Hi. Just saw some terrible tutorials on Youtube. Here for your consideration, are my ideas for basic mounted combat.
Basic premises of mounted combat.
Control. Initiative
A. control of distance between you and your target.
B. control of the rate of attack and type of attack.
C. maintain the initiative. You decide when to attack, and when to break off.
Here's the basic three rules.
!. Lock camera on target.
You can't maintain focus if you can't see your target half the time. It takes practice. I would recommend the starter track, and ride laps while the camera is locked on the center dummy, or the quest giver on the side. Can you ride this way while the camera is locked on target? Can you be comfortable fighting this way? Zoom the camera out so you get a bit of lateral vision as to what's immediately ahead of your steed.
Don't forget to turn this off when on foot. I find it irritating when on foot for battles.
2. Control your speed. Vary your speed. Adapt to the battle.
Never gallop (well. almost never)
Gallp or full speed is when you're riding away to dismount to reset power/heal, a starting attack run, or to disengage. This is because your turn rate is horrible when at gallop speeds, as they should be. With the exception of melee classes on heavy, decide on a speed of 3/4 or 1/2 that you're comfortable with on your light or med. Melee classes should be default on heavy at 1/2, and slow to 1/4 when you have morale domination and enemy is near death. Ranged stays at 3/4 or 1/2. You're doing it right when you control when you're in range, and not let the enemy decide. Control the situation. Maintain the initiative. Disengage if out of power, or low morale, gallop. then dismount. mount, to reset power and morale. Continue the battle.
3. Max Fury
Maximize your fury before each attack. The higher damage of mounted skills, enhanced by your LI bridles fury build rate. makes for devastating attacks.
Only strike when fury at your set speed is maximized. Maximize your LI bridle fury build rate first above all else.
Your set speed determines your rate of attack. Ranged slowest at 3/4 speed, to melee types at 1/2 speed , to a blistering 1/4 speed when the enemy is near death.
Sing a song. Say a tongue twister. Count to 5. Mary had a little lamb..wap. repeat.
There's a tempo to mounted combat. Learn the song. Master the battle. Practice, practice, practice.
With each class, you have particular flavors of special attacks. unsaddle, slows, turn an add to your side, a big alpha strike at full gallop with max fury.
The majority of the battle is about control. keeping an eye on your target, and striking only when fury is max at your curret set speed. Change your speed. Keep your target in the open away from obstacles. Melee types should slow to 1/4, never stopping, and strike faster at 1/4 fury to finish the battle.
Hope this helps.
***Addendum***
Just three more optional pieces of advice to make mounted combat more effective.
1. Never follow your target. Free shots by the target. Defeats the whole point of controlling distance and initiative.
2. The J-Hook.
A simple starter tactic is to aim for a point (30 feet/10m) to either side of the target. (if the target is a fast mover, increase this 'aim' point)
Ride in a straight line. Watch the fury meter build.
Let the target close the distance.
Hopefully, you strike at max fury when closest, and ride away in a straight line.
Count. 1,2,3,4,5... turn left or right 135 degrees. your choice. do this just before fury is maxed.
Fury built up again. Let the target close the distance. strike when max fury.
Repeat this.
I call this the J-Hook pattern. if done right. you attack at max fury. The target only hits a few times based on your mistakes.
just take the weak ranged hits from the target. Ignore it. You strike faster and harder this way.
Just keep repeating it until the target is dead, or melee classes can slow to 1/4 and finish the job with fast fury building 1/4 fury bonus strikes, which cycles really fast.
You're basically playing a high speed game of 'catch'. This minimizes keystrokes, and lets you focus on your fury levels and target distance.
3. Focused on Fury
Move your warsteed window with the fury meter next to the expected space where the camera lock on target displays the enemy, or just above your skill bar.
Wherever your eye is mostly focused on. If you hotkey your mounted attacks. you can have this warsteed window just below the enemy morale meter.
If your eyes are focused on your skill bar CD, then move the Warsteed window just above your skill bar.
The youtube tutorial had the warsteed window in the corner. Far away from where my eyes were focused, and thus taking precious seconds to shift your eyes to check fury. Why make it harder for yourself? Split seconds matter in mounted combat.
Speed control. Yeah. wish there were set hotkey for warsteed speeds. 1 for accelerate. 3 for decelerate. It's the cycle thing. Irritating, I know.