Starcraft 2 Protoss – Introduction

Kassar de Templari! What’s cooler than the Predator, Star Trek and Light Sabers all at one? Starcraft 2 Protoss zealots of course. We all had our favorites in the original game and I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a dedicated Protosser. A couple of months ago, Blizzard posted data on the Protoss race in Starcraft 2 and despite still not being enough, we all clung to the bone we were thrown. From what we’ve seen so far in Starcraft 2 screenshots and movies, it’s safe to say that we’re in for a wicked ride playing the Protoss…

The Story

Having your home world invaded by slimy spitting critters can’t be nice and I bet the Protoss spent the time between Starcraft Broodwar and Starcraft 2 angrily planning revenge on the Zerg. After Aiur fell to Kerrigan’s zerg forces and after the Protoss matriarch, Raszagal, was killed, the entire remaining population had to retreat to Shakuras, the home of the notorious dark templars. Now, if you followed the story in the original Starcraft and Broodwar, you might remember that the normal Protoss didn’t really get along well with their dark templar brethren, despite having the same heritage.
The uneasy relationship between the Khalai Protoss (led by Artanis, Tassadar’s former protégé, if the name doesn’t ring a bell), and the dark templars will probably be an interesting dimension of the Starcraft 2 Protoss storyline. The dark templars won’t be led by Zeratul anymore, the charismatic and powerful prelate from the original game. Tortured over the death of Raszagal, Zeratul has gone AWOL, to piece together the puzzle pieces of the Protoss/Zerg relationship.

Units

One of the most beloved units in Starcraft, the Protoss Zealot just got a few nifty abilities. The most important one is a short distance charge, similar to the Warrior ability with the same name in World of Warcraft (coincidence?). Just like a World of Warcraft warrior, Protoss zealots will be able to “tank” for other units, forming a melee shield that can easily take on long range units, clearing the path for more destructive but more fragile Protoss range units.
A completely new unit is the Stalker. It’s one of the first units Blizzard released information on, stating that the Stalker is actually the new version of dark templars, mechanized into a tripod sort of contraption. Following the huge cry out from Starcraft fans, requesting that the Dark Templar be restored to its original form, Blizzard seemingly caved in and also designed a separate version of the dark templar and the stalker. Blizzard claims they had this planned all along, but we fans obviously know better.

Gameplay

In Starcraft 2, the Protoss will still be the hard hitting, straightforward race. Their combination of high tech weaponry, instant building capabilities and good looks will surely attract a new fan base. Actually, it’s hard to understand how the hell Protoss aren’t yet ruling the galaxy and eliminating the zerg and terrans, given all the above mentioned qualities. Oh, it must be that they’re also high maintenance and grumpy. You’ll need to adapt your playing style to these disadvantages as well.