Starcraft 2 Protoss Ground Units

Starcraft 2 Protoss Units and Structures --> Protoss Ground Units (you are here)

The Starcraft 2 Protoss Ground Unit Guide allows the player to understand how to play the Protoss Race. Remember that you are always trying to counter whatever your enemy is producing, so keep that in mind before massing units.

Units covered in this section: Zealot, Stalker, Archon, Dark Templar, Immortal, Colossus

Note: The Sentry and High Templar are covered in the Starcraft 2 Protoss Support Units section.

Zealot:

Cost: 100 minerals and 2 supplies
Requires: Gateway

Description:

The Zealot is the basic Protoss ground unit. It is the most powerful starting unit of the 3 races. It does very well in combat with other ground units, but is vulnerable to kiting by faster ranged units. The Zealot is also weak when

Zealots are most effectively used in conjunction with other units such as Stalkers and Sentries. These units effectively "tank" (that is soak up enemy damage) while ranged units pick off the enemy.

The Zealot can be upgraded to receive the Charge ability. This allows Zealots to catch up to other units by sprinting to them every 10 seconds. This also increases the passive movement speed of Zealots.

The major downside is that this ability requires a Templar Council building to research. As a result, charge is not available early in the game when it is most needed.

The major upside is that the Zealot is very cheap given its strength. Protoss players can dump minerals and turn out a lot of fast Zealots by using Warp Gates and Chrono boost. This is a great way to use up extra minerals in late-game situations.

Stalker

Cost: 125 minerals, 50 vespene gas, and 2 supplies
Requires: Cybernetics Core.

Description:

Stalkers are the most common Protoss ground unit. This unit is ranged and can attack both air and ground units. It is a great anti-air unit and does quite well versus most ground units.

Since the Stalker is well rounded and only needs a Cybernetics Core to produce, newbie players can do fairly well by simply making as many of these units as possible.

The Stalker can be upgraded to receive the Blink ability at the Templar Council. This allows the Stalker to teleport short distances every 10 seconds. This can be used to escape from the enemy, catch fleeing troops, bring more units into the firing field, and to jump up cliffs (assuming there is an air unit or friendly ground unit there to provide sight).

Blinking up cliffs is a great way to bypass ground entrances to bases that may have been walled off.

Reapers (a Terran unit that can provide site) and blinking Stalkers are a great way to destroy an enemy's base from the backside early in the game.

There are two major downsides to this unit. It is fairly expensive for a 2-supply unit. It costs 125 minerals and 50 vespene gas, whereas a comparable unit like the Marauder costs 100 minerals and 30 vespene. It is nearly double the cost of a Zealot!

Additionally, the Stalker is fairly weak overall and is quite the large unit. This makes it hard to use in large numbers as units which clump easier like Marines and Marauders are able to dish out a ton of more damage.

Stalkers are strong versus air units and effective against most ground units. They are at a slight disadvantage against melee units such as Zerglings and Zealots in small numbers, but tend to dominate melee units in large numbers or with Sentry support.

They are weak versus anti-ground units like the Siege Tank and Immortal. However, Blink plus the Stalker's high HP total can make them fairly effective versus Siege Tanks given good micro.

Description:

If desired, 2 High or Dark Templar can be merged to form an Archon. Archons are powerful short-range units that can attack air and ground units.

These units attack with splash damage (hits all units around the attack area) and have a high damage attack. Additionally, these units do bonus damage to "biological" units (think Zerg and other "living" units).

The splash damage and bonus damage make them very effective versus clumping living units such as Zerglings, Mutalisks, and Marines.

The downside to this unit is its incredibly high vespene cost and its very high technological requirements. This makes this unit hard to acquire in significant number.

Additionally, this unit alone tends to be weak versus masses of ranged units since it is bulky and has to be close to attack.

The Archon is rarely used in legit game situations. The most common method for using this unit effectively is when facing a Marine/Marauder/Medivac mass; a Protoss player can spend all the High Templar's energy on Psionic Storm and then merge into Archons to finish the job.

Dark Templar

Cost: 125 minerals, 125 vespene gas, 2 supplies
Requirements: Dark Shrine

Description:

The Dark Templar is a specialty Protoss unit. It is a ground melee unit and is always cloaked (needs a detector to be seen). It can only attack ground units, has relatively low HP, but has a powerful swing.

These traits suit it for use in destroying enemy mineral operations. When dropped in a Warp Prism, this unit can make short work of harvesters and even a Nexus or Hatchery.

If the opponent has no detection, it can also be used to destroy an enemy's entire base! This also makes rushing to get a few Dark Templar a viable strategy.
Due to the low HP total, Dark Templar are not very useful in head on combat, unless the enemy has no stealth detection. Dark Templar can also be used to morph into Archons.

However, due to their powerful swings, they can be very effective in ambushing enemy troops or even defending your own base from harassment.

Immortal

Cost: 250 minerals, 100 vespene gas, 4 supplies
Requires: Robotics Facility

The Immortal is a powerful Protoss ground unit which can only attack other ground units. In particular, the Immortal is very effective versus massive ground units such as Colossi, Ultralisks, and Thors.

This unit takes only 10 damage maximum per hit while the shields are up (with 100 shield energy, this allows it to take 10 direct hits from any unit). Additionally, it deals bonus damage to massive units, which makes it the bane of large ground units.

This unit is also very effective versus most ground units, particularly ranged units such as Stalkers. The only weakness of this unit is that it cannot attack air units.

Colossus

Cost: 300 minerals, 200 vespene gas, 6 supplies
Requires: Robotics Facility, Robotics Bay

The Colossus is a massive Protoss ground unit that can climb up and down cliffs. Due to its large size, it can be attacked both by both ground-only and anti-air units.

The Colossus' attack is actually fairly weak for its size. It is unique in that it has a large amount of splash damage, making it effective versus light units.

Despite their slow speed, Colossi are fairly mobile. They clump easily and it is possible to use multiple Colossi at once. If you are able to get 6+ of these out, you can melt large ground armies in seconds.

Due to its long range, the Colossus shines versus light, ranged ground units, such as Marines, especially when it has units like Zealots and Stalkers shielding it from battle.

Additionally, since it can climb up cliffs and wipe out light units quickly, a single Colossus can quickly wreck havoc on an enemy's mineral operations. However, due to high cost of the Colossus and the slow speed of its movement, it is hard for the Colossus to escape unharmed from the enemy's base. As a result, this strategy has its limitations.

The Colossus has a lot of limitations. It can't attack air units, making it weak versus all air units. Additionally, since it can be hit by anti-air units, it is easily countered by units like the Phoenix or Corruptor. Additionally, anti-massive units like the Immortal are also very effective versus Colossi.

The Colossus can be upgraded at the Robotics Bay to have extended range. As a result, this unit is the Protoss siege unit and can attack defense units like Photon
Cannons from a safe position.