0
Starcraft Brood War
Special Units FAQ
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Legal Stuff
3. Version History
4. Terran Medic
5. Terran Valkyrie
6. Zerg Lurker
7. Zerg Devourer
8. Protoss Dark Templar
9. Protoss Dark Archon
10. Protoss Corsair
11. Credits
Introduction
The inspiration came to me while scrolling through a list of Brood War
FAQs that nobody has done anything to deeply explain the new units. Though
few there are, the new units introduce a whole new way of playing in the
Starcraft universe. I felt that somebody needed to do a FAQ about them, and
that is what I am doing right now. I plan to write only one version, but you
can reach me at james86sh@AOL.com to give me info I might have missed. I will
just add them to the FAQ. Read on and enjoy!
Legal Stuff
OK, listen up, because I will only say this once. I wrote this FAQ and
it is the sole property of myself. Anyone reproducing this document to be
published in whole or in part in any magazine, book, web site, ect. without
my permission is strictly prohibited and offenders will be prosecuted to the
full extent of the law. The following web sites may use my FAQ:
www.gamefaqs.com
Have a nice day. copyright 2001 James86sh@AOL.com
Version History
2/9/01 V 0.1 FAQ started. So far looking good.
2/10/01 V 0.3 Finished with Terran. Working on Zerg.
2/11/01 V 0.6 Almost done with Zerg. Working on Protoss.
2/13/01 V 0.9 A few revisions. Almost done on Protoss.
2/14/01 V 1.0 Finally finished! Happy Valentines Day!
2/18/01 V 1.1 Grammar corrections and more info.
Terran
Medic
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 60
Armor Class: Light
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 50
Gas: 25
Supply: 1
The Terran Medic is basically the SCV for organic troops with her Heal
ability (1 mana point for every 2 hp healed). With a Medic or two, even a
small group of Marines can be formidable. It also means that Marines and
Firebats can use Stim Packs more without being killed. Medics can also heal
allied troops, making a friendly Zerg player very happy. Medics cannot heal
themselves, and assigning more then one Medic to heal a unit wont speed up
the process. Besides repairing organic troops, the Medic can use her
Restoration ability (50 mana) to get rid of most “spells.” This means you
wont have to kill that really expensive unit just because it was hit with a
Parasite. Restoration will also work on units hit with Lockdown
(Yeeeeessssssss!), Optic Flare, Irradiate, Devourer Acid Spores, Plague,
Ensnare, and Maelstorm. The Medic’s third ability, Optic Flare (75 mana), is
kinda in between good and bad. Any unit hit by Optic Flare will get its
sight range dropped to 1 matrix. Also, any unit with Detection will lose
that ability, i.e. Observers and Overlords. It is good because it can remove
from the Protoss and Zerg important cloaking detection units, again Observers
and Overlords. It also forces powerful units like Carriers and
Battlecrusiers to rely on other units to spot for them, decreasing their
lethalness. If a Blinded Drone morphs into a building, that building will
also be Blind. This can really help stop Spore Colonies. A neat trick is to
blind Spider Mines, turning them into land mines. They will wait till an
opponent is almost directly on top of them to pop out and explode. On the
downside, it is usually better to just destroy Observers and Overlords,
especially since Overlords also serve as supply depots and transports for the
Zerg.
In my experience, I don not use Medics a lot. Unless I am mustering up a
huge ground force for an attack, I usually drop a team of eight Marines
behind enemy lines to try to get at the enemy Worker units. “Why not use a
Medic for those raids?” you are probably saying. I do not know why, it just
seems like a waste of money since those squads are pretty much dead anyway
(unless my opponent is a complete moron and wont respond to his workers being
attacked). The Medic that would perish with those brave Marines could’ve
saved a Siege Tank from Lockdown, or a Science Vessel from Plague. Also,
when you tell a group of Marines/Firebats with a Medic to Attack/Move, the
Medic runs in front of the group and gets killed, requiring added
micromanagement to the attack, and gets really annoying. IMO, Medics should
be used with large ground forces so lots of units get the most out of her,
i.e. Marines/Firebats are healed, everybody gets protection from most
“spells” with Restoration, helps in confusing the enemy with Optic Flare.
Terran
Valkyrie
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 200
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 2
COSTS
Mineral: 250
Gas: 125
Supply: 3
In Brood War, each race gets its own air-to-air unit. For the Terrans, it is
the Valkyrie Frigate. It fires a salvo of 8 H.A.L.O. Rockets, each rocket a
base damage of 5 explosive (upgraded to +3). The rockets hit at and around
the target within a 3 x 3 matrix area and do a small amount of splash damage.
Each air-to-air unit in Brood War has something special the others don’t.
For the Valkyrie, it is those Halo Rockets. If a regular Valkyrie fires a
full volley, that would be 5x8=40. That is 40 explosive damage, which can be
a lot. Even for small units, which get 50% of explosive damage, it is still
20 damage, and only if there is one. Valkyries work wonders in squadrons of
8-10 and boy, you do not want to come across that group! In one game, I took
out two waves of 8 Mutalisks with 8 Valkyries in about 10 seconds flat with
minimal damage. I was not keeping the time, but that’s a hell lot faster
than what 8 Wraiths would do to that group. On island maps, Valkyries are
great for defending your home island or expansions. They can knock out any
transport coming your way, and deal with its escorts. The only time
Valkyries suffer is in small groups of 1-4 and attacked by spread-out flyers.
When this happens, try running away towards a larger group of Valkyries and
let the attackers follow you. They will most likely bunch up when chasing the
small group, allowing you to ambush them with the larger group.
Zerg
Lurker
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 125
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 50
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
The Lurker is pretty much a walking Sunken Colony, with a few modifications.
Once fully morphed from a Hydralisk, it naturally starts out with the Burrow
ability even if you have not researched it. Once burrowed, the Lurker
attacks by shooting waves of spines toward its target in a straight row.
I admit, I do not really like the Zerg that much and do not play them that
often. But that still does not mean they do not have good units. The Lurker
is great at attacking and defending. When a Lurker attacks, which is 20
splash damage (upgraded to +6), it will not only hurt the intended target,
but anything in front of it. Theoretically, since most units in Starcraft
tend to walk in a straight line (especially Marines/Zerglings/Zealots), and a
group of Marines was walking straight at one of your Lurkers and you targeted
a rear unit, you could damage the entire squad! Lurkers can also defend your
workers from drops by placing a few in with the Minerals. Be warned, as that
20 splash damage will also affect friendly units. Even if you morph a badly
damaged Hydralisk into a Lurker, the Lurker will have full health. The
downside to the Lurker is that, caught in the open, it is nothing more then
target practice. Lurkers are also doomed when faced with a ground-attack
flyer/detector combo. Lurkers are best used when in large groups of
Zerglings and Hydralisks, base defense, or, sometimes, sneaking up on an
enemy base (very risky).
Zerg
Devourer
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 250
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 2
COSTS
Mineral: 150
Gas: 50
Supply: 2
The Devourer can be a force to reckon with. Faster then a Guardian, more
powerful then a Mutalisk with 25 explosive damage(upgraded to +6), and leaves
Acid Spores after every attack that further weaken an opponent. It also has
more hit points and costs less then the other air-to-air units.
Devourers are the second air-to-air unit in the game. While that 25
explosive damage might seem good (remember, the smaller the unit, the less
damage explosive does), its the Acid Spores that make the unit different from
the others. Every time a Devourer attacks, it splashes an Acid Spore on the
target and any close-by units. Each Acid Spore reduces the unit’s cooldown
till its next attack by 1/8. Units with Acid Spores will also take an
additional point of damage every attack (6 Acid Spores = +6 damage). Acid
Spores also reveal the location of cloaked units. That does not mean the
Devourer does not have weak points. It fires the slowest of all the
air-to-air units, and no unit can have more then 9 Acid Spores. Those Acid
Spores aren’t permanent (disappearing one by one) and can be totally removed
by Restoration. The splash effect wont hurt friendly units but will hurt
allied units. Devourers are best used to escort Guardians to their targets
and defend them from air attacks. They can also be used as cover fire to
slow down attacking air units with Acid Spores while other units make their
escape. Because of their slow attack, small groups of Devourers don’t seem
to do too good defending on island maps (from personal experience).
Protoss
Dark Templar
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 80
Shields: 40
Armor Class: Light
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 125
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
The Dark Templar are one of the deadliest Protoss units. While available in
the original Starcraft, you can know produce them at your Gateway.
Permanently cloaked, their Warp Blades attack with a devastating 40 damage
(upgraded to +9!) and can leave a unprepared base in ruins. Two Dark Templar
may also merge to form the Dark Archon.
The Dark Templar are the ultimate assassins in Starcraft. When upgraded,
these bad-ass killers can destroy just about any ground unit in a couple of
swipes (Ultralisks are in question), and that’s only when alone. When hidden
within a attack force going after an enemy base, Dark Templar can slip
through the confusion and get at the heart of the enemy- his Workers- while
his attention is on the units at his front door. After defeating the attack,
your opponent will wonder how the hell did all his workers die, and who the
hell is destroying his base from the inside out? Dark Templar are also good
at doing other dirty jobs. Angry at that group of Ghosts that just disabled
your fleet? Track the bastards down with Dark Templar and lay the smack down
on them before they can cloak. Spotted some Zerg troops burrowed, ready to
ambush some of your workers? Chances are they wont want an Overlord giving
away their position, so wait for them to pop up with a group of Dark Templar
and slash them to ribbons. Opponent trying to build an expansion? If he has
no detection, wipe it off the face of the earth. The few weaknesses with a
Dark Templar is that it doesn’t have a lot of protection, and once detected,
they can be overwhelmed. It is almost impossible to sneak them into a Zerg
base, and ca not do anything about air units. Spells like Ensnare can reveal
their positions and slow them down for other units to destroy them. Do not
forget to merge some Templar to form Dark Archons. Even if the Templar are
badly damaged, the Dark Archon will start with full shields.
Protoss
Dark Archon
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 25
Shields: 200
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 0
Gas: 0
Supply: 4
The Dark Archon are the sweetest units for the Protoss. Though it does not
have an attack like regular Archons, Dark Archons have some of the best
spells in the game. Maelstorm (100 mana) stuns all biological units for a
couple of seconds. Feedback (50 mana) removes all mana from a unit and deals
an equal amount of damage. The most feared spell, Mind Control (150 mana and
all shields), completely takes control over any unit.
Opponents tremble when they see that floating red ball of energy known as the
Dark Archon. The very presence of it can change the course of a battle. The
Maelstorm spell effects a 3 x 3 area, freezing biological units for about 5
seconds. It will reveal any biological unit that is cloaked, but wont work
on burrowed units. This spell is almost specifically designed for Zerg, since
all Zerg units are biological. The 5 seconds are about enough time to make a
quick escape, and that is about all Maelstorm is good for. Feedback is
absolutely dangerous for any magic units. When targeted, the unit loses all
of its mana, and takes damage equal to that lose. This spell outright kills
Corsair, Wraith, Science Vessel, Queen, Defiler, Ghost, Medic, Dark Archon
(if enemy research +50 energy), and/or High Templar. This spell is very
nice, but nothing compared to Mind Control. Requiring 150 mana and the lose
of shields, the Dark Archon completely takes control of any unit, big and
small. This has several implications:
1. If you take control of a SCV or Drone, you will not only be able to build
all of that races units and buildings, but it increases your supply limit 200
per race. This can really change the outcome of a game, allowing you to
maximize on the capabilities of each race. How would you like a fleet of
Battlecrusiers and Carriers, with a couple of Guardians thrown in? This is
the stuff dreams are made of. Unfortunately, SCVs will not be able to repair
your robotic units. Unless your stupid, you’ll know not to Mind Control
other Probes.
2. If you take control of a loaded transport, you not only capture the
transport, but whatever is in it. This really saves time from Mind
Controlling the units in there one at a time. This is also a way to get a
SCV or Drone (see above). Sometimes you might get a valuable unit, like a
Siege Tank or a Archon. Other times it will just be a bunch of Zealots or
Zerglings (not that those are not valuable, just depends on what you will do
with them).
3. If you take control of a very valuable or powerful unit, it could give you
a slight edge and really anger your opponent. Everybody hates it when they
have wasted 400 minerals and 300 gas just to have their Battlecrusier switch
sides, especially when the unit is a big part of an attack. One unit to
really look for is the Medic. Though your biological units are few and far
between, she can really help you out with Restoration, getting rid of those
pesky bugs (literally) and spells. Mind Control also transfers any special
unit upgrades that an affected unit has achieved (but not weapon, armor, and
shield upgrades) to the player that used Mind Control. Example: if you Mind
Control an Arbiter with Recall ability, then all your existing Arbiters will
gain Recall. This also means that you have researched Recall ability.
Protoss
Corsair
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 100
Shields: 80
Armor Class: Medium
Armor: 0
COSTS
Mineral: 150
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
Protoss Corsairs are the third and final air-to-air unit in Brood War.
Quickly attacking with Neutron Flares at 5 normal damage (upgraded to +3) and
armed with the feared Disruption Web (125 mana), they are a menace to both
air and ground units.
The Corsair, IMO, has a rather weak attack. Though they fire quickly and
their damage is not affected by sizes, they don’t have the wide damage area
of the Valkyrie or the punch of the Devourer. They are also a bit weak on
the protection side. Corsairs, oddly enough, make great ground support
flyers. Any unit caught within the effect of a Disruption Web(which only
affects ground targets), will not be able to engage the Corsair. This
includes all defense buildings (Bunkers, Photon Cannons, ect.). Using the
Disruption Web can be a deadly tactic on island maps. Simply hit an area of
coastline with a couple of Webs, and none of the defenses will be able to
fire on your incoming transports or attack fleet. Any ground unit under a
Web can still move and use special abilities. Corsairs are good at defending
Carriers and disabling ground defenses, especially on island maps or areas
with little room to maneuver out of the Web.
Credits
Thanks
Special Units FAQ
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Legal Stuff
3. Version History
4. Terran Medic
5. Terran Valkyrie
6. Zerg Lurker
7. Zerg Devourer
8. Protoss Dark Templar
9. Protoss Dark Archon
10. Protoss Corsair
11. Credits
Introduction
The inspiration came to me while scrolling through a list of Brood War
FAQs that nobody has done anything to deeply explain the new units. Though
few there are, the new units introduce a whole new way of playing in the
Starcraft universe. I felt that somebody needed to do a FAQ about them, and
that is what I am doing right now. I plan to write only one version, but you
can reach me at james86sh@AOL.com to give me info I might have missed. I will
just add them to the FAQ. Read on and enjoy!
Legal Stuff
OK, listen up, because I will only say this once. I wrote this FAQ and
it is the sole property of myself. Anyone reproducing this document to be
published in whole or in part in any magazine, book, web site, ect. without
my permission is strictly prohibited and offenders will be prosecuted to the
full extent of the law. The following web sites may use my FAQ:
www.gamefaqs.com
Have a nice day. copyright 2001 James86sh@AOL.com
Version History
2/9/01 V 0.1 FAQ started. So far looking good.
2/10/01 V 0.3 Finished with Terran. Working on Zerg.
2/11/01 V 0.6 Almost done with Zerg. Working on Protoss.
2/13/01 V 0.9 A few revisions. Almost done on Protoss.
2/14/01 V 1.0 Finally finished! Happy Valentines Day!
2/18/01 V 1.1 Grammar corrections and more info.
Terran
Medic
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 60
Armor Class: Light
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 50
Gas: 25
Supply: 1
The Terran Medic is basically the SCV for organic troops with her Heal
ability (1 mana point for every 2 hp healed). With a Medic or two, even a
small group of Marines can be formidable. It also means that Marines and
Firebats can use Stim Packs more without being killed. Medics can also heal
allied troops, making a friendly Zerg player very happy. Medics cannot heal
themselves, and assigning more then one Medic to heal a unit wont speed up
the process. Besides repairing organic troops, the Medic can use her
Restoration ability (50 mana) to get rid of most “spells.” This means you
wont have to kill that really expensive unit just because it was hit with a
Parasite. Restoration will also work on units hit with Lockdown
(Yeeeeessssssss!), Optic Flare, Irradiate, Devourer Acid Spores, Plague,
Ensnare, and Maelstorm. The Medic’s third ability, Optic Flare (75 mana), is
kinda in between good and bad. Any unit hit by Optic Flare will get its
sight range dropped to 1 matrix. Also, any unit with Detection will lose
that ability, i.e. Observers and Overlords. It is good because it can remove
from the Protoss and Zerg important cloaking detection units, again Observers
and Overlords. It also forces powerful units like Carriers and
Battlecrusiers to rely on other units to spot for them, decreasing their
lethalness. If a Blinded Drone morphs into a building, that building will
also be Blind. This can really help stop Spore Colonies. A neat trick is to
blind Spider Mines, turning them into land mines. They will wait till an
opponent is almost directly on top of them to pop out and explode. On the
downside, it is usually better to just destroy Observers and Overlords,
especially since Overlords also serve as supply depots and transports for the
Zerg.
In my experience, I don not use Medics a lot. Unless I am mustering up a
huge ground force for an attack, I usually drop a team of eight Marines
behind enemy lines to try to get at the enemy Worker units. “Why not use a
Medic for those raids?” you are probably saying. I do not know why, it just
seems like a waste of money since those squads are pretty much dead anyway
(unless my opponent is a complete moron and wont respond to his workers being
attacked). The Medic that would perish with those brave Marines could’ve
saved a Siege Tank from Lockdown, or a Science Vessel from Plague. Also,
when you tell a group of Marines/Firebats with a Medic to Attack/Move, the
Medic runs in front of the group and gets killed, requiring added
micromanagement to the attack, and gets really annoying. IMO, Medics should
be used with large ground forces so lots of units get the most out of her,
i.e. Marines/Firebats are healed, everybody gets protection from most
“spells” with Restoration, helps in confusing the enemy with Optic Flare.
Terran
Valkyrie
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 200
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 2
COSTS
Mineral: 250
Gas: 125
Supply: 3
In Brood War, each race gets its own air-to-air unit. For the Terrans, it is
the Valkyrie Frigate. It fires a salvo of 8 H.A.L.O. Rockets, each rocket a
base damage of 5 explosive (upgraded to +3). The rockets hit at and around
the target within a 3 x 3 matrix area and do a small amount of splash damage.
Each air-to-air unit in Brood War has something special the others don’t.
For the Valkyrie, it is those Halo Rockets. If a regular Valkyrie fires a
full volley, that would be 5x8=40. That is 40 explosive damage, which can be
a lot. Even for small units, which get 50% of explosive damage, it is still
20 damage, and only if there is one. Valkyries work wonders in squadrons of
8-10 and boy, you do not want to come across that group! In one game, I took
out two waves of 8 Mutalisks with 8 Valkyries in about 10 seconds flat with
minimal damage. I was not keeping the time, but that’s a hell lot faster
than what 8 Wraiths would do to that group. On island maps, Valkyries are
great for defending your home island or expansions. They can knock out any
transport coming your way, and deal with its escorts. The only time
Valkyries suffer is in small groups of 1-4 and attacked by spread-out flyers.
When this happens, try running away towards a larger group of Valkyries and
let the attackers follow you. They will most likely bunch up when chasing the
small group, allowing you to ambush them with the larger group.
Zerg
Lurker
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 125
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 50
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
The Lurker is pretty much a walking Sunken Colony, with a few modifications.
Once fully morphed from a Hydralisk, it naturally starts out with the Burrow
ability even if you have not researched it. Once burrowed, the Lurker
attacks by shooting waves of spines toward its target in a straight row.
I admit, I do not really like the Zerg that much and do not play them that
often. But that still does not mean they do not have good units. The Lurker
is great at attacking and defending. When a Lurker attacks, which is 20
splash damage (upgraded to +6), it will not only hurt the intended target,
but anything in front of it. Theoretically, since most units in Starcraft
tend to walk in a straight line (especially Marines/Zerglings/Zealots), and a
group of Marines was walking straight at one of your Lurkers and you targeted
a rear unit, you could damage the entire squad! Lurkers can also defend your
workers from drops by placing a few in with the Minerals. Be warned, as that
20 splash damage will also affect friendly units. Even if you morph a badly
damaged Hydralisk into a Lurker, the Lurker will have full health. The
downside to the Lurker is that, caught in the open, it is nothing more then
target practice. Lurkers are also doomed when faced with a ground-attack
flyer/detector combo. Lurkers are best used when in large groups of
Zerglings and Hydralisks, base defense, or, sometimes, sneaking up on an
enemy base (very risky).
Zerg
Devourer
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 250
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 2
COSTS
Mineral: 150
Gas: 50
Supply: 2
The Devourer can be a force to reckon with. Faster then a Guardian, more
powerful then a Mutalisk with 25 explosive damage(upgraded to +6), and leaves
Acid Spores after every attack that further weaken an opponent. It also has
more hit points and costs less then the other air-to-air units.
Devourers are the second air-to-air unit in the game. While that 25
explosive damage might seem good (remember, the smaller the unit, the less
damage explosive does), its the Acid Spores that make the unit different from
the others. Every time a Devourer attacks, it splashes an Acid Spore on the
target and any close-by units. Each Acid Spore reduces the unit’s cooldown
till its next attack by 1/8. Units with Acid Spores will also take an
additional point of damage every attack (6 Acid Spores = +6 damage). Acid
Spores also reveal the location of cloaked units. That does not mean the
Devourer does not have weak points. It fires the slowest of all the
air-to-air units, and no unit can have more then 9 Acid Spores. Those Acid
Spores aren’t permanent (disappearing one by one) and can be totally removed
by Restoration. The splash effect wont hurt friendly units but will hurt
allied units. Devourers are best used to escort Guardians to their targets
and defend them from air attacks. They can also be used as cover fire to
slow down attacking air units with Acid Spores while other units make their
escape. Because of their slow attack, small groups of Devourers don’t seem
to do too good defending on island maps (from personal experience).
Protoss
Dark Templar
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 80
Shields: 40
Armor Class: Light
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 125
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
The Dark Templar are one of the deadliest Protoss units. While available in
the original Starcraft, you can know produce them at your Gateway.
Permanently cloaked, their Warp Blades attack with a devastating 40 damage
(upgraded to +9!) and can leave a unprepared base in ruins. Two Dark Templar
may also merge to form the Dark Archon.
The Dark Templar are the ultimate assassins in Starcraft. When upgraded,
these bad-ass killers can destroy just about any ground unit in a couple of
swipes (Ultralisks are in question), and that’s only when alone. When hidden
within a attack force going after an enemy base, Dark Templar can slip
through the confusion and get at the heart of the enemy- his Workers- while
his attention is on the units at his front door. After defeating the attack,
your opponent will wonder how the hell did all his workers die, and who the
hell is destroying his base from the inside out? Dark Templar are also good
at doing other dirty jobs. Angry at that group of Ghosts that just disabled
your fleet? Track the bastards down with Dark Templar and lay the smack down
on them before they can cloak. Spotted some Zerg troops burrowed, ready to
ambush some of your workers? Chances are they wont want an Overlord giving
away their position, so wait for them to pop up with a group of Dark Templar
and slash them to ribbons. Opponent trying to build an expansion? If he has
no detection, wipe it off the face of the earth. The few weaknesses with a
Dark Templar is that it doesn’t have a lot of protection, and once detected,
they can be overwhelmed. It is almost impossible to sneak them into a Zerg
base, and ca not do anything about air units. Spells like Ensnare can reveal
their positions and slow them down for other units to destroy them. Do not
forget to merge some Templar to form Dark Archons. Even if the Templar are
badly damaged, the Dark Archon will start with full shields.
Protoss
Dark Archon
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 25
Shields: 200
Armor Class: Heavy
Armor: 1
COSTS
Mineral: 0
Gas: 0
Supply: 4
The Dark Archon are the sweetest units for the Protoss. Though it does not
have an attack like regular Archons, Dark Archons have some of the best
spells in the game. Maelstorm (100 mana) stuns all biological units for a
couple of seconds. Feedback (50 mana) removes all mana from a unit and deals
an equal amount of damage. The most feared spell, Mind Control (150 mana and
all shields), completely takes control over any unit.
Opponents tremble when they see that floating red ball of energy known as the
Dark Archon. The very presence of it can change the course of a battle. The
Maelstorm spell effects a 3 x 3 area, freezing biological units for about 5
seconds. It will reveal any biological unit that is cloaked, but wont work
on burrowed units. This spell is almost specifically designed for Zerg, since
all Zerg units are biological. The 5 seconds are about enough time to make a
quick escape, and that is about all Maelstorm is good for. Feedback is
absolutely dangerous for any magic units. When targeted, the unit loses all
of its mana, and takes damage equal to that lose. This spell outright kills
Corsair, Wraith, Science Vessel, Queen, Defiler, Ghost, Medic, Dark Archon
(if enemy research +50 energy), and/or High Templar. This spell is very
nice, but nothing compared to Mind Control. Requiring 150 mana and the lose
of shields, the Dark Archon completely takes control of any unit, big and
small. This has several implications:
1. If you take control of a SCV or Drone, you will not only be able to build
all of that races units and buildings, but it increases your supply limit 200
per race. This can really change the outcome of a game, allowing you to
maximize on the capabilities of each race. How would you like a fleet of
Battlecrusiers and Carriers, with a couple of Guardians thrown in? This is
the stuff dreams are made of. Unfortunately, SCVs will not be able to repair
your robotic units. Unless your stupid, you’ll know not to Mind Control
other Probes.
2. If you take control of a loaded transport, you not only capture the
transport, but whatever is in it. This really saves time from Mind
Controlling the units in there one at a time. This is also a way to get a
SCV or Drone (see above). Sometimes you might get a valuable unit, like a
Siege Tank or a Archon. Other times it will just be a bunch of Zealots or
Zerglings (not that those are not valuable, just depends on what you will do
with them).
3. If you take control of a very valuable or powerful unit, it could give you
a slight edge and really anger your opponent. Everybody hates it when they
have wasted 400 minerals and 300 gas just to have their Battlecrusier switch
sides, especially when the unit is a big part of an attack. One unit to
really look for is the Medic. Though your biological units are few and far
between, she can really help you out with Restoration, getting rid of those
pesky bugs (literally) and spells. Mind Control also transfers any special
unit upgrades that an affected unit has achieved (but not weapon, armor, and
shield upgrades) to the player that used Mind Control. Example: if you Mind
Control an Arbiter with Recall ability, then all your existing Arbiters will
gain Recall. This also means that you have researched Recall ability.
Protoss
Corsair
VITAL STATISTICS
Hit Points: 100
Shields: 80
Armor Class: Medium
Armor: 0
COSTS
Mineral: 150
Gas: 100
Supply: 2
Protoss Corsairs are the third and final air-to-air unit in Brood War.
Quickly attacking with Neutron Flares at 5 normal damage (upgraded to +3) and
armed with the feared Disruption Web (125 mana), they are a menace to both
air and ground units.
The Corsair, IMO, has a rather weak attack. Though they fire quickly and
their damage is not affected by sizes, they don’t have the wide damage area
of the Valkyrie or the punch of the Devourer. They are also a bit weak on
the protection side. Corsairs, oddly enough, make great ground support
flyers. Any unit caught within the effect of a Disruption Web(which only
affects ground targets), will not be able to engage the Corsair. This
includes all defense buildings (Bunkers, Photon Cannons, ect.). Using the
Disruption Web can be a deadly tactic on island maps. Simply hit an area of
coastline with a couple of Webs, and none of the defenses will be able to
fire on your incoming transports or attack fleet. Any ground unit under a
Web can still move and use special abilities. Corsairs are good at defending
Carriers and disabling ground defenses, especially on island maps or areas
with little room to maneuver out of the Web.
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