Muslim reformed cavalry overview and Ghulam horse archer and foot archer

[eyelurker]

So as Abbasid after reform you get Abdal and Jaridah cavalry. Other muslim seems to get Jaridah but i'm not sure about Abdal.

Both are straight up upgrade from Ghulam and Faris lancers but i want to know the context on why they are more powerful(aside from obvious reason reform is good)

Jaridah cavalry are described as a light cavalry but their stats are comparable to Ghulams and superior to Faris. Abdal meanwhile are just better than Ghulams in every way but quick google fail to yield result and it just shown Rashidun cavalry page. This is great and all but why these cavalry could be suddenly better than the Ghulams which are the elite Muslim cavalry at the time?

Also i quickly notice we're lacking a true heavy and elite horse archer(Faris are good but not elite and Iqtadar are weaker Faris that is honestly meh) and Ghulams should fit the bill, since the reason they bother make an elite slave Turks soldier in the first place are because of their archery. Dismounted Ghulams could also be converted into heavy archer the same way Fari archer is but superior. Current Dismounted Ghulams are decent but a little low statwise to resist cavalry or as an assault siege infantry because they die too quickly although i still use them before Abna and Caliph Guard.

Oh and finally Caliph Guard should honestly be a cavalry.

[JB59114]

Playing as the Zengids I had the same thoughts
The muslim factions have a less developed roster than the europeans imo, the skins of the units are directly impored from broken cresent, a mod that's almost a decade long.
There is also little logic behind some roster evolution/skin, the heavy spearmens for example as skin from an Indian faction of broken cresent.
The mod is AAA in term of campaign and immersion but the battle map side need some work.

[dnzunlu]

I tend to agree. I haven't gotten to the gunpowder units as Rum yet, but the experience of playing with Muslim armies has been mostly relying on massive amounts of tribal horse archers and charging with the general bodyguard. While it is possible to utilize some of the infanty and heavy cavalry/feudal horse archers, they take a long time to become available and a long time to recruit. When you do use them, it is pretty much a given that they will take massive casualties which is a problem since their numbers are so low also. Frankly, I don't actually know how these armies worked in these times, but on a gameplay level it is a bit dull when you know that utilizing most of your roster is a bad investment of time and gold.

[eyelurker]

I tend to agree. I haven't gotten to the gunpowder units as Rum yet, but the experience of playing with Muslim armies has been mostly relying on massive amounts of tribal horse archers and charging with the general bodyguard. While it is possible to utilize some of the infanty and heavy cavalry/feudal horse archers, they take a long time to become available and a long time to recruit. When you do use them, it is pretty much a given that they will take massive casualties which is a problem since their numbers are so low also. Frankly, I don't actually know how these armies worked in these times, but on a gameplay level it is a bit dull when you know that utilizing most of your roster is a bad investment of time and gold.

It only works once you have skyrocket income such as my Abbasid right now but once possible investing into heavy infantry is not a bad idea just because light infantry are awful at staying alive.

Right now my roster is like :

1 Bodyguard (dps)
2 Abdal cavalry (dps)
2 Jaridah cavalry (dps)
3 Faris cavlry (assasin, primarily to snipe enemy cavalry)
3 Turkmen/Oghuz horse archer (assassin)
4 Faris archer (ranged dps)
3 Abna heavy spearman (tank)
2 Abna heavy axeman (hybrid tank/dps but purely vs inf)

Now that i get Dismounted late Ghulam which are the heaviest muslim infantry roster as of now and Heavy spearman which is heavier than most of Muslim roster including Abna infantry and Caliph guard but with more availability with max:2 i will probably make a new division.