Imperial Dragoon

The Dragoon is a premium unit, available after the 1.1 Update. It offers the ability to strike multiple enemies within the front row with its melee attack.

Overview
The Dragoon has the distinction of being the only non-Critter unit with a melee attack type. They are relatively cheap, can hit a few units at once, and are available early. They use Melee type damage, the only unit which actually uses that type which is easily available to the player, but it poses no damage bonus as Melee deals normal damage to most units.

Dragoons have a healthy pool of HP for a low level soldier, so they can withstand a bit more punishment than most. They can also research a new attack type at Rank 3, which ignores armor completely, but can only target Vehicles, Artillery, Tanks (and buildings?). Unfortunately, unless they gain another ability slot at a later rank, this ability is very specific and costs nanopods.

Compared to the Flame Troop, Dragoons are available MUCH earlier, do not require the Weapons Factory, and are cheaper to heal (no steel costs). However, the game does reward the player with two "free" Flame Troops in a certain early level quest line, so it's hard to gauge whether the purchase of Dragoons is worth it.

Updates
1.4
 * Unit renamed from, Dragoon, to Imperial Dragoon.
 * Weapon upgrade option, Conductive Strike, added.

Trivia

 * The Dragoon is the only unit (with the exception of animals) to deal melee damage. They are also the only infantry troop with its own unique light blue armor plating.