all mobility. If you run them in fives, like everyone has done forever, it’s too easy to drop them below Unit Strength 10—just ping them with missiles or aggressive magic.

So yeah… no sugarcoating it—just bad.

But hey, compared to the rest of the Daemons’ utterly uninspiring Core choices, they’re almost decent. So yes, we might still see Flesh Hounds of Khorne.

Now that you know the state of core cavalry in each army, it’s clear that not everything is going to be infantry. Several cavalry units are still viable and useful… at least for now.

Let’s see how the metagame shifts and evolves. Because even though Games Workshop released recommended maps and missions, I’ve already seen tournament rules that include all secondary objectives in every map played. And others that don’t—either following GW’s guidelines or even reducing the number of secondaries.

And that’s inevitably going to affect playstyles… and people’s lists.

Core Cavalry in Old World 1.5. Is it worth?