Dragoons are highly effective units, combining strong ranged damage and speed. Ranged damage allows them to scale well en masse, and maneuverability makes them very responsive as well as quite survivable. With care, these qualities allow the unit to be used offensively as well. However, as with most light ranged cavalry, their siege damage is very low.
Their stated role is as a ranged counter-cavalry cavalry unit, with multipliers against heavy cavalry and hand shock infantry. Furthermore they are 0.5 units faster than most melee cavalry and can effectively evade them when endangered. The main danger are Skirmishers and archers which deal extra damage to Dragoons. Musketeers also counter Dragoons; however, they are usually not as much of a threat as Skirmishers because of their much lower range. Dragoons also counter artillery, especially in melee mode, as they have a 2x multiplier against them. Despite their reduced damage against Settlers, due to their speed Dragoons are still decent raiders. The main disadvantages of the unit are their general expense and the requirement to have active micro control over them to take advantage of their mobility. Overall, Dragoons are a formidable unit.
If playing as the Portuguese, Dragoons are available in the Commerce Age if the "TEAM House of Aviz" Home City Card is sent. Portuguese Dragoons are also more useful than other civilizations as they can give them the advantage in range with the "Order of Aviz" card which increases their max range and LoS by 4. Portuguese Dragoons can be upgraded to Royal Guard (+10%) and have the "Dragoon Combat" card (+20% attack and hit points). The British have same stats increase (+30%), but need 3 cards: "Cavalry Damage", "Cavalry Hitpoints" and "Cavalry Combat". Spanish Dragoons have only the "Cavalry Combat" card (+15%) but with Unction, their damage is much higher compared to other civilizations. A fully upgraded Portuguese / British Dragoon will have 52.8 Ranged Damage and 460 HP, while Spanish Dragoons with Unction will have 60.5 Ranged Damage and 430 HP. This means that the Portuguese/British will deal 158.4 and Spanish 181.5 Damage to Heavy Cavalry. Dragoons are also good against heavy melee infantry by kiting, where Portuguese are the clear winner here. Skirmishers and archers can also be engaged if the Dragoons are put into melee mode; however, heavy cavalry would be much better for this task. If playing as the Mexicans, Dragoons are available in the Commerce Age if the "Queen's Dragoons" Home City Card is sent during the Exploration Age.
Upgrades[]
The Dragoon starts at the Veteran level, giving them +20% hit points and attack.
If they are made available in the Commerce Age with either the "TEAM House of Aviz" or "Queen's Dragoons" Home City Cards, Dragoons will be automatically upgraded to Veteran once the player reaches the Fortress Age.
The Russians and Swedes can train Counter Dragoons with the "Grand Duchy of Finland" Home City Card after revolting to Finland, and upgrade them to Imperial with the "Armfelt's Autonomy" Home City Card.
The Consulate Legion Dragoon count as a different unit. The United States, Haudenosaunee, Revolutionary Canada, and Revolutionary Argentina ships Consulate Guard Dragoon. The latter uses French Dragoon dialogue files and has a slower training speed.
The Maltese can train Legion Dragoon named Order Dragoon at the Commandery, which have 20 XP train and kill bounty, 100 food, 100 coin cost and 41.8 seconds train time. Maltese Order Dragoons use the French Dragoon's dialogue files instead of the Portuguese Dragoon's dialogue files. Also, for the Maltese, The War Minister can ship 5 Order Dragoons.
(Definitive Edition) Romania can get Counter Dragoons through the "Russian Expeditionary Army" Home City Card which ships 9 Counter Dragoons.
“
Ranged cavalry. Good against cavalry.
”
—In-game description
The Consulate Guard Dragoon is a counterpart of the Dragoon, which trains 65% slower. It uses the French Dragoon's dialogue files. For the United States, it starts with +10% hit points and attack.
The Haudenosaunee can get Consulate Guard Dragoon through the "Canadian Loyalists" Home City Card, which ships 10 Consulate Guard Dragoon, and can be sent an infinite number of times.
The United States can get Consulate Guard Dragoon through the "Armand's Legion" Home City Card, which ships 10 Consulate Guard Dragoons, and allows them to be trained at Forts. Additionally, United States Forts can spawn Consulate Guard Dragoons in batches of 3 for free if the "Texas Forts" Home City Card is sent, but this takes 98 seconds.
Revolutionary[]
Argentina can get Consulate Guard Dragoons through the "San Martin" Home City Card, which ships 10 Consulate Guard Dragoons.
Canada has the "Canadian Loyalists" card with the same effect as described above.
The Independence Dragoon is an upgrade of the Dragoon unique to Brazil, which uses a lance to attack in melee with greater attack but without damage multipliers.
Independence Dragoons can be obtained by sending the "Guard of Honor" Home City Card, which upgrades Dragoons to Guard, gives them a lance hand attack, allows the Royal Guard upgrade if the player revolts from the Portuguese, and allows them to be trained if the player revolts from the Dutch.
The Roșior Dragoon is an upgrade of the Dragoon unique to Romania, which get +15% attack and +10% speed, but -15% hit points.
As soon as the player revolts to Romania, a Roșior Dragoon will spawn on every Outpost/Blockhouse that had been built by the player, and more can be obtained through the "Roșior Dragoons" Home City Card.
Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-300 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
Upgrades Ruyters to Royal Guard (if not already); Ruyters get +200% hand attack but all hand attack multipliers removed; upgrades Dragoons to Independence Dragoons (Guard Dragoons with a lance hand attack); Independence Dragoons can be trained at Stables, Forts, and Fluyts (if revolting from the Dutch)
Armfelt's Autonomy
Blockhouse build limit +4; enables Imperial upgrades for Caroleans, Hakkapelits, and Rekruts (as well as Counter Dragoons and Counter Jaegers, after sending "Grand Duchy of Finland" Home City Card) with -50% cost
Grand Duchy of Finland
Enables Counter Dragoons and Counter Jaegers for training at Stables and Barracks or Blockhouses respectively
All existing Outposts/Blockhouses spawn 1 Roșior Dragoon (Dragoon with -15% hit points, +15% attack, and +10% speed); Roșior Dragoons available at Forts; +1 Outpost/Blockhouse Wagon; Outpost/Blockhouse build limit +1
Ships 12 Carbine Cavalry; turns all Dragoons into Carbine Cavalry; Carbine Cavalry replace Dragoons at Stables, Forts, and Galleons; upgrades Carbine Cavalry to Guard
"6 Dragoons" and "8 Dragoons" are available to the French and Portuguese.
"Riding School" is not available to the Maltese and Spanish.
"San Martin" is available to the Germans, Italians, and Spanish upon revolting to Argentina.
"Guard of Honor" is available to the Dutch, Italians, and Portuguese upon revolting to Brazil.
"Armfelt's Autonomy", "Grand Duchy of Finland", and "Finnhorses" are available to the Russians and Swedes upon revolting to Finland.
"Roșior Dragoons" is available to the Ottomans and Russians upon revolting to Romania.
"Wagon Warfare" and "Wanderlust" are available to the British upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.
"Lee's Continental Light Dragoons" is available to the British, Dutch, French, Italians, and Swedes upon revolting to the United States.
All units get +15% hand attack; Rajputs get +20% hand attack instead; +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
All units get +5% hit points and attack
Foreign Trading Companies
Gives a trickle of 0.75 export; banner army cost -15% export; Indian units cost +2.5% (Villagers, Fishing Boats, and Sacred Cows cost +5% instead); +1 Hindu Villager
Daimyo and Shogun Tokugawa get +5% speed, +10 Line of Sight and train units 15% faster; land military unit train time -20%, artillery and banner army train time -10% instead
[Legion] Ships 10 Legion Dragoons; Legion Dragoons can be trained at Forts; costs 500 food, 500 wood
Indiana Mobilization
Ships 1 Carbine Cavalry for each shipment sent so far this game including this one; unit train time (except Heavy Cannons), technology research time, and age-up time -10%; costs 250 food, 250 wood
Seminole Ponies
Ships 9 Hussars; hand cavalry get +15% hit points and attack, and +5% speed; cavalry train time -10%
"Indiana Mobilization" is available upon selecting the Indiana Federal State.
"Seminole Ponies" is available upon selecting the Florida Federal State.
Consulate units' train time -50%; Consulate technologies' cost -40% (-400 export for Brigades) and research time -50% (except Brigades) (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
With update 14.43676, the Legion Dragoon upgrade received a new model.
Although not listed in the patch notes, with update 15.30007, the Counter Dragoon portrait was updated.
Trivia[]
Even though the Dragoon's icon shows a rifle, they use the dragon instead. However, in some early screenshots, the Dragoons used rifles.
Portuguese Royal Guard/Consulate Dragoons' name refers to the Portuguese Legion.
Before the Definitive Edition, they are named Jinete, which translates to "Rider" in Portuguese and is borrowed from the Spanish word which refers to the Genitour. The correct Portuguese form would be Ginete.
The Portuguese Legion is also referenced in the Portuguese Royal Guard/Consulate Musketeers' name in the Definitive Edition.
Russian Consulate Dragoons are likely a reference to the 1st Kalmyk Regiment who fought during the Napoleonic Wars.
The United States' ability to access Dragoons through the "Armand's Legion" Home City Card is a reference to Charles Armand Tuffin who is notable for his role during the American Revolutionary War and later the French Revolution, leading his own cavalry unit during the former.
RomanianRoșiori regiments which appeared by the second half of the 19th Century were primarily equipped with either sabres or lances, despite their in-game portrayal as a ranged cavalry unit equipped with a pistol.
History[]
“
Dragoons were a very flexible mounted infantry, using their horses to move swiftly, then often dismounting to fight on foot with carbines, pistols, and sabers. During the eighteenth century in Europe, military leaders maintained dozens of regiments of Dragoons, placing them in a fixed role as medium cavalry. In the Americas, Dragoons were used as both cavalry and infantry. They scouted, raided camps, screened armies, and protected the rear of retreats.
Dragoons wore tall helmets, often plumed, and carried a variety of arms. The carbines they used, called "dragons," gave the Dragoons their name. This short-barreled, smoothbore weapon had less range and power than a rifle and required that Dragoons be accompanied by infantrymen or dismounted Dragoons armed with longer-range firearms.
”
Gallery[]
An in-game Dragoon
Veteran Dragoon model
An in-game Guard Dragoon sideview
The Guard Dragoon model
The Dragoon's history portrait
A painting of a real-life Swedish Dragoon
Concept art of the Dragoon. It is possible to note that he used a rifle.
In-game Dragoon in the Definitive Edition
In-game Guard/Imperial Dragoon in the Definitive Edition
In-game Imperial Dragoon in Melee mode since update 14.43676
Guard Dragoons
Imperial Dragoons
+20% hit points and attack
4 Dragoons
5 Dragoons
Cavalry Damage
Cavalry Hitpoints
Cavalry Combat
Liberation March
Canadian Loyalists
Good Faith Agreements
Western Reforms
Acupuncture
Banner School
6 Dragoons
8 Dragoons
Riding School
San Martin
Guard of Honor
Armfelt's Autonomy
Grand Duchy of Finland
Finnhorses
Roșior Dragoons
Wagon Warfare
Wanderlust
Lee's Continental Light Dragoons
Thoroughbreds
Horse Hunters
Grande Armée
TEAM Cavalry Attack
Spanish Riding School
Road Building
Tupac Rebellion
Dravidian Martial Arts
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics
Foreign Trading Companies
Schiavoni Swords
TEAM Sengoku
Bakufu
TEAM Mustangs
TEAM Knights of the Round Table
Auberges
Squires
Liberty Dragoon Regiment
Leather Soldiers
Queen's Dragoons
Plan of Tacubaya
Plan of Casa Mata
TEAM Mariachi
Colegio de San Nicolás
National Servant
Central American Cavalry
Order of Aviz
Portuguese Expeditionary Force
Dragoon Combat
TEAM House of Aviz
TEAM Kamchatka Expeditions
7 Counter Dragoons
5 Counter Dragoons
8 Counter Dragoons
9 Counter Dragoons
TEAM Spanish Inquisition
Armand's Legion
Indiana Mobilization
Seminole Ponies
TEAM Cavalry Scouts
