A cavalry unit that was changed extensively from 2.01 to Unofficial 2.02 is the Gondor Knights.
Gondor Knights have high damage in 2.01 but they're not very good in several other areas. They are rather slow cavalry, have low vision, and worst of all, they're poor at trampling because they slow down very quickly.
The unofficial 2.02 patch has improved several aspects of Gondor Knights, resulting in them being a good choice for an early game cavalry unit. A Gondor Knight start is also more viable. The changes to Gondor Knights are as follows:
Crush deceleration reduced significantly, resulting in Gondor Knights being able to trample 160% longer before slowing down.
Vision penalty decreased from 35% to 50% on their flanks, resulting in them being able to see half as far on their flanks as they can in front of them as opposed to seeing 35% as far on their flanks in 2.01.
Pierce resistance increased from 45% to 40%. This means that all pierce damage that they take is multiplied by 0.4 rather than 0.45, resulting in Gondor Knights being a bit stronger against archers.
In 2.01, Gondor Knights were mainly known for having higher damage than Rohirrim, but their weaknesses in other areas caused them to be used very little by most players. It was common to start with Gondor Soldiers instead and then choose Rohirrim later on, who are faster and far stronger defensively. In 2.02, with the Gondor Knight improvements, they are seen more often early game. They are better prepared to counter cavalry and trample enemy units, and although they are still at the same speed, they are still a better choice to purchase than in 2.01. In the event that an enemy faction is not likely to produce pikemen fast enough, Gondor Knights can even be the first purchased unit.
This video demonstrates the effectiveness of Gondor Knights in vision and trampling on the Unofficial 2.02 patch.
These changes have increased the uses of Gondor Knights. Hopefully you like the changes and don't forget to call on the power of these Gondor cavalry units when you're playing!
