Protoss Units
Probe: Light Defensive Robot
Cost: 50 1
Built at: Nexus
Other Requirements: None
Protoss worker and resource gatherer. Robotic servant (peon). The probe hovers, but does not fly over water or space. Probes serve 2 main purposes: gathering resources and warping in structures. These are the most important units in your army. Without them, you have no way to build anything (expect what your starting resources allows you to). Protect them at all costs.
Zealot: Assault Trooper
Cost: 100 2
Built at: Gateway
Other Requirements: None
Grafted with cybernetic enhancements and outfitted with the coveted Zealots Power-Suits, these young warriors represent the unbridled ferocity of the Protoss. The unit's primary weapon is deadly psionic blades protruding from its forearm. Zealots are the "grunt" units of the Protoss. Without any special abilities, they may not seem to have many uses, at first glance, besides rushing. However, these units can be devastating at any stage of the game so long as they are continuously upgraded. Their main drawbacks are their speed (which can (and should) be upgraded) and their lack of range.
Dragoon: Medium Support Drone
Cost: 50 150 2
Built at: Gateway
Other Requirements: Cybernetics Bay
Controlled by resurrected warriors, these mechanical walkers provide essential cover fire for the Zealot forces by launching bolts of charged energy into enemy lines. Dragoons act as the archers of the Protoss, and are crucial in protecting again air-orientated attacks or defences early on. 4-5 of them can take out a single tower without substantial damage, and they are effective in combination with an early Zealot attack.
Reaver: Heavy Assault Crawler
Cost: 200 100 4
Built at: Robotics Facility
Other Requirements: Robotics Support Bay
The Reaver is heavily armored and houses a micro-manufacturing plant to produce tiny, highly explosive drones called Scarabs. The Reaver releases the Scarabs, which explode, causing massive damage to their target. The Scarabs themselves are built inside the Reaver (much like a Carrier builds Interceptors) at a cost of 15 minerals per Scarab. A fully upgraded Reaver holds up to 10 Scarabs. Reavers are best used as tower destroyers (analogous to War2 Catapults). They are slow, and have and even slower rate of fire, but used effectively, they can annihilate an enemy in a matter of minutes.
Templar: Psionic Warrior
Cost: 50 150 2
Built at: Gateway
Other Requirements: Templar Archives
These volatile units radiate such powerful psionic energy that they are forbidden to enter combat, physically for fear of them accidentally unleashing a massive catastrophe. Templars have 3 special abilities, one of which they start with. The other 2 must be researched. They have no direct attack (unless this has been changed recently), so it's vital to research their spells quickly if you intend to use them in any manner other than creating Archons.
Spells:
Hallcination: This creates 2 copies of a unit it's cast on. These copies (hallcinations) behave as a normal unit would, except they don't actually do any damage. The hallicinations decay after several minutes.
Psionic Storm: This is the equivilent of a War2 Mage's Blizzard. There are a few differences, mainly that they cannot be "stacked" (i.e. several storms cannot be cast on top of each other).
Merge: This is the ability the Templar starts with. When 2 Templars are selected, they can be merged into a single Archon.
Archon: Summoned Psychic Avatar
Cost: N/A (effectively 100 300 )
Built at: N/A
Other Requirements: 2 High Templars
Immensely powerful energy being. Created when two Protoss High Templars sacrifice themselves and merge as one Archon. The Archon represents the might of the Protoss' psionic fury. These are designed to be the most powerful combat units in the game, and should be used as such. Archon's have reasonable range, good rate of fire, and high damage. They can attack both air, and land units, and considering how powerful they are, you can whip them out pretty quickly. The Archon's main weakness is also a strength - they have 350 shields and 10 hit points. This means they can regenerate (either naturally, or with a shield battery) 90% of their damage, but it also means that they are very vulnerable to EMP shockwave.
Scout: High Speed Fighter
Cost: 250 200 2
Built At: Stargate
Other Requirements: None
Through advanced technology and psionic powers. Scouts effectively track and locate concealed ships, primarily used as point guards for Protoss fleets. Scouts can also engage any hostile enemy. Although expensive (Blizzard have been talking about lowering the cost), Scouts provide excellent air support for Zealots and Archons, or can even act as the main strike force themselves. Toe to toe, they are no match for Wraiths or Mutalisks.
Shuttle: Armored Transport/Worker
Cost: 200
Built At: Robotics Facility
Other Requirements: None
Shuttles are the transport unit of the Protoss. They are relatively cheap, and can hold more than the transports of the other races. 4 Zealots or 2 Archons or 2 Reavers are all devastating forces that can be dropped off at an unprotected part of your opponent's base. It's my opinion that shuttles will shape early strategies, and force people to think very carefully about defence. Unlike War2, you can't use the edge of the map, or normally unpassable terrain as a wall to your base - a transport can sneak in the back entrance and destroy your peon line, or take out crucial buildings. 360 degree defence is mandatory.
Carrier: Battle Cruiser/Command Ship
Cost: 350 300 8
Built At: Stargate
Other Requirements: Fleet Beacon
Heavily armored and shielded, Carriers can punch their way through enemy blockades and unleash robotic flights of interceptors at vital enemy targets. Although one of the more expensive units in the game, you definitely get your money's worth. Carriers are extremely effective against just about any sort of unit, capable of dishing out huge amounts of damage when fully loaded with Interceptors. Interceptors are built inside the Carrier itself, at a cost of 30 minerals a piece. When upgraded (and you should always get this upgrade asap) Carriers can hold up to 8 Interceptors. The main weaknesses of a Carrier are that they take a very long time to build, and when they are finally completed, they are defenceless until you build up some Interceptors.
Interceptor: Light Robotic Attack Fighters
Cost: 30
Built At: Carrier
Other Requirements: None
These maneuverable, computer guided units tear through enemy flight formations and relentlessly strafe slower targets with potent plasma-charges. Docked in the bays of the Carriers, up to 8 prepped Interceptors can be launched simultaneously into combat.
Observer: Silent Witness
Cost: 25 100 1
Built At: Robotics Facility
Other Requirements: Observatory
Observers are like the flyers of War2, but better. Although they are slower, and have a shorter sight range (until upgraded) compared to their War2 cousins, they are permanantly cloaked. Observers are excellent for scouting out the enemy, or keeping an eye on expansion positions. They're detectors themselves; it's often a good idea to take a couple along with you when you attack, so those cloaked Wraiths or Spider Mines don't give you too much trouble.
Arbiter: Judicator Sanctum
Cost: 25 500 4
Built At: Stargate
Other Requirements: Arbiter Tribunal
The only warship to be crewed exclusively by non-Templar, the mighty Arbiter is used to provide special support for assault groups. Psychic Judicators crew the Arbiter ships, and they use the Arbiter as a focal point to project a reality-warping field that serves to conceal all friendly units within close proximity. Since the Arbiter must be anchored firmly in space-time to safely generate such a large field, it is immune to the effects and remains visible, even when surrounded by the field of another Arbiter. The Arbiter is very much a late game unit. Their cost, build time and position on the tech tree mean that you have to have several expansions going to be able to get them in large numbers. They're also best used to enhance other units (Scouts and Carriers benefit most from the clocking field, and Reavers and Zealots are good with Recall).
Spells:
Clocking Field: As I mentioned above, this is best used when attacking with groups of Scouts and Carriers. However, it is also quite good in defence, so your opponent can't see what you're up to, even if they have comsat.
Recall: This spell lets you teleport units around the map. This can be very good for getting ground units into places where it would normally be difficult to get them.
Stasis Field: When a unit is in stasis, it can't attack, move, or be attacked. While obviously, not quite as usefull as Lockdown, it is a good spell. There are several uses, such as stasising seiged tanks, while you take down the anti-air, stasising a surprise attack of Mutas, Guardians, Scouts or Battle Cruisers when you have nothing other than arbiters to defend with (so you can get your scouts into position), and others.
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Note: The units controlled by the Protoss are expensive, yet powerful. You must have the cash to support your army. |
From the stock infantry unit - the Zealot - to the end game units - Arbiter, Carrier - Protoss units decimate their equivelent units one on one | |