_________ __ _____ __
/ _____/_/ |_ _____ _______ ____ _______ _____ _/ ____\_/ |_
\_____ \ \ __\\__ \ \_ __ \_/ ___\ \_ __ \\__ \ \ __\ \ __\
/ \ | | / __ \_ | | \/\ \___ | | \/ / __ \_ | | | |
/_______ / |__| (____ / |__| \___ > |__| (____ / |__| |__|
\/ \/ \/ \/
by Joseph Christopher <sirlordjoseph@icqmail.com>
version 2.3
July 8, 2000
this faq is copyright 2000-2001 Joseph Christopher
I didn't believe there will come a time when I'll have to write something
like this just to remind some people of what they all should be knowing
by heart :( Anyway, here goes...
By gaining access to this faq you agree to the following terms:
___________________________________________________________________________________
===================================================================================
|| ||
|| 1) I, Joseph Christopher, the author of this faq, is not in any way ||
|| liable for any harm that anybody thinks came from reading this faq. ||
|| Examples of this harm include physical ones, such as getting mauled ||
|| by someone who lost to you via a technique found in this faq, and ||
|| emotional ones, such as experiencing humiliation upon the use or ||
|| most likely misuse of yet another technique found in this faq. ||
|| ||
|| 2) If this faq was accessed from a source other than gamefaqs.com, nine ||
|| out of ten chances are it is not in its latest update. You must ||
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|| As for webmasters, web page contibutors, and all similar personnel, ||
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|| 4) You will not use even a single phrase, sentence, or concept found ||
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|| the author of this faq, full credit for it. If you in any way ||
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===================================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* This society does not care if you're the dumbest vegetable on earth,
if you do something wrong, someone will make you pay the price! ;)
* Starcraft has been out for a long time now. But since all that's out
are expansions to this great game and since almost everybody already
knows how to play against human opponents, I've decided to write this
faq which, quite uncommonly, would also be dealing with the game's campaign
mode. Of course, I'd still be including all sorts of unit stats and some
multiplayer strategies for those who are interested, but I really hope
all you beginners out there and especially those who find the game's
mission schemes and the stories that come with them highly entertaining
would find this faq quite informative.
Why read this guide:
I. Commands \
II. Basic Concept |
III. The Buildings |
IV. The Units |
V. The Tech Tree > all in part 1 of 4
VI. Terran Campaign Mode |
1. Mission 1-8 |
2. Mission 9 |
a. Overview /
b. Walkthrough \
3. Mission 10 |
VII. Zerg Campaign Mode |
VIII. Protoss Campaign Mode |
IX. Epilogue \ all in part
X. Additional Campaigns / 2 of 4
XI. Multiplayer Strategies |
XII. Rushes |
XIII. Combos |
1. Terran /
2. Zerg and Protoss \
XIV. Teamwork > all in part 3 of 4
1. Terran and Zerg /
2. Protoss \
XV. Suggestions |
XVI. Misc. FAQ |
XVII. Credits |
XVIII. Revision History |
XIX. Final Words > all in part 4 of 4
XX. Game Alterations |
XXI. Stellar Forces |
XXII. Insurrection |
XXIII. Retribution |
XXIV. Gundam Century /
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
____ ___ _____ __ __ __ __ __ _ _ ____ ___
(_ _) / __)( _ )( \/ )( \/ ) /__\ ( \( )( _ \ / __)
_)(_ ( (__ )(_)( ) ( ) ( /(__)\ ) ( )(_) )\__ \
(____)() \___)(_____)(_/\/\_)(_/\/\_)(__)(__)(_)\_)(____/ (___/
Simply put, Starcraft is a point-and-click game. Click on units
and you'd be calling their attention. After which you can right-click on
any spot or fellow unit to issue an automatic command or you may choose
from the commands menu in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Seeing
a highlighted letter in a command name simply means you may press that
letter instead of clicking its icon to quickly issue the corresponding
command. Seeing your pointer change its shape means you can click on that
very spot and some info or command would be presented to you.
You can also click anywhere on the screen and drag to any other
point to creat a square all the selectable units within which would be
automatically selected as a group when you let go. This feature is extremely
useful for issuing a group command like attacking the same base, harvesting
from the same patch of minerals, etc.
For unit selection, hitting ctrl+left click on any unit would enable
you to automatically select all the units of that type on the screen. This
is quite useful to save you the bother of locating each unit of a certain
type in a crowded area. Be reminded, though, that you only have a maximum
of twelve units to select at a time, so you'll only get twelve even if
there are a hundred of the same type on your screen. If, however, you've
selected less than twelve, you can hold the shift key and click on other
units to select them as well.
For unit grouping, hitting ctrl+number while a number of units
are selected will enable you to access the same group of units even if
you forgot where they are by hitting the number you used. This is extremely
useful for grouping your men into armies and launching a full scale attack.
On the other hand, holding down the shift key while a group of units is
selected readies them for multiple tasks. Just right click on every place
you'd like them to go to or on every opponent you'd like them to attack
and they'll perform each task in the order you clicked.
As for the hot keys, here's a list:
* For the basic structures, these hot keys apply to their respective
workers after hitting b
* For the advanced structures, these hot keys apply to their respective
workers after hitting v
* For the units, these hot keys apply to their respective buildings
* For all the other commands, these hot keys apply to their respective
units and buildings
* All info on which unit/building does what will be discussed later on
Terran - basic : C - Command Center
S - Supply Depot
R - Refinery
B - Barracks
E - Engineering Bay
T - Missile Turret
A - Academy
U - Bunker
- advanced : F - Factory
S - Starport
I - Science Facility
A - Armory
- addons : C - ComSat Station
N - Nuclear Silo
C - Machine Shop
C - Covert Ops
P - Physics Lab
- upgrades : W - Infantry Weapons
A - Infantry Armor
U - U-238 Shells
T - Stim Packs
W - Vehicle Weapons
P - Vehicle Plating
S - Ship Weapons
H - Ship Plating
C - Cloaking Field
A - Apollo Reactor
I - Ion Thrusters
M - Spider Mines
S - Siege Tech
E - EMP Shockwave
I - Irradiate
T - Titan Reactor
L - Lockdown
O - Ocular Implants
M - Moebius Reactor
C - Personel Cloaking
Y - Yamato Gun
C - Colossus Reactor
- units : S - SCV
M - Marine
F - Firebat
G - Ghost
V - Vulture
T - Siege Tank
G - Goliath
W - Wraith
D - Dropship
V - Science Vessel
B - Battlecruiser
- specials : R - Repair
L - Liftoff
S - Scanner Sweep
T - Stim Pack
Y - Yamato Gun
L - Lockdown
C - Cloaking
D - Defensive Matrix
I - Irradiate
E - EMP Shockwave
L - Load
U - Unload
O - Siege/Tank Mode
I - Spider Mines
N - Nuclear Strike
N - Arm Nuclear Silo
Zerg - basic : H - Hatchery
C - Creep Colony
E - Extractor
S - Spawning Pool
V - Evolution Chamber
D - Hydralisk Den
- advanced : S - Spire
Q - Queen's Nest
N - Nydus Canal
U - Ultralisk Cavern
D - Defiler Mound
- upgrades : H - Hive
B - Burrow
V - Ventral Sacs
A - Antennae
P - Pneumatized Carapace
M - Metabolic Boost
A - Adrenal Glands
M - Muscular Augments
G - Grooved Spines
A - Flyer Attacks
C - Flyer Carapace
G - Greater Spire
B - Spawned Broodling
E - Ensnare
G - Gemete Meiosis
G - Plague
C - Consume
M - Metasynaptic Node
- units : D - Drone
Z - Zergling
O - Overlord
H - Hydralisk
M - Mutalisk
S - Scourge
Q - Queen
U - Ultralisk
F - Defiler
- specials : S - Select Larva
R - Parasite
B - Spawn Broodling
E - Ensnare
I - Infest Command Center
W - Dark Swarm
G - Plague
C - Consume
L - Load
U - Unload
G - Guardian Aspect
Protoss - basic : N - Nexus
P - Pylon
A - Assimilator
G - Gateway
F - Forge
C - Photon Cannon
Y - Cybernetics Core
B - Shield Battery
- advanced : R - Robotics Facility
S - Stargate
C - Citadel of Adun
B - Robotics Support Bay
F - Fleet Beacon
T - Templar Archives
O - Observatory
A - Arbiter Tribunal
- upgrades : W - Ground Weapons
A - Ground Armor
S - Plasma Shields
W - Air Weapons
A - Air Armor
S - Singularity Charge
L - Leg Enchancements
S - Scarab Damage
C - Reaver Capacity
G - Gravitic Drive
P - Psionic Storm
H - Hallucination
K - Khaydarin Amulet
A - Apial Sensors
G - Gravitic Thrusters
C - Carrier Capacity
G - Gravitic Booster
S - Sensor Array
R - Recall
S - Stasis Field
K - Khaydarin Core
- units : P - Probe
Z - Zealot
D - Dragoon
T - High Templar
S - Shuttle
V - Reaver
O - Observer
S - Scout
C - Carrier
A - Arbiter
- specials : T - Psionic Storm
L - Hallucination
R - Recall
T - Stasis Field
L - Load
U - Unload
R - Recharge Shields
I - Interceptors
R - Scarabs
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
____ ____ ____ __ ___ ____ ___
(_ _)(_ _) ( _ \ /__\ / __)(_ _) / __)
_)(_ _)(_ ) _ < /(__)\ \__ \ _)(_ ( (__
(____)(____)() (____/(__)(__)(___/(____) \___)
___ _____ _ _ ___ ____ ____ ____
/ __)( _ )( \( ) / __)( ___)( _ \(_ _)
( (__ )(_)( ) ( ( (__ )__) )___/ )(
\___)(_____)(_)\_) \___)(____)(__) (__)
The first thing you have to do is gather resources. This is possible
via your gathering units (SCV for the Terrans, Drone for the Zerg, and
Probe for the Protoss). Once you have enough minerals and vespene gas
(obtained by contructing the corresponding builing on a vespene geyser
and ordering your harvesters to gather from that building), you can construct
more buildings, summon more units, upgrade, etc. to suit the needs of what
you may think is the best way to deal with the present situation. Each
race's units also "eat up a certain number of supplies" depending on how
massive that unit is. In turn, each race also has a "supply provider"
that is required whenever you'd like to summon more units.
However, in the campaign mode's case, you'll sometimes be situated
in missions wherein you lack the ability to acquire a certain unit, upgrade
a certain spell, etc. You may also very well be situated in missions that
don't even allow construction of buildings or gathering of resources to
complete. Adjust your actions according to these missions' objectives and
you're on your way to the next.
As you'd probably know by now, there are three different races
in Starcraft to choose from: The Terrans, the Zerg, and the Protoss.
The Terrans are most likely what the beginners will choose, as they seem
to be the star of the show, not to mention having easy to remember unit
and building names. They are not to be underestimated, however, since
they are just as lethal as the other two races in the hands of an expert.
As predicted, these Terrans will make use of marines, tanks, jet fighters,
and of course, the James Bond types. The Zerg, on the other hand, are
your typical "Aliens"---gross, slimy, acidic, purely biological, mindless,
savage, and of course, totally unharmed by your everyday bullets. The
Zerg knows of no technology whatsoever, nor does it need any. Its buildings
are actually alive, and they incorporate the surrounding ground with an
organic purple substance called Creep. Each member of a Zerg army is
practically unaware of its own existence, as consciousness is only granted
upon the Cerebrates (what YOU are supposed to be when you control them)
and the almighty Overmind (you'll find out what that is in the campaign
mode). Lastly, as the Zerg may be compared to the alien species introduced
by the movie, "Aliens", the Protoss, in my honest opinion, can be compared
to "The Predator". They are what the Zerg are not. Their bodies are thin,
weak, and fragile, but their minds are strong and capable of Psionic eminations.
Their cool psychic powers, coupled with a technology far more advanced
than ours today, provide all that they need to be at par with the other
two races. The Protoss rely heavily on teleportation technology in the
wars they fight, partly because they may use this technology strategically
in warfare, but mainly because, in an attempt to save much needed time,
they opt to have their war machines readily constructed on Aiur, their
homeland so all they have to do to is to teleport them on the battlefield
when needed. This makes their worker, the Probe, the best worker in the
game in terms of construction since it can summon multiple buildings all
at once, not like in the Terrans' case, wherein your SCV would be fully
occupied by the task at hand, or worse in the Zerg's case, where your
Drone would BECOME the building therefore making you one Drone short.
Other little details on this game include:
1) Fog of War - You start out on a map knowing only the parts of it covered
by the combined yet overlapping sight ranges of all your
units. As you move your units towards unexplored areas,
they (these areas) become visible on your map. However,
if you leave these areas uninhabited by your own units,
you can now only view a dimmed version of them. You will
not see any of the opponents' units anymore nor will you
be able to detect any activity. If there were buildings
at the time you explored these areas with your units, you
will still see them as they were AT THAT TIME, meaning
you still cannot be certain if new buildings were constructed
with them or if they no longer exist.
2) 200 Supply Limit - besides being limited to the number of "supply
providers" under your control, this rule states
that you cannot build over 200 supply's worth of
any unit or combination of units. This was probably
implemented by the games programmers to ensure no
slowdown during gameplay due to overcrowding of
units, especially for the Zerg, where units generally
consume less supplies.
3) Critters - they are the native animals of whatever planet you are waging
war on. They are neutral units, meaning they would not
attack anyone at all. They do, however, block your path
at times thus you must be merciless and kill them all.
And since they are neutral units, you can't just right click
on them and expect your men to attack, rather you must
left click on the attack button and lastly left click on
the critters to select them as a target.
4) Robotic/Mechanical misuse or terms - whoops, I really messed up on the
definition of these terms in
previous versions of the faq.
Anyway, besides the spells that
affect both, either, or neither,
you can determine the true nature
of a unit by its portrait. If
the portrait is most likely of
the thing istelf, it is either
biological or robotic, and if
it is of the pilot, the unit is
mechanical.
5) Rally Points - rally points are only available on unit-producing buildings,
and they are defined to be the area at which any unit
further produced should go after completion. For example,
you click on a building's rally point icon then click
again on the opponent's base. What happens is whenever
you produce a unit from that building he/she will automatically
proceed to the opponent's base.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
____ ____ ____ ____ _ _ ____
(_ _)(_ _)(_ _) (_ _)( )_( )( ___)
_)(_ _)(_ _)(_ )( ) _ ( )__)
(____)(____)(____)() (__) (_) (_)(____)
____ __ __ ____ __ ____ ____ _ _ ___ ___
( _ \( )( )(_ _)( ) ( _ \ (_ _)( \( ) / __)/ __)
) _ < )(__)( _)(_ )(__ )(_) ) _)(_ ) ( ( (_-.\__ \
(____/(______)(____)(____)(____/ (____)(_)\_) \___/(___/
The charts below feature the different stats (cost, hit points, etc.) of
each building in the game. These charts are only for quick reference,
as I plan to add a full description of what each building does afterwards.
Another side note: All buildings are under the category of "large" (type 3)
unit size. (of course, what else....)
* All Zerg buildings except the Hatchery and its upgraded states(discussed
later) must be built upon an organic purple substance called creep the
area of which is increased via Creep Colonies. Protoss buildings, on
the other hand, must be built within the energy fields produced by a
Pylon. If at any time all the Pylons near any building is destroyed,
that building will halt everything it is doing until a replacement is
built. Terran buildings do not have any similar requirements though their
buildings cannot be built upon Creep. Also, if Terran buildings are
on low life, they'll burst into flames and, if not repaired by their
workers in time, will blow up by themselves.
* Min obviously means Minerals, and Time is in seconds.
_________________________________________________________________________
Race____|_Name________|_Min_|_Gas_|_Time_|_Hit Points_|_Armor_|_Shields_|
Terran | Command | 400 | 0 | 120 | 1500 | 1 | 0 |
| Center | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Supply | 100 | 0 | 40 | 500 | 1 | 0 |
| Depot | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Refinery | 100 | 0 | 40 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Barracks | 150 | 0 | 80 | 1000 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Academy | 200 | 0 | 80 | 600 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Factory | 200 | 100 | 80 | 1250 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Starport | 150 | 100 | 70 | 1300 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Science | 150 | 200 | 80 | 850 | 1 | 0 |
| Facility | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Engineering | 125 | 0 | 60 | 850 | 1 | 0 |
| Bay | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Armory | 100 | 50 | 80 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Missile | 100 | 0 | 30 | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| Turret | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Bunker | 100 | 0 | 30 | 350 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Comsat | 50 | 50 | 40 | 500 | 1 | 0 |
| Station | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Nuclear | 100 | 100 | 80 | 600 | 1 | 0 |
| Silo | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Control | 50 | 50 | 40 | 500 | 1 | 0 |
| Tower | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Covert Ops | 50 | 50 | 40 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Physics Lab | 50 | 50 | 40 | 600 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Machine | 50 | 50 | 40 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| Shop | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
_________________________________________________________________________
Race____|_Name________|_Min_|_Gas_|_Time_|_Hit Points_|_Armor_|_Shields_|
Zerg | Hatchery | 300 | 0 | 120 | 1250 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Lair | 150 | 100 | 100 | 1800 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Hive | 200 | 150 | 120 | 2500 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Extractor | 50 | 0 | 40 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Spawning | 150 | 0 | 80 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| Pool | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Hydralisk | 100 | 50 | 40 | 850 | 1 | 0 |
| Den | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Spire | 200 | 150 | 120 | 600 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Greater | 100 | 150 | 120 | 1000 | 1 | 0 |
| Spire | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Queen's | 150 | 100 | 60 | 850 | 1 | 0 |
| Nest | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Defiler | 100 | 100 | 60 | 850 | 1 | 0 |
| Mound | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Ultralisk | 150 | 200 | 80 | 600 | 1 | 0 |
| Cavern | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Evolution | 75 | 0 | 40 | 750 | 1 | 0 |
| Chamber | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Creep | 75 | 0 | 25 | 400 | 0 | 0 |
| Colony | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Sunken | 50 | 0 | 20 | 400 | 0 | 0 |
| Colony | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Spore | 50 | 0 | 20 | 400 | 0 | 0 |
| Colony | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Nydus Canal | 150 | 0 | 40 | 250 | 1 | 0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Infested | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1500 | 1 | 0 |
| Command | | | | | | |
| Center | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
_________________________________________________________________________
Race____|_Name________|_Min_|_Gas_|_Time_|_Hit Points_|_Armor_|_Shields_|
Protoss | Nexus | 400 | 0 | 120 | 750 | 1 | 750 |
| | | | | | | |
| Pylon | 100 | 0 | 30 | 300 | 0 | 300 |
| | | | | | | |
| Assimilator | 100 | 0 | 40 | 450 | 1 | 450 |
| | | | | | | |
| Gateway | 150 | 0 | 60 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| | | | | | | |
| Cybernetics | 200 | 0 | 60 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| Core | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Robotics | 200 | 200 | 80 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| Facility | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Stargate | 150 | 150 | 70 | 600 | 1 | 600 |
| | | | | | | |
| Citadel of | 150 | 100 | 60 | 450 | 1 | 450 |
| Adun | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Observatory | 50 | 100 | 30 | 250 | 1 | 250 |
| | | | | | | |
| Templar | 150 | 200 | 60 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| Archives | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Robotics | 150 | 100 | 30 | 450 | 1 | 450 |
| Support Bay | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Forge | 150 | 0 | 40 | 550 | 1 | 550 |
| | | | | | | |
| Fleet | 300 | 200 | 60 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| Beacon | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Arbiter | 200 | 150 | 60 | 500 | 1 | 500 |
| Tribunal | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Photon | 150 | 0 | 50 | 100 | 0 | 100 |
| Cannon | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| Shield | 100 | 0 | 30 | 200 | 1 | 200 |
| Battery | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUILDING DESCRIPTIONS
Command Center
--------------
Minerals - 400
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 1500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - provides 10 supplies
- build SCV
- build Comsat Station
- build Nuclear Silo
- liftoff
Misc. Data - Command Centers are your basic money makers. You start
out (in games other than those in campaign mode) with
only one of them near a resource area and without any
other buildings nearby. This is so because the Command
Center is the prereq of all Terran prereqs and should
generally be always built near resource-filled areas,
where they could build SCVs and use them to gather more
resources.
Supply Depot
------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - provides 8 supplies
Misc. Data - As the name suggests, the only thing a Supply Depot can
generally do is provide you with...supplies!! And if you're
a genuine newbie to this game, you might be wondering,
"Why build this if Command Centers provide more supplies
and have lots of other abilities as well?" And my answer
comes in the form of a question: "Would you rather spend
double the space, triple the time, and quadruple the minerals
for a 25% increase in supplies provided?"
Refinery
--------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - readies Vespene Geysers for gathering
Misc. Data - Vespene Geysers are nothing but a useless piece of land
without something built upon it for the sole reason of
processing its raw energy (called Vespene Gas) into a
compound a lot more useful for the construction of other
units and buildings. The Refinery is that something.
Barracks
--------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 1000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Command Center
Abilities - train Marine
- train Firebat
- train Ghost
- liftoff
Misc. Data - As the Command Center is the basic money maker of the
Terrans, the Barracks is their basic army trainer. In
this building you will train your most basic attackers
(the marine and the firebat) as well as an advanced spell
caster (the ghost). Build these (or this) early in the
game for a lot of your other buildings depend on it. It
is also your doorway to the advanced buildings section'
of your SCV menu.
Academy
-------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Barracks
Abilities - research U-238 shells (increase marine attack range)
- research Stim Pack tech (Marine and Firebat ability)
Misc. Data - Academies, on the other hand, are your basic researchers.
While they may seem useless at first, besides the fact
that they are required for a number of the Terrans' most
useful assets, constant playing of the game will tell
you that the abilities they research can prove vital(or
fatal) during the game depending on how you use it.
Factory
-------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Barracks
Abilities - build Vulture
- build Siege Tank
- build Goliath
- build Machine Shop
- liftoff
Misc. Data - At last, a taste of the advanced. The Factory is the first
advanced building you can get your hands on in the Terran
tech tree, and I'm pretty sure you'll grab the opportunity.
The units you can build from this installation are robotic
in nature, thus cannot die as easily as those who come
out of the Barracks. Of course, the units here cost a lot
more than the basic ones, so depending on your strategy
they may or may not be worth the price.
Starport
--------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 70
Hit Points - 1300
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Factory
Abilities - build Wraith
- build Dropship
- build Science Vessel
- build Battlecruiser
- build Control Tower
- liftoff
Misc. Data - Being another advanced building, the Starport was constructed
for the sole purpose of building up an airborne army.
No ground units can come out of this baby, and no sea
units either (since there are NO sea units in Starcraft!)
And since most Starcraft matches that last more than
30 minutes end with a lethal airstrike (at least in my
experience), this building is a definite must for newbies
and experts alike.
Science Facility
----------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 200
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 850
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Starport
Abilities - research EMP Shockwave (Science Vessel ability)
- research Irradiate (Science Vessel ability)
- research Titan Reactor (+50 Science Vessel energy)
- build Covert Ops
- build Physics Lab
- liftoff
Misc. Data - The Science Facility is the summit of the Terran tech
tree, thus is a building reserved only for games that
won't end shortly and easily (unless you're really fast
and are feeling lucky). Its main function is to do some
advanced researching for the advanced spell casters, but
the addons you can annex to it are there for...more
researching! And if you're thinking brute force and trying
to build-up an army of non-spell casters, you'll still
need this building since it's a prereq for upgrading even
the most basic unit weapons and armor to level 2 or higher.
Engineering Bay
---------------
Minerals - 125
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 850
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Command Center
Abilities - upgrade infantry weapons
- upgrade infantry armor
- liftoff
Misc. Data - Going back to the basics, the Engineering Bay is your
basic unit upgrader. Though also a prereq for the only
attacking building in your race, its main abilities include
providing marines with bigger guns, firebats with larger
fuel tanks, and both with a thicker, sturdier armor (or
at least that's how I interpret it, you really won't notice
any graphical change in them, only the fact that their
enemies die faster and they die slower)
Armory
------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Factory
Abilities - upgrade vehicle weapons
- upgrade vehicle plating
- upgrade ship weapons
- upgrade ship plating
Misc. Data - As the Engineering Bay is your basic unit upgrader, the
Armory is its advanced counterpart. With it you can upgrade
all the weapons and all the armor of all the advanced
units you can ever dream of. It's a prereq for only one
unit, one advanced unit, the goliath, and since this Armory
can't liftoff, consider it one of your few "disposables"
That is, IF (I said IF) you DON'T plan to use a single
goliath in the game (or have enough to end it) and only
built the Armory for the upgrades.
Missile Turret
--------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 200
Armor - 0
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Engineering Bay
Abilities - detector
- air attack
Misc. Data - The Missile Turrent is the only attacking building the
Terran race has to offer, and has definitely proven itself
to be invaluable in countless situations. Besides automatically
attacking every single enemy air unit in sight, it is a
detector, meaning cloaked wraiths have no chance of entering
an opponent's Missile Turret filled base unharmed. Beware
though, since these building attackers will only prove
useful until the opponent decides to build higher level
units like the battlecruiser, the carrier, and especially
the guardian. These units can whack tons of Missile Turrets
without suffering a scratch, so the only way to effectively
defend against them is providing air-to-air encounters.
Bunker
------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 350
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Barracks
Abilities - load and unload
Misc. Data - This building, in my honest opinion, is what truly distinguishes
the Terran race from the other two. It is the only one
without a Zerg or Protoss counterpart, and is another
extremely useful tool for keeping your own base alive
despite the odds. And as with the Missile Turret, Bunkers
live out their usefulness as soon as the first batch of
higher level air units---the battlecruiser, the carrier,
and especially the guardian---arrive. Oh and, I forgot
to tell you what it does: well for starters, it can load
up to four of your biological ground units (SCVs, marines,
firebats, and ghosts) and give them much needed shelter.
While loaded, these ground units will not take any damage
at all since only the Bunker itself can be the target of
all enemy attacks. They can, however, deal damage since
the Bunker has windows through which only loaded weapons
can pass.
Comsat Station
--------------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Command Center
- Academy
Abilities - Scanner Sweep (detector)
Misc. Data - Military intelligence wins you half the war, and that's
just what the Comsat Station (an addon to the Command
Center) gives you. The Scanner Sweep, its only ability,
is a much needed tool for finding out where the opponent
is early in the game, checking out his defenses later on,
and finally re-checking to see what his armies would be
mainly composed of. The Scanner Sweep is also the only
"undetectable detector" in the game since it is a spell
and not a unit. It can also be cast anywhere from anywhere
meaning if you and an opponent's cloaked army is duking
it out, you can readily use the Scanner Sweep to turn
the tables in your favor.
Nuclear Silo
------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Command Center
- Science Facility w/ Covert Ops
Abilities - arm nuclear silo
Misc. Data - Another addon to the Command Center, The Nuclear Silo
would probably be the sole reason, especially for maps
with abundant resources, a Terran player would build at
least four Command Centers. Like the Comsat Station, this
addon also has only one ability---to arm nukes, yes,
NUCLEAR BOMBS! What I don't understand is why these bombs
don't take out entire maps, but I'll get to that later.
As of now, I can give one tip: if you're planning a nuclear
strike against an average player, one is not enough; you
have to have at least three nukers simultaneously doing
the job to get through, and that means creating four Command
Centers (including the one with the Comsat Station, since
no game lasting more than 30 mins is easily won without
it) Against an above average to expert opponent, however,
forget about nuking. It requires a ghost to be near the
nuking sight (usually the opponent's base) and no above
average to expert player would even allow that to happen.
Control Tower
-------------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Starport
Abilities - research Cloaking Field (Wraith ability)
- research Apollo Reactor (+50 Wraith energy)
Misc. Data - This time the building discussed is an addon to the Starport,
namely, the Control Tower. While being a prereq for all
the Terran's air units besides the Wraith itself, its
main functions are for the said unit---Cloaking Field,
which of course gives the Wraith the ability to go unseen
by enemy eyes unless he has a detector, and the Apollo
Reactor, which increases the maximum amount of time your
Wraith can remain cloaked.
Covert Ops
----------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Science Facility
Abilities - research Lockdown (Ghost ability)
- research personnel Cloaking (Ghost ability)
- research Ocular Implants (increase Ghost sight range)
- research Moebius Reactor (+50 Ghost energy)
Misc. Data - As the Starport's Control Tower concentrates on upgrading
the Terran wraith, this Science Facility addon concentrates
on a upgrading a ground unit, a biological ground unit---
the ghost. And again like the Control Tower, the Covert
Ops' Personnel Cloaking research enables the ghost to
go unseen by enemy eyes unless he has a detector, while
the Moebius Reactor increases the maximum amount of time
your ghost can remain cloaked. The Lockdown spell will
be discussed later on, and the Ocular Implants, though
seemingly obvious, brings one particularly useful effect:
Normally if you leave your ghost unattended after using
him to launch a nuke, he'd be too close to the nuking
site he'd die on impact. However with the Ocular Implants
researched, he can launch nukes from afar and thus of
course be safe from its harmful effects.
Physics Lab
-----------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Science Facility
Abilities - research Yamato Gun (Battlecruiser ability)
- research Colossus Reactor (+50 Battlecruiser energy)
Misc. Data - Another Science Facility addon and again similar to the
Control Tower, the Physics Lab in turn concentrates on
upgarding the most advanced Terran air unit, the battlecruiser.
The Yamato Gun research obviously gives the battlecruiser
the ability to use its Yamato Gun, but the Colossus Reactor
has a less obvious effect---it decreases the minimum
amount of time a battlecruiser needs to charge up for
its next Yamato blast.
Machine Shop
------------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Factory
Abilities - research Ion Thrusters (faster Vulture movement)
- research Spider Mines (Vulture ability)
- research Siege tech (Siege Tank ability)
Misc. Data - Going back to the Factory, the Machine Shop is the only
addon that you can build from it, and boy does it do a
lot. First of all, as mentioned above, it can increase
the speed with which vultures move (if they ain't already
fast enough). Second, it gives the vultures the ability
to plant Spider Mines, things that make opponents think
twice before walking through bridges that lead to your
base or even out of his. Last and in my opinion very far
from being the least, it can also give your siege tanks
their well-know ability to go in Siege Mode and beat the
crap of any other ground unit from a mile away.
Hatchery
--------
Minerals - 300
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 1250
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - create and increase Creep
- evolve Burrow (ground unit ability)
- create larva
- mutate into Lair
- provides 1 control (supply)
Misc. Data - Hatcheries are your basic money makers. You start out
(in games other than those in campaign mode) with only
one of them near a resource area and without any other
buildings nearby. This is so because the Hatchery is
the prereq of all Zerg prereqs and should generally be
always built near resource-filled areas, where they could
select larvas which in turn could morph into your everyday
resource gatherers for the Zerg, the drone. The Zerg system
of construction (morphing, actually) is quite different
from the other two. First of all, its Hatchery---and its
upgraded versions discussed next---is its only unit producing
building, therefore is also equipped with the ability
to build (or morph) all the other Zerg units in the game
(that is, from the larva it creates) The other Zerg buildings
in the game (most of them) therefore only serve as prerequisities
as well as upgraders (or evolvers) for these units.
Lair
----
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 100
Hit Points - 1800
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hatchery
- Spawning Pool
Abilities - create and increase Creep
- evolve Burrow (ground unit ability)
- evolve Ventral Sacs (transporting for Overlord)
- evolve Antennae (increase Overlord sight range)
- evolve Pneumatized Carapace (faster Overlord movement)
- create larva
- mutate into Hive
- provides 1 control (supply)
Misc. Data - The Lair is simply an upgraded version of the Hatchery,
and besides the numerous upgrades in can provide an
overlord with, and again besides having more HP than its
previous form, it generally has the same purpose as the
Hatchery, namely, your basic money---and unit---makers.
Be reminded though, that the Lair (or the Hatchery) do
not produce Zerg units by themselves, rather they only
create the ultra versatile larva which in turn could be
morphed into the other, more useful Zerg units of the game.
Hive
----
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 150
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 2500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Lair
- Queen's Nest
Abilities - create and increase Creep
- evolve Burrow (ground unit ability)
- evolve Ventral Sacs (transporting for Overlord)
- evolve Antennae (increase Overlord sight range)
- evolve Pneumatized Carapace (faster Overlord movement)
- create larva
- provides 1 control (supply)
Misc. Data - And as the Lair is an upgrade to the Hatchery, the Hive
is the upgrade for the Lair! It can still upgrade your
overlords if you haven't done that yet, but again besides
having even more HP than the Lair itself, this version
of the Hatchery does just the same thing: create larvas
that morph into drones that in turn gather your much needed
resources. And don't forget about all the other Zerg units
a larva can morph into, ok?
Extractor
---------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - readies Vespene Geysers for gathering
Misc. Data - Vespene Geysers are nothing but a useless piece of land
without something built upon it for the sole reason of
processing its raw energy (called Vespene Gas) into a
compound a lot more useful for the construction of other
units and buildings. The Extractor is that something.
Spawning Pool
-------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Abilities - evolve Metabolic Boost (faster Zergling movement)
- evolve Adrenal Glands (faster Zergling attack)
Misc. Data - As mentioned above, most Zerg buildings serve only as
prerequisites for units produced only through the larva
coming out of Hatcheries, Lairs, and Hives. The Spawning
Pool is no different. It's your basic prereq, and thus
needed for the morphing of your most basic attackers,
the zerglings. Notice that most Zerg buildings are also
upgraders (or evolvers) and again the Spawning Pool is
no different. It obviously does something for the specific
unit it is a prereq for, but what? And the answer or
rather answers are providing faster movement and reducing
cooldown time.
Hydralisk Den
-------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 50
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 850
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Spawning Pool
Abilities - evolve Muscular Augments (faster Hydralisk movement)
- evolve Grooved Spines (increase Hydralisk attack range)
Misc. Data - It should be obvious what unit is focused upon by the
fan-shaped Zerg building called the Hydralisk Den...What!?
You don't know!? THE HYDRALISK, DAMMIT!!! (whoops, just
had my stim packs, sorry) And again as with most Zerg
buildings, this one's not only a prereq for the said unit,
but also has two upgrades for that unit as well.
Spire
-----
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 150
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Lair/Hive
Abilities - upgrade flyer attacks
- evolve flyer carapace
- mutate into Greater Spire
Misc. Data - Simply put, the Spire enables your larva to morph into
mutalisks. It can also increase the damage they bring
as well as that which they could sustain. Pretty neat
building and a definite must if ya ask me.
Greater Spire
-------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 150
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 1000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Spire
- Hive
Abilities - upgrade flyer attacks
- evolve flyer carapace
Misc. Data - If you thought only Hatcheries and Lairs could be further
upgraded, think again. The Spire also has an upgrade of
its own, and it was named...the Greater Spire! (so clever...)
Anyway, not only does this building continue on upgrading
your air units if you haven't done so already, but it's
also a prereq for one of your best bets against building
attackers---the guardian.
Queen's Nest
------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 850
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Lair/Hive
Abilities - evolve Spawn Broodling (Queen ability)
- evolve Ensnare (Queen ability)
- evolve Gamete Meiosis (+50 Queen energy)
Misc. Data - One of the less gross buildings of the Zerg (looks like
a macaroon in my honest opinion), the Queen's Nest is
both a prereq and an upgrader...for the queen! It gives
her the ability to cast two very useful spells (the Spawn
Broodling and the Ensnare) as well as reduces the minimum
amount of time needed to charge up her next spell after
casting one via the Gamete Meiosis.
Defiler Mound
-------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 850
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hive
Abilities - evolve Plague (Defiler ability)
- evolve Consume (Defiler ability)
- evolve Metasynaptic Node (+50 Defiler energy)
Misc. Data - A more advanced spell caster in the game comes in the
form of a defiler, and this unit in turn relies on the
existence of its own mound, the Defiler Mound. And like
the Queen's Nest with its queen, the Defiler Mound gives
its defilers the ability to cast two very useful spells
(the Plague and the Consume) as well as reduces the minimum
amount of time needed to charge up her next spell after
casting one via the Metasynaptic Node.
Ultralisk Cavern
----------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 200
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hive
Abilities - none (it's a prereq for the ultralisk so you'll still
need this even if it has no abilities)
Misc. Data - Well, what else to say bout this big green breathing thing
but..."it's a prereq for the ultralisk so you'll still
need this even if it has no abilities."
Evolution Chamber
-----------------
Minerals - 75
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Abilities - upgrade melee attacks
- upgrade missile attacks
- evolve carapace
Misc. Data - Going back to the basics, the Evolution Chamber is your
basic unit upgrader. Though also a prereq for one of the
two attacking buildings in your race, its main abilities
include providing zerglings with bigger claws, hydralisks
with larger jaws, and both with a thicker, sturdier armor
(or at least that's how I interpret it, you really won't
notice any graphical change in them, only the fact that
their enemies die faster and they die slower)
Creep Colony
------------
Minerals - 75
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 0
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - increase Creep
- mutate into Sunken Colony
- mutate into Spore Colony
Misc. Data - Zerg buildings should be built on Creep, and since the
main Creep producer, the Hatchery (or Lair, or Hive),
costs too much for such a minor reason, you may use Creep
Colonies to increase the area of your Creep instead.
Note that only the Zerg's main building has the ability
to create Creep and these Creep Colonies are only here
to extend what the Hatchery, Lair, or Hive has created.
One more thing, this building may very well be morphed
into two others, the Sunken Colony and the Spore Colony
both of which, while retaining the Creep increasing abilities
of their their previous form, are also the only two attacking
buildings at the Zerg's disposal.
Sunken Colony
-------------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 20
Hit Points - 400
Armor - 0
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Creep Colony
- Spawning Pool
Abilities - ground attack
Misc. Data - This is one of the two building attackers I was talking
about, and it sure is a handy thing to have especially
whenever your opponents plan to attack early in the game.
Most likely he'll use a pure ground assault, and since
this building, the Sunken Colony, attacks from below,
your guaranteed a tough defense, at least until air
or ultra long-range ground units arrive.
Spore Colony
------------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 20
Hit Points - 400
Armor - 0
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Creep Colony
- Evolution Chamber
Abilities - detector
- air attack
Misc. Data - The Spore Colony is the second attacking building the
Zerg race has to offer, and has definitely proven itself
to be invaluable in countless situations. Besides automatically
attacking every single enemy air unit in sight, it is a
detector, meaning cloaked wraiths have no chance of entering
an opponent's Spore Colony filled base unharmed. Beware
though, since these building attackers will only prove
useful until the opponent decides to build higher level
units like the battlecruiser, the carrier, and especially
the guardian. These units can whack tons of Spore Colonies
without suffering a scratch, so the only way to effectively
defend against them is providing air-to-air encounters.
Nydus Canal
-----------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 250
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Hive
Abilities - place Nydus Canal Exit
Misc. Data - This building, in my honest opinion, is what truly distinguishes
the Zerg race from the other two. It is the only one
without a Terran or Protoss counterpart, and is another
extremely useful tool both defensively and offensively
in deceiving the enemy into thinking that you don't or
have very few attacking units in a certain area whereas
you can readily send an entire army of reinforcements
when the need arises. Any ideas what this building does?
Well, it provides underground transport for your ground
units and lead them to wherever you have placed the Nydus
Canal exit. Just right click your units on one Nydus Canal
and voila! They're somewhere else!
Infested Command Center
-----------------------
Minerals - 0
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 5
Hit Points - 1500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - Command Center (duh!)
Abilities - train Infested Terran
- liftoff
Misc. Data - Oh don't jump for joy the first time you see its stats
cause it's not what you think. It may not cost anything
at all, but it does have its requirements: First of all,
you need a queen since infesting Command Centers is her
inate ability. Second, you must have a Command Center to
infest. It's rather tough to pull this trick off since
few good Starcraft players leave their Command Centers
unguarded. (You CAN do this with your allies though, IF
they allow it to happen) Lastly, the said Command Center
should be at least down to half its life (750HP) before
the spell could be cast. On the bright side, besides the
all powerful infested terran you can train from this
building, the building itself is void of all Terran and
Zerg building weaknesses---unlike Terran buildings, it
doesn't explode by itself when it catches fire on low
HP, and it may be landed on Creep. And unlike Zerg buildings,
it doesn't NEED to be on Creep for it to be functional.
Nexus
-----
Minerals - 400
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 120
Hit Points - 750
Armor - 1
Shields - 750
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - provides 9 Psi (supply)
- build Probe
Misc. Data - The Nexus is your basic money maker. You start out (in
games other than those in campaign mode) with only one
Nexus near a resource area and without any other buildings
near it. This is so because the Nexus is the prereq of
all Protoss prereqs and should generally be always built
near resource-filled areas, where they could build Probes
and use them to gather more resources.
Pylon
-----
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 300
Armor - 0
Shields - 300
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - provides 8 Psi (supplies)
- creates 1 energy field
Misc. Data - The Protoss Pylon has two uses, and one of them is to
provide the Protoss race with "Psi" or supplies. If you're
a genuine newbie to this game, you might be wondering,
"Why build this if a Nexus could provide more supplies
and have other advantages as well?" And my answer comes
in the form of a question: "Would you rather spend double
the space, triple the time, and quadruple the minerals
for a 12.5% increase in supplies provided?" The second
purpose for building a Pylon is to provide an energy field
only upon which most Protoss buildings may be constructed
(like the Creep with the Zerg). But the bad news is losing
the energy field provided by a Pylon renders a Protoss
building practically useless until you are able to build
another Pylon near it. The technique here is to build
multiple Pylons near multiple buildings so as to prevent
a simple Pylon assault from crippling your base.
Assimilator
-----------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 450
Armor - 1
Shields - 450
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - readies Vespene Geysers for gathering
Misc. Data - Vespene Geysers are nothing but a useless piece of land
without something built upon it for the sole reason of
processing its raw energy (called Vespene Gas) into a
compound a lot more useful for the construction of other
units and buildings. The Assimilator is that something.
Gateway
-------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 450
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Nexus
Abilities - warp in Zealot
- warp in Dragoon
- warp in High Templar
Misc. Data - As the Nexus is the basic money maker of the Protoss,
the Gateway is their basic army trainer. In this building
you will train your most basic attackers (the zealot and
the dragoon) as well as an advanced spell caster (the
high templar). It's a definite must to have at the very
least one Gateway very early in the game for a lot of
your other buildings depend on it.
Cybernetics Core
----------------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Gateway
Abilities - upgrade air weapons
- upgrade air armor
- develop Singularity Charge (increase Dragoon attack range)
Misc. Data - The Cybernetics Core is your main air unit upgrader. With
it you can upgrade all the weapons and all the armor of
all the air units you can ever dream of. And besides
having a special upgrade just for the dragoons, it also
is your doorway to the advanced buildings section of your
probe menu.
Robotics Facility
-----------------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 200
Build Time - 80
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Cybernetics Core
Abilities - build Shuttle
- build Reaver
- build Observer
Misc. Data - As the name suggests, what you can build from this building
are highly or rather purely robotic in nature. Nothing
much more I can say about the Robotics Facility, except
for the three units mentioned above that it can produce,
and the fact that it's also a prereq for the other more
advanced Protoss buildings in the game.
Stargate
--------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 150
Build Time - 70
Hit Points - 600
Armor - 1
Shields - 600
Prerequisites - Cybernetics Core
Abilities - warp in Scout
- warp in Carrier
- warp in Arbiter
Misc. Data - Being another advanced building, the Stargate was constructed
for the sole purpose of building up an airborne army.
No ground units can come out of this baby, and no sea
units either (since there are NO sea units in Starcraft!)
And since most Starcraft matches that last more than
30 minutes end with a lethal airstrike (at least in my
experience), this building is a definite must for newbies
and experts alike.
Citadel of Adun
---------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 450
Armor - 1
Shields - 250
Prerequisites - Cybernetics Core
Abilities - develop Leg Enhancements (faster Zealot movement)
Misc. Data - The Citadel of Adun can only do two things: One is to
develop a zealot's walking speed (something very, very
useful in most games) and Two is to pave the way for the
construction of the Templar Archives, which in turn you
most likely will need only one of. So after upgrading
your zealots and warping in your first and only Templar
Archives, consider the Citadel of Adun as one of your
few "disposables".
Observatory
-----------
Minerals - 50
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 250
Armor - 1
Shields - 250
Prerequisites - Robotics Facility
Abilities - develop Gravitic Booster (faster Observer movement)
- develop Sensor Array (increase Observer sight range)
Misc. Data - One of the less massive buildings of the Protoss (looks
like fish bones in my honest opinion), the Observatory
is both a prereq and an upgrader...for the observer! It
gives the said unit the ability to reach a certain point
in a shorter amount of time as well as the ability to
spy on a larger area than before.
Templar Archives
----------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 200
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Citadel of Adun
Abilities - develop Psionic Storm (Templar ability)
- develop Hallucination (Templar ability)
- develop Khaydarin Amulet (+50 Templar energy)
Misc. Data - As the Observatory concentrates on upgrading the Protoss
observer, this one-shot building concentrates on a upgrading
a ground unit, a biological ground unit---the High Templar.
It gives him the ability to cast two very useful spells
(the Psionic Storm and the Hallucination) as well as reduces
the minimum amount of time needed to charge up his next
spell after casting one via the Khaydarin Amulet. And
even if you're thinking brute force and trying to build
up an army of non-spell casters, you'll still need this
building since it's a prereq for upgrading even the most
basic unit weapons and armor to level 2 or higher.
Robotics Support Bay
--------------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 100
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 450
Armor - 1
Shields - 450
Prerequisites - Robotics Facility
Abilities - upgrade Scarab damage
- increase Reaver capacity (+5 max Scarabs)
- develop Gravitic Drive (faster Shuttle movement)
Misc. Data - And again as the name suggests, the Robotics Support Bay
provides much needed "support" for two of the Protoss
units found in the Robotics Facility, namely, the shuttle
and the reaver. It also is a prereq for the reaver, by
the way, so IF (I said IF) you DON'T plan to use a single
reaver in the game (or have enough to end it) and only
built the Robotics Support Bay for the upgrades, then
as soon as they're done, consider this building a "disposable"
as well.
Forge
-----
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 40
Hit Points - 550
Armor - 1
Shields - 550
Prerequisites - Nexus
Abilities - upgrade ground weapons
- upgrade ground armor
- upgrade plasma shields
Misc. Data - Going back to the basics, the Forge is your basic unit
upgrader. Though also a prereq for the only attacking
building in your race, its main abilities include providing
zealots with sharper blades, dragoons with larger blasters
and both with a thicker, sturdier armor as well as an
increase in shield layers (or at least that's how I interpret
it, you really won't notice any graphical change in them,
only the fact that their enemies die faster and they die
slower)
Fleet Beacon
------------
Minerals - 300
Vespene Gas - 200
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Stargate
Abilities - develop Apial Sensors (increase Scout sight range)
- develop Gravitic Thrusters (faster Scout movement)
- increase Carrier capacity (+4 max Interceptors)
Misc. Data - While being a prereq for all the attacking Protoss air
units in the game besides the first one (the scout), its
main functions include those for the said unit---increase
in sight range as well as increase in speed. It also has
a special upgrade just for the carriers, and is another
definite must if you're planning to use that giant.
Arbiter Tribunal
----------------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 150
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 500
Armor - 1
Shields - 500
Prerequisites - Stargate
- Templar Archives
Abilities - develop Recall (Arbiter ability)
- develop Stasis Field (Arbiter ability)
- develop Khaydarin Core (+50 Arbiter energy)
Misc. Data - The Arbiter Tribunal is the summit of the Protoss tech
tree, thus is a building reserved only for games that
won't end shortly and easily (unless you're really fast
and are feeling lucky). Its main function is to do some
advanced researching for the most advanced spell caster,
the arbiter itself. It gives the said unit the ability
to cast two very useful spells (the Recall and the Stasis
Field) as well as reduces the minimum amount of time
needed to charge up its next spell after casting one
via the Khaydarin Core.
Photon Cannon
-------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 50
Hit Points - 100
Armor - 0
Shields - 100
Prerequisites - Forge
Abilities - detector
- ground attack
- air attack
Misc. Data - The Photon Cannon is the only attacking building the Protoss
race has to offer, and has definitely proven itself to
be invaluable in countless situations. Besides automatically
attacking every single enemy unit (ground AND air) in
sight, it is a detector, meaning cloaked wraiths have
no chance of entering an opponent's Photon Cannon filled
base unharmed. Beware though, since these building attackers
will only prove useful until the opponent decides to build
higher level units like the battlecruiser, the carrier,
and especially the guardian. These units can whack tons
of Photon Cannons without suffering a scratch, so the
only way to effectively defend against them is providing
air-to-air encounters.
Shield Battery
--------------
Minerals - 100
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 30
Hit Points - 200
Armor - 1
Shields - 200
Prerequisites - Gateway
Abilities - recharge shields
Misc. Data - This building, in my honest opinion, is what truly distinguishes
the Protoss race from the other two. It is the only one
without a Terran or Zerg counterpart, and is another
extremely useful tool for keeping your own base alive
despite the odds. What it does is recharge the shields
of any unit near it when you choose to do so. With this
building and more preferably a few others beside a seemingly
out-numbered army of yours, you may still have a chance.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* S P E C I A L B U I L D I N G S *
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
These are the only buildings you CAN'T build, since they're already there!
(that is, IF the corresponding campaign says so). You will only see these
buildings in the single player story mode, and you will either have to
protect or destroy them. Either way, these buildings usually are a valuable
part of the mission or of the storyline. Now why do they still have mineral
and vespene gas cost if you can't build them anyway? Well, for the Terrans,
I can explain: You see, that build cost determines how much its repair
cost would be. Get it? And that's why the Zerg's Special Buildings don't
have any build costs! But the Protoss? Hmmm...that I do not know. Anyway,
here they are:
Norad II (Crashed Battlecruiser)
--------------------------------
Minerals - 800
Vespene Gas - 600
Build Time - 320
Hit Points - 700
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - What once was a unit, when crashed, is now considered
a building! Funny how Blizzard puts it, but I guess very
few people actually notice anyway.
Ion Cannon
----------
Minerals - 200
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 60
Hit Points - 2000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - If only you could really use this building as a cannon,
then no one dare oppose the mighty Terrans! But, alas,
this building is only for display, and in the single
player story mode you'll even have to destroy it. What
a waste...
Overmind (with shell)
---------------------
Minerals - 1
Vespene Gas - 1
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 5000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - Detector
Misc. Data - With something as tough as this sitting at the center
of your base, you won't HAVE to worry bout a cloaked Wraith
strike finishing you off helplessly! Pretty cool! Whoops,
you won't be aquiring any these in the mission mode either
=( It's just there to be destroyed.
Overmind
--------
Minerals - 1
Vespene Gas - 1
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 2500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - Detector
Misc. Data - It's HP is cut down to half, but as I've said with the
previous building, "With something as tough as this sitting
at the center of your base, you won't HAVE to worry bout
a cloaked Wraith strike finishing you off helplessly!
Pretty cool! Whoops, you won't be aquiring any these in
the mission mode either =( It's just there to be destroyed."
Mature Chrysalis
----------------
Minerals - 0
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 250
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - Ok, this is sheer weakness. Wonder what it has to do with
the story? Maybe something powerful will come out from
it? Hmmm...I don't know... ;)
Cerebrate
---------
Minerals - 0
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 1500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - Detector
Misc. Data - Not as tough as the Overmind and its "with shell" version,
but still quite a building. It also is a detector, so you
won't have to worry bout something cloaked to get the
best of you. Just make sure reinforcements arrive quickly,
ok? Good.
Cerebrate (Daggoth)
-------------------
Minerals - 0
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 1500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - Detector
Misc. Data - Perhaps the only reason Blizzard created another special
building with the exact same characteristics as another
one is to give it a different name, which in my honest
opinion is quite unnecessary. But there's nothing I can
do about it, right?
Stasis Cell/Prison
------------------
Minerals - 150
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 2000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - This is what science fiction is all about. A fine proof
that Protoss technology is way beyond ours. Wait, what's
that inside? It's a Protoss nonetheless. Funny when you
destroy these things (in the mission mode), a perfectly
dry, well clothed Protoss comes out ;)
Khaydarin Crsytal Formation
---------------------------
Minerals - 250
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 10000
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - TEN THOUSAND HP ?!? This is nuts! How can the Protoss
lose with something like this on their side?? And that's
not all, in the mission mode, this thing is actually
rendered INVINSIBLE!! Ok, to be serious, it's nothing
like that. This building is supposed to be some sort of
alternative resource area, and that's why it can't be
shot at. And you thought your favorite Protoss were the
best, didn't you??
Protoss Temple
--------------
Minerals - 250
Vespene Gas - 0
Build Time - 0
Hit Points - 1500
Armor - 1
Shields - 0
Prerequisites - none
Abilities - none
Misc. Data - And this is what proves the fact that the Protoss still
have an ancient aspect to them, despite their technology
being far more advanced than ours.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
____ _ _ ____ _ _ ____ __ __ _ _ ____ ____ ___
(_ _)( \/ ) (_ _)( )_( )( ___) ( )( )( \( )(_ _)(_ _)/ __)
_)(_ \ / )( ) _ ( )__) )(__)( ) ( _)(_ )( \__ \
(____) \/ () (__) (_) (_)(____) (______)(_)\_)(____) (__) (___/
The charts below feature the different stats (damage, armor, etc.) of
each unit in the game. These charts are only for quick reference, as I
plan to add a full description of what each unit does afterwards.
Legend:
NA - not applicable (duh!)
type column:
A - air
G - ground
R - robotic
M - mechanical
1 - small
2 - medium
3 - large
weapons column:
G - ground
A - air
N - normal
C - concussive
E - explosive
S - splash
! - suicidal
upgrades column:
Gw - ground weapon
Aw - air weapon
Gr - ground weapon range
Ar - air weapon range
St - sight
Sp - speed
Cd - cooldown
Hr - hangar (ammo)
a little note:
Concussive weapons will do 50% damage on medium defense and 25% damage
on large defense while explosive weapons will do 75% damage on medium
defense and 50% damage on small defense. Normal weapons will deal the
same damage no matter what type of defense its receipient has. One last
thing, Protoss shields receive full damage no matter what type of ammo
is used on them.
* you may see certain names that have already been included in the buildings
section. Well, they really are buildings, but they deal damage as well
and so fit in this chart too. They won't have any more supplementary
descriptions, as such info is already posted in the buildings section.
* Cool is the cooldown rate of each unit's weapon. It obviously is in
units of time, though I'm not really sure what unit. Maybe a tenth of
a second? St is the unit's sight range in a standard measure of length
which, once again, I am not aware of. Lastly, upgs is upgrades or the
number of pluses/minuses/doubles a specific stat gains per upgrade.
Armor and shield upgrades are no longer included, since they usually
are just composed of plus ones to their respective units.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Race____|_Name__________|_Type_|_Weapons__|_Cool_|_Range_|_St_|_Upgs_|_Specials_|
Terran | SCV | GB=1 | G=5N | 15 | 1 | 7 | none | Gather |
| | | | | | | | Repair |
| | | | | | | | Build |
| | | | | | | | |
| Marine | GB=1 | G=6N | 15 | 4 | 7 | Gw+1 | Stim |
| | | A=6N | 15 | 4 | | Aw+1 | Pack |
| | | | | | | Gr+1 | |
| | | | | | | Ar+1 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Firebat | GB=1 | G=16CS | 22 | 1 | 7 | Gw+2 | Stim |
| | | | | | | | Pack |
| | | | | | | | |
| Ghost | GB=1 | G=10C | 22 | 7 | 9 | Gw+1 | Spells |
| | | A=10C | 22 | 7 | | Aw+1 | Nuke |
| | | | | | | St+2 | Cloaking |
| | | | | | | | |
| Vulture | GM=2 | G=20C | 30 | 5 | 8 | Gw+2 | Spider |
| | | | | | | Spx2 | Mine |
| | | | | | | | |
| Siege Tank | GM=3 | G=30E | 37 | 7 | 10 | Gw+3 | Siege |
| (Tank Mode) | | | | | | | Mode |
| | | | | | | | |
| Siege Tank | GM=3 | G=70ES | 75 | 12 | 10 | Gw+5 | Tank |
| (Siege Mode) | | | | | | | Mode |
| | | | | | | | |
| Goliath | GM=3 | G=12N | 22 | 5 | 8 | Gw+1 | none |
| | | A=20E | 22 | 5 | | Aw+4 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Wraith | AM=3 | G=8N | 30 | 5 | 7 | Gw+1 | Cloaking |
| | | A=20E | 22 | 5 | | Aw+2 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Dropship | AM=3 | none | NA | NA | 8 | none | Load and |
| | | | | | | | Unload |
| | | | | | | | |
| Science | AM=3 | none | NA | NA | 10 | none | Spells |
| Vessel | | | | | | | Detector |
| | | | | | | | |
| Battlecruiser | AM=3 | G=25N | 30 | 6 | 11 | Gw+3 | Yamato |
| | | A=25N | 30 | 6 | | Aw+3 | Gun |
| | | | | | | | |
| Spider Mine | G=1 | G=125ES! | NA | 4 | 7 | none | Burrow |
| | | | | | | | |
| Nuclear | A=1 | G=500NS! | NA | NA | NA | none | High |
| Missile | | A=500NS! | NA | NA | | | Level |
| | | | | | | | Splash |
| | | | | | | | |
| Missile | G=3 | A=20E | 15 | 7 | 11 | none | Detector |
| Turret | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
Race____|_Name__________|_Type_|_Weapons__|_Cool_|_Range_|_St_|_Upgs_|_Specials_|
Zerg | Drone | GB=1 | G=5N | 22 | 1 | 7 | none | Gather |
| | | | | | | | Burrow |
| | | | | | | | Morph |
| | | | | | | | |
| Zergling | GB=1 | G=5N | 8 | 1 | 5 | Gw+1 | Burrow |
| | | | | | | Cd-2 | |
| | | | | | | Spx2 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Hydralisk | GB=2 | G=10E | 15 | 4 | 6 | Gw+1 | Burrow |
| | | A=10E | 15 | 4 | | Aw+1 | |
| | | | | | | Spx2 | |
| | | | | | | Gr+1 | |
| | | | | | | Ar+1 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Ultralisk | GB=3 | G=20N | 15 | 1 | 7 | Gw+3 | none |
| | | | | | | | |
| Defiler | GB=2 | none | NA | NA | 10 | none | Spells |
| | | | | | | | Burrow |
| | | | | | | | |
| Broodling | GB=1 | G=4N | 15 | 1 | 5 | none | none |
| | | | | | | | |
| Infested | GB=1 | G=500ES! | NA | 1 | 5 | none | Burrow |
| Terran | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Overlord | AB=3 | none | NA | NA | 9 | St+2 | Detector |
| | | | | | | | Load and |
| | | | | | | | Unload |
| | | | | | | | |
| Mutalisk | AB=1 | G=9NS | 30 | 3 | 7 | Gw+1 | Guardian |
| | | A=9NS | 30 | 3 | | Aw+1 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| Guardian | AB=3 | G=20N | 30 | 8 | 11 | Gw+2 | none |
| | | | | | | | |
| Queen | AB=2 | none | NA | NA | 10 | none | Spells |
| | | | | | | | |
| Scourge | AB=1 | A=110N! | NA | 1 | 5 | none | none |
| | | | | | | | |
| Sunken Colony | G=3 | G=40E | 32 | 7 | 10 | none | none |
| | | | | | | | |
| Spore Colony | G=3 | A=15N | 15 | 7 | 10 | none | Detector |
| | | | | | | | |
| Larva | GB=1 | none | NA | NA | 4 | none | Morph |
| | | | | | | | |
| Egg | GB=3 | none | NA | NA | 4 | none | none |
| | | | | | | | |
|