Cataphracts, really?

[AlexDetrojan]

How does one use these four legged tanks effectively? Slow, hard to maneuver and sometimes ineffective when you think they should trample all before them. What am I missing here?
Cheers
Alex

[Ludendorf]

They're great for advancing into archer fire that would decimate other cavalry. If you can pin enemy medium cavalry down with weaker stuff, they'll also smash their opposite numbers in melee. They'll also roll right over medium foot out in the open a lot of the time, especially when backed by a general. I usually keep them close to my infantry and shielded by my lighter lancers/medium cavalry. They're a little bit faster than infantry and are scary to charge which can make them both good local flankers and good flank guards; you can use them to tie enemy units up instead of just charging at them, and skirmishers won't be able to dislodge them quickly because of the heavy armour. A few options to get them into melee.

-Hit something weak. They'll smash irregulars and other battlefield detritus.
-Pin down medium cavalry with something weaker, then run the cataphracts into them.
-Use them to attack weaker lancers.
-Use them as guards for your infantry wings and as a deadly hammer to your infantry anvil once both lines are fully engaged.
-Use them on an advance towards exposed archer lines when you don't have a skirmisher screen available.

[AlexDetrojan]

Hmmm, good advice it sounds like, will try.

[Kabill]

I don't promise this is best use, but I've found it's a good idea to think about Cataphracts, not as cavalry, but as infantry with some cavalry-like features.

They're too slow and cumbersome to be used in the same way as other horse units, so I tend to use them as part of my main battle line, especially on the flanks. Because they are cavalry, they have two key advantages over infantry:
- They are immune to automatic disruption from flank/rear attacks from infantry; and
- They can withdraw from combat against infantry if they are being beaten.

Bookending your main line with cataphracts can therefore be useful against a numerically superior infantry force, since they won't have the opportunity for auto-disruption. Used en masse as part of a line, they can also potentially hold for longer against (especially superior) infantry units, since they will tend to withdraw from engagements, meaning fewer combat rounds overall and also more impact round where cataphracts are strongest. You might do this as part of a large main line, facing superior enemy foot with cataphracts while you use your own infantry to press the other end of your opponents force; or you might do it as your entirely line while you use other units (lighter cavalry and/or skirmishers) to win an advantage and envelop the enemy force.

E.g. Fighting a battle between Palmyra and Rome, I found previously the Palmyran infantry was unable to stand up against the Roman infantry very well as they lacked the numbers and quality to hold. So I substituted all foot units for cataphracts, and then invested a lot in light troops and some supporting cavalry. The cataphracts were used to face off against the main Roman line, and was able to hold them for a long time through withdrawals. In the meantime, my superior flanking force defeated the Roman lights and cavalry to eventually win a victory. I should stress that the battle was not as neat as this account implies, and was very close for a lot of it. But I'm confident that I would have been defeated had I tried to use infantry in the same position as the cataphracts in that battle.

[wzfcns]

Combina them with Infantry then Charge Enemy from front:their poor movement make them can't maneuver like other cavalry

[ahuyton]

Thanks for the useful tips.

I do use them on the flanks as not-very-mobile cavalry. I think they can be quite intimidating to an opponent with lighter material.

What advice do people have for using them in Parthian style, ie in combination with light horse archers?

[AlexDetrojan]

Thanks everyone, thoughtful responses all around.
Cheers
Alex

[MikeC_81]

Be wary of "elite" units that also have unmaneuverable traits and/or have a tendency to pursue broken enemies. The very idea of expensive elite units is to have them used in combat to break inferior opponents in a series of one on one battles. You need to be able to move smoothly around the battlefield for that.

[GiveWarAchance]

Here is a cataphract picture so people can see one up close. Sometimes the horse's armor includes a metal grid over the animal's eyes for more protection.

[MVP7]

One thing to note is that cataphracts are often available in army-lists that otherwise have subpar cavalry selection. I usually get one or two cataphracts if I can't have high tier cavalry and use them for breaking a flank or charging the better enemy cavalry that would destroy any of my weaker cavalry units.