The Protoss Folder
Description
The enigmatic Protoss are by far the most powerful race on a unit-to-unit basis. Their sturdy plasma shields and strong attacks are the key differentiating factor in the race, but these advantages don't come without a hefty price tag. In general, Protoss units are far more expensive and slower to build than units of the other races. As such, proper planning of upgrades and build order are essential for maximum efficiency.
The Units
Probes
One of the major advantages of the Protoss probes over the other races' drone units (aside from not having to wait around while a building is constructed) is that a single probe can establish a secondary base all by itself in under a minute or so (given that you have the proper resources).
Another nice feature of the probe is that its mechanical nature makes it invulnerable to a Zerg Queen's Broodling attack. Also, they won't set off Terran spider mines, so if you don't have any flying units to remove a spider mine field, a probe will fulfill the same function quite cheaply.
Zealots (pronounced: zel'-uts)
Basic ground unit. These units are best used against other ground units and structures. Many Zerglings and Marines will fall by the hand of a single Zealot, but given their obvious lack of an air attack, be sure to keep them with Dragoons or even a few scouts to keep aerial units from decimating them (especially Mutalisks or Greater Aspects). Zealots that have their foot speed increased are also quite good at taking out Terran siege tanks. If you are preparing to "rush" (or to defend against one) you should immediately begin building them the moment your gateway is constructed. In general, Zealots are relatively cheap (no vespene gas required) and quick to build, so be sure to have at least one gateway always building them.
Dragoons
Standard Protoss tank unit. Their relatively quick movement rate and projectile attack makes them excellent backup for the Zealots in base assaults. Additionally, they are invaluable for defending against aerial assaults. Due to their large size and slow firing rate, the Dragoons are particularly susceptible to attack from Zerglings. Given their projectile nature, Siege tanks in siege mode will also annihilate Dragoons in short order. You should alway have Dragoons travelling in packs of at least four or five (bind the group to a command key so you can rapidly retreat if need be). Again, try to have at least a few Zealots with the pack, just to keep Zerglings or Terran Siege Tanks (especially those in siege mode) away.
Templars
The Templar is physically weak, but a key strategic asset. The single most important Templar ability is the psionic storm attack. The attack is fairly cheap (75 energy), allowing a fully-charged Templar to cast it twice. It is strong enough to kill a good flock of Mutalisks or Guardian Aspects if they sit still for long enough (for example, when they are attacking a Photon Cannon). By casting two spells over a larger area (don't bother casting two on the same area as it does no additional damage) you should be able to take out large groups of enemies quite quickly. Against other ground forces (say for example, Zerglings and Hydralisks), march a couple of zealots into their midst to keep them busy for a second and then blanket the area with storms from a Templar or two. You'll lose those Zealots, but your opponent will lose far more. For enemies running at you, you may have to cast the storm in front of them. Given the occasional lag of playing on Battle.net, be sure to take into account the latency between when you cast the spell and where you cast it. The advantage is that your opponent will also have to suffer through the lag before he can correct his units' course through the storm (which of course results in more damage).
The hallucination spell is another handy one that can be used to distract and disorient your opponents. There's something nice about having more than a dozen scouts cruising into an oppenent's base when only half of them are real. The decoys can draw the fire away from the real ones, resulting in a few more precious seconds to take out defenses. When you create your hallucinations, they will only last for a short period of time (their armor value will begin counting down). Likewise, a hallucination will disappear just about as soon as it is attacked. Just before attacking, bind all of your hallucinations to one or two keys for easy manipulation while binding your real units to other keys. You can then proceed with the attack in one of two ways: either intermix real and fake units in one frontal attack or attack from different sides of the base hoping that your opponent picks do defend against the hallucinations first. With the strategy of attacking from opposite sides, it's usually hit or miss. If he moves his forces to the wrong side of the base or is quick to react, your real forces could get slaughtered. That said, there's nothing quite like taunting the guy who moves to counter your hallucinations as you decimate the lowar half of his base before he figures out what happened (even if he is able to correct this later). If you really want to play mind games, just occasionally throw a few hallucinations at him about every thirty seconds. After about five to ten minutes of this, march in a few real units. He'll think it's just another hallucination -- until they start smashing his base!
The final use for a Templar is to sacrifice two together to summon an Archon. While the use of Archons will be covered below, there are several good times to actually summon. You usually want to have Templars roaming in pairs to begin with, and if the two should happen to come under fire far from help, this es generally a good time to make the merger, given that during the summoning process, the unity will immediately give double the shield strength. Of course, during the summoning, they will be immobile, but the merger can give you a few valuable seconds to send out some fast-moving scouts or zealots to ward off the offending attackers. Another good time is during a base defense. While you usually want to have Templars somewhat scattered around the base (near building where they sort of blend in), by moving them to the safest side of the base (after firing all possible storms at the enemy), merging can often result in some much needed firepower late in the defense. Besides, it's better than them being fodder.
With their light shields and weak armor, Templars are fairly vulnerable to about any attack. You can use them to bolster your existing ground forces (which of course then offers them some protection), but one of the better uses is sending them on hit and run attacks on Zerg or human installations. You'll occasionally get causht on the way in or out, but more often than not, you'll get off a solid attack. Against Protoss, however, the only units they affact are Zealots, which makes them not nearly as effective.
Archons
Amazingly shielded and powerful, the Archon is the Protoss' ultimate all-purpose warrior. While theyare amazingly expensive in terms of gas and minerals, they are equally effective against flying and ground-based enemies. In addition, they pack a nasty wallop against structures. Given they slow rate of firing, they are best used against hard-hitting single targets such as Carriers, Guardian Aspects, Siege Tanks, etc. In a pinch they also work well against Zealots and Dragoons. They can be taken down quickly by Guardain Aspects or Carriers firing from a distance, so you'll have to close ground quickly. They are amazingly effective as cloaked escorts for Arbiters, given that they can hit either air or ground targets.
Shuttles
While they are hideously slow to start with, Shuttles are an excellent way to move Reavers, Archons, or even Templars to the front lines savely. Shuttles are at risk of being destroyed by anything with anti-air capability -- Wraiths, Scouts, and Mutalisks are the most dangerous. As a precautionary measure, it is usually wise to escort shuttles with a number of scouts or even carriers on missions. After a drop is made, shuttles should immediately be sen back to the safety of home base.
Reavers
The Reaver should be the cornerstone of any base assault. One might go so far as to say you shouldn't attempt a full-scale assault without at least two of them.
The Reavers can also be used successfully in pairs as defensive units. Placing them slightly behind Photon Cannons is an extremely good tactic when playing against a Zerg force. More often than not, a Zerg player will begin an attack with Zerglings, and a single Reaver blast will usually level four or five of them at a time. You'll see similar results against Terran marines, with four or five in a group getting caught in each blast. Protoss Zealots can usually weather one shot,but fall with a satsifying squish on the second. When Ultralisks or Siege Tanks close, again, a waiting Reaver or two will decimate them in short order, though Dragoons will put up more of a fight. Obviously, you want to stagger Reavers so that they don't fire upon the same opponent, leaving large gaps of time for an enemy to close. Ingeneral you never want to bind a number of Reavers to a group given that you really want to manipulate them individually in the heat of battle. Also, given they slow firing rate and the speed at which enemies can close, more often than not you want to let them pick their own targets (which is usually the most ghreatening unit on screen or the nearest structure). Either way, they will be safer if new enemy units arrive, and eventually the structures in question will fall.
Given their lack of any aeriel defense, you usually want to escort them with three Scouts and/or four dragoons when you move them. Another key unit for use in conjunction with the Reaver is the Shuttle (see Reaver Drop below).
Observers
Intelligence is the key to survival in StarCraft, and your primary eyes will be the Observer. Late in the game, you should have your opponent's base(s) surrounded with observers if not completely infiltrated, being careful to avoid Zerg Overlords that may be accompanied by Mualisks. Fiven that they are detectors, you should also send one with any attack squadron that is engaging the Terrans or Protoss to defend them from Wraiths, Ghosts, or Arbiters' Charges. See below for special spying tactics.
Scouts
Protos aeriel units are hideously expensive but can be used to effectively counter both Terran and Zerg air forces. The Scout's real strength lies in air-to-air attacks, and even when not upgraded, are great against the unshielded Mutalisks. The problem is that you don't want to send Scouts on attack runs by themselves, and they should never by sent insquadrons of less than three (they cost soo much and are too slow to build to risk losing them stupidly). In general, you'll want to escort Scouts with Dragoons given that they can attack both ground and air. Be sure to keep Scouts away from hordes of Hydralisks and Marines, as their air-to-ground attacks are weak.
Carriers
Carriers are really only effective once they've had their attack power upgraded and their carrying capacity increased. They're particularly effective against structures, Wraiths, Zealots, Zerglings, Ultralisks, etc. They are highly susceptible to attack from Scourge and Mutalisks given their slow movement rates. Again, you should never send a carrier out unescorted. They should always be accompanied by a number of scouts, and if possible, an Arbiter to provide cloaking. Hitting and running from a distance with Carriers isn't a bad attack. If you should happen to be followed after hitting and running, it's also good to use them as bait for an ambush where you lead your pursuers into a trap.
Arbiters
Late in the game, the Arbiter will be the key to victory with its cloaking ability. It is the single most advanced unit in the Protoss arsenal and can provide a means of simply waltzing into an enemy base. Within the cloaking shroud provided by the Arbiter, you will want to have several scouts, one Carrier, one Reaver, and as many Archons as you can muster. Such a combination will keep tons of Mutalisks, Wraiths, and Scouts off your back.
Of the Arbiter's Special Abilities, Recall is an extremely handy one when used in base assaults or even as a simple transport medium for sending probes to start new bases. Using an Arbiter to teleport six Reavers to the rear of an opponent's base will cause them to soil themselves in short order as you then strike at their underbelly. It's also useful if your Arbiter should come under fire and you happen to have some forces near the vortex for support.
The Stasis Field ability is considerably less useful, though it too has its moments. One such moment is when you've let your guard down in your base and some enemy units are attacking unchallenged. Putting them in an stasis field will allow you to bring reinforcements or create new units to dispatch them when the field wears off. This works particularly well against artillery units like Guardian Aspects, Reavers, or Siege Tanks. It doesn't work well with smaller, horde forces like Zerglings or Marines.
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