Gallic Noble Cavalry

Summary
Noble Cavalry are a powerful cavalry brigade available to the Gallic faction group in the late game, being a dependable brigade of medium cavalry with very good charge strength.

"Recruited from the noble families that can afford the best horses and equipment. The heavy noble cavalry move slower than light cavalry, but are much better armoured and put enough weight in their charges to break even some spearmen."

- In-game Description

History
Though the early Gauls used chariots, these fell out of use in Continental Europe relatively early on (but still persisted in Celtic Britain by the time of Caesar's invasion), and there are no records of them being employed in the hilly terrain of Italy to which they aren't very well suited. The later Gauls are known for employing cavalry, and usually fielded them in much larger amounts than their Greek, Latin or Sabellic enemies.

Though many of the Gauls fought in a lightly armoured fashion and didn't adopt the hoplite panoply of the Greeks, they did adopt the usage of chain mail by at least the 3rd Century BC or earlier. The Gauls are often the ones credited with the invention of chain mail, but it is also possible that it was originally developed by the Etruscans instead. Regardless, the Gallic adoption of mail is reflected in-game by the late-game Noble Cavalry brigade.

Tactics
Gallic Noble Cavalry are tied with Equites for having the highest charge strength of any regular brigade in the game, only beaten by the mercenary-only Thessalian Cavalry and War Elephants. They also have decent melee damage and defenses, as well as good speed. Their charge blocking is rather low, however, so players should be careful that their Noble Cavalry isn't caught off-guard. All-in-all, the Gallic Noble Cavalry are optimized for charges rather than protracted combat.

Of the non-mercenary units, only Etruscan Heavy Cavalry will perform better than Gallic Noble Cavalry in a prolonged melee with much better damage and defenses, though they are more expensive and somewhat slower. As such, Gallic Noble Cavalry are one of the best cavalry in the game, and a good asset for the Gauls in their late-game army compositions.