It’s no surprise how important a role the cavalry play inMount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, whether it be as part of your army composition or your character’s skill with riding and maneuvering their horse into battle.
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Unless you want to focus on an infantry or archer-heavy style, whichworks well with Sturgians or Battanians, the riding skill will be a valuable addition to your character’s arsenal. With the right perk choices, you can take your cavalry’s performance to new heights.
9Nimble Steed
The first perks in the riding skill are Full Speed and Nimble Steed. While the increased charge damage of Full Speed is a nice bonus, charge damage itself is only noticeable against low-tier troops, and the perk will not perform as well in the late game and against heavily armored troops.
The maneuvering bonus of Nimble Steed, on the other hand, will help you ride around the battlefield more precisely. The added riding skill to your troops will enhance multiple aspects of your cavalry, making the perk the better option in most scenarios.
8Veterinary
Well Strapped is a great perk early on when finding high-tier mounts is challenging, and once you’ve found one, you don’t want to lose it. This perk reduces the chance of your mount dying or becoming lame by 50 percent, helping you keep your expensive horses throughout the early stages of the game.
But once finding a mount becomes less of an issue, Veterinary is the superior perk in the long run. This perk increases the hit point of your and your troops' mounts, making them more durable in battle. If you are relying heavily on your cavalry and your own horse, losing them early in the fight can result in a lost battle.
7Nomadic Traditions
Deeper Sacks is a fantastic perk if you want to play the trading style, as it allows you to carry more goods with your pack animals and turn better profits by selling mounts. But this playstyle isn’t suited for everyone and every playthrough, so you might want to consider Nomadic Traditions.
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This perk increases your party’s travel speed on the world map if you have extra mounts for your foot troops. It’s a great perk to have even if you are playing an infantry or archer-heavy style, as the main drawback of these styles is low mobility, but with Nomadic Traditions you alleviate some of this issue and increase your army’s travel speed.
6Sagittarius
There are a few perks in the riding skill tree that ultimately come down to your preference for ranged or melee weapons while on horseback. Sweeping Wind is a great mobility perk as it increases your top speed and the travel speed of your party, but if you want to use ranged weapons or a combination of melee and range on horseback, Sagittarius is a must-have perk.
Sagittarius reduces the accuracy penalty on horseback for you and your troops, and it’s a crucial perk for mounted archery playstyle, especially in the lower levels as the mounted accuracy penalty is really high before you train your bow and riding skill.
5Horse Archer
This perk choice is clearer based on your playstyle. Horse Archer is a crucial perk for Khuzait’s or Aserai armies that rely on their ranged cavalry, and it’s a bonus to your character’s damage — a valuable addition as well.
Mounted Warrior is the better choice for Empire and Vlandian armies as they focus more on shock and melee cavalry, and it’sa great addition to the classic mounted polearm fighting style. If you play with a combination of ranged and melee troops, Horse Archer might be the better choice as it offers slightly more damage overall.
4Breeder
The Shepherd perk isone of the best governor perksas it gives you more chances of finding tier-two mounts in your villages. Finding high-tier horses for your army in the late game can be a challenging task. But for your character, Breeder is the better perk choice.
This perk provides a small chance for your horses to reproduce. This can add up over time to give you enough mounts for your army, or even trade the ones you don’t need for a bit of extra income.
3Annoying Buzz
Pressuring the battle morale of enemies is extremely challenging, and it usually only comes into play when fighting smaller and weaker armies. But if you want to maximize the effects of this mechanic, perks such as Annoying Buzz and Thunderous Charge can help you along the way.
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Thunderous Charge increases the battle morale penalty of enemies with melee mounted kills, and Annoying Buzz does the same with ranged mounted kills. The choice between the two comes down to your combat and army composition, but usually, horse archers have a higher chance of killing enemies in the early stages of combat, and forcing a retreat from the enemy.
2Cavalry Tactics
There aremany perks in various skills that help youkeep, ransom, and recruit prisoners, and when stacked together it can provide a powerful and unique playstyle. Mounted Patrols is one of these perks, one that reduces the chance of prisoners escaping by 50 percent.
Unless you want to go for that particular style, Cavalry Tactics is a safe pick for the late game. This perk increases the chance of mounted troops volunteering in your settlements and reduces the wages of cavalry in your governed settlements.
1Tough Steed
The final perks in the riding skill increase the durability of your steed in different ways. Dauntless Steed makes your horse more resistant to being staggered, allowing you to charge in and move away without getting stuck in the enemy lines.
Tough Steed increases the armor of your mount by 20 percent, which with high-tier horse armor amount to a considerable amount. Overall Tough Steed provides more protection for your horse in large battles and can help your cavalry survive more hits before getting dismounted.
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