The four-phase charge — the charge is the easy part, the exit is the hard part.
The four-phase charge — the charge is the easy part, the exit is the hard part.

In This Guide

  1. The Role
  2. Loadout & Mount
  3. The Charge
  4. Sabre Combat
  5. Reading the Flank
  6. Common Mistakes
  7. Matchups

The Role

The Cavalryman is the most lethal — and most punishing — class in Redcoats.io. A good Cavalryman swings the outcome of a match almost single-handedly. A bad one feeds the enemy team free kills and dies five times before they understand why.

You exist to do two things: flank and finish. You appear where the Musketeers are reloading. You ride down lone Cannoneers before they can swing the gun. You pursue routing infantry. What you do not do is charge a formed line of bayonets head-on, no matter how cool it would look.

!

Mounted ≠ invincible. A horse is two large hitboxes. Three Musketeers firing together will drop you and your mount in one volley. Do not ride into prepared infantry.

Loadout & Mount

WeaponRangeBest Use
Cavalry SabreMelee (long lunge while mounted)The main weapon — one-shot kill from horseback at speed
CarbineMedium (shorter than musket)Opening shot before contact, or to break stalemates
Horse PistolShortEmergency dismount defence, finishing wounded targets

Your horse has a stamina bar. Sprinting drains it; trotting walks it back. Watch the stamina bar like your life depends on it — because it does. A horse that runs dry mid-charge is a tombstone with reins.

The Charge

A successful charge has four phases. Skip any of them and you die.

  1. Read — scan the minimap. Identify a flank or rear position where enemies are not facing you. Aim for clusters of reloading Musketeers or unattended Cannoneers.
  2. Approach — trot, do not sprint. Use terrain. Stay below the skyline. Your goal is to be on the enemy before they see you.
  3. Commit — at roughly 30 metres, switch to full sprint. From this moment your sabre auto-extends and any hit at speed is one-shot.
  4. Exit — this is the part new Cavalry skip and it kills them. After the strike, keep riding. Do not stop to celebrate. The enemy's friends will turn around in two seconds.
The charge is the easy part. The exit is the hard part.

When Not to Charge

  • When you can see two or more Musketeers facing you with loaded muskets (they're loaded if they aren't actively reloading — assume the worst).
  • When the enemy has a Cannoneer pointed in your direction.
  • When your stamina bar is below 40%.
  • When you can't see a clear exit corridor.

Sabre Combat

The sabre has two modes:

  • Mounted — long reach, one-shot kill at speed. Click on the down-stroke when you ride past a target. Aim slightly behind the target; you will close the gap during the swing.
  • Dismounted — short reach, two hits to kill. Roughly even with a Musketeer's bayonet, but faster.

You will get dismounted. It happens to every Cavalryman, often. The dismount itself is not a death sentence — it is a transition. The mistake most new players make is panicking and rushing the nearest enemy. Instead:

  1. Run for cover the moment your horse goes down.
  2. Draw the pistol; one-tap whoever is chasing closest.
  3. If there's no immediate threat, find a teammate's horse (a downed cavalry friend leaves a riderless one).

Reading the Flank

The Cavalryman wins matches by being where the enemy isn't looking. Your minimap is your most important weapon.

Look for these signals on the minimap:

  • A "thin spot" — a section of the map with few enemy pings. That's your lane.
  • An exposed Cannoneer — usually pinned to the rear. Get behind them.
  • A pursuing line — when one team chases another, the chasers are out of formation. Catch them from the side.
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Ride with a friend. Two Cavalrymen working together can break almost any line. One absorbs the volley, one strikes through the reload gap. You can do this with a stranger using proximity chat — most players will follow your lead if you commit.

Common Mistakes

  1. Charging into a formed line. A line of three Musketeers will drop you. Don't try.
  2. Ignoring the stamina bar. Conserve it. Sprint only on the commit.
  3. Stopping after a kill. The exit kills you. Keep riding.
  4. Riding alone deep into enemy lines. One Musketeer with a friend will get a kill. You will not get out.
  5. Using the carbine like a musket. It's a setup tool, not a sniper rifle. Shoot, then commit.
  6. Trying to duel a mounted Cavalryman. Two mounted cavalry locked at close range is a coin flip. Disengage and re-approach.

Class Matchups

Vs.FavouredWhy
Musketeer (alone, reloading)Heavily FavouredFree kill on the charge.
Musketeer (loaded, in cover)UnfavouredOne-tap risk. Pass.
Musketeer line (3+)Heavily UnfavouredDeath by volley. Don't engage.
CavalrymanSkill-dependentWhoever commits with momentum wins.
CannoneerHeavily FavouredApproach from the flank or rear. Cannons can't traverse fast enough.
Sailor (on land)FavouredTheir cutlass is short; you out-reach them mounted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cavalry hard to play?

Yes — Cavalry has the highest skill ceiling and the highest skill floor in the game. In skilled hands it is the single most impactful class; in unskilled hands it is the single most wasted spawn.

What is the biggest Cavalry mistake?

Stopping after a successful charge. The charge is the easy part — the exit is what wins or kills you. Keep riding through and past the target; never stop to admire a kill.

When should I commit a Cavalry charge?

Only against an unguarded flank or rear, never into a formed line of three or more muskets. Approach at a trot using terrain, then commit to a full gallop only in the last ~30 metres.

Did the May 2026 patch nerf Cavalry?

Indirectly, yes. Horse health dropped ~8% and Musketeer accuracy rose slightly, so Musketeer lines now reliably stop a charge before contact. Cavalry moved from S-tier to A-tier as a result.

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