Protoss
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Image:Prottos1.jpg The Protoss are a race in Blizzard Entertainment's real-time strategy computer game, StarCraft. They are technologically advanced and rely on psionic abilities and cybernetics in battle. They are the primary opponents of the Zerg. The Protoss are highly religious and follow a strict code known as the Khala. The Protoss have mastered their psionic powers, and are currently engaged in a devastating war with the Zerg. They have recently had to deal with a civil war within their ranks.
Protos in Greek means 'first'. This name is supposedly given because the Protoss were the first semi-successful Xel'Naga creation. They (the Protoss) were later deemed a failure by the greater species, leading to the engineering of the Zerg.
In StarCraft online culture, the Protoss are often referred to simply as Toss (or Pro by some Korean players or as "P'to" for written abbreviation); amongst experienced players, it's often abbreviated to simply P.
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HistoryTemplate:Ref
Aiur is one of many worlds engineered by the Xel'Naga, a race of extragalactic geneticists, obssessed with creating the perfect race, that would be marked by a distinct purity of form. The Xel'Naga, after innumerable failures to create such a race, turned towards Aiur.They watched over a particular species of hunters and warriors and discerned that they indeed had a purity of form, as they were incredibly adaptable and had unmatched strength and speed. However, the most intriguing ability of the species is a psionic link that is shared by the entire race. This link was a form of instinctive telepathy, enabling them to communicate with one another, so that even large groups could work together efficiently.
The Xel'Naga altered them to some extent with their Khaydarin Crystals, but were content to remain unseen for many generations. The Xel'Naga felt they had achieved their goal, and gave the new race the name of Protoss, or 'the First Born'. Aiur was eventually covered with civilized Protoss, and so the Xel'Naga descended onto Aiur in order to more closely study the evolution of their charges. A Temple marks where they first set down upon Aiur.
The Xel'Naga were initially revered as gods, as the Protoss looked towards their creators with respect and a lust for knowledge. However, as the understanding and personal awareness of the young Protoss grew, they began to place greater pride in individual achievements rather than the benefit of the community. The various Tribes sought to distance themselves from one another, seeking their role not only within their immediate society, but the universe as a whole.
The tribes began to fear treachery from their masters, and in seeking to sever themselves from the rest of their race, attempted to lose the psychic link that they shared. This dissolved whatever remnants of brotherhood or unity that the Protoss had shared. Feeling that the greatest attribute of the Protoss was lost, the Xel'Naga began withdrawing from Aiur. However, the suspicious Protoss responded with an attack that destroyed a number of Xel'Naga Worldships. The Xel'Naga Worldships fended off the hasty attack and left the system. The Protoss Tribes then turned against each other, beginning the Aeon of Strife, the most devastating civil war in recorded galactic history.
The Aeon of Strife
During the Aeon of Strife, Protoss advancement slowed, and the tribes waged a massive war with each other, lasting hundreds of years. Little is known from this time, but it is known that the Protoss lost their psionic link with each other. The Aeon of Strife was the longest, most devastating civil war to ever strike any currently known species. The most famous Tribe from this time period is the Akilae Tribe, which are to this day renowned as the Protoss' finest psionic warriors.
During this time, the Protoss maintained colonies on other planets, but these too quickly became gripped with the Strife.
He Who Brings Order
The mystic Khas (a word meaning "He who brings order") eventually brought about the end of the Strife. He had studied the "forbidden" teachings of the Xel'Naga and unearthed the Khaydarin Crystals. With these crystals he was able to amplify the psionic link, which had submerged itself in Protoss egos, and recreate the link.
With this power, he traveled across Aiur, teaching the Protoss he encountered to join the psionic link; this became a philosophy called the Khala. Eventually he reunited the majority of the Protoss, forming three castes and a new Tribe.
The very first group of warriors and students to surround him became the Ara Tribe, and joined the Judicator Caste. The other Tribes to quickly join also became members of this caste.
The next group of Tribes became the Templar Caste (the warriors), and the majority of the Protoss became the Khalai Caste (workers and artisans), ending the civil war.
The philosophy known as the Khala brought on the Second Age for the Protoss. The Tribal society evolved into three Castes: the Judicator Caste (led by the Conclave), the Khalai Caste and the Templar Caste.
Rogues
Unknown to the majority of Protoss at this time, some Protoss refused to join the Khala, yet did not act on the violent emotions of the Strife. Adun and his Templar refused to exterminate them as ordered by the Protoss Conclave. Instead, Adun taught them how to hide themselves from the Conclave and to create psionic storms. The latter lesson backfired, however, as the storms could not be controlled without the discipline of the Khala. The storms spiralled over Aiur, revealing the presence of the Rogue Tribes to the ProtossTemplate:Ref.
The barely reunited tribes began to fight once more. Old vendettas and ancient prejudices were reborn as the Protoss who refused the way of Khala were branded as traitors and hunted downTemplate:Ref.
Eventually the Conclave devised a way to impose order on the Protoss once more. The Rogue Tribes were secretly placed on board a Xel'Naga Freighter and exiled from AiurTemplate:Ref. Matriarch Raszagal, a very old Protoss and Dark Templar leader, is old enough to remember the Exile clearly. Their fate was kept a secret from the other Protoss. Eventually they became known, in legend, as the Dark Templar. These Protoss, forced to draw on cosmic energies to power their psionic abilities, ceremonially severed the nerve cords that linked them to the Protoss telepathic communityTemplate:Ref.
Expansion and Discovery
The Protoss conquered hundreds of worlds within their corner of the galaxy, spreading civilization to many of the more advanced races that they encounteredTemplate:Ref.
The Protoss follow the Dae'uhl (Stewardship) of the planets once claimed by the Xel'Naga. They started supervising and protecting the lesser life forms, but they rarely interferedTemplate:Ref.
When the Terrans arrived in the Koprulu Sector, colonizing over a dozen worlds within Protoss space, the Protoss observed silently. They put the humans under their Stewardship.
The Protoss suffered disastrous contact with the Zerg. The Protoss discovered Zerg probes on the edge of Protoss space and discovered their true purpose; to conquer the Protoss and absorb their psionic abilities into the gene pool. They realized that the Zerg had secretly been infesting the Terran planets, so they began exterminating these planets. The Protoss destroyed their first target without warning.
The Fall of Aiur
After the destruction of the first Terran planet (Chau Sara), Tassadar would wait until the Terrans had left the planet before he attacked, but he would scour the surfaces clean of all Zerg. Tassadar, the leader of the force sent to scour the planets of the Zerg, enlisted the aid of the Dark Templar on Char without the permission of the Protoss Conclave after he discovered that they could be used to defeat the Zerg. Normally, a Zerg Cerebrate, a Zerg Brood commander, would be reincarnated if slain; however, the energies of the Dark Templar were able to cut off the reincarnation power. Unfortunately, when the Dark Templar led by Zeratul destroyed the first Cerebrate, the Zerg Overmind unexpectedly linked its mind with Zeratul. Their secrets were exposed to one another, and as a consequence, the Overmind discovered the location of Aiur. After a long battle, the Zerg finally managed to conquer the planet. Meanwhile, Tassadar was trapped on a space platform above Char, while Zeratul was captured in an installation by Infested Kerrigan, who had remained behind.
The Overmind itself landed on Aiur, but after a long, stalemated battle, Protoss forces slew several Cerebrates as a distraction tactic. Taking advantage of the confusion that followed, Tassadar, with the aid of Terran forces led by Jim Raynor, combined the energies of Dark and Light Templar and sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind. Even then, in the aftermath, most of the Protoss population (about 70%) was slain, Zerg were running loose on Aiur, and the Conclave had fallen. It is interesting to note that before the battle with the Overmind begins, the Conclave, realizing that Tassadar, Zeratul, and Jim Raynor had done much more than the Conclave could have hoped to accomplish, repented their past blind adherence to tradition. Aldaris remarks that they are the representatives of Aiur in its darkest hour.
Survival
With Zerg running loose across Aiur, Zeratul, a prominent Dark Templar leader, suggested that they flee to Shakuras, the homeworld of the Dark Templar. Despite protests from Aldaris, the leader of the remaining Judicators, they did so. However, it was soon discovered that the Zerg had followed them there, and that they had manifested themselves around the Xel'Naga Temple. The Matriarch of the Dark Templar, Raszagal, noted that they would need two crystals, the Uraj and the Khalis, each containing the powers of either light or dark Templar (respectively), to defeat the Zerg.
However, Sarah Kerrigan, a Terran Ghost operative that had been infested by the Zerg into a ruthless servent of the Overmind, came to them and told them that there was a new Overmind growing on the planet Char. She claimed that she was free from the Overmind's control and that she didn't want to come under its influence again. So, when they agreed to help cripple the maturation of the Overmind, Kerrigan agreed, in turn, to help with the collection of the two crystals.
After the two crystals had been discovered and the Overmind was crippled, Aldaris and his followers declared civil war with the Protoss under the command of Artanis, Zeratul, Fenix, and their Terran allies (notably James Raynor). Aldaris's forces were defeated, and in the confusion, Kerrigan intervened and killed Aldaris, kidnapped Raszagal, and claimed that she had been brainwashing Raszagal to do her bidding all along. The Protoss, after suffering these losses, proceeded to secure the Xel'Naga temple and combine the powers of the two crystals. This purged the surface of Shakuras of all life; only the Protoss taking refuge in the temple survived. The Protoss, therefore, defeated the Zerg force.
It is not known how Kerrigan survived, though the fact remains she did and was able to hold the Dark Templar's matriarch captive, forcing Zeratul to slay the new Overmind the UED had pacified on Char, knowing that only Dark Templar energies could truly harm the Overmind and its Cerebrates. Kerrigan had needed to defeat the UED in order to regain control of her Zerg forces. She extorted Zeratul into commanding his Dark Templar warriors to do this act, promising him that she would allow the matriarch Raszagal to return to him. After Zeratul's Dark Templar defeated the UED and their Zerg, Kerrigan was true to her word and "allowed" Raszagal to return to him. However, Raszagal, still under the influence of Kerrigan, refused. Thus, Zeratul was forced to kill Raszagal. Kerrigan, surprisingly, let Zeratul and some of his remaining Protoss forces go.
Later, when Kerrigan had gathered her forces above Char, the remaining Protoss under Artanis (as well as forces commanded by the United Earth Directorate and the Terran Dominion), attempted to stop Kerrigan. However, Kerrigan defeated all three forces, and the remaining Protoss commanded by Artanis (Fenix had been killed and Zeratul had disappeared) retreated to Shakuras 'to begin rebuilding their once-grand civilization'.
Physiology
Protoss are about 3 meters tall and have two luminous eyes, digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four digits on each of their hands (of which two are opposable) and toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. Extending back from the crown of the head, Protoss have a bony crest. Beneath it, emerging from the back of the head, are the nerve cords, allowing Protoss to access their racial psionic gestalt. This gestalt is the basis of the Khala.
Protoss are bereft of mouths, noses, or visible ears. Though it is unknown how their senses of hearing or chemoreception operate, they are widely believed to possess such sensitivites, likely to acute degrees due to their perfected nature. They can communicate telepathically with each other, especially over long distances. Due to their nature (possibly Psi-based physiology), which deviates widely from conventional biology as it is understood, illness is unheard of, and their physical resilience and capability is astounding due to the lack of limitations normally posed by typical biological processes. One (fan-based) theory is that they consume Psi-based energy for sustenance, which could contribute their almost emaciated appearance (no storage of physical fat) as well as their long lifespans (no ingestion of unhealthy materials).
A Protoss' average life expectancy is about a thousand years (see Matriarch Raszagal), apparently not unlike that of antediluvian humans in the Bible - but, because of their arcane nature, their life expectancy may extend well beyond that figure. Protoss under 300 years rarely have any significant political positions.
Protoss blood is blue, with a slight iridescence. They also have a psionic pulse encased in a physical body. Once that body is destroyed, the psionic pulse dissipates, flaring with a pale, blue light.
As in humans, coloration is considered a sign of ethnicity, with each Protoss tribe having a specific color or typical pattern of markings associated with it. The main exception is the Ara tribe, as it was not originally created through inheritance, instead derived from unrelated students who originally followed Khas and his philosophy, the Khala.
The Protoss brain is similar in structure to the human brain. The most noticeable differences lie in the cerebellum, primarily in its size. The Protoss cerebellum is elongated in comparison to the human cerebellum, resulting in a larger surface area which accounts for the greater cognitive abilities of the Protoss.
Protoss religion
Protoss religion takes its roots from the wars that plagued Aiur following the retreat of the Xel'Naga. United after several years under the teachings of Khas, the Protoss began to adhere to Khas's teachings of the "Khala", or Path to Ascension. The resulting religion bears a striking resemblance to modern day Hinduism in teachings, e.g. it includes a caste-based social system, and even a group of "Untouchables" not considered part of the caste system at all (the Dark Templar). However, it is more like Medieval Catholicism in how it is carried out, with a hierarchy and Zealot warriors; the Khala has a caste system and focuses heavily on the teachings of Khas and the ability of the Protoss to use Psionic powers. When Protoss warriors die in battle it is believed that they have reached the "Khala's End."
Religious principles
- Khala ("Path of Ascension")
- Dae'Uhl ("Great Stewardship")
Religious figures in Protoss society
- Khas — A prominent figure in Protoss society, he was the charismatic and spiritual leader who brought an end to the Aeon of Strife by using ancient Xel'Naga artifacts, the Khaydarin Crystals, to unite the warring tribes by calling them into a communal telepathic matrix. The belief that this was necessary for the Protoss to survive became known as the Khala, and it is followed by almost all Protoss factions. The Path of Khala is the sole and dominant religion in Protoss society, and societal rank (for example, templar, or judicator) and honour are linked with Khala.
- Adun — Another well-known figure in Protoss culture, he is honored by Khalai and Dark Templar alike. A powerful warrior in his time, he was charged with the extermination of the Rogue Tribes by the Conclave. Unable to bring themselves to slaughter their kin, Adun and his troops attempted to hide the heretics. Though he failed, he would be known as a saviour to the Dark Templar, and would gain similar status on Aiur after the myth of the heretics spread, revealing that he "saved" Aiur from the heretics and their "anarchist" ways. The phrase "En Taro Adun" is used by the Protoss as a formal greeting or farewell, and also serves as a battlecry, although Dark Templar often use "Adun Toridas" instead of "En Taro Adun". "Adun Toridas" seems to be used exclusively by the Dark Templar.
- Tassadar — He gained a following after his heroic death in defeating the Zerg Overmind. He serves as a contemporary example of Protoss virtues, and some Templar (notably Artanis) have taken to saying "En Taro Tassadar".
Heroes and other notable Protoss
Gameplay attributes
- High cost per unit produced.
- High unit power.
- High supply consumption per unit.
- Very powerful special abilities (the Psionic Storm is often referred to as the "most powerful special ablilty in the game").
- The only race with plasma shields. Plasma shields take full damage from all attacks but regenerate quickly. These shields can also be upgraded to provide up to 3 armor to the shields of all protoss units and structures.
During the Aeon of Strife, some Protoss warriors used focused psionic energy to surround themselves in impregnable energy shields. Over time, Conclave scholars and Templar sages learned to reproduce the energy shield using induced psi-field generators, which allowed even the smallest robotic machine to surround itself with a protective field.
All Protoss military units (including buildings) have shields; when damaged, shields regenerate over time, at a faster rate than the regeneration of Zerg unit hit points. Shields, however, always take full damage (see Damage types). Shields are instantly drained by the Terran Science Vessel's EMP ability. Shields on all units can be regenerated almost instantly by the Protoss Shield Battery structure. However, they are unable to recover damage to their hit points. (This makes the Defiler's Plague ability extremely dangerous to tight Protoss armies.)
- Protoss structures and units cannot be repaired of damage sustained while the shields were down (unless the Protoss player has either mind-controlled a Terran medic or has a Terran ally with medics; even then, this only applies to non-mechanical Protoss units)
- Fastest building method, moderate building location restrictions (Pylons)
Protoss structures (and Protoss units, to a lesser extent) draw their energy from a great psionic energy matrix that emanates from Aiur. While the Nexus provides a link to this matrix, Khaydarin Crystal-based Pylons are needed to actually tap into the energy required to provide psionic energy to new colonies. Each Pylon generates a short-ranged field of energy that can provide the power needed by structures and warp gates. If a Protoss building loses its connection to the Psionic Matrix (e.g. all Pylons in range are destroyed), it will shut down until it is reconnected. New units cannot be gated in if there is insufficient psionic energy to provide them with power.
The most technologically advanced race in the game, the Protoss field relatively small but very powerful armies. Their units cost much more than those of the Terran or Zerg, and require more supply, but are far more powerful than the equivalent units of those races. Their shields also serve as a replaceable buffer of health. The Protoss builder unit, the Probe, does not actually build structures but instead places a dimentional anchor and warps them in from Aiur; once the Probe has finished opening the warp gate, it can drift off and begin mining resources while the building warps in, or it can continue warping in buildings.
The Protoss's major disadvantage is their high cost; a Protoss player without a strong economy is essentially doomed, and individual units must be controlled well to realize their full potential. The Protoss also have a weakness no other race has, in the form of their Pylons. Pylons are specialized buildings that project an energy field, symbolized onscreen as a transparent blue circle; all Protoss buildings require this field to function. Pylons are relatively durable (300 shield points and 300 Hit Points), but they are still the easiest thing in a Protoss base to destroy, and if they are destroyed they have the effect of 'unplugging' all the Protoss's home appliances and factories. A concentrated assault on Pylons, in other words, can bring Protoss production to a halt; and, since Pylons also provide Supply, those buildings that remain 'plugged in' still may not be able to produce more units until the Supply limit is restored. This weakness can be overcome by building an excess of pylons, to both provide backup supply if others are destroyed, or backup building power by overlapping their fields. The disadvantage to this is the cost of building the pylons, as well as using up more of their limited space to make them.
Units
Land units
- Probe — builder unit. The probe is the most effective builder unit, as it is not consumed upon creation of a structure like a Zerg drone and does not need to remain at the structure to construct it like a Terran SCV. It is small in size and is therefore maneuverable and can go through small spaces. It is considerably weaker than an SCV, and takes more damage from certain units. Its attack power is not upgradable.
- Zealot — primary attack unit. The Zealot is a melee attacker that wields a pair of energy blades, and it is much stronger than the primary attack units of the Zerg and Terran races. It can be upgraded for faster movement speed. It is incapable of attacking air units.
- Dragoon — The Dragoon is a ranged attack ground unit that deals moderate explosive damage. Dragoons are especially vulnerable to Zerg players, as swarms of Zerglings can take them out easily. Hydralisks are also efficient against Dragoons that are lacking proper support. The Dragoon can be upgraded for extrended atack range. It also has the capability to attack air units. Due to its size it sometimes has trouble moving through tight spaces.
- Reaver — siege unit. It is both the slowest siege unit and the most powerful. Unlike most other units, it does not have unlimited ammunition. Instead, it constructs "Scarabs", small mobile explosives. It has an initial capacity of 5 Scarabs that can be upgraded to 10. Each shot uses up one Scarab. Note that the Scarabs must move along the ground toward their targets; while they will circumnavigate obstacles if possible, they need a relatively clear path. If a target is within range but directly blocked by a wide obstacle such as several lined mineral fields, the Scarab will detonate regardless after approximately five seconds of high-speed attempted circumnavigation. Scarabs also cannot bypass cliffs. Its reliance on Scarabs and its slow speed are the Reaver's main weaknesses. However, its high attack damage, splash effect and normal damage type makes it very powerful against groups of weak units such as Zerglings or Marines, and its long range can be used to take out defensive structures without fear of retaliation, although it lacks the range of the Terran Siege Tank. The Reaver's Scarab damage can be upgraded. The slow speed of Reavers can be compensated for by pairing Reavers closely with Shuttles (especially with the speed upgrade), keeping the Shuttles close to Reavers during combat operations, and repeatedly unloading and reboarding the Reavers in response to enemy action.
- High Templar — primary caster. With the exception of heroes, High Templars cannot attack and are rather slow and weak. However, their special abilities make them powerful support units. For more detailed information, see High Templar.
- Hallucination — Creates two copies of a target unit. Enemies cannot distinguish hallucinations from real units directly. Hallucinations can be used for decoys or for scouting. The Hallucination ability must be researched at the Templar Archives. Generally, Hallucination is not used in high-level competetive play.
- Psionic Storm — Many consider this spell the most powerful special ability in the game. Psionic 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. Psionic Storm is particularly useful against large groups of frail units, such as Marines, Zerglings or Hydralisks. Also note that psionic storm can kill burrowed zerg units or cloaked units, even without detector support.
- 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 High Templar are vulnerable. The meld is irreversible, so the High Templar and their abilities are irretrievably lost.
- Archon — Archons are created when two High Templar merge. They have a powerful short-ranged attack that deals splash damage, and they have a powerful shield that can withstand a large amount of damage. However, they have extremely few hit points, so a Terran EMP will bring them to near-death. Archons do not activate Terran Vultures' Spider Mines (as they do not walk on the ground, but rather float over it), and they are immune many ill effects, including Irradiate and Spawn Broodling, and they are almost unaffected by Plague (it lowers their HP to 1 while leaving their shields intact).
- Dark Templar — Stealth unit with permanent cloaking (no cloaking special ablility or energy points required). Opponents require detector units (e.g. Terran Science Vessel, overlord, observer, missile turret, spore colony, or photon cannon) to see it. It has a very powerful melee attack but relatively low hit points and shields. They are extremely powerful against opponents lacking proper detection, but are somewhat frail if detected in combat. (StarCraft: Brood War only)
- Dark Archon — Caster with no attack formed from two Dark Templar. Its abilities include Mind Control, a spell that allows a Protoss player to take control of an enemy unit at cost of 150 energy and all of the Dark Archon's shield points. This ability can even be used to take control of another race's worker unit, allowing you to build that race's tech tree. Of course, this is expensive and rarely cost-effective, and if you manage to build an entire second army with that race, you've probably already won anyway. You can also Mind-Control an enemy shuttle unit and take control of not only the shuttle but all units inside of it as well. The Dark Archon's other two abilities are Feedback and Maelstrom. Maelstrom freezes all biological units in the radius of attack for a short period of time, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Feedback can be used to damage and kill other energy-using units by converting their energy points into physical damage and using that damage against them. The damage dealt by Feedback in raw hit points is equal to the amount of energy the target unit had when Feedback was cast upon it. Feedback is the Dark Archon's only default ability; Mind Control and Maelstrom rest be researched at the Templar Archives.(StarCraft: Brood War only)
Air units
- Shuttle — Flying transport unit. After its speed is upgraded it is the fastest transport unit in the game. It can carry up to eight unit slots. (Each unit takes up a different number of slots; probes take up 1, zealots, dark templar, and high templar take up 2, and dragoons, archons, dark archons, and reavers take up 4.)
- Scout — Heavy fighter craft. Speed and sight range can be upgraded at the Fleet Beacon. A fleet of scouts can defeat even the heaviest of air units, making Scouts extremely deadly fighters. Scouts are not very effective against ground units, but they can make good harassers. The introduction of cheaper and faster Corsair in Starcraft: Brood War made Scouts a rare niche unit. Their use is generally limited to defeating fleets of Battlecruisers or Carriers or early harassment against vulnerable Overlords or workers. Scouts are particularly weak against groups of Hydralisks, Scourges, Goliaths or Dragoons.
- Arbiter — Caster; all player-owned units in a certain range except other Arbiters become cloaked without cost. Arbiters can cast Stasis Field that freezes all units in an area for a set amount of time. No health or energy points can be lost or gained during stasis. No other abilities can affect units, including the undoing of the stasis field. Arbiters can also cast Recall, an ability that transports a player's units in a targted area to the vicinity of the arbiter almost instantaneously. Arbiters can Recall locked down units but cannot Recall units in stasis. Special ability and energy point upgrades can be purchased at the Arbiter Tribunal.
- Carrier — Heavy air unit. The carrier attacks by launching Interceptors, each of which is built inside the Carrier at the cost of 25 minerals. Carriers can initially hold and deploy four interceptors, but an upgrade at the Fleet Beacon can increase their capacity to eight. The Interceptors give the Carrier the longest attack range of any Protoss unit, exactly the same as Reavers and Guardians. Carriers are most vulnerable to the Zerg Scourge and Terran Goliaths as well as Protoss Scouts or Terran Wraiths in large numbers. Carriers are good harassment units because of their range, aerial movement, speed and decent damage, but they are not cost-effective in direct confrontations.
- Observer — Aerial scouting unit. Detector unit. Observers are permanently cloaked and thus visible only to other detectors. Observers have no attacks or abilities, and have few hit points and shield points. The speed and sight range of Observers can be upgraded at the Observatory.
- Corsair — Caster and light fighter with a rapid-fire low damage splash attack usable only against air targets. They are useful as scouts and Overlord harassers, and in groups they can decimate packs of Zerg Mutalisks or Scourge. The Corsair can cast Disruption Web, a spell that prevents all land units (friendly and otherwise) and defensive buildings within the web from firing or operating. Units and buildings in the Disruption Web can be targeted for attacks and special abilities. The disruption field cannot be undone until the spell wears out. Corsair upgrades to abilities and energy points are available at the Fleet Beacon. (StarCraft: Brood War only)
- The original corsair, appearing on an original edition Brood War CD, has a disruption web with a very long persistence. The first patch (and later patches) for Brood War, incorporated in later edition CDs and a required download for play on the Battle.net, dramatically reduces the persistence time of the disruption web from that original setting. This was done in response to original edition Brood War games on Battle.net in which it quickly became apparent that the Protoss enjoyed a brutal advantage if they accumulated mass corsairs, with which they could essentially douse an enemy base with disruption webs that - at least when a second round of webs were deployed - stayed in place typically until everything under them was destroyed. This was most striking in the case of an all-aerial assault of corsairs and carriers; when done right, the carriers could simply come in and park over a screen full of disruption webs, with any opposing air units quickly dispensed with, and with the enemy base in utter ruins, if not completely destroyed, by the time the disruption webs finally wore off.
- The Corsair was developed by Dark Templar during their wandering exile from Aiur in order to protect their Xel'Naga freighter, and has since been adapted as an anti-Zerg weapon.
Buildings
All buildings must be built in the vicinity of a Pylon except for the Nexus, Assimilator and other Pylons. All Pylon-requiring buildings without a Pylon in range will cease all operations, including upgrades, unit training, energy point restoration, and attack.
Basic buildings
- Nexus — Provides 9 Psi, resource depot, starting point of technology tree, produces Probes.
- Assimilator — Allows Probes to mine Vespene gas.
- Pylon — Creates 8 Psi each, powers buildings.
- Gateway — Summons infantry units.
- Forge — Provides upgrades for ground weapons, ground armour and plasma shields (which apply to all units and buildings).
- Shield Battery — Structure that uses energy to rapidly recharge unit shields at the cost of 1 energy per 2 shield point.
- Cybernetics Core — Provides upgrades for Protoss Dragoon attack range and spacecraft weapons and armour; required for Dragoon production and a prerequsite for all Advanced buildings.
- Photon Cannon — All-purpose detector defensive structure; weaker than most defensive structures of other races.
Advanced buildings
- Robotics Facility — Used to warp in the Protoss robotic units.
- Stargate — Used to warp in the Protoss air combat units.
- Citadel of Adun — Prerequisite for the Templar Archives, and contains a Zealot movement upgrade.
- Robotics Support Bay — Required for production of the Reaver, and contains upgrades for the Shuttle and Reaver.
- Fleet Beacon — Required for Carrier production, and contains upgrades for the Carrier, Scout, and Corsair.
- Templar Archives — Prerequisite for the Arbiter Tribunal, and required for warping in both High and Dark Templar (and subsequently, both types of Archon). Also contains upgrades for the High Templar and Dark Archon.
- Observatory — Required for Observer production and contains upgrades for the Observer.
- Arbiter Tribunal — Required for Arbiter production and contains upgrades for the Arbiter
Strategies
References
- Template:Note Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- Template:Note Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
- Template:Note War shortly before the Exile - provides information about the Dark Templar exile
External links
Template:StarCraftda:Protoss es:Protoss he:פרוטוס ko:프로토스 nl:Protoss zh:波罗托斯