Cavalry in Age of Empires IV can turn a quiet economy into a minor administrative disaster. One moment your villagers are collecting gold. The next, someone in expensive armour has arrived to discuss your build order with a lance.
But the best cavalry units do different jobs. Royal Knights create early pressure, Iron Pagodas punish crowded formations, and Camel Riders make an opponent reconsider their entire horse-based personality.
My best all-round recommendation is the French Royal Knight. For specialist roles, the Iron Pagoda, Cataphract, Gilded Knight and Templar Brother deserve serious attention. Keshiks, Sipahi and Mangudai offer different ways to control the map without relying entirely on elite heavy cavalry.
This guide covers a selected shortlist of multiplayer units, including expansion civilisations. The recommendations weigh timing, cost, survivability, mobility and practical use. They are editorial judgements rather than a claim that one unit wins every equal-resource fight.
Best AOE IV Cavalry Units at a Glance
| Unit | Civilisation featured | Main strength | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Knight | French | Early heavy cavalry and repeat raiding | Expensive losses can stall your economy |
| Iron Pagoda | Jin Dynasty | Splash damage and strong melee armour | Needs support against dedicated counters |
| Cataphract | Byzantines | Trample and formation disruption | High cost and demanding positioning |
| Gilded Knight | Order of the Dragon | Exceptional individual durability | High investment and two population per unit |
| Templar Brother | Knights Templar | Durable elite cavalry with strong damage | Costly to replace |
| Mounted Samurai | Sengoku Daimyo | Clan technologies and Daimyo support | Depends on investment and supporting units |
| Imperial Guard | Zhu Xi’s Legacy | Powerful late-game cavalry option | Requires a specific Imperial Age unlock |
| Keshik | Mongols | Earlier, cheaper heavy cavalry with attack-based healing | Less raw durability than standard Knights |
| Camel Rider | Abbasid Dynasty | Mobile answer to enemy cavalry | A specialist rather than a universal frontline unit |
| Sipahi | Ottomans | Light cavalry with an attack-speed ability | Vulnerable when caught by melee counters |
| Mangudai | Mongols | Ranged harassment and firing while moving | Struggles against armour and ranged responses |
The civilisation column identifies the version discussed. Mercenary access and related variants can create additional ways to field some units.
Royal Knight: My Best All-Round Cavalry Pick
Civilisation: French | Best role: early pressure and repeat raiding
The Royal Knight earns its place through timing. French players can field it in the Feudal Age, when many opponents are still building the army they would prefer to meet it with. Its powerful charge gives it immediate value against exposed targets.
Chivalry adds out-of-combat healing, rewarding players who withdraw damaged Knights and return later. An attack can pay off through kills, idle villagers and forced defensive spending. You do not need to throw the Knight away to prove the raid happened.
My recommendation is to pair Royal Knights with archers to deal with spearmen. Once crossbows appear, widen your attacks and look for opportunities around the enemy’s formation.
My verdict: the strongest starting recommendation for learning how heavy cavalry wins games. Its value comes from repeated useful actions, not a glorious death underneath a Town Centre.
Iron Pagoda: A Standout Against Crowded Formations
Civilisation: Jin Dynasty | Best role: heavy melee combat and splash damage
The Iron Pagoda belongs in any modern AOE IV cavalry shortlist. It deals splash damage and has increased melee armour, giving it a distinctive role in close fighting.
The Jin economy also matters. Grassland horses improve cavalry health and can be used to produce cavalry instantly at a discount. That connects the unit’s strength to the infrastructure behind it.
I would favour Iron Pagodas when fights are likely to become crowded and several enemies can take damage from the same attack. Their appeal shrinks when they spend the battle chasing scattered targets or advancing under concentrated anti-armour fire.
My verdict: a serious contender for heavy cavalry armies built around sustained fighting. Splash damage is useful; treating it as permission to ignore counters is considerably less useful.
Cataphract: Excellent for Breaking Through a Formation
Civilisation: Byzantines | Best role: disrupting enemy lines
The Cataphract replaces the Byzantine Knight at a higher cost. Its defining feature is Trample, which lets groups drive through enemy units and damage those in their path.
That gives it an unusual tactical purpose. A well-timed approach can disrupt a formation and help cavalry reach vulnerable troops behind the frontline.
Positioning decides whether that investment pays off. I would look for a flank, wait for the enemy to commit, then use the ability where it creates an opening for the rest of the army.
Balance changes matter here. The June 2026 patch reduced Trample damage and weakened Numeri, so older advice about its peak strength needs some caution.
My verdict: one of the most interesting heavy cavalry choices for players who enjoy managing an engagement. The price demands a plan.
Gilded Knight: Outstanding Individual Durability
Civilisation: Order of the Dragon | Best role: powerful, durable heavy cavalry
Gilded Knights are built around superior survivability. They are the sort of unit that makes a small force look reassuringly substantial.
The catch is that each occupies two population spaces and represents a large investment. Comparing ten Gilded Knights with ten ordinary Knights tells you little about an equal-population or equal-resource battle.
Their durability makes preservation especially worthwhile. Healing a damaged unit and bringing it back into combat can protect a considerable amount of your economy.
I would use them in a supported army, with answers to spearmen and crossbows already available. Expensive cavalry becomes much less impressive when every enemy weapon has been selected specifically to kill it.
My verdict: an excellent choice for individual staying power, with an equally serious replacement bill.
Templar Brother: Elite Cavalry Worth Protecting
Civilisation: Knights Templar | Best role: hard-hitting heavy cavalry
The Templar Brother combines enhanced durability and damage in an expensive heavy cavalry unit. It belongs in the conversation alongside Cataphracts and Gilded Knights.
The Knights Templar can also access Hospitaller Knights, which provide healing. Despite the name, Hospitaller Knights are infantry in this game, a detail worth remembering when building control groups.
The Brother’s strength makes it tempting to use as the answer to everything. I would resist that urge. A Brother attacking the right target is valuable; a Brother spending the entire fight inside a spear formation is an investment with poor judgement.
My verdict: a premium cavalry option that benefits from an army designed to keep it fighting and alive.
Mounted Samurai: Strong Cavalry With a Wider Support System
Civilisation featured: Sengoku Daimyo | Best role: supported heavy cavalry attacks
Sengoku Daimyo’s Mounted Samurai become particularly interesting through clan investment. The Takeda estate offers Mounted Samurai Odachi, changing their weapon and improving damage against infantry.
Daimyo support adds another layer through an attack-speed aura. The unit’s performance therefore depends partly on the technologies and supporting pieces you have assembled.
That distinction matters when comparing it with the Japanese civilisation’s Mounted Samurai. The variants have different development paths, so a bonus available to one should not automatically be assumed for the other.
I would build around the relevant estate upgrades and keep the supporting force close enough to contribute.
My verdict: an excellent option for players who enjoy developing an army around upgrades and support effects. The surrounding system is part of the purchase.
Imperial Guard: A Powerful Late-Game Choice
Civilisation: Zhu Xi’s Legacy | Best role: an Imperial Age cavalry transition
The Imperial Guard is unlocked through Dynastic Protectors at Zhu Xi’s Library, alongside the Yuan Raider.
That makes access the central consideration. You must reach the appropriate landmark and invest in the technology before these cavalry options become available.
I would consider Imperial Guards when an established economy can fund the unlock, upgrades and continuing production. They are much less relevant to a match being decided by Feudal Age pressure.
The opportunity cost matters too. Spending on a cavalry transition means delaying something else, whether siege, ranged units or additional production.
My verdict: a strong late-game option whose timing prevents it from being a universal recommendation.
Keshik: Heavy Cavalry for Sustained Pressure
Civilisation featured: Mongols | Best role: repeat attacks and mobile pressure
The Mongol Keshik becomes available in the Feudal Age and costs less than a standard Knight. Its distinctive mechanic restores health when it attacks.
That suits an active style: find exposed targets, keep the unit useful and withdraw before incoming damage overwhelms its recovery.
The trade-off is lower raw durability. Healing through attacks does not make a Keshik comfortable under concentrated crossbow fire or surrounded by spearmen.
Archers are useful partners against spear-heavy defence, while Mongol mobility helps the army find another route when the first approach is covered.
My verdict: one of my favourite cavalry choices for persistent pressure. It rewards activity without requiring every raid to become a decisive battle.
Camel Rider: My Anti-Cavalry Specialist
Civilisation: Abbasid Dynasty | Best role: fighting enemy cavalry
The Camel Rider earns its place by answering a common problem: an opponent who has invested heavily in mounted units.
Available in the Castle Age, it provides a mobile anti-cavalry option. The Abbasid Golden Age rework also introduced a tier that increases Camel Rider damage.
I would use Camel Riders when scouting confirms a cavalry-heavy opponent, then support them against whatever ranged or infantry units accompany that force.
Their specialist role is the limitation. If the enemy changes composition, continuing to mass the same counter can leave you with an army designed for a battle that no longer exists.
My verdict: a compelling response to cavalry investment. Scout first, buy camels second.
Sipahi: Light Cavalry With Useful Burst Damage
Civilisation: Ottomans | Best role: hunting ranged units and raiding
Sipahi offer the practical advantages of light cavalry: mobility, access to vulnerable ranged troops and a resource cost that avoids gold.
Fortitude temporarily increases attack speed, but it also increases the melee damage they receive. That makes target selection particularly important.
I would activate it when Sipahi have reached exposed ranged units or another favourable target. Using it while trapped against melee counters can speed up the wrong side of the exchange.
They also offer a way to spend food and wood while reserving gold for other parts of the Ottoman army.
My verdict: a strong light cavalry pick with an ability that rewards attention. The button is an opportunity, not a compulsory opening ceremony.
Mangudai: Brilliant Harassment, Demanding Micro
Civilisation: Mongols | Best role: mobile ranged pressure
Mangudai can fire while moving, which makes them distinctive raiders and frustrating opponents for slow melee troops. Their moving attack speed was also improved in the June 2026 balance patch.
Their best opportunities involve exposed villagers, trade routes and units that cannot return fire effectively. Keeping them moving can force an opponent to defend several areas while your main army operates elsewhere.
The weakness is damage against armour and vulnerability to ranged responses. A Mangudai force should not be treated as an automatic solution to Knights, fortified positions or concentrated archer fire.
Micro also has a cost. If controlling them causes you to forget villager production and reinforcements, the harassment may be hurting both economies.
My verdict: excellent for players who can manage mobile pressure, particularly across larger team-game maps.
How to Build an Army Around Cavalry
Cavalry works best when its supporting units remove the enemies it struggles to fight. These are my practical starting points for choosing that support.
| What the opponent is using | Useful response |
|---|---|
| Spearmen protecting ranged troops | Use archers to reduce the spear screen, then flank |
| Crossbows behind a frontline | Approach from another angle and pressure the ranged units |
| Large numbers of Knights | Add anti-cavalry units rather than relying on a mirror fight |
| Walls and Keeps | Bring suitable siege to create access |
| Scattered villagers and traders | Split off a raiding group |
| A stronger army in one location | Use mobility to threaten resources elsewhere |
A few habits matter more than another stable:
- Keep cavalry on its own control group. Redirect it without dragging the entire army along.
- Preserve damaged elite units. Healing is often cheaper than replacement.
- Scout before committing. A counter you have seen is easier to manage than one discovered during the charge.
- Maintain upgrades and production. An expensive army needs reinforcements as well as enthusiasm.
- Leave when the target stops being profitable. A successful raid does not require the cavalry to die at the scene.
Which Cavalry Unit Should You Choose?
For an accessible combination of early timing, damage and repeat pressure, I would start with French Royal Knights.
If you prefer major army engagements, look at Iron Pagodas, Cataphracts and Templar Brothers. Gilded Knights suit players who value powerful individual units and can afford to preserve them. Mounted Samurai and Imperial Guards reward investment in their wider civilisation systems.
For a more mobile game, Keshiks and Sipahi provide useful pressure, while Mangudai demand more attention but offer distinctive harassment. Facing a cavalry-heavy opponent as Abbasid? Camel Riders have a clear job.
The decision I find most useful is simple: which target will this unit reach, and what will it do when it gets there? Answer that before filling the queue. Your food economy will appreciate the brief consultation.
