Best use of extended subguilds?

Huh. I've known half-elf warriors that were as good as one could expect (Hawk comes immediately to mind) that could not no-hands ride, even with riding gloves. But it could have been changed in the last few years.

I've always known that, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it got high enough for no hands ride. Both pickpockets and rangers branch parry off dual wield, but pickpockets branch it way earlier.

Anyhow. Unless someone has experience playing a half-elf warrior with no-hands ride, and provided they didn't have a subguild supplying it, I'd still be skeptical. Since like I've said, I've encountered a couple half-elves in my time that were frustrated by their inability to do so, even with gloves and a kite shield, in one case.

Maybe it's a matter of agility.

I made a half elf assassin for the ride skill so that I could twink backstab, before the Soh killed him, he was no hands riding.

Odd.. I didn't think ride would be influenced by agility, but you may well be right. I had a Salarri warrior/armprcrafter three years ago, and he could ride while dual wielding maces just fine, but then he also had exceptional agility.

Every half-elf i've played, sucked horribly.

Any half-elf will get no-hands riding. Which is like 1 or 2 skill ups under advanced ride.
They have the same issues c-elves have with stats, but not quite as bad.

The biggest advantage for half-elves is that their racial ride opens up good subguild options for warriors/assassins.

In my experience, d-elf strength is slightly higher than c-elf, and roughly identical to half elves. In fact, I've known people in the past that claimed that was the case, who had seen the code.