Paladin

A Paladin is a highly-advanced super-soldier fighting for the Midnight, with many reprising their roles from the Dimensional War.

The Paladin unit was first developed during the Dimensional War to counter the Exodus unit known as the Spartan. Paladins were faster, stronger and smarter than their counterparts, and possessed more advanced weapons and armour, giving them greater effectiveness than any other infantry unit deployed.

As Paladins grew in power, a few of them formed a unique band of soldiers they named the "Templars." These "Templars" were later upgraded by the Midnight to become the world-infamous "Royal Paladins," possessing highly advanced armour and dangerous Aura Blades as well as Magic connections so deep they possess theoretical immortality. Massive surgical procedures are also undertaken.

Paladins remained a valid combat unit even into the Equestrian Civil War, with many of the veterans of the Dimensional War returning to protect their home again. When the Solar Accord began deploying prototype Psionic troopers known as "Mystics" to disable the Paladins, it was discovered that any attempts to Mind Control or Mindspin a Paladin will result in the caster suffering major mental trauma while the target is unaffected, and CALVIN reveals that this is due to the Paladins' gruelling training regimes and mental training.

All Paladins can use Magic, albeit less effectively than Royal Paladins can. Their Magic is deep blue and made possible by a chip in the back of their necks, alongside the PsiNet Implant. This Magic can be used to attack, defend, or support. For example when a Peacekeeper tries to lift a Paladin in her Magic, the Paladin shields himself with his own Magic to protect himself and uses his abilities to crush his foe, reducing her to red paste.

Though certainly not as agile as the Pilot, the Paladin is stronger than any infantry unit deployed (excluding the Royal Paladin), able to rip armour plating off of tanks and deliver melee strikes that can dent armour or blow a target's ribcage out of their back.

Paladins can use any weapon they find on the battlefield (excluding Titan weapons) more effectively than other units and due to their suits and upgrades, have reduced recoil with any weapon they fire (the GP-102 still produces unforgiving kickback). The units can "wallrun" by leaping at a wall from an angle, able to sprint across it for a short distance before losing traction. They cannot run as fast or far as a Pilot while on a wall.

The suit of the Paladin houses many upgrades and modules, including a Personal Radar, Emergency Cloak, Stims, Grapple Hook, Kinetic Gauntlets and Magnetic Grips on their hands and feet, allowing them to get a grip on metal in nearly any situation, though the magnets are not strong enough to indefinitely hold the Paladin at an angle on a wall while affected by gravity.

Paladins weigh approximately 900lb which is about 100lb less than a Spartan, but still a considerable amount. Due to their immense weight, they aren't easily thrown around or knocked down. To the Paladin, this weight is nothing due to their immense strength and the fact that the suit is working with them to move via a Psionic Link.

The Psionic Link between a Paladin and their suit allows them to move as if the suit were an extension to their body rather than a suit at all. Spartans used a Neural Link and as such if the link was severed even for a second the suit would malfunction and effectively turn on it's user, contorting their body in often fatal ways. The Psionic Link of a Paladin and their suit cannot be severed at all, eliminating this danger. The helmet of the suit is also cushioned on the inside and held at a fixed distance from the head itself, preventing neck-breaking actions from occurring at all.

The sheer strength and endurance of Paladins can be observed in battle, as Paladins have been known to be hit by a tank shell or Stepped On by a Titan without dying, rather just being winded. Enemy Pilots have also been seen attempting to Execute Paladins numerous times, but all attempts are met with failure as the Paladin is stronger than their foe. One example is when a Pilot tried to snap a Paladin's neck only for the "victim" to ignore the attack entirely and instead uppercut the enemy so hard their head flew off.

Paladins are quoted as being the most loyal of all soldiers (excluding the Royal Paladins) and are supposedly so loyal to the king that even if the Midnight turned on him, the Paladins would still support him. They all follow the orders of King Union Strike and Queen Crimson Strafe, but ultimately take most of their orders from Grandmaster Eclipse of the Royal Paladins.

Just like other units that are not Royal Paladins, the Paladins salute superiors rather than bow to them.