History
The Protoss are actually a result of genetical experiments made by the ancient Xel'Naga on the creatures of the planet Aiur around 250,000 BCE.
Initially the Xel'Naga were worshipped as gods but as the young Protoss became more personally aware, they started to seek individuality, concentrated proudly on personal achievements than common good. Their egos grew above the ancient communal relationship and Tribes sought isolation from others. They started to frown upon the Xel'Naga who tried to participate in their affairs and bring them back to their older communal link.
Dissapointed, the Xel'Naga left Aiur but the suspicious Protoss responded with an attack that destroyed many Xel'Naga worldships. Then the Protoss Tribes turned against each other, beginning thus the Aeon of Strife, the most devastating civil wars in recorded galactic history.
Khas found the Crystals of Khaydar the Xel'Naga left behind on Aiur and channeled through their primal energy. He sensed the primordial bonds of the Protoss and wrote the theory of Path of Ascention so that the PRotoss evolve again in a unified communal society. This ended the Aeon of Strife.
THe theory known as the Khala brought on the Second Age for the Protoss. The Tribal society evolved into three Castes: Judicators (led byu the Conclave), the Khalai and the Templars. The Protoss started to follow the Dae'uhl aka Stewardship of the planets once claimed by the Xel'Naga. They started supervising and protecting the lesser life forms but not interfering.
However some Rogue Tribes did not want to follow the Khala. Adun and his templars refused to exterminate them and they were expelled from Aiur with an anceint Xel'Naga ship. Those were known as the Dark Templars.
Gameplay attributes
- High cost per unit produced
- High unit power
- High supply consumption per unit
- Very powerful spells (the Psi Storm is often referred to as the "most powerful damaging spell in the game.")
- Only race with "shields". All Protoss units (including buildings) have shields; when damaged, shields regenerate over time, even faster than Zerg units heal. Shields, however, always take full damage (see Damage types.) Shields are instantly drained by the Terran Science Vessel's EMP spell. Shields on all units except buildings can be regenerated almost instantly by the Protoss Shield Battery structure. However they are unable to heal damage sustained when their shields have been depleted.
- Fastest building method, moderate building location restrictions
Units
Land
- Probe - builder unit
- Zealot - primary attack unit. The Zealot is a melee attacker, and is much stronger than the primary attack units of the Zerg and Terran. Can be upgraded for faster movement speed, increased damage and better armor and shields. However, unlike the Terran Marines, it cannot attack air units.
- Dragoon - ranged attack ground unit that deals medium explosive damage. The dragoon can be upgraded for longer range, higher damage and stronger armor and shields.
- Reaver - siege unit. It is both the slowest siege unit and the most powerful. Unlike most other units, it does not have unlimited ammo. Instead, you must order it to build "Scarabs" at 15 units of Minerals each. It has an initial capacity of 5 which can be upgraded to 10. Each shot uses up one Scarab. Note that the Scarabs move along the ground toward their targets; while they will circumnavigate obstacles if possible, they need a relatively clear path. This and its slow speed are the Reaver's main weaknesses. However, the high damage, splash effect and Normal Damage types make it very powerful against groups of weak units such as Zerglings or Marines, and the long range can be used to take out defensive structures with impunity, although it lacks the range of the Siege Tank. The Reaver can be upgraded for higher Scarab capacity, higher Scarab damage, better armor and better shields.
- High Templar - primary spellcaster. High Templar cannot attack and are rather slow and weak. However, their spells make them powerful support units:
- Hallucination - Creates two copies of a target unit. Enemies cannot distinguish hallucinations from real units directly. However, hallucinations do no damage when they attack, cannot use special abilities, and take double damage. Hallucinations disappear if they are "killed" or once the spell wears out. This can be used for decoys or for intimidation (imagine seeing eighteen huge battlecruisers floating into your base...) Hallucinations also immediately disappear when certain spells (target specific or area effect) hit them for some sort of effect or damage, even when the units are at full health. Very useful for getting rid of half of those forty battlecruisers.
- Psi Storm - possibly the most powerful spell in the game. Psi Storm covers an area with crackling electricity. Any units in the area, both friendly and enemy, take damage for each second that they stay in the field. This is extremelly effective against slow-moving units like the Reaver or Siege Tank or against large groups of small units like Zerglings. Psi storm does not stack.
- Archon Meld - only available when two or more High Templar are selected at one time. The Templar merge in pairs to create Archons. This does not consume any mana; however, the merging takes some time during which the Templar are vulnerable. The meld is irreversable, so the high templar and their abilities are irretrievably lost.
Hallucination and Psi Storm must be researched at the Templar Archives. The High Templar can be upgraded for better armor and shields and higher mana capacity.
- Archon - Archons are created when two High Templar merge. They have a powerful ranged attack that deals splash damage, and can take a strong beating with 350 shield points. However, they only have 10 hit points, so an EMP will bring them to near-death. Archons are immune to Irradiate, and are almost unaffected by Plague (it lowers their HP to 1 without damaging their shields.) They can be upgraded for higher damage and stronger armor and shields. Archons are great melee units.
- Dark Templar - stealth unit with permanent cloaking ability (no cloaking spell or magic points required), opponent requires units with detector ability (e.g. Terran Science Vessel) to see it. It has powerful attack but relatively low hit points. A brilliant harassment unit. (Brood War only)
- Dark Archon - spellcaster, no non-spell attack, formed from two Dark Templar (Brood War only). Its abilities include mind control which allows you to take control of an enemy unit at cost of shields as well as energy. The other two abilities are feedback and maelstrom. Maelstrom freezes all biological units in the radius of attack. Feedback is used to kill other energy using units by draining half their energy and then using it as a physical assualt to damage or kill the target unit (this may even be used on Battlecruisers because they use energy to power the Yamato Cannon).
Air
- Shuttle - flying transport unit. Speed upgrade at Fleet Beacon. Fastest transport unit in game after speed upgrade.
- Scout - Heavy fighter craft; most powerful of the basic ships. Speed and sight range upgrade at Fleet Beacon.
- Corsair - spellcaster and light fighter with a rapid-fire low damage splash attack (Brood War only). Casts disruption field which prevents all units and buildings within the field from firing or operating. Units and buildings in the disruption field can be targeted for attacks and spells. Disruption field cannot be undone until the spell wears out. Spell and magic point upgrades at Fleet Beacon.
- Arbiter - spellcaster; all nearby units except other Arbiters become cloaked. Can cast stasis field that freezes all units for a set amount of time. No health or magic points can be lost or gained during stasis. No other spells can affect units, including the undoing of the stasis field. Can also cast recall, which transports a player's units to the vicinity of the arbiter almost instantaneously. Can recall locked down units. Cannot recall units in stasis. Spell and magic point upgrades at Arbiter Tribunal.
- Carrier - heavy air unit. It has a unique one in the film clips, the Gantrithor, and requires that 25 Mineral interceptors be built inside of it. At first it can hold 4, but after an upgrade at the fleet beacon, it can hold 8. It also has the longest range of any Protoss unit, comparable with the Terran Siege Tank, and the Zerg Guardian. It is most vulnerable to the Zerg Scourge.
- Observer - Permanently cloaked, flying scouting unit. No attacks or spells, low hitpoints. Requires other detectors to see observers. Speed and sight range upgrade at Observatory.
Buildings
Basic buildings
- Nexus
- Assimilator
- Pylon
- Gateway
- Forge
- Shield Battery
- Cybernetics Core
- Photon Cannon
Advanced Buildings
- Robotics Facility
- Stargate
- Citadel of Adun
- Robotics Support Bay
- Fleet Beacon
- Templar Archives
- Observatory
- Arbiter Tribunal
Note: All buildings must be built in the vicinity of a Pylon except for the Nexus, Assimilator and other Pylons. All buildings that do not have an completed pylon required for operation will cease all operations, including upgrades, unit training, magic point restoration, and attack.
Heroes and Other Notable Protoss
- Aldaris
- Artanis
- Fenix
- Raszagal
- Taldarin
- Tassadar
- Zeratul
Protoss Religion
Religious Principles
- Khala ("Path of Ascension")
- Dae'Uhl ("Great Stewardship")
Religious Figures In Protoss Society
External links