Riot Trooper

The Riot Trooper is an Armored infantry unit unlocked at level 12. It also holds the distinction of being one of two infantry units with Armor, the other one being the Armadillo. This makes it far more resilient to crushing and projectile attacks, and a much more potent shield compared to similar tiered units.

Overview
The Riot Trooper can shoot up to 2 squares out, enabling it a bit of reach. This is tempered by the fact that a rank 1 Riot Trooper deals a scant 5-6 (x3) projectile damage. Like other low damage units with multiple attacks the Riot Trooper benefits immensely from additional ranks. A level 2 Riot Trooper deals just shy of double the damage of a Rank 1 Riot Trooper.

An additional issue for the use of Riot Troopers on the offense is the fact that they frequently need to reload.

However, they will be a valuable "wall" unit early in the game until enemy heavy hitters make an appearance. By the time Riot Troopers promote to a considerable rank with more HP and armor, tanks will better serve as "wall" units for PvE encounters. In PvP this is tempered by their low Unit Value. This makes them a decent choice as adding them in your army makes it less likely to face other armies with high overall Unit Values.

Updates
1.4
 * Unit type reclassified from Soldier to Soldier-Metal.
 * Healing gold costs reduced from 1,700 to 1,020.

1.3
 * Weapon changed from single attack to burst (x3).
 * Weapon range increased from "1" to "1-2".
 * HP slightly reduced, but Armor added.

Overview
The Riot Trooper is available immediately on reaching Level 12, and serve the function of front-rank defense. Their shotgun attack can hit anything in the opposing front row, while they can take a considerable punishment compared to normal Troopers, making their defense traits rather like a weak tank.

Very strong defending against Explosive, Fire, Projectile, and Unarmed weapons, they are only vulnerable to units who use Shell damage.

A mission shortly on reaching Level 12 will ask you to train 2 Riot Troopers.