Protoss (StarCraft)
Protoss is a race in
Blizzard Entertainment's PC real-time-strategy game,
StarCraft. The main plotline attributes are:
- Very advanced, relying mainly on psychic powers (Psi) and powerful cybernetic technology.
- Main opponents of the Zerg.
- Religious; for example, the basic military unit is the Zealot. The Protoss follow a strict code known as the Khala.
Gameplay attributes
- High cost per unit produced
- High unit power
- Very powerful spells (the Psi Storm is often referred to as the "most powerful damaging spell in the game.")
- Only race with "shields". All Protoss units (including buildings) have shields; when damaged, shields regenerate over time, even faster than Zerg units heal. Shields, however, always take full damage (see Damage types.) Shields are instantly drained by the Terran Science Vessel's EMP spell. Shields can be regenerated almost instantly by the Protoss Shield Battery structure.
- Fastest building method, moderate building location restrictions
Units
Land
- Probe - builder unit
- Zealot - primary attack unit. The Zealot is a melee attacker, and is much stronger than the primary attack units of the Zerg and Terran. Can be upgraded for faster movement speed, increased damage and better armor and shields.
- Dragoon - ranged attack ground unit that deals medium explosive damage. The dragoon can be upgraded for longer range, higher damage and stronger armor and shields.
- Reaver - siege unit. It is both the slowest siege unit and the most powerful. Unlike most other units, it does not have unlimited ammo. Instead, you must order it to build "Scarabs" at 15 units of Minerals each. It has an initial capacity of 5 which can be upgraded to 10. Each shot uses up one Scarab. Note that the Scarabs move along the ground toward their targets; while they will circumnavigate obstacles if possible, they need a relatively clear path. This and its slow speed are the Reaver's main weaknesses. However, the high damage, splash effect and Normal Damage types make it very powerful against groups of weak units such as Zerglings or Marines, and the long range can be used to take out defensive structures with impunity, although it lacks the range of the Siege Tank. The Reaver can be upgraded for higher Scarab capacity, higher Scarab damage, higher speed and better armor and shields.
- High Templar - primary spellcaster. High Templar cannot attack and are rather slow and weak. However, their spells make them powerful support units:
- Hallucination - Creates two copies of a target unit. Enemies cannot distinguish hallucinations from real units directly. However, hallucinations do no damage when they attack, cannot use special abilities, and take double damage. Hallucinations disappear if they are "killed" or once the spell wears out. This can be used for decoys or for intimidation (imagine seeing eighteen huge battlecruisers floating into your base...)
- Psi Storm - possibly the most powerful spell in the game. Psi Storm covers an area with crackling electricity. Any units in the area, both friendly and enemy, take damage for each second that they stay in the field. This is extremelly effective against slow-moving units like the Reaver or Siege Tank or against large groups of small units like Zerglings.
- Archon Meld - only available when two or more High Templar are selected at one time. The Templar merge in pairs to create Archons. This does not consume any mana; however, the merging takes some time during which the Templar are vulnerable. The meld is irreversable, so the high templar and their abilities are irretrievably lost.
Hallucination and Psi Storm must be researched at the Templar Archives. The High Templar can be upgraded for better armor and shields and higher mana capacity.
- Archon - Archons are created when two High Templar merge. They have a powerful ranged attack that deals splash damage, and can take a strong beating with 350 shield points. However, they only have 10 hit points, so an EMP will bring them to near-death. Archons are immune to Irradiate, and are almost unaffected by Plague (it lowers their HP to 1 without damaging their shields.) They can be upgraded for higher damage and stronger armor and shields. Archons are great melee units.
- Dark Templar - stealth unit, opponent requires units with detector ability (e.g. Terran Science Vessel) to see it. It has powerful attack but relatively low hit points. A brilliant harassment unit. (Brood War only)
- Dark Archon - spellcaster, no non-spell attack, formed from two Dark Templar (Brood War only). It's abilities include mind control which allows you to take control of an enemy unit at cost of shields as well as energy. The other two abilities are feedback and maelstrom. Maelstrom freezes all biological units in the radius of attack. Feedback is used to kill other energy using units by draining all their energy and reducing their health by the same amount.
Air
- Shuttle - flying transport unit
- Scout - Heavy fighter craft; most powerful of the basic ships.
- Corsair - spellcaster and light fighter with a rapid-fire low damage splash attack(Brood War only)
- Arbiter - spellcaster; all nearby units except other Arbiters become stealthed
- Carrier - heavy air unit. It has a unique one in the film clips, the Gantrithor, and requires that 25 Mineral interceptors be built inside of it. At first it can hold 4, but after an upgrade at the fleet beacon, it can hold 8. It also has the longest range of any Protoss unit, comparable with the Terran Siege Tank, and the Zerg Guardian. It is most vulnerable to the Zerg Scourge.
- Observer - flying stealthed scouting unit. No attacks or spells.
Buildings
Basic buildings
- Nexus
- Assimilator
- Pylon
- Gateway
- Forge
- Shield Battery
- Cybernetics Core
- Photon Cannon
Advanced Buildings
- Robotics Facility
- Stargate
- Citadel of Adun
- Robotics Support Bay
- Fleet Beacon
- Templar Archives
- Observatory
- Arbiter Tribunal
External links