StarCraft 2 Video Game

Every protoss has a level of psionic capability that is extremely rare among terrans. The protoss of the Templar caste devote their long lives to honing their powerful abilities for war. Of these dedicated individuals, only the most adept and disciplined in the ways of the Khala can hope to eventually rise to the honored rank of high templar. The terrifying power of the high templar is rightly feared by the enemies of the protoss. A mere handful of these potent individuals can lay waste to entire armies of foes.
Twilight archons spearhead an assault on the terrans

The dark templar hail from very different roots, but the powers at their command are no less awe-inspiring. While the high templar unleash fire and lightning, the dark templar stalk the shadows, swathed in darkness. However, both branches of the templar tradition share the ability to merge their souls to form a deadly archon.

These swirling, burning effigies of the protoss spirit radiate incalculable power. Their devastating psionic storms can be unleashed against cowering enemy forces both in the air and on the ground. With the halves of the protoss race reunited, an archon can now be brought into being by the merge of two high templar, or two dark templar, or even the unification of a dark templar and a high templar. Although the protoss are loath to sacrifice valuable templar, those who do achieve this final level of commitment are forever honored in the memories of their people.

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The original Starcraft: Brood War expansion game had eleven units per race. With the exclusive info released by PCGamer (August 2007 edition), Blizzard Entertainment revealed at least 16 units should be expected per race. Below you can take a look at the description of each Protoss Unit.

Zealot

Zealots are the standard infantry unit of the Protoss. Equipped with psionic blades for melee combat, zealots may confront zerglings and marines in battle with ease, unless outnumbered. In Starcraft II, Zealots have a new ability named Charge with which they can close in on enemy ranged units such as Terran Tanks.

Stalker

Stalkers are an enhanced type of dragoons operated by fallen dark templars. The Stalker may be used as an anti-air and anti-infantry unit. Stalkers also have the blink ability to teleport and close in on fleeing enemies.

Immortal

Immortals are effective against Terran tanks and heavy ranged units. Their enhanced shields will deflect most of the damage against enemy units with powerful ranged attacks. However, Immortals are vulnerable to light weapon units such as Terran Reapers and Zerglings.

Observer

Confirmed to return in Starcraft II, but details of enhancements or new abilities are not yet revealed

Colossus

Colossus are four-legged mechanical units equipped with two beam guns that sweep through enemy units one at a time., destroying marines and zerglings. They are effective assisting packs of Zealots. Keep them in the back and protect them. Colossus are vulnerable to Banelings and reapers. With their long legs, Colossus units can walk through obstacles and hills with ease.

Phoenix

The Phoenix are anti-air flying fighters with a fearsome ability. When the enemy brings in multiple air-units, the Phoenix can be used to destroy them by activating its overload ability. A net of beams successfuly wipes anything caught in its perimeter. A vulnerability to using this ability is that the Phoenix remains offline for some seconds not able to move or attack. Enemy units still in the area could take advantage of this weakness to destroy the Phoenix.

Phase Prism

Phase Prisms replace the Scout transporting vessel. They are used to warp-in up to sixteen protoss units anywhere on the battlefield. Phase Prisms also serve as a mobile pylon to power up protoss buildings when enemy units have destroyed pylons. Phase Prism is useful to build a quick defense at a new Nexus for expansion of your mineral and vespene gas resources. Phase Prisms could be used to power phase cannons strategically placed to surprise enemies in unsuspecting areas.

Warp Ray

Warp Rays are anti-air and anti-infantry units with additional damage the longer they fire a single target. Warp Rays can destroy Terran Battlecruisers and Heavy Zerg flyers more efficiently than Phoenix units. Warp Rays can be used to destroy enemy buildings within seconds. Warp Rays are vulnerable to swarms of marines and hydras.

Mothership

The Mothership is at the top of the Protoss tech tree. Only one Mothership can be built at a time. Among its abilities are the Time Bomb which distorts time around a radius, slowing down enemy missiles and projectiles in mid-air. After the field shuts off, all projectiles fall harmlessly to the ground. The planet cracker is a series of energy streams devastating anything it encounters on the ground including ground units and structures. The Mothership has a ultimate ability named Black Hole. It may be used against large amounts of anti-air enemy flyers such as Battlecruisers, and Mutalisks. The Black Hole sucks in all enemy units within its radius.

High Templar

The High Templar still creates Psionic Storms, but has gained a new ability similar to Arbiter’s Stasis Field. The High Templar can effectively neutralize enemy units temporarily, while your forces take advantage. The High Templar ability allows Protoss players to create blockades as a strategic bottleneck or barriers to stop advancing enemy units.

Dark Templar

The stealthed melee units from the original Brood War are back. Enemies without detection units will be vulnerable to these expert ground assassins. New abilities have not yet been revealed.

Twilight Archon

They are the Protoss tank unit wreaking havoc through enemy defenses. Blizzard is still tinkering new abilities for this powerhouse. For now they are as Archons from the original StarCraft.

Tempest

They replace the old Carriers, equipped with an enhanced shield that activates when its attacked by ground units and defense structures. Tempest is vulnerable against air attacks. They unleash disc fighters against enemies.

Soul Hunter

Soul Hunters are robotic units that hover above the ground. They are anti-infantry units that suck the souls of enemies. The more souls they consume, the more powerful they get. They fire a single beam at first, and as they consume more souls it powers up to three beams, increasing its damage output. Soul Hunters are effective against small enemy units. Thirteen Soul Hunters can destroy a Command Center within 10 seconds.

Reaver

The old robotic-slug Reaver unit is back. With the use of a Phase Prism, the reavers are devastating against enemy SCVs and Drones. Upgrade abilities are still unknown.

Phase Cannon

Phase Cannons can now phase and shift into an energy form, similar to Warcraft III wisps, and move around freely to another location where it can materialize again to unleash its energy blasts. A Pylon or Phase Prism must be within range to become functional. However, if the Pylon or Phase Prism is destroyed before the Phase Cannon materializes, they are lost.

Star Relic

The Star Relic is a dangerous unit. It can create a cloak field to make ground and air units invisible, and even structures. Star Relic has a fusion beam ability against a single unit. It slowly causes damage until the unit dies. However, the danger comes after … the enemy unit becomes a living bomb, exploding and damaging everything around its perimeter. The bigger the unit, the bigger the damage radius when it goes boom.

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Gamespot released some Starcraft 2 News regarding new Protoss Units in the future. Have a look:
While Pardo affirmed that previously discussed units such as the zealot infantry and immortal battle tank are still on the table, we were also introduced to several new units that hadn’t been shown at Blizzard’s previous event in May.

These include the soul hunter, a hovering ground unit that can attack both air and ground opponents. Another new unit is the phase cannon, a stationary turret that can be changed into a hovering energy ball that can move like a normal unit, reminiscent of Warcraft III’s wisp units, as long as it remains within range of the Protoss power grid. They can then be redeployed as stationary turrets to act as roadblocks or as forward firing lines.

Other units include the tempest, a flying troop transport with an underside energy shield that protects against ground-to-air fire, but leaves the unit vulnerable to air-to-air attacks, and the return of the dark templar (which still has stealth abilities) and the high templar (which still possesses the devastating psi-storm ability) units. As before, templars can be merged to form archons, known as twilight archons in Starcraft II, which act as exceptionally powerful infantry units.

Note that while all these units sound promising and offer intriguing new strategies, none of them are final. A completely different set of units may end up in the final game.

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The purpose of any real time strategy game (RTS) is to plainly have an amazing strategic as well as tactical depth in the game. Most of the other real time strategy games have their own beliefs as to what should be their strategic and tactical depth but leave it up to Blizzard Entertainment to raise the bar with their new StarCraft II game. As long as Blizzard keeps its promise to the gaming community, StarCraft will be nothing less than the ultimate RTS game with some of the best implementation of their game play elements. It is important to a gamer that the RTS’s tactical depth as well as the strategic fell nothing less than real, otherwise there is no real reason to play. A game must feel as though every part, every element in the game plays an important function in the strategic play of the game or it is worthless, but as long as Blizzard Entertainment keeps its promises with their new StarCraft II release, then it will be well worth the wait for this highly anticipated game.

Blizzard is also expected to do something about both cheaters in the game as well as those who “accidentally lost their connection”. As the ever increasing amount of money Blizzard is placing into the research and development of their StarCraft II, Blizzard can be expected to go above and beyond the call of duty of what is expected from the gaming community in a new game. Blizzard will be building in a more complex algorithm into their Battle.NET in order to more actively fight cheaters and those who all to often “get disconnected”. A passive anti-cheater mechanism is vital in the growing gaming industry and it is what the real gamers want.

Blizzard Entertainment has been a formidable developer for the gaming industry as well as developers that also have an odd sense of humor that one can only sit back and laugh at. A game that is developed by a gamer is the way to go and on the original StarCraft One can remember the bogus yet funny April Fools Patch, which was only temporary, but it definitely made a buzz in the gaming community that Blizzard Entertainment as well as the StarCraft line of games is a game developer that is just for the gamers.

Expect the new release of Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II to be nothing less than the pinnacle in the gaming industry and the leader of gaming technology the world over.

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