StarCraft 2 Alpha Guide >> Preparing the Protoss for StarCraft 2 >> (Pg 1) | (Pg 2) | (Pg 3)
<< Troglodyte's Tribunals



The first thing that I'd like to make clear is that this will be an article on how the Protoss have changed during the development cycle of StarCraft 2, and not how your favorite unit has changed since the original StarCraft.

Secondly, this isn't an absolute list of every little change that has happened during the development cycle. There's little doubt that there are many changes that we, the fans, do not see behind the scenes. Combine this with all the "number" tweaks across each unit and you can quickly see that it would be an unrealistic task to try and track everything.

In saying all that, I've done my best to go through as many articles, quotes and Q&A Batches as I can in order to compile the data below. I welcome any feedback or mistakes that I may have missed.

With that out of the way, let's begin by taking a look at the Protoss:

Preparing the Protoss for StarCraft 2
Page 1	Page 2	Page 3
Probe Zealot Stalker Immortal Nullifier	High Templar Dark Templar Archon Warp Prism Observer	Colossus Phoenix Void Ray Carrier Mothership

Protoss Changelog

The highly advanced race of the Protoss is a proud and very religious group, currently separated into two distinct societies: the Khala from Auir and the Dark Templar from Shakuras.

The events of the Brood War have left this mighty race a mere shattered shell of the greatness they once were. The loss of the home world of Auir and deaths of several key figures, such as Tassadar and Fenix, have put the Protoss on hard times and will surely test them with the upcoming events of StarCraft 2.

To help in the fight against the Zerg many forgotten war machines have been called back into action, and the combined technologies of the Khala and Dark Templar also bring fresh forces to the Protoss side. We'll have a look at these below, and see just how they've changed since when they were first announced.



Probe
The Probe returns for the sequel, reprising its role as the basic worker - the harvester of minerals and gas, and builder of new structures. This tiny drone is instrumental in establishing a dedicated base but is also the weakest when compared to any other Protoss unit.

This low durability makes them inefficient for a direct assault but using a pack of Probes early in the game can offer excellent support for a quick rush. The inexpensiveness and reasonable speed of the Probe also makes them the better scout until Observers are available.


How has this unit changed?
Not much at all actually. Aside from a few gameplay balances, such as a reduction in mineral collection rate and improved AI (and thereby faster gathering), the Probe has neither gained or lost any abilities.







Zealot
The reliable Zealot will again become the opening unit in StarCraft 2, returning as the back bone of many Protoss armies. They have lost the Leg Enhancements speed upgrade in favor of the new Charge.

Charge, once researched, will allow the Zealot to rush the enemy with a short burst of speed to quickly close the gap between itself and the target. This is particularly useful against ranged units such as Marines, Siege Tanks and Hydralisks.


How has this unit changed?
It was confirmed that the Zealot received a reduction in both HP and Shields of 10 in early Sept 2008 as part of the




Stalker
The first new unit of the Protoss, the Stalker shows how Dark Templar designs have emerged in the general Protoss army after the reunion of Aiur and Shakuras. They can be seen as a partial replacement for the original Dragoons along with the Immortals. Though not quite as durable, they are more agile and currently hold one of only a few castable abilities in StarCraft 2 that do not require energy.

Blink teleports the Stalkers to any nearby location within the line of sight, allowing them to traverse cliffs or bypass obstacles and blockades that would otherwise require destroying.


How has this unit changed?
In mid August of 2008, and as part of the Q&A Batch 43, the Stalker received an art upgrade to better align itself with the original concept art. This meant giving the Stalker thinner legs, expanding the side discs and more attention with the front claws.

Karune has also mentioned that the cool-down timer for Blink has been changed on several occasions. This is, of course, expected to be changed even more as the balancing process continues.







Immortal
Looking very similar to the original Dragoon, the Immortal is another new Protoss unit whose role is to absorb massive damage with their Hardened Shields. Although more durable than the Stalker, the Immortal's weakness comes from units that can strike fast (i.e. Zerglings) and enemy air targets that traditionally hit weak but fast).


How has this unit changed?
In the BlizzCon 2008 build the Hardened Shields upgrade no longer required researching, instead they automatically came with the Immortal once the player has access to them. This was later confirmed by Cydra in late November 2008.

The Immortal, along with the Stalker, has been one of those new units that hasn't seen many changes since it was first announced along with StarCraft 2.







Nullifier
The Nullifier is an interesting and new addition to the Protoss entourage that is designed to bring spellcasting to the Tier 1 bracket. As an early level support unit, the Nullifier's role is to assist the Protoss army with an arsenal of abilities including Force Field, Molecular Displacement and the new and improved Hallucination.

Its low durability puts the Nullifier as the third weakest unit of the Protoss, after the Probe and Observer; also making them easy targets for the enemy if left undefended. However unlike the famous High Templar the Nullifier has a base ranged attack it can use to defend itself.


How has this unit changed?
The Nullifier was originally called the Stasis Orb, but was renamed in mid January 2008 as part of the Q&A Batch 26. It also started out as a Tier 1 unit but was quickly moved to Tier 1.5 around the same time to compensate for several new abilities.

True to its new name the Nullifier received Null Void as part of the Q&A Batch 27, an ability that caused all other skills in its area of effect to become unusable. Null Void also had the added bonus of revealing nearby cloaked or burrowed units. This was removed for the WWI 2008 build.

Anti Gravity, which was received in February 2008, was also removed from the Nullifier and given to the Phoenix for the BlizzCon 2008 build. This has been replaced with a improved version of Hallucination.

Finally, the Nullifier also appears to have a tweaked attack animation as evident in the latest screenshots and videos (and comparison in the sidebar). The old animation had the force beam originating from an orb on the tail of the Nullifier while the latest version shows the beam starting from the head.


On Page 2 we'll continue through the Gateway units and also start looking at those from the Robotics Facility.

You must be registered and logged in to post comments.