Dragoon

"I have returned."

- Dragoon pilot

The dragoon is a type of protoss quadrupedal assault walker. Following the, they were succeeded by the immortal and to a lesser extent, the stalker.

Overview
"There is no shame in defeat so long as the spirit is unconquered."

- Praetor Fenix

Design
Dragoons are about as tall as a terran wearing CMC armor. The dragoon's phase disrupter fires antimatter bolts sheathed in psychically charged fields. A similar weapon is used by the photon cannon. The phase disruptor is able to swivel around. The quadrupedal walker moves efficiently over unstable terrain. The walker's plasma shield generator is located at its base.

Pilots and Control
Dragoon pilots were generally grievously wounded veteran templars retrieved from the battlefield. Some of the most revered protoss warriors have been placed in dragoons.

Selected protoss were transplanted into the exoskeleton's core. By the time of the Great War the core was a fluid container and the pilot was submerged within. Catastrophic damage frequently resulted in the tank being breached and the contents spilling out. The pilot's mind interfaced directly with the machine through mysterious essence translators with the use of the Khala. The end result was that pilots controlled their exoskeletons as a natural extension of their bodies. Once inside the core, the pilot would remain in the tank for the rest of their life.

History
A sacred shrine on Aiur was dedicated to the creation and maintenance of the dragoons. The loss of the shrine after the Great War made it difficult to create new dragoons. In the interim the surviving dragoons were upgraded into immortals to preserve their numbers. Since the fall of Aiur, no new dragoons have been built. Furthermore, the Nerazim stalker, which was inspired by the dragoon, has largely supplanted the walker within protoss ground forces. However, the Terran Dominion has theorized that the lost dragoon technology may be recoverable, as the protoss are known to have embedded highly secure vaults in core facilities on Aiur, and that dragoon process plans may have survived the zerg's rampage.

As with other protoss technology, terran groups conducted research into the mechanics of the dragoon. The Kimeran Pirates stole (among other things) a data file titled "Utilizing Dragoon Technology For Human Reconstruction" from a Confederate remnant installation following the.

Dragoon technology was recovered by the Daelaam during the Reclamation of Aiur. However due their Khala integration the majority fell under Amon's control when the Khala was corrupted. Dragoons that predated Khala integration were discovered among the forces in stasis aboard the Spear of Adun, and were fielded by the Daelaam throughout the End War.

Other Information
On occasion, able templar would become pilots. The pilots were honored in protoss society but their status sometimes marked them as outsiders.

StarCraft
Dragoons serve primarily as mobile anti-air defense. It is more economical to have zealots take the brunt of fighting enemy ground units whenever possible. Compared to zealots, the dragoon fires slower and has an attack optimized against only large-sized units. The relationship is similar to that between marines and goliaths. Due to their large size and somewhat slower movement to the zealot, dragoons are fairly vulnerable to groups of smaller units such as massed zerglings and hydralisks. Despite this, many players utilize dragoons as far as a late game due to their important usage as anti-air defense and fire support.

Each dragoon occupies four out of the eight slots on a shuttle.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft Dragoon Quotations

Development
Dragoons possessed an appearance in the StarCraft alpha identical to their end appearance. However, they were armed with fusion cannons instead of phase disruptors. During this period, they were called "Templar."

StarCraft: Ghost
Dragoons appeared as enemies in the singleplayer of StarCraft: Ghost. Development animations showed them 'galloping.'

Legacy of the Void
Dragoons appear in the Legacy of the Void campaign, representing the Aiur faction's in the "ranged attacker" role. Compared to stalkers and adepts, the other two options for ranged attackers, dragoons have higher stats, with a stronger attack, longer range, and more HP. However, they lack the support abilities of the stalker and adept, have slower movement speed, and have large collision size that can hamper them in tight quarters.

Co-op Missions
Dragoons are playable in Co-op Missions if the player selects Artanis. Once Artanis reaches level 4, dragoons can be upgraded at the twilight council.

Development

 * Main article: Dragoon/Development

Known Dragoons

 * Demioch
 * Eredas
 * Fenix
 * Sinar
 * Taldarin

Specialists

 * Dragoon Heroes
 * Dragoons of Malice
 * Elite Dragoons

Trivia
During the age of early modern warfare, dragoons were soldiers who were deployed on horseback but fought on foot.