Gunner

First offered at level 8, the Gunner offers the ability to attack multiple units with Piercing damage.

Overview
The Gunner is a heavy infantry unit which has the useful ability to spray fire into a three-block wide target area at the same damage value. They are unlocked at Level 9, and are useful for clumped enemies unarmored (such as Raiders or Boars). The hefty price tag can be overcome and the player can get good use out of them; they really can do a good amount of damage on the first turn to the enemy's front line if they don't spread them out.

The biggest drawback is, of course, the weapon. At rank 1 the Gunner's machine gun does very little damage. However due to the static +5 damage increase given to units when they rise in rank, the damage output of a Gunner rises drastically as it gains ranks. A rank 3 gunner deals twice the damage of a rank 1 gunner.

Placing a gunner in the first row is feasible if you can afford to lose the Gunner in order to maximize its potential damage. A more conservative play is to play the Gunner in the second row, shielding it somewhat from direct fire. As a projectile unit, the Gunner will do almost no damage to Armored units.