Terrans Strategy Guide By Lord Zero (Lord_0@yahoo.com) ************************************************************************* Index: 1.-File History. 2.-Intro. 3.-Basic info. 4.-Infantry. 5.-Vehicles. 6.-The Air Units. 7.-Tactics against The Zerg. 8.-Tactics against the Protoss. 9.-Tactics against The Terrans(Good luck,honey!) 10.- Basic early-medium-late game for the Terrans. 11.-Me as a Terran Player. 12.-Walktrough 13.-Credits 14.-Legal Stuff. ************************************************************************* 1.-File History: 0.1 start of the file,probably will never see the light. 1.0 starting file. 1.1 Added a new section and started the Walktrough.Added some strategy. 1.4 A huge update(almost 50 KBs!)with a new section.Ended the Walkthrough ************************************************************************* 2.-Intro: Well,Here is it,my guide for the terrans.This is my favorite race,I really don´t care if the Protoss have Psionic Storm and the Zerg can build a base as fast as I can eat three sandwichs,the Terrans are the best. I guess you have an idea of how to play the game.I´ll get straight to the point,and this guide covers how to use the Terrans against other players, based on my experience and countless hours wiping the floor with the Computer players.right?Ready?Let´s go. ************************************************************************* 3.-Basic Info: The terrans:High Points:Marines,Battlecruisers,Whraits,Siege tanks,Bunker,and a very good overall force.Relative good cost,can build a really good army with little needs.Almost all units have ranged attacks. Low Points:Needs a hell of space,lots of money,and heaps of supplies.Units are relatively weak,Dark Swarm crushes their chances. To the matters of facts,the Terrans are your everyday race.Humans and robots now work hand to hand,and the mankind has reached the stars.The Terrans have a twisted storyline:Since the Confederation has wiped all oposition in earth and any human colonies,they have established a repressive control over all civilation(Or whatever it´s now)under the premise of a better tomorrow. Your work starts by defending several colonies from unknow attacks(But we all now they are the freakish zergs)and ends up allying with outlaws, defending the enemy,infiltrating bases and beating up whatever you can to escape...I´m not going to wind up all the story for you. The Terrans are powerful on what they have been made for:expanding.Just as we all now,our hunger for new lands is amazing,and the Terrans can do it pretty well.Most of the Terrans buildings can fly,making these movements easy,and providing for interesting strategies. The Terrans units are divided in three groups:Infantry,Vehicles and Airships. The terrans are also very good at defending,but as we all are supposed to know,just like in Warcraft II,defending=die.And their soundtrack Rocks ^_^. ************************************************************************** 4.-Infantry: -Infantry:Whatever comes from the Barracks is clasified as Infantry.These groups the SCVs, Firebats,the Marines and the Ghosts.All the infantry is clasified as small units,meaning they take full damage from Normal and Concussives attacks(Like the Zealots Psionics blades-normal attack-and the Photon Cannon Discharge-concussive attack)and 50% damage from Explosive attacks-The Siege Tanks Arclite cannon -.All of them only take one slot in the Dropships.They can also enter on Bunkers,which allows them to fire from inside to outside,but they don´t take damage,the Bunker does. 1)SCVs:These are the working force of the Terrans.60 HPs,5 base damage(Cannot be upgraded),0 Base Armor(Can be upgraded).They are sort of fast,their construction rutine makes the unable to do anything else until they finish the building,but can halt the operation to finish it later.They are also able to repair buildings and vehicles,and that´s an amazing ability. -Strategy and notes:The SCV are the most resistant workers of the whole game. They can take 60 HPs of damage,and since they are small,they can take half damage from some of the most powerful attacks in the game. This means they can also go on and wipe out some units in self defense.This is NOT very recommended(The attack so freaking slowly),but it´s a last resort if you don´t have any choices. They are also Melee units,so be careful. The SCVs are very useful in the long game,as a repair crew for your Vehicles and Airships.This ability makes your units last longer,and helps on your Siege attacks,which is the main ability of the Terrans. But Of course,their main use is to get money.While they should have quick acces to any Mineral Field,the Vespene Gas mine should be a bit far.The reason is because no two of them can enter the same Mine,and if your put it a bit far,you can put like 6 SCVs and they will gather with ease, without bothering each other.For the Mineral,you can never have enough SCVs.Have as many as you can.For any map,my ussual suply is at least 20 of them getting Mineral,and some of them are always constructing,so when they are free,more mineral. If your Main Mineral Reserve is under 2000,you should start looking for another reserve.If it´s under 1500,you should be moving to get more gathering zone.If it´s under 1000,then you should already have another outpost.That´s the idea. Try using a Dropship to get a SCV and a few Marines near the enemy Base. Build a ncie barracks and start rushing them to death."How do you do to get so fast to my base?"LOL! 2)The Marines:Your first unit,and basically the backbone of your army.The Marines have 40 HPs,with 6 Base damage(Can be upgraded to the grand total of..uh...er...9)and no base Armor(Can be upgraded).They also can get two extra upgrades,U388 Bullets,which adds more range,and the Stimpack,an ability which costs 10 HPs to the user,and adds extra fast firing rate and movement speed for some seconds.They can attack both Air and ground,and can be a very powerful force if used right. -Strategy and Notes:The Marines are a very versatile unit.They are cheap, only 50 minerals per unit,and since they don´t need anything but the Barracks to be trained.They can be called out in times of necesity with fast and not expensive needs.Even then,they can be highly upgradeable, with their two upgrades they get even better. The marines are a very effective unit.When in groups they are a powerful stand alone force,as they can attack both air and ground.When Paired with Siege Tanks or Firebats,they are a very good support unit. Ussually,a single 12 Marines groups can last for ages when guarding a normal spot(It will never be deleted from my mind a game when I sent a groups to scout a Mineral Spot and they got attacked and they never got killed-amazing,if you let me say it),and more of them can easily wipe out more expensive enemies. The best of these units are the fact that they can attack both air and ground,with long range,with the same damage,and with their stimpacks on. The Stimpacks can cost you the loss of 10 HPs,right but they don´t use to live that long anyway like to miss them. However,they are not very good to rush.They are better at defense.Their attack is still weak even fully upgraded,9 base damage won´t get you too far when facing Zealots.When you get them to Bunkers they get actually amazing they can act as a very good defense,specially with those extra 350 HPs.BUT, if you get them in Bunkers,they could get killed by Guardians,Reavers,or Siege Tanks.It´s your choice-but the best is to guard heavily harmed units in Bunkers. If you have the time and money,you can even try the bunker right on the enemies Base.When you get near enough like to keep sieging the enemy´s place, build a Bunker and get your Marines there.They will act exactly the same, except with as longer and sweeter life... At the end of the game,however,use them with discretion.Specially against big daddies units-read Battlecruisers and Carriers-watch their stats,the Carriers have 4-yes,4-base armor.That is 7 highest armor,and and fully upgraded Marine will do a lousy 2 damage per shot,dang,that´s pathetic... Still,keep them with you all game,they will help you.They work as a good escort for more vulnerable units. My highest kill rating with a Non-bunkered Marine it´s 23.Whoa!.So bad he didn´t survived the end of the game...With a Bunkered Marine I sure get a lot more,but I ussually don´t check. 3)Firebats:A good support unit,they have 50 HPs,come with a base damage of 16(can be upgraded,2 per upgrade,they can do 22 of damage when fully upgraded),with a base armor of 1(can be upgraded,and 4 is a very good armor). They can get also the StimPack ability as well.They cannot attack air target, and have a range of 1,meaning they are almost a melee unit.They have a unique attack rutine,they use an spray attack,which will not only damage the unit they are attacking,but the ones behind it as well.Hmmmm... ZZZ===>Zerglings(2) Firebat=========>F ZZZZ===>Zerglings(1) Z===>Zerglings(3) All the units that get caught within the graphic range of the fire in the Zerglings (1) line will be damaged.Got it?Easy!This attack is concussive. -Strategy and Notes:I don´t find the Firebats to be as good as the marines, specially in the long run.Their attack is Concussive,this means they do 50% to large units(Ultralisks,Dragoons)75% to medium ones(High Templars). This makes them totally useless on the end game,when fully upgraded they will inflict the grand total of 9 damage against an Ultralisk.And they have to get in their ugly bad ass face to damage them.And they have a long way to go,baby,400 HPs!400/9 they have to get roughly 45 strikes to kill them...but,they won´t survive the second or third hit from the Ultralisks. They are not a total weaklings,however.They are specialized Zealots killers in the early game.Since the Zealots are small units,they will get all the damned 22 damage from the Firebat.They also work awesome to kill workers, use a Science Vessel to use defense Matrix on a Dropship,and drop 8 Firebats in their worker line.Just like you might think,you bring hell to the owner.And in the most literal way of the word. But they will get outdated fast against the Protoss,since they have no air attack(Meaning they will just be on some Scout´s kill count sooner or later), and are slow attacking.The Zealots sure are a lot more expensives but more resistant.Against the protoss,be sure to keep them with you,but don´t rely on them to fend off until the end of the game. Against the Zerg they are more useful,with the sole exception of the Ultralisks, as the Zerg uses Zerglings,lot of ´em,and since the Zergligs are small, you can easily kill 3 or 4 of them with two flame blasts.Ussually,12 Firebats can wipe out 36 Zerglings with ease,even more if using an Stimpack.When Paired with Siege Tanks and Marines they become a formidable force. As for the Stimpacks,they work very well with these too.Using Stipacks gives you an edge of the sword against the Zealots,sending 2,somethings 3 attacks as the Zealot sends his first attack.This very important to remember,since this and the Bunkers are about the only advantages you have against the ground Protoss forces.However,and fortunately,you will only face the protoss once with the Terrans,so that´s good. My highest kill count with a single Firebat is...uhh...10.I guess they are not as useful as the Marines. 4)Ghosts:Another good support units.They have 45 HPs,comes with no Base Armor(Can be upgraded),start with 10 basic concussive damage(can be upgraded with 13 as maximum)and have a very long range,but a very slow fire rate. They get a lot of upgrades:Ocular Implants,which gives them more sight, Moebius reactor,which adds 50 mucho needed max energy,Personal Cloaking, making them the only ground units that can cloak,and Lockdown,an special ability used to stop mechanical units for a short period of time. They are also the only units capable to direct the Nuclear Strike. -Strategies and Notes:The ghost are a very useful unit.You´ll have to spend a lot of money on these guys,but when they get everything they need they can be turned into a potent little key unit against the Protoss and the Terrans. Besides the fact they can cloak-which is really amazing-they can do a lot of damage against...small units.Their canister cannon is a concusive weapon, and it´s just useful to defend themselves when moving by themselves.It´s weak against most units the ghost is useful for(Siege Tanks,reavers,Carriers), even when fully upgraded. However,their cloaking field makes them the perfect assassins.Along with the Lockdown ability,which will stop any mechanical unit-that means"almost all of the Protoss units"-,makes this unit a very handy unit when attacking or defending.Lockdown actually "locks down" the machinery,meaning the Carrier will recall it´s Interceptors,the Arbiter will stop cloaking friendly units, the Science Vessel will stop detecting...Get it?The Lockdown ability can be used for 100 energy,and the affected unit can be damaged while being locked down.This is particulary useful when facing Carriers Vs Battlecruisers,or being sieged by cloaked units below an Arbiter.If you didn´t got it by now, the Lockdown just ROCKS against the Protoss. They can also direct the Nuclear Strike.This is actually amazing since this Little Missile will cause 500 HPs down to any unit which is reached by it´s damage field.That mean ANY unit in the game will be instantly destroyed,with the sole exception of a fully Upgraded Battlecruiser.Any big thing falling over your head hurts,and more if it´s full of hydrogen. Well,however,even if it´s cloaked,players with a brain will be alert if the words "Nuclear Launch Detected" apear in their screens,which will happen to all players in the game.The computer does not seem to care about it,however. Any player will attempt a quick recon over their bases to make sure they are safe,or if they need another dead ghost in the battlefield. If the ghost dies before the red dot is gone,you will lost both the ghost and the Nuclear head. So this lets us with the question:"How can I Nuke safely?" Uhhh...I really don´t know.Nuking safely is almost impossible. *The reader*:what an ***hole...How ´bout "How can I nuke with the lesser risk to my cheap but nice and cool ghost?" Ohhh,that´s easier.(*the reader*: Shut up!).First of all: -Never try to defend your base with Nukes.(Well,that one was stupid) I´ve only seen this work once(But after the base was destroyed and I left all my marines standing there watching the landslide)and any smart guy would guess that a nuke falling from the sky directly to your base will most likely cause damage to your own land,besides the enemy´s casualty.Believe me,it´s not a good idea. -Always try to cloak before you attempt a nuclear strike.(hmm..another stupid one-but it´s very often forgotten by newbies) Ghosts have only 45 HPs.That mean one reaver´s Scarab will kill him,two blast from a Siege Tank,or two Ultralisks Kaiser attacks.The Ghosts come very late in the game,which is not good since as I said before,their attack is Concussive.With 3 max armor are more resistant,but still so freaking fragile.Hmmm,but if they can´t see you,they can attack you.The ghost has to be there 10 seconds or so to direct the Missile,and if the ghosts falls you´ve lost 225 Minerals and 275 gas,and a valuable unit.A Cloaked Ghost has more chances to stand alive. -Always attempt the nuclear Strike from weird locations.(*The reader*:sorry?) Many players forget that nice feature named "terrain cover"."Any unit behind a tree will only have 30 % chance to be hitted by enemy fire". If the enemy base has near trees,try nuking from them.It not only provides you cover,but makes them hellish hard to see,therefore to find and order units to attack him.Standing units will still see it if it´s detected and attack it,but not if the ghost´s far from their sight. It´s also good to nuke from higher ground-this allows the ghost to be protected by four crucial elements: -The higher ground makes him harder to hit. -Melee units will have to find a ramp to reach him. -ground units will not see him. -It´s supposed to cloaked,baby ^_^. (Did you cloaked him,right?) -And finally,use to your advantage the fact that Ghost can be "eternally" made. (*the reader*:What the hell are you talking about?) You don´t need to use a single ghost for ALL the game.You can use more than one of them,which is not a bad idea,you know.There are many ways to use this to help the tortuous duty of sending a nuclear attack: -Use the non-nuking ghosts to protect the main one.Though it´s hard,the fact they are all supposed to be cloaked and Lockdown can work good against the Protoss.However this is not encouraged against smart opponents,Siege Tanks do exist,they are not a myth,and they can use their attacks to beat the brains out of the poor ghosts with it´s Splash attack. -Just put you ghost standing there to distract the enemy.In my humble oppinion, that´s too expensive. -the best use is to use multiple Nukes,and try to send them as fast as you can.This can be used by hotkey-ing them and send the nuclear strike from many places and to as many places as you can.If you´re fast enough,the opponent will only recive one warning-he will think he only has to kill one Ghost. Besides,500 damage is a lot against unit,but not so much against normal buildings. They are good for a supporting unit,but never leave them as your main unit. My highest kill ranking with a ghost is 21.A lone ghost behind 3 bunkers full of Marines and Firebats right in front of a Protoss base ^_^ against the computer. ************************************************************************** 5.-Vehicles:Anything coming out from the factory is clasified as Vehicles. The Terran vehicles group the Vultures,the Siege Tanks and the Goliaths. The Terran Vehicles vary in size and how many slots they take into a Dropship, but are ussually Medium and take two spaces.The sole exceptions are the Siege Tanks,which are large and take four space into the Dropship.Their weapons and armor can be upgraded at the Armory. 1)Vultures:The basic vehicle.The Vultures have 80 HPs,with 20 base Concussive damage(can be upgraded) and 1 base armor(canbe upgraded too).They can use two other aditional upgrades,the Ion Thusters,which adds some aditional speed to their already awesome speed,and the Spider mines,which provides every Vulture with three spiders Mines to lay at will. -Strategy and Notes:I don´t like the vultures too much.The Vultures are weak,both in attack and defense and that´s not my style. The Vultures can be useful if used right:They are the fastest unit in the whole game,that means they are a very good recon unit.Send them as fast as you can right to the enemies base,gather some inteligence,then you´ve got two choices,get the hell outta there,or wipe out a couple of workers.Either choice it´s going to hurt the enemy more than you. They can be used to get past defenses without too much damage.They can fly pass Sunken Colonies and Photon cannon without receiving more than a couple shots if commanded correctly. Their real usefulness comes only when the Spider Mines are researched.These little mines will be layed by the Vultures,and left there until an enemy comes within range,causing 125 damage.If you can get them into natural choke points,such as bridges,then the enemy will be caught unprepared, receiving lots of damage. Use the Mines as inteligence spots as well.Put one of them into expansion spots to detect if the enemy tries to expand.Also they cannot build or land where the mine is,so you´ll get extra time while he kills the mine:) I don´t have a good kills rating with these guys,I don´t use them. 2)Siege Tanks:Probably the best unit from among the ranks of the humans. The Siege Tanks have 150 HPs,start with 1 base Armor(Can be upgraded),30 base normal damage(can be upgraded,I think 3 per level)while in tank mode, and 70 base explosive damage(can be upgraded,goes 5 up per level) and splash damage while in Siege Mode.Their only upgrade is their Siege Mode, which allows them(Here goes a very scientific deduction) to go into Siege mode!. -Strategy and Notes:The Siege tanks are,without a doubt,the best Terran unit.Not very expensive and allow for a hellish lot of strategies. While in Tank mode,the Siege Tank is no tvery powerful,and has a good range,but while in Siege mode,they will do a lotta more damage and have an amazing range.While in siege Mode,they can´t move,but they don´t need to. Their only weak point is the fact that they can´t attack air,which is a shame, but hey,Blizzard has a balance to maintain. The Siege tanks are amazingly powerful.If you can get 8 Siege Tanks and 8 Goliaths,you can move with safe.Of course,if you get into a massive Carrier/Battelecruiser gunfire,you´re basically screwed,but I guess no one will only bring 8 tanks and 8 Goliaths if you know the enemy has Battlecruisers or Carriers,I mean... Another big weakness is that they have a minimum range,and that´s why the Zerglings are perfect against Tanks.A single Zergling can kill a tank,but that is if it can get to the tank,which is why you should have Goliaths or Marines. Their powerful and greatly ranged attack makes them really great in base strikes.The best way is to go and put some Siege Tanks with Goliaths in a risk near the enemy base.Keep pounding them.They will eventually kill you but you probably caused a lot of more damage than what you can lost. You can even maximize this technique using SCVs with your tanks.Keep repairing them(At least 6 of them is good) and even better,make a couple of Bunkers, make a barrack and use your dropship to start raiding it´s base. If you keep this way,you can keep crippling his production and bring more reinfrocements from your main base.Thsi is probably one of the more effective strategies involving the Terrans,and using it will teach you why the Siege Tanks and the Marines are so Valuable. Pairing Siege Tanks with Wraiths make for a powerful strike force.The Cloaked Wraiths are mean and the Siege Tanks can provide the main destruction. BUT,Siege Tanks are not very good if joined with Battlecruisers.Too slow for both of them and will take lots of time for them and you will need a lot of luck to survive this kind of groups. My Highest kill´s rating is 127(!).That´s not a surprise,I even killed the enemy´s larvae...Hehe. 3)Goliaths:A good Support unit,they have 125 HPs,start with 1 base Armor(can be upgraded) and 12 ground damage(can be upgraded) and 20 air Damage(can be upgrade,damage goes up by 4!).No Upgrades. -Strategies and Notes:The Goliaths are sort of a neglected unit.They are not very resistant,and only have a base attack of 12(the Tank has 70!)but are useful to backup an Siege attack.The Goliaths have higher full air attack than the Wraith(W=26,G=32),and almost as much as the Battlecruiser(B=34 G=32) so they are a very good anti-air weapon.They are particulary good to kill Scourges when they get...hmmm..up too close and personal. Their main use is to protect Siege Tanks from Zerglings and Guardians.They do more damage than the Marines at Ground level and more than the Wraiths at air level,which is very good.By themselves they are not very useful,but still a good unit. Highest kill rating?17,I think.But that was from 24 Goliaths group... ************************************************************************** 6.-Airships:Everything coming out of the Airport is classified as an Airship. This groups the dropship,Wraiths,Battlecruisers and the Science Vessel.All of them are large units,meaning they take half damage from Concusive attacks. All of them can be upgraded in the armory,and they obviously cannot get into a Dropship. 1)The Wraiths:This is a very good units.It´s the only air unit that can be built without the Control Tower.They come with 120 HPs,8 base ground damage(can be upgraded),20 Base air damage(Upgraded too),and 1 base Armor(can be upgraded).Other upgrades are the Cloaking field,which allows them to cloak, and the Apollo Reactormwhich gives them 50 more max energy. -Strategy and notes:The Apollo reactor isn´t always needed.Unless you are really heading into long and deceptive battles,the Wraith is not going to need to be cloaked such a long time.It´s your choice,though,it´s a good idea if you know you are going to be against lots of carriers,but if you need the money somewhere else,this upgrade can wait. The Wraiths are excelent units.Are relatively cheap(Compare it´s cost with an scout-the Wraith needs 2 supplies,150 mineral and 100 gas,the scout needs 3 supplies,300 minerals and 150 gas-that´s a big save of money)(Geez,add 100 minerals and 150 gas and you can get a Battlecruiser!)(and who do you think would win in a head-to-head battle?)are really fast(They are as fast as the upgraded scouts-that means even more money)and have very decent air damage,but their ground attack is extremely weak(HAH,so is the scout´s ground attack!),and have low hp(uhhh...scouts have 250 total HP...)but are still an excelent air unit. I think I overused the "scout Vs wraith" theme.More of it in the Vs Protoss section.(Plus the big battle!the Battlecruisers Vs the Carriers!). Ok,the fact is that the Wraith has many uses.They can act as an excelent escort unit,due to their good air attack,and their high speed.They can act as an excelent strike unit along with the Tanks and Marines-ground against ground and air against air.A force of 24 Wraiths is to be feared,and we have not even touched the fact that they can cloak at will! That means they are very good against carriers or Battlecruiser,of course, there´s always another change around,that´s cloak detection,but there are many ways to counter this. -Get Ghosts! Lockdown those science vessels!Lockdown those observers!Lock down everything! -Kill the detector first! Right,get onto the detector first and the enemy will be helpless until reinfrocements arrive.This can be hard,since if you´re going against a protoss fleet,they can get observers.This is where you comsat acts greatly. Observers have extremely low hp,and ussually wraiths can wipe them out in 5 shots-since you can have a 4 wraiths for the same money the enemy gets 2 scouts and an observer,you can always have the number advantage. -There are always battlecruisers to distract the enemy. That´s pretty self explanatory. The Scouts can beat the wraiths in a one-on-one battle,but if they get into this kind of battle,that means they have no cloak detection.Bang!An scout running away followed by you missiles!No units is meant to be used alone, and the wraith is not an exception.There are lots of factors which can change the outcome of a battle,but ussually,the Wraiths have a better cost-usefulness relation. The Wraiths make for great chases:In example,if the Zerg attacks you,it will most likely bring an Overlord.With your Wraiths,the overlord is good as dead.It´s ussually a good way to overcome the Zerg by chasing down all of it´s Overlords,since they will lost: -Cloak detection. -Control units. -transport. -scouts. Plus the fact that they have to build new ones.The Zerg is supposed to be the race which needs the less supplies(or control,whatever),but if you are going to send down 48 hydralisks,you have to use 48 control units!That means...hmmm...6 Overlords!Of course,they can build them in a snap,but that´s 600 Minerals without counting the Hydralisks cost,and to make it clear,the Hydralisks are probably the best units amog the ranks of the Zerg, still a group of 48 Stimpacked Marines with their range upgrade can beat a group of 48 Hydralisks with their speed and range upgraded.The Marines are cheaper and need less supplies.The fact is that the Overlords,being an easy target for your wraiths,are the weak spot of the swarm,and that´s an important use for the Wraiths. If you didn´t understood,go for those Overlords! The Wraiths also are a very good escort,but since they are so fast,you have to be monitoring them to make sure they are on their right way.The Wraiths tend to be very aggressive and ussually will follow whatever they think can be a danger,so if you need them to protect something,make sure they ARE protecting it.The Stand Ground command is good for keeping your wraiths out of trouble. The Wraiths are,however,weak into massive air attacks against the Mutalisks. The Mutalisks are small units,so they receive half damage from the wraiths missiles,also they deal damage to three units at time,and into massive gunfire this adds extra power.However,along with your all good science vessels and your battlecruisers the Zerg air force is not longer a threat, unless a queen is near and decides to use ensarne in your air force... If that happens,call help! My highest kill count has been 32...this was from the last stage(Eye of the Storm)when I decided to kill all it´s overlords. 2)Dropships:This is your basic transport.Has 200 HPs,starts with 1 base armor (Upgrade it ASAP,it´s too slow),and doesn´t have any weapons.This transport is quite slow. -Notes and Strategies:The Dropships is a pretty slow unit.However is a very important part of your army,since with this you can transport units with ease to the battleground. Dropship work better when paired with Wraiths.The Wraiths can hold off the threat long enough for the Dropship to throw off their cargo,and the wraiths high speed can make it out in a second.The Dropship is the hardest transport in the game,but it´s so freaking slow. The best use is to use a science vessel to use defensive Matrix on it.Also is a good idea to use these in the early game to deposit workers near the enemy base. My higest kill count is...errr...dang it! 3)Science vessel:The only terran unit that can detect.It has 200 HPs,but it seems to be destroyed really easy on open ground.Starts with 1 base armor(Can be upgraded) and is unarmed.The Upgrades include the EMP Shockwave (EMP stands for Electro Magenetic Pulse)which will drain any energy or shields from the affected unit and the Irradiate,which will damage any biological units which touches the affected unit.(Including the affected unit). Also there is the Titan reactor with gives them 50 + max energy. -Notes and Strategies:The Science vessels are a very vulnerable unit,but it´s also a very important unit.It not only can act as a detector(Which if you did noticed,plays an important part against Protoss,Zerg and Terran Players, all of them equally)but it has ablities that can work for every other race, so we can say this is an all round unit. The first ability,the Defensive Matrix,can work for you,the terran.The Defensive Matrix reduces all damage taken by the affected unit to 1.It last for awhile, I´m not sure if it´s damage or time,but it doesn last long enough for you to make good use of it. This ability plays an important part on the Terran strategy.Using it in a dropship allows it to overcome it´s slow speed and let their cargo go safely. This ability cost only 100 energy,so a group of Science vessels can really let go one hell of an army.Also,it can be used to protect valuable units in the middle of the battleground,such as battlecruisers,since they cannot retreat quickly.Also can be used as a cover for your important units,I once had to use it on my last SCV to save my ass from a very heated battle. The EMP Shockwave works for any race,but it´s specially useful against the Protoss.What it does is to drain all energy from the affected unit caught in an small radious(Plus it looks damn cool).This brings hell if the enemy don´t notices it,against Zerg for it´s f*ckin Defilers,against the Terrans to reveal Ghosts and Wraiths(Though it may be wiser just to detect them and save energy,but for the ghosts it also stop them from using Lockdown),and against the Protoss for those cheap-ass High Templars(Psionic storm only costs 75 energy)and Arbiters(Hah!now you can´t recall anything!). (I forgot the Queens...but the queens ussually use up all their energy,so it´s almost no use) But the real fact is that it will also destroy the Protoss Shields,making them a lot weaker.The Carrier will be left with only 300 HPs(150 shields GONE! HAHAHAHAHA!),Archons with only 10 HPs(A Marine can wipe it out)(Heck,even an SCV!),Zealots with 80 HPs,all of them at the same time.Since it affects an area,let´s say 12 Zealots,6 Archons or 4 carriers can easily loss all their shields with ease.This really makes a difference when battling Battlecruisers against Carriers,and it´s amazing when you can pull it off just before a nuclear strikes blows up.(HA!I´ll be seeing you in hell, Fleet beacons and High Templars archives!^_^)Countless strategies can be used with it,you can even try using it in a Comsat Station(Though I think that if you can get there,why don´t blow it up anyway). As for Irradiate,that is one hell of a great attack.It targets one unit, and makes it iradiate green radioactive gas,damaging whatever it reachs proving it is biological(non-mechanical,it´s almost useless against the Protoss).This works wonders agains the Zerg,since Hydralisks,Overlords and Drones will count as heavy casualties against this ability. It also helps a lot when countering masses of Mutaliks or Guardians.Players and computer tends to cluster them,and Irradiate will kill them within Seconds. Other uses include using it in your Siege Tanks when being attacked by Zerglings.Since the Siege Tank is considered to be a Mechanical unit, it will receive no damage from the attack,but it will carry the radioactive gas while it´s driving over the landslide,wiping out zerglings.It can fall dead,but it will have to kill some enemies too. My highest kill rating is 32.Lot´s of zerglings trying to kill my tanks. 4)THE Battlecruisers:The Battlecruisers are the toughest unit in the whole game(500 HPs!),and the second most shielded unit(3 starting armor,the Carrier starts with 4 base armor),and the highest Air to ground attack(25 starting). Both their weapons and Shields can be upgraded(6 max armor-!-and 34 max air and ground attack-!!-)Overall are also the most expensive;_; but still a very good unit.Upgrades are the Yamato Cannon,which will do 260 damage at a very long range,and the Collosus reactor which upgrades their max energy for 50. -Notes and Strategies:the big daddies of Starcraft ^_^ .This units are awesome!But it´s extremely expensive- 400 Minerals and 300 gas,plus 8(Yikes!) supplies!(A single supply depot for each of them)but the payback is great if you know how to use them right. First of all,always research Collosus reactor when you get the Phsysics lab.The Yamato Cannon needs 150 energy to be used,and that 50 extra energy is a big help. The Battlecruisers are pretty slow,but are one of the most powerful units in the game.They make for great units,but while they are so prohibilitely(sp?) expensives,they have to be on groups.You don´t need 12 Battlecruiser(But it´s not a bad idea)but at least 6 or 7 is good.They cannot act alone,too,they are easy kills for masses of Scourges,but the enemy will always waste a hell of money trying to stop these guys.The Battlecruisers have the same ability the Ultralisk have,they attract ALL attention.With a poweful basic attack, and an infernal resistance,they are always the first target of the leftover units. The Yamato Cannon is a fearful weapon,and it´s meant to be used with wisdom. It needs 150 energy to be shot,and with a max energy of 250,you don´t need to use it in a single dragoon.Think about it,it can do 260 damage,and can really take you of trouble if used right.It has a very long range,so it´s very good when used against Missile Turrets,Photon Cannon,but they don´t work that good against Spore Colonies,since they have 400 HPs,so you´re better going on and blast them with your lasers. The Battlecruisers are surely amazing,but like the Siege Tanks, or the Wraiths, they are not meant to be used alone.A group of 10 Wraiths along with 2 Battlecruiser always make for a good hotkeyed fleet.They work very good against Carriers when paired with Sciece Vessels. There are some reasons...The Science vessel can use EMP on the Carriers,and the Yamato Cannon will weaken them like to kill them with one or two shots. a fleet of full charged and upgraded Battlecruisers will most likely win against a fleet of full charged Carriers. The Battlecruisers also make for great backup forces.A group of Battlecruisers Protecting tanks will wreak havoc against the enemy,not matter which race it is.A group of Battlecruisers backing up a Massive marine attack is also a good idea. The Yamato cannon is a very good back up weapon to take you out of problems. If a group of Reavers are attacking you and you don´t have the time to bring your tanks near,just use the Yamato cannon.One of them at time. Also,as a quick note,the battle cruisers are the only unit in the whole game capable of survive a nuclear strike,that is,if it´s not upgraded,with 3 HPs left...Argh.Another Marine can kill it. The Dragoons are very dangerous against the battlecruisers,so be sure to bring units capable of dealing with the offenders. My highest kill rating with a Battlecruiser is 79.Good count,uh? ************************************************************************** 7.-Tactics against the Zerg. If for some reason I don´t like playing as the Zerg is that they have three big weakness: Reason nº1:Inexistent defense. Right a Sunken Colony make 40 damage and has 400 HPs.Then why I can kill a colony using a groups of stupid Marines? -I am using marines that have at least 1 armor upgrade. -I am using Stimpacked Marines. -The Sunken Colony is slow as hell to attack. -My oponent is an idiot to let me in without any other units around. Very small details blast the Zerg ground defense.Of course,there are Guardians, but they are supposed to be out there attacking. The Spore colonies do 15 damage.That´s pitiful.How can you expect to defend against battlecruisers with 15 damage?A fully upgraded battlecruiser only receives 9 damage,and you have to do 500 damage.Hmmm...you need like 55 hits to bring it down. Reason nº2:Inexistent in the late game. Nah,this one´s easy:If you have Battlecruisers the Zerg is Screwed. Reason nº3:Inexistent resistance. Try playing a 8 players FFA battle against the Computer.Put 3 Zergs,2 Terrans and 2 Protoss.You play as the Protoss or the Terrans.Bang.you hear Zerg cries,and suddenly "x player is eliminated".The zerg little defense is pathetic, and you must be always attacking in order to survive,or spend lots of money defending,which is never a good idea. The Zerg have an incredible hard time defending themselves from 2 or 3 attacks in a row. Those reasons are important enough for you to exploit them and get the upper hand in a game. But if you let me say it,their soundtrack is amazing ^_^. So,what matters over here,is that you must study these three weakness and get it over your head to win against the Zerg. Ussually,a Zerg Player is fast,and aggressive,and will start sending you 6 or more zerglings.If you don´t wanna fall into these kinds of plays,avoid playing on small maps.If you play on them,you will fall to countless waves of rushes and most likely you´ll lost.The Terrans are Terrible to rush.So your best bet is to get better units,and half over the Tech Tree the Terrans have a bloody edge against the Zerg. To defend effectively against a Zerg rush,the Bunkers are the key.You should start making 5 or 6 SCVs,making this last one build a supply depot,then 2 more SCVs and then a Barracks,then start pumping out marines.Then 2 more SCVs,and as soon as you can another barracks,then your first Bunker.Players with experience start by building their Barracks before the depot,but since there are newbies reading this(no offense,everyone was a newbie) I would recomend you to start with the depot first,since while it is less effective,it allows you to save some money and gives you a brief break with your supplies. In small Maps,however,this is very hard to get.There you have to make the barracks before the supply depot,which makes you have a hard time.Make the Barracks as soon as resources allow,they can get to you before you get 2 or 3 marines. If anything else fails,you can always send your SCVs to kill them. If you can survive long enough like to get Firebats(Sometimes this is EXTREMELY hard to do)then you will have a sweeter path for victory.While the Zerg player may continue rushing you,with Firebats the Zerglings are not longer a threat.Hydralisks,by this time,are powerful units,but still are no problem for you defenses.This will allows you to concentrate your resources in more important matters,and start building your offensive. No longer after this,they will get those annoying Mutalisks.The Mutalisks are hard to eliminate for one reason-they get them so freaking fast that you WON´T get your wraiths by that time.There are some effective ways to beat them, and this time allows much more open space. First,you can always build lots of Missile Turrets,but that´s not always a good idea.Later in the game Guardians will come out and while they are not a dangerous since you get your beloved wraiths,they are still powerful. Second,build more marines.This is actually better,since you can always hide your damaged Marines in Bunkers to give them a longer life. Third,attack and kill them before they get Mutalisks.This is,IMHO,almost imposible. The main point is that you have to hold off until you get Goliaths or Wraiths. Wraiths will come out fast,but Goliaths are not so fast to get if you´re following an attack-minded building patern. After the Mutas,their only potential treat are the Defilers and the Queens. The Queens are not so dangerous,since they can screw up you units,but only can kill them using Spawn Broodlings,and that use 200 energy,that means they won´t be using lots of them. As for the Defilers,well...They are anoying.Very annoying.How to counter them? Hmmm...It´s hard.First of all you will need Science vessels or maintain a constant Recon rutine with you Comsat,to detect them burrowing underground. Zerg players really like to attack and hide their defilers undergound. Basically,you best Defiler Hunter are the Stimpacked Marines,or a group of 10 Vultures.They are fast enough like to reach them.Wraiths don´t work that good since they stop for almost a second to aim them and shoot them, and they can get to their base that way. Also,if the enemy is using lots of defilers,then KNOW that they ARE goin to use the dreaded Zerglings/Dark swarm Combo,so get Firebats. As for Guardians,scourges and Ultralisks,I leave them in your hands,they are really easy to kill if you have read all this guide. Well,now that we know how to defend ourselves,then how to attack them.The Zerg´s low defense makes them an easy target for massives Marines/Firebats attacks,and their high dependance to overlords makes them easy to screw. In preparation for your attacks,keep your Wraiths and Science vessels on the move hunting Overlords.The enemy will have to keep rbuilding them and wasting lots of money.At the very end,Nukes and Siege Tanks can spread doom all over the swarm. try location a cluster of units burrowing their base,then move some Ghost to direct Nuclear warheads to blast them off.Siege Tanks with Wraiths and Marines/Goliaths are nearly unstopable.Ultralisk can cause a bit of problem when atacking,but if you bring at least 12 siege Tanks per group you should have no problem stoping them. Finally,Battlecruisers are not as useful here.The Zerg players rely a lot with Scourges,and a massive scourge attack means you´ve lost a lot of money and time...time.That´s the key.If you can hold them off,they you´ve basically won. ************************************************************************** 8.-Tactics against The Protoss. The Protoss are a very powerful both in offense and defense.Why I don´t play them? -Reason Nº1:I like the goddamned Terran soundtrack. That´s not a real reason,but oh well. -Real Reason Nº1:High Templars Vs Ghosts. First reason,is that I have an strict mind when playing any game.This time, is that I don´t f***ing like extremely vulnerable units!I hate it when I try to retreat my high templars and they take all their time to move,ARGH! The High Templars have useful abilities,but none of them compares to the Ghost´s Lockdown and Cloak ability.The Ghost are faster,have a weapon,and are less expensive,and IMHO they are more useful. -Real reson Nº2:Scouts Vs Wraiths. Scouts are way more expensive,are slower and don´t have cloaking.Sure they are more resistant and more destructive,but have the same ground attack. And the Wraiths are a better team unit. -Real Reason Nº3:Battlecruisers Vs Carriers. Carriers are more expensive in the long run.Period. The Carried may have the upper hand in a one on one fight,but... After all,if commanded right,I´ve no a single problem to stop a fleet of 12 Carriers with my fleet of 12 Battlecruisers.Proving they are all upgraded, look this example. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (D)->BB CC<----(D) (How ugly,right?) Battlecruiser in A line shot their Yamato Cannon against a single Carrier in Carrier A line.That´s 520 damage,the Carrier is gone.Now both of them can attack the left Carrier in the Line,while their energy is charging up,ready for another Yamato shot in a short period of time.They will kill it with their laser shots,receiving no more than 150 damage to only one of them.That means the first Carrier line dies without any casualty and little damage for the first Battlecruiser line. Also,note that their shields and their Plasma shields may be upgraded,but they are NOT going to stop the 70 extra damage,since the Carriers have a grand total of 450 HPs. That leaves a two units advantages against the other carriers.These carriers are also availabe to help out the Battlecruisers line B,not only with their laser shots,but by that time they can also use the Yamato cannon again,or maybe need a little more time. Meanwhile,the battlecruisers line B has already done with their respective moves-this also proves that while is bigger the number of involved Battlecruisers-Carriers in battle,the advantage of the Battlecruisers get bigger and Bigger.The first two (or whichever Battlecruisers I choose to battle at that exact time)use their Yamato Cannon against their first target,to wipe it out.the other two do the same against the other one.Joining their fire power against a single target,they will totally overpowering one of the two left Carriers of the line.Also,note that the Battlecruiser in the LINE A are now done,and can now help their partners. The two left lines do the same,but now onto a big and open battle,you also note that the Carriers can direct their fire to a single target,which is more smart than divide all your 12 Carriers-or battlecruisers-into 4 groups and fight that way.(be smart,that is to show smaller numbers)But the Battlecruisers can still use the same strategy and use 2 Battlecruisers to wipe out a single Carriers.The result will be amazing,6 of the Carriers being destroyed as soon as the battle starts-and this is without taking note of the range of the Yamato Cannon-and now you can concentrate your power against one of them while your energy charges up and you can use your Yamato Cannon once again. The Battlecruisers will,at most,lost 3 Battlecruisers.The Enemy fleet,however is gone. But there are countless variants into a 12-12 battle between Carriers and Battlecruisers.If played right,either players may win or lost,but now we are focusing on the Terrans.The most obvious will be Scouts and Wraiths. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) Wraiths--------(A)-->WWW SSS<--(A)--------Scouts (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (B)-->WWW SSS<--(B) (D)->BB CC<----(D) This one´s easy-The Wraiths can Cloak,and since we are supposing the only new units in our ecuation are the Wraiths and the Scouts,there are no Observers around.The Battlecruisers casualties may go up,but the Wraiths will cause devastation-and we can always think the enemy may Retreat. (Jesus Christ,this thing´s getting too long.But it´s cool.) Now,since we have cloaking units,we need to bring over new units.Since we need cloak detection,the only mobile Protoss detector are the Observers. And to keep our balance,the new unit for the Terrans will be the Science vessel,because they are our only Terran Mobile Detector. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) Wraiths--------(A)-->WWW SSS<--(A)--------Scouts Science vessel-(A)-->Sc O<------(A) (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (B)-->Sc O<----(B) (B)-->WWW SSS<--(B) (D)->BB CC<----(D) This makes the difference even bigger.While the Observers gives out the Wraiths locations,they still cause damage,and the Science vessel has a couple of moves:Using EMP Shockwave to help out the damage,or using Defensive Matrix to protect carriers.This one may cause problems,but if you follow the same strategy,you will reduce your casualties,since you are not going to need to use all of your battlecruisers energy into beating the Carriers,since they are going to be gone quicker and you will get to use the Yamato Cannon into the Scouts,wiping one of them at time. We haven´t talked about wiping out the Observers,easy task for the Battlecruisers that have already fired thir first Yamato Cannon. But now we have a new element,abilty-based units.We´ll have to get more units into the battle,and since we haven´t touched ground units,we´ll start bringing in a couple of Ghosts and High Templars. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) Wraiths--------(A)-->WWW SSS<--(A)--------Scouts Science vessel-(A)-->Sc O<------(A) Ghost-(A)>G (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) T<-(A)---High Templar Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (B)-->G (B)-->Sc O<----(B) T<-(B) (B)-->WWW SSS<--(B) (D)->BB CC<----(D) This will open new options.Still,if the Science vessel used the EMP Shockwave, the High Templar´s Energy will be gone,giving you a good chance.If not, then the High Templar can use Psionic Storm,probably killing your Wraiths, and damaging your Batlecruisers.Also,they can use the halucination,but the EMP Shock wave will counter that. As for the Ghost,their Cloaking ability will be obsolete,since we have Observers on the game.Their best choice is to use the Lockdown to stop four carriers,and keep shooting enemies.Still,you can also lockdown the Observers,keeping your Wraiths cloaked,and giving you still two more Lockdowns to use. This also can be varied by the presence of an Arbiter,but since we need something to keep things balanced,we´ll give the Terrans another Ghost. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) Wraiths--------(A)-->WWW SSS<--(A)--------Scouts Science vessel-(A)-->Sc O<------(A) Ghost-(A)>G (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) T<-(A)---High Templar Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (B)-->G (B)-->Sc O<----(B) T<-(B) (C)-->G (B)-->WWW SSS<--(B) A<---(A)-Arbiter. (D)->BB CC<----(D) As for now,the Arbiter´s cloaking field is irrevelant since we have detectors in the battlegorund-So their abilities are the important part. They can use Stasis Field or Recall,both giving the Protoss the big part. Still,our Science Vessel or the Ghost,which now have another one,then the chance to use a couple of more times Lockdown,can leave the Arbiter useless.Giving the Terrans another ghost makes them way more powerful. There another units to see.Since we have ground units,Dragoons and Goliaths can enter the game. (A)--->BB CC<---(A) Wraiths--------(A)-->WWW SSS<--(A)--------Scouts Science vessel- (A)-->Sc O<------(A) Goliaths------(A)------->GGGG DDDD<---(A)--------Dragoons Ghost-(A)>G (B)->BBBB CCCC<--(B) T<-(A)---High Templar Battelcruisers ----(C)-->BBBB CCCC<------(C)--Carriers (B)----------->GGGG DDDD<------(B) (B)-->G (B)-->Sc O<----(B) T<-(B) (C)-->G (B)-->WWW SSS<--(B) A<---(A)-Arbiter. (D)->BB CC<----(D) (!) (Now that´s a very huge force!) This makes this battle stupid since the Goliaths cause 32 total damage,and will wipe out Scouts with no problem,clearing our biggest treat.Though they maybe lots of variants,including Marines(Which will make very little difference,remember we are playing with heavily armored units),Archons(Which, if that freaking EMP Shockwave comes in would be totally wasted),or changing numbers,though changing the numbers of the Battlecruiser and Carriers will make almost no difference,except making the Battlecruisers more devastating. Carriers end up being a bit more costly,since you need to build Interceptors, and as you see,this battle would be won if played the way I tell. *The Reader*:You play too much with the chances. Well,Chances are that the Protoss player uses Recall to send their Carriers home,saving me lots of words and diagrams.But since we are SUPPOSING that we are going into an victory or death battle,this is one of the many outcomes playing in this situation.We did not saw that the battlecruiser is not fully upgraded,that they have come from a battle and have not enough energy to use the yamato Cannon,or if the Carriers lack interceptors.Starcraft can change into seconds,and everything can change the result of a battle of such magnitude. Much of the victory in Starcraft comes into guessing these moves:Chess is the first strategy game of the world,and it teaches players one important thing-"Think as your oponent,but not his move,but what´s he´s thinking about YOUR move".The fact that you´re sending down Battlecruisers means you think that you´re not going to face a fleet only made with Scouts,and if your enemy sends Reavers he doesn´t expect to meet Wraiths. Against protoss,this plays an important part. But,however,are more matters,and I forgot and important reason of why I don´t play the Protoss... -Dumb Reason Nº1:I just hate their freaking guts. But I like their way of talking.EN TARO ADUN! Let´s continue.Many Terran Players-and most players-are afraid of the dreaded four-Zealots-Rush.They have the reasons,the Zealot is a powerful unit which has no match at the start of the game.The play pattern is pretty much like playing against a zerg oponent. BUT,you gotta stop that rush with everything you´ve got.I ussually have my first Bunker ready,full of marines,and a couple more outside waiting more Members.This is ussually enough-but still they can attack you again,with more Psi-power.Try to get Firebats as fast a you can,Marines are killed like flies against Zealots.Get your firebats in the Bunkers.If you can stop their first two attacks,you will have enough time to start building your offensive,since by that time you´re supposed to have Siege Tanks. Ghosts play an important role against the Protoss.Lockdown stops almost any unit in the protoss army.That gives you a very high advantage.Siege Tanks also are very important. As to stop Scouts,counter with Goliaths.Since they can´t cloak,they are basically dead meat if they are found against them.Marines also can work wonders in Base defenses. Dragoons are also a big problem.Massive Dragoons rushes are seen later in the game,and they do huge damage(20 base damage),and are quite resistant, and finally,they are large,meaning our firebats are unuseful here.Siege Tanks are more powerful there,since Dragoons can fall to their shots with relative ease. The Nuclear strike is what can really crush the Protoss.Using an EMP Shock wave can destroy the Protoss shield and the Nuke will most likely destroy the Building-Killing off Probes with Firebat-Dropship is a good idea,don´t care abut enemies,just target the workers. Their Pylons are also an advantage.If you think you can´t get past those Photon Cannons,aim for their Pylons.Nukes work really well with this. Finally,the key against Protoss is superior power.Don´t attack if you´re outpowered.Keep them for their weak spots,and kill them. ************************************************************************** 9.-Tactics against the Terrans. Hmmmmm...read this guide througly.Now just learn to counter each of these tricks. I can´t really help you against the Terrans.Basically,what you need is to have constant Cloak detection,keep them turtling around,and nuking them to death. Terrans Vs Terrans is a very hard battle.Nor you,or the enemy will have any advatages against each other,and while these battles can be really intense, ussually end up being really boring.Anything I said against Carriers works against Battlecruisers. Don´t attack Wraiths with Wraiths,that´s a waste of resources.Better counter with Goliaths.Be careful about their Siege Tanks,and use Lockdown against them. Your best bet is to have constant EMP use and abuse,this can give you a good advantage-keep those Battlecruisers and Wraiths drained,and they won´t be a problem.Lock down work s very well here too,but since there are Firebats, Ghosts become more useless. Other good spots are massive Vultures Rushes in the start of the game.Since the Vultures do concussive damage,they can really kick Marines asses.Keep on attacking and you should be fine. ************************************************************************** 10.-Basic early-medium-late game for the Terrans. (NOTE:This is mostly against Computers players,but it servers just as well against an Human oponent,but since I´m writing this from my "memory-guide" I´m not going to connect and play a freaking game for this...) This is just a demo of how to solve different threats,how to enter different kinds of defenses,and mostly a guide.Don´t think everything will happen just as I say it,k? Starting a Game against 8 Computers players(That´s fun!At least for the first 30 minutes...).You´ll start with 4 SCVs,your command Center,and 50 Minerals. Let´s suppose we are in an inland map,such as the Hunters. Start building another SCVs,more SCVs until you have 7 full working and build a Supply Depot.Continue building SCVs and when the SCV is finishing working on the Supply depot get him to build a Barracks. ----------DANG IT!It´s your choice.You can build a Supply Depot AFTER you build your Barracks.This start is VERY defensive just for computer oponents, which will attack you always before you are ready to attack.This little building´s switch can mean your mind,defensive or offensive- As soon as you have you damned barracks start making marines.Get a Marine to scout your inmediate sorroundings,and keep a sharp eye to find your choke points and spots where the enemy can be.Be sure to keep 100 minerals to build a Bunker near your Mineral Field,so early Zerg or Protoss Rushes can´t rip your workers apart so easily. Make another Supply Depot,and keep training Marines and SCVs.As soon as you have at least 10 Marines(not counting the ones in your Bunker)and at least 12 SCVs Mining,make a Academy.This will allow you to train mucho useful Firebats which will help you defend and attack early.Build an Refinery as you build your Academy,and keep making Supply depots as your supply is only 3 units above your currents units. The Computer(or player) probably have been attacking you already-but those were probably very easy to repel rushes.Protoss early Rushes will come out by the time you have enough Marines to counter them,even when they can break some Marines,you´ll easily won if you put that Bunker in an inteligent positions.This leads us to the first rule that a Terran Player must know. RULE Nº 1:Without Marines,you are screwed. And this leads us to another Rule,more to a defensive matter. RULE Nº 2:Without Bunkers,you are screwed. (at least for the whole start of the game,until Guardians,Carriers and Battlecruisers come knocking your door.) When you get Firebats,you´ll probably have a mid-steadly supply of cash. By then,and while you keep making units-Marines,preferred,since they will last for longer in the game-you can start building a Factory and it´s add-on,the Machine Shop.You can consider building an Engineer bay,it´s a good idea against pesky early Observers,since they can ruin up your entire game if you don´t move fast.Building a Factory is ussually followed by two choices:Research Siege Mode for your Siege Tanks,or the Ion Thursthers for your Vultures. Either choice is good,the Vultures can be used as a massive rush specially against the Zerg,since the Protoss Zealots will easily mop the floor with your Vultures,but the Siege mode has to be researched not matter what the f**k are you pretending to do,since as rule number 3 shows us: RULE Nº 3:Without Siege Tanks,you are screwed. (That´s pretty much popular idea,and it´s true) And that Leads us to another Rule,but this time going to new players looking to become Siege Tanks Masters: RULE Nº 4:Without Siege Mode,the Siege Tanks are screwed. So... RULE Nº 5:Without Siege Tanks with Siege Mode,you are screwed. So research that Siege Mode early,and you will have a good edge of the Terran Sword to your advantage.Siege Tanks work Wonders behind Bunkers in the start of the game,but as you have Siege Tanks,or even before,you should be looking for new money patches to get more money.As a general rule for anything in this game: GOLDEN RULE:NEVER(and I mean it)KEEP YOURSELF STUCK IN YOUR STARTING POSITION. That´s easier said than done(Specialy against me)but money is the core of this game-without money...uh wait: RULE Nº 6:Without money,you are screwed. That´s better ;) and since Starcraft,as Warcraft II was,is first and foremost a game of production(I KNOW I readed that somewhere...please whoever wrote it tell me to get yourself credit),the best way to beat an oponent,going beyond the "Obliterate his Base until there aren´t even ashes" is outproducing him,keeping him away from his money.Without Money,you have no units,and without units...wait. SECOND GOLDEN RULE:Without units,you are screwed. That´s a very basic concept,but a rule nonetheless.(I like it!).Production is a very wide concept,since we are following three different resources: Mineral,Vespene Gas,and SUPPLIES,CONTROL or PSI,Or whatever you may call it. Many people forget that´s a resource.That´s why I recomend(and like)so much chasing down the enemy´s Overlords with Wraiths,we are keeping him away from making more units(Haha!No more freaking Hydralisks!)and at the same time we are making him spend more Minerals to get Overlords,instead of having the freedom to spend it into more combat units,as those Hydralisks. But let´s continue our battle.We were talking about Hydralisks.Honestly,I think The Hydralisks are the second to best unit in the whole game(First the Siege Tanks,The Hydralisks and later the Archons)and the best Zerg unit. They are also the only reason I like playing the Zerg once in a while.The Hydralisks are a powerful unit,cheap and fast.While they can´t stand a chance against several Battlecruisers or massives Marines attacks...Wait. RULE Nº7:Two marines will always beat one Hydralisk. They are still a dangerous threat to your safety.Marines work way better than Firebats,since they can group easily and wipe out Hydralisks by sheer number advantage.Also,Stimpacks give your marines a huge advantage.The range upgrade is important against the zerg and Protoss,but specially against the Zerg,since Hydralisks are very tough attackers,and since the can be made so fast,they can overwhelm you with ease.Hydralisks,however,get really forgotten by many Zerg Players-Even when they are very powerful and useful-cept to defend themselves.Hydralisks should be attacking you by this moment.Siege Tanks will not kill them with just one shot,so Marines are required to finish them off.Mutalisks may attack you right now,but let´s wait. As for protoss,Zealots will still be attacking you by this point,but since you have Firebats,you can fend off their attacks with some ease.Not guaranteed, but still is a safety Belt.Siege Tanks will help by this time,lucky you. Going to the offensive department,Against the zerg you may win right now with some ease.A big Tank Push is what you need now,and now that you have Tanks,you can use the TANK push.(I guess you don´t need a rule to know that a Tank Push is screwed without Tanks to Push around)A Tank Push consist of a easy to remember layout,and it´s Tanks,Marines in front,and you may add Firebats for your convenience,though in my oppinion that´s just a waste of money,More Marines last longer and are more useful.Goliaths are another choice,but since we are not supposed to build an armory this far into the game(at least me-I neglect this building Until I feel I can use some upgrades) so we will take Marines until then.The layout is supposed to go like this: (Did you noticed I really like making Diagrams ^_^ ?) Marines---->MM XXXXXXXXXXX--->Whatever TTMM XXXXXXXXXXX--->It´s STank---->TTMM XXXXXXXXXXX--->Your TTMM XXXXXXXXXXX--->Target MM XXXXXXXXXXX--->of Choice. Using a Comsat abilities,you scout the wished part of the scene,mainly the area you want to attack.Areas with: 1)Siege Tanks(In more numbers,of course). 2)Wraiths(If they are already cloaking,which is very likely) 3)Reavers(They have shorter range,but they can reach our Marines,unless you put them between the tanks,which is not recomended since they can still reach you since the have 180 total HP and can beat the hell outta anything they find). 4)Battlecruisers,Guardians or Carriers(Well,duh!) Are not very recomended to be attacked this way.Better hold off until you get Battlecruisers and attack.(Well,actually,proving there are Battlecruisers, is a fact that you are going very far in the game).In the Tank Push,the Marines/ Firebats/Goliaths or whatever you sent with your tanks(Way better if all of them)not only serve as a protection aganst units,but as a shield too.Marines are cheap and easy to get,but if they get in the way,they can get the Siege tanks free shots,specialy against the Reavers. Going Farther in the game gives you access to my favorite unit,the Wraiths. Hmmm...been awhile since I gave you a rule... RULE Nº8:A Wraith without Cloaking is screwed. RULE Nº9:Without Wraiths,you are screwed. The Wraiths are amazing,and now you can add them to your Tank Push,which is always a good idea,specialy to counter Scouts.Hmmm,Scouts.Enemy Air Units are entering now our ecuation. Scouts are powerful,and Mutalisks are just plain annoying.By this time,massive Turrets are the key-so build lots of them,and in every spot you can. However,Turrets are not invincible,so keep making Bunkers,full of Marines,and that would be useful.This time is time of attacking,too,so don´t keep holding off against them. We also have those annoying Dragoons.Dragoons do huge damage,and are fast. Protoss players have a nice habit to make huge numbers of dragoons to wipe the hell outta your armies.Is easier just to make a Tank Push against them than waiting for them.Spider Mines are a good weapon here,and Tanks too. It´s easier said than done,but it´s all I can offer. Also,though lesss likely than Dragoons or Scouts,a protoss player may be tempted to send you a whole army of Zealots.Firebats!Firebats all the way! Also,take the "human stupidity" to your advantage.If he doesn´t Cares about his Zealots,and he leaves them all by themselves,attack them with Wraiths. You will see the Zealots running away from your wraiths!Hahaha! Zerg players,during Mid-Late game(Not Mid,Not Late,just Mid-late :)are specially ||WEAK|| when we talk about fighters.They will only get two important units:Queens,as a first target for our research,are really annoying,but also easily killed(well,not "that" easily,but just easy).As another rule: RULE Nº10:HATE THE QUEENS!!! Well,that´s an easy to remember rule,and also a basic thought,not as much as a rule.The Queens are meant to be countered by just killing them away,not protecting yourself against them.Having your Wraiths ready is Important. The Spawn Broodlings-as that freaking "Polymorph" spell from the Mages in Warcraft II-ability never reveals the location of the Queen,and the unit does ||not|| have the time to yell anything,so you won´t notice when it´s working,or when it is not working.You´ll only realize that when the Broodlings attack. That´s unfair,right,but since it takes 200 energy to use,Wraiths can chase the Queen down without any problems.Tigh Security along all your outposts is needed if you spot the enemy is planning to use Queens. Scourges are the other potential enemies by this time,but oh well... RULE Nº11:just protect the damned Battlecruisers and Science vessel. Finally,at this point,you will have a good and steady supply of money.As for now,ghosts and Nukes enter your scene.You don´t need to have more than 2 ComSat stations working,so all of your Command centers,by now and later should be occupied by Nuclear Silos.You need to have 4 Nuclear Sile armed when you attempt to use them(to the very least).While I told you how to nuke "With the lesser danger to you whatever ghost"with a variety of way,there´s one way that is important for you to learn,since is the most recommended,and that is to use multiple Nukes at a time. First off,Hotkey all of your ghosts(let´s suppose you have 4 Ghosts and 4 Nukes) and position them at inteligent position.Don´t try to cluster them,it´s better to just spread them out. Let´s figure that this is an enemy base´s area. ________________G | |_ | X __ ------>Entrance to the base. G| X | | X X |G |________________| G------------>Ghost X=Nuclear target. (that one looks nice!) Use the keys you use to hotkey your ghosts,and as fast as you can,send the nuclear strikes.Our enemy will only see and hear: "Nuclear Launch Detected" Once.Yes,once.He will seek out his base and probably kill one ghost. ________________ | |_ | XXXXXXX XXXX __ ------>Entrance to the base. G| XXXXXXX XXXX | | XXXXXXX XXXX |G |________________| G------------>Ghost X=Area of effect. If you see,if one ghost gets killed,he will feel safe,but when the other three strikes fall down,he will be wasted.You´ve won a battle :),but not the war. Still it´s neat. Batlecruisers and Science Vessels also come on in right now-This gives us the summit of our strategy.The Tank Push,right now,with the inclusion of Battlecruisers and Science vessels is almost Unstopable. But The enemies also get to the most advanced units(well,in the case of the Zerg,that´s questionable,but it´s still an important part)and they can,and ||will|| attack you,so we need to learn how to defend effectively against these units. First off-Keep making Tanks,Marines and Wraiths.Uhh... RULE Nº12:"Keep making Tanks,Marines and Wraiths." They will prove to be invaluable still to this moment,and that´s very important.Tanks,Marines and Wraiths are an excelent Combo/team/whatever by themselves,and if Battlecruisers come to provide their heavy plates and the Science Vessels provide their cloak detection and useful Abilities,this makes for an advanced and fearsome force.Battlecruisers teamed with Defensive matrix,Marines blasting off enemies of the Tanks,and Wraiths protecting from treats from above,people,this is VERY effective. The Protoss get very deadly by this time.Carriers(Though my exhaustive research has proven that YOU CAN counter them)and more specifically Arbiters are a nigthmare by this point.Keeping the Protoss out of their Minerals by this point is a very recomended but it´s again easier said than done. THIRD GOLDEN RULE:ALWAYS ATTACK THY WORKERS ("thou shalt always attack thy workers"LOL!)(The "THY" was a typo,OK?) Dropshiping Firebats seems to be the easier and cheapest way.You can always dropship Tanks and Goliaths on a ledge,but that´s particulary hard since the Carriers can send their Interceptors from a very long range,and your Goliaths will simply go mad shooting whatever they see.Marines are not as useful because of their under-powered weapons.It´s important to follow a priority when both attacking and defending when it comes to buildings. A)Workers B)Gas Facilities C)Barracks,or Gateways D)Nexus,Command Centers and Hatcheries. Then it´s your choice.I ussually go for Spires,Templar Archives and Factories. In this case,Arbiters Tribunals and fleet beacons are important Targets. Carriers and Arbiters WILL get very annoying,but if you keep the Tank Push you can easily rip apart their defenses.(I will always tell it,Photon Cannon SUCKS!)and Marines and Goliaths can keep Zealots away.Science Vessels will just eliminate the cloaking field.The arbiter may attempt to use Stasis Field in your units,so keep making more Wraiths and Marines to hold off until your main units can come back to the battle. As for the Zerg,Guardians will come knocking your door as I said before, slighty before the Protoss can become such a problem.Any Smart Zerg player (and they are VERY smart) will bring over LOTS and LOTS of Mutalisks...This can be countered by Sending Wraiths but not to attack the Mutas,but directly to those hidden Overlords.Once they have no cloak Detection,they are sitting Ducks.Massive Marine assaults also work Wonders due to their expendability, but technically... RULE Nº13:The Zerg Can´t survive when you get Battlecruiser. RULE Nº14:The Zerg IS NOT SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE WHEN YOU GET THE BATTLECRUISERS. RULE Nº15:YOU CAN´T LET THE ZERG SURVIVE WHEN YOU GET BATTLECRUISERS! (Dammit!) Ultralisks are not a real problem.Of course,12 ultralisks are a very hard to stop force,but not as much as 12 Reavers,or 24 Zealots.Ultras are slow as hell,and don´t be fooled,if there are Mutalisks or Hydralisks aroud,they are more dangerous-Being the Battlecruisers of the land(without the Yamato Cannon)they are used with one and only one objective:Attract enemy Fire.They have 400 HPs...that´s a lot. Defilers are a very problematic threat.As with the Queens,keep thight security around your Outposts.A favorite strategy is to keep groups of Defilers just at the edge of your base,burrowed.With the adequate regular scouting,they can be found in time,remember Terran buildings just blow in fire if the have less than 1/3 of life remaining,and plage does just that!You can´t let them get there. The best Defiler´s hunters are the StimPacked Marine.Chase ´em down,they are so freaking cheap,they don´t deserve to live. Also,they can Complement the zergling rush by using Dark Swarm.Dark Swarm basically Screws up(Aren´t you already sick of that word?)the terrans, because unless you have Firebats(very unlikely this far into the game)or have massive Siege Tanks(very likely this far into the game) you are good as dead.Get it,one Wraith can kill a whole swarm of Zerglings,since they can´t attack it(Jump!Jump higher you bastard little freak!)but if "the" Wraith can´t see it,it can´t shoot them.Bingo.The fact is that you need to have constant recon around your base to evade this kind of attacks. (Geezzz...I have like 3 hours writing this thing!) How to survive to this moment is relatively easy by this time-You have all the nescesary tools to do it,you only need to ||Know|| how to use them. Continue sendin attacks to wipe the enemy´s workers.Specially against the Protoss. Siege Tanks can turn a Zerg Base to waste by this time if backed up by a considerable group of Wraiths.If they didn´t cared about Zerlings by this time probably Ultralisks will come to respond to your threat.There are three ways to counter this: 1)Get those freaking Marines to kill them. 2)Use a Science Vessel,to use Defensive matrix in the Tanks. 3)See this diagram Ultras->UUU UUU STanks-->TTTTTT WWWWWWWWWWWW Wraiths. That way you are very vulnerable since when the Ultras reach your position you´ll be killed with ease. Ultras->UUU UUU UUUU STanks-->TT TT UTTU TT -------Both these groups can attack the TT TT----------offending Ultralisks. WWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW Wraiths (I won´t Put the Marines since they are supposed to be too many like to be put there just like that)The point is that if the Tanks are spreaded,the Ultras will reach only only or two Tanks,and the rest f the tanks can still attack them.The Wraiths can attack the Ultralisks too.And the Marines that are supposed to be there too. Inteligent position of your groups is an important part,so follow these rules: -Infatry always will go up to the front. -Vehicles should always act as an artillery. -Never leave you ghosts in the very front unless there are no enemies around. -Science Vessels should always go to the very Back. Remember the fact that your SCVs can repair damaged vehicles and Ships. (tada!) As a summary(And since I really liked my rules)these are the rules any Terran Player should know by heart:(repeat after me ^_^) RULE Nº 1:Without Marines,you are screwed. RULE Nº 2:Without Bunkers,you are screwed. RULE Nº 3:Without Siege Tanks,you are screwed. RULE Nº 4:Without Siege Mode,the Siege Tanks are screwed. RULE Nº 5:Without Siege Tanks with Siege Mode,you are screwed. RULE Nº 6:Without money,you are screwed. RULE Nº 7:Two marines will always beat one Hydralisk. RULE Nº 8:A Wraith without Cloaking is screwed. RULE Nº 9:Without Wraiths,you are screwed. RULE Nº10:HATE THE QUEENS!!! RULE Nº11:just protect the damned Battlecruisers and Science vessel. RULE Nº12:Keep making Tanks,Marines and Wraiths. RULE Nº13:The Zerg Can´t survive when you get Battlecruisers. RULE Nº14:The Zerg IS NOT SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE WHEN YOU GET THE BATTLECRUISERS. RULE Nº15:YOU CAN´T LET THE ZERG SURVIVE WHEN YOU GET BATTLECRUISERS! And as for our three golden rules: FIRST GOLDEN RULE :NEVER KEEP YOURSELF STUCK IN YOUR STARTING POSITION. SECOND GOLDEN RULE:WITHOUT UNITS,YOU ARE SCREWED. THIRD GOLDEN RULE :ALWAYS ATTACK THE WORKERS ************************************************************************** 11.-Me as a Terran Player. Well...I´m not a very ussual Battle.net player,since I find really weak resistance between the players I find(Since I´m a spanish talker,I ussually hang out there),and while I can give a good fight against experts,I don´t mind if I lose. I find the terrans as my predilect race since the start,when I first got the game.Later I tried with the Protoss,which are my second favorite race, and with the Zerg,which in my oppinion,are weak.So I came back as a Terran. "If there´s a will,there´s a way" (Jchristopher says I´m a above-average player,cause of my motto) I like the Terrans because of their strategies.They are very versatile.My strategies mostly involves heavy defense and siege strikes.Wraiths,Marines and Siege Tanks are my most ussual elements,but if the game lasts long enough,rest assured my fleet of Battlecruisers will finish you.If a game gets to this point,I´m in total control.Against rushes,well I can defend very well...maybe too well.I am very defensive-minded(that´s why of my siege attacks) and these can easily trigger my instincts and make one of those defenses of the Century which are VERY hard to enter...unless you spend an unbeliable ammout of money in attacking...and get concentrated into their attack,while I get my Nukes ready to clear your base up from my stealths bases. Being a Terran Player,veteran from the old Warcrat II days,I find myself expanding and putting things everywhere.As far I can "handle" all 7 opponents. That means I can defend,and take out 4 or 5,but it´s a madness at the end of the game.6 Carriers,4 Battlecruisers,24 Scourges coming from everywhere IS very hard,but still is good for practicing. I If have learned anything from my battles is to never stop.Always do something. Build defenses,units,attack,never stop.That´s one of my strategies... As some unuseful info,My favorite units are the Wraiths,and my favorite quote is from the Ghosts."Never know what hit them..." ************************************************************************** 12.-Walkthrough: You start out as a Magistrate.You enter when the Protoss fleet unleash a massive bombardement in the Terran colony of Chau Sara.Your work is to prevent any further problems while you organize the evacuation of Mar Sara,since the Protoss are aiming to destroy this colony as well. Mission Zero:Boot Camp.Objetives:Build 3 Supply Depots,a Refinery,and gather 100 Gas. Strategies:Well,this is a simple and easy tutorial.The Advisor will help you trough this mission,so follow her(It´s?)instructions to finish this mission. Mission 1:Wastelands.Objectives.Build 10 Marines.Extra objective:Raynor must survive. Background:As I told you,the Protoss are moving here.The Confederacy has decided to lockdown this colony,so your work is to move your colony to the Mar Sara´s Wasteland,And you´re in to meet James Rayner,the local marshall,and he will help you. Strategies:Another easy Mission.Take what starting units you have and move south until you find Raynor.He will greet you,and keep moving south killing whatever Zerg units you find,and finally build a Barracks with your SCVs. If you have all your starting units,build another Supply depot and then train the 5 needed marines to end this mission. Mission 2:Backwater Station.Objectives:Erradicate the alien invasion.Raynor Must Survive. Background.After you move your troops,the Advisor will tell you a Distress Beacon has been activated at the old Backwater station.General Edmund Duke, who has already meet you last mission,will tell you to stay and that he will take care of the situation.However,Raynor,in a good "hero in the Shinning armor attitude"(Quoted from LT.Kerrigan...You will meet her later)and to shaken up the history,will convince you to move in and help it. Strategies:This is not very hard.I ussually finish this one with my Starting Units.Just head north with at least 11 Marines and Raynor,killing everything, go up the plateau and destroy the Creep Colony.You will find some Terran Units,and some Reiforcements-your brand new Firebats.With them,continue east beating the Zerg and you will see an Infested Comand Center.Blow it up to finish the Mission-with a good rant from Duke.You will also see a movie, with a Patroling boggie getting killed by some Zerglings and Hydralisks. Mission 3:Desperate alliance.Objectives:Survive for 30 Minutes Background:Since you destroyed a "vital confederancy structure",Duke is not happy with you,and the Confederancy is continuing avoiding the Zerg matters. Your only hope is to ally with the Sons of Korhal,leaded by Acturus Mengks, a renegade militar faction.He offers you to send you a numbers of transports in 30 minutes.Now it´s up to you to be alive by the time the transports arrive. Strategies:Now this is a harder mission.Your main idea is to guard yourself. Start by repairing your Bunker and filling them up with Marines.Build extra Bunkers.Now pump out as many Marines as you can,and place them in the high ground,and at least 6 Firebats per side to fend off Zerglings.Vultures are also useful,but not required. You can also attack the Zerg colonies,but are sort of hard,and does not good to finish the mission.You still have to wait 30 minutes.Is easy to defend against most attacks,but at the last one,the zerg will send ALL of it´s units,and that´s no good.But if you are worried about making Marines, this will be no problem. Mission four:The Jacobs Instalation.Objectives:Steal the Confederancy data disks. Background:Now that you have allied with the Sons of Korhal,you´re not longer a Magistrate,well,that´s not a big change.The Protoss are standing over to make their move,so we need to get the hell out of here.But,Mengks wants you to get a data disk from one of the Confederancy Labs,which may contain interesting weapons desing,and it´s supposed to be lighly guarded. Strategies:You start with Raynor as an AMAZING marine.(200 HPs!). Basically,just go north,killing whatever you find,then go to the right,and later enter the beacon.Your units will be transported right to the right of the main lab.Go in there,killing whatever you may find,and get into the beacon:There you will download the Data,and finish the Mission. Mission five:Revolution.Objectives:Help the Antigans,destroy the Confederancy troops and Raynor and Kerrigan must survive. Background:You will be introduced to Kerrigan,she´s the second in command to Acturus.She will explain that the Antigan troops want to attack the Confederancy,so we are here to help them out. Strategies:Get Raynor south until you find Kerrigan,and then send Raynor right to the Antigan Base,to the northeast.Touch the Command Center to own all the Buildings and the Antigans will take out the Confederancy Bunkers. Now you can bring Kerrigan safely.You also notice that now you have one of the best units in the games,the Wraiths.Build at least 12 Wraiths,and research their Cloaking ability.You´re now off to attack the Gas outpost to the Southeast which is lightly defended. Now carry at least 16 marines and unload them in the main island.Also get 4 SCVs to build a Barracks there.Start pumping out Marines and wipe out the rest of the base.With the help from you Wraiths,you should have no problem. Mision six:Norad II.Objectives:Protect the Norad II,bring Raynor and two dropships to the Norad II.Obviously,Raynor must survive. Background:After helping the Antigan rebels,the Norad II,Duke´s flagship has been attacked by the Zerg and finally has crashed into the Zerg´s territory. Mengks sends you to help him,hoping that Duke will join him.Raynor and Kerrigan are not happy about it,but oh well. Strategies:This is a kinda difficult mission,since you need to protect the Norad II.An easy way is to destroy the right bunker,and you will be able to build a Barracks.Now keep making Marines,and you will have a sweet time defending the ship.As for your main Base,it will be tirelessly attacked by Hydralisks and Zerglings-Mutalisks will mostly attack the Norad II.A few well placed bunkers will made it for you. Your offensive,even when it´s stupid,should count with Massive Marines and Goliaths,since there are huge numbers of spore colonies,and your Wraiths will be dead meat if you´re not careful.Start by sieging the base from the right plateau,and with the Barracks you built within the Norad II,start making massive marines,at least 12,and attack carefully the nearest Colonies. Keep on stacking Marines,and soon you will kill all the Spore colonies around the Norad II,so get your Dropships with raynor there to end the mission. Mission seven:The Trump Card.Objectives:bring the Psi emitter to the enemy base.(there´s a beacon so you know where you have to put it) Background:The Confederancy has discovered your position,so it´s up to us to defend ourselves.However,Acturus and Kerrigan have an interesting discovery that has to do with the disk that Raynor and you found. The data disks had desings of the Psi emitter.Surprinignly enough,the Zerg is attracted by the psionic emanations of the ghosts(-wait a minute,Kerrigan is a freaking ghost!),and this thing has just that,but very amplified.Mengks wants you and Kerrigan to put one of these things in the very heart of the confederancy base...after all,it´s only self-defense :) Strategies:This is a very difficult mission.The enemy´s base is huge,but fortunately is that we don´t have to blow it up...entirely. Kerrigan and Mensgk will start having a very weird caht,but the enemies will be attacking you already.Get your units out of the two smaller expansions to evade unescesary casualties(though Kerrigan may wipe out nearby Tanks and Marines).You don´t start in a advantage position,so be careful.Start by building up Marines and Firebats-stand by for Goliaths and Wraiths-since we need a quick defensive force to stand up in Bunkers.The SCV which has the Psi Emiter cannot mine anything,but it can build things. Using your Marines and Firebats,start wiping the nearby resistance,and start building Goliaths.The south entrance is slighty easier to enter,so send Firebats and Marines,backed up with Goliaths,carefully watching for troop positions. Go slowly,but surely,sending reinforcements,and an couple science Vessels may be useful against Wraiths.There´s a very annoying Battlecruiser over there,so be really careful.Sending a bunch of Goliaths will do well. When you get to the beacon,send your SCV with the Psi emiter,and continue fighting the enemies,because some missed shots from a Siege Tank may kill your SCV.That will finish the mission. Mission eight:The Big Push.Objectives:Kill ´em all!Duke must Survive. Background:The Zerg overruned the whole enemy Base.Acturus si now looking to wipe the whole confederancy,and Duke´s with him(freaking brat),and he advices to attack the main Space Plataform.That´s about it. Strategies:This is not a very hard mission,specially cause you have that powerhouse that is the Norad II.At the start,send your buildings and units north to find some leftover Add-on,which you can captured placing your buildings there.Right,you have to nuclear stations,but is better to take one,and build a ComSat Station,for now.Later you can build a Command Center there. Basically,what you have to do,is to make a big frontal assault with Tanks and Marines,plus some Goliaths.The Norad II will provide aditional firepower (And that´s a lot of firepower!)plus you can always use your nice yamato Cannon just in case things get tricky. The Brown Base is very easy to destroy.Keep pushing them,and using the Norad II,and eventually it will be gone.Nukes are very useful here,so don´t hesistate on using them. The Orange base is incredible easy target for the Norad II,and a helluva lot of Wraiths. Mission Nine:New Gettysburg.Objetives:Kerrigan Must Survive,all Zerg buildings must survive(?),destroy the Protoss forces. Background:Raynor doesn´t liked the fact that Duke planted MORE psi emiters in the confederancy base.However,the Protoss are here again,most likely to blow up everything in the face of the planet again.Mesngk think that the protoss may allow the confederates to escape(??)so he´s sending down Kerrigan to protect the Zerg(???) and to destroy the Protoss.Raynor doesn´t likes this fact,so he will start to misthrust Mensgk( I dont´trust him either.Defend the Zerg?Fu(k you!). Strategies:This is a weird mission.The Zerg may attack you,but you cannot attack them.How unfair.Well,the fact is that we need to defend against both the Zerg and the Protoss,plus defend the Zerg against the Protoss,and finally wipe the floor with the Protoss.Build Bunker,and lots of ´em,to protect yourself from the Zerg. The Zerg will atack you With pretty much anything in their arsenal,so be extremely careful.The Protoss,in the other hand,will seldom attack you, so you gotta go and build a good Strike force.Lots of Tanks,Goliaths and Marines,plus some Wraiths and Battlecruiser(Pretty much anythign in YOUR arsenal)will be needed here.It´s not very hard.Just keep sieging your oponents with the Tanks,and move carefully.After awhile,you will win,and a huge Zerg force will destroy your base-you have nothing to do...Kerrigan will ask what´s going on,and finally,the mission will end. Mission ten:The Hammer falls.Objectives:Raynor must survive,destroy the Ion Cannon. Background:Kerrigan will be counted as dead for us,and Raynor is definitely NOT happy about it.He decides to get off from this place,and since you are non-existant,you will go with him.Acturus will start making a silly speech,and will argument with Raynor.Your advisor will inform you that Duke has succesfuly turned on the Ion Cannon,which is a powerful defensive structure for tarsonis,and obviously,you cannot escape with that thing online. Strategy:Welcome to what could be the second to hardest mission in the whole game.This is a very,very,and I mean VERY hard mission. You start with very few trops,be sure to build Bunkers to defend yourself. Plus,move fast to get Siege Tanks,or you will be dead.Jim is almost useless by now,so leave him in the base.Both enemies will start attacking you very soon with Tanks and Goliaths,and will nuke you to high hell if you´re not fast. The Ion Cannon is to the north-north-east of your base.Actually,that´s your main objective,but you can always go on and attack whatever you find in your path if it´s your wish. That´s not a bad idea,but it´s truly masochist.It´s better to just pull of at least 6 battlecruisers,12 Wraiths,and 5 Dropships with an adequate cargo of Tanks and Goliaths(plus some SCVs)and go through a very small gap that it´s located to the north east of your base(It may be wise to bring Raynor too,since your base may get attacked while you´re busy over here,and he may die)and start attacking over there.As soon as you find an adequate slot,unload Tanks,Goliaths and Scvs,and build a Barracks.Use your Battelcruisers to level down the air defenses,ad send your transports full of Marines. You don´t need to wipe it out,just at least leave it with less than 1/3 energy. It will blow on t´s own,and you will have finished the Mission. ************************************************************************** 13.-Credits: -Well,thanks a lot to Blizzard,for this game,which is really amazing. -To all the people writing faqs for this game for inspiration. -To Jchristopher,for writing a very good faq,if a bit late,but who cares, even when he seems to be a huge Protoss fan,and for acknowledging that the Battlecruiser is the dominant ship in the game.(HaH!) -Myself,I forgot my own being before...shess... -CjayC,for obvious reasons.He runs the best video games site in the game. -And you,for reading this. ************************************************************************** 14.-Legal Stuff: This file is copyrighted 2000 by Lord Zero (lord_0@yahoo.com)All rights reserved.