Video:Starcraft 2 Units Guide

SHARE ON                

Transcript:Starcraft 2 Units Guide

Hi, I'm Shane Murphy, your video game Guru for About.com. Today we'll review the ins and outs of Starcraft 2's new units across all three races.

Starcraft 2: Protoss

Starcraft 2's current build features a lot of familiar faces from the first, so veteran players will instantly feel at home. That said, there's also plenty of new units and abilities that heighten the game's complexity. Let's start with the protoss. The most distinctive new unit is the mothership, an absurdly expensive, slow moving air unit. The draw is massively damaging laser batteries and a constant cloaking field for ground units and structures.

You can also spend some of its energy to create a vortex that swallows every unit that comes to close, or even teleport a group friendly units, very useful for crippling your opponents economy.

Starcraft 2: Colossus

There is also the War of the Worlds inspired Colossus, a unit so tall it can be targeted by air and ground attacks. Its towering height allows it to climb one level of elevation.

The colossus provides a much needed Protoss counter to groups of weaker ground units, as its laser beam injures multiple units at once with splash damage.

The Protoss Gateway can now be transformed into a Warp Gate, allowing units to build much faster and spawn anywhere in a pylon's energy range. Couple this with the Phase Prism's new ability to act as a mobile energy field and you've got a mobile spawn point. The new Zerg units offer some powerful new abilities, especially if you're a proficient micro-manager.

Starcraft 2: Queen

The Queen makes a return in name only, and is now a completely different ground unit with strong air and ground attacks.

The new Queen is designed around supporting new bases and defense, primarily with an ability that quickly creates four new larvae, allowing you to create new units even faster. She's also responsible for initially planting creep tumors, which spread creep in this sequal.

Starcraft 2 Changes

The new Roach is a short range support ground unit that rapidly gains health while burrowed.

A few Zerg units gain added versatility by gaining the ability to evolve into specialized units. Zerglings, for example, can transform into the suicidal Banelings. The Corruptor can transform into a powerful, ground attacking assault unit called the Brood Lord.

Starcraft 2: Terrans

The Terrans gained a few potent tricks as well, making them more versatile and dynamic than ever.

Terrans get a boost to their ability to scout and harass the enemy with new units like the Reaper, a light armored, ground attacking infantry unit that can use its jet pack to move across different elevations. Also helpful in this respect is the new Raven, a replacement for the Science Vessel. This detecting unit can build other temporary structures to fight for it, such as the Auto-Turret and the powerful Hunter-Seeker Missle.

Terrans have even more building related tricks up their sleeves though: supply depots can now lower into the ground allowing units to walk over them, upgraded command centers can now hold 10 SCV's while flying, and building add ons required for more complicated upgrades are now standardized, allowing any unit producing building to link up to it.

These new units and more promise to create an even more multifaceted battle dynamic for Starcraft 2's multiplayer on battle.net.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit About.com.