Phoenix patrols are used to sweep the borders of Protoss territory, replacing the ancient scouts and corsairs as one of the main advanced aerial attack units available. A fast and valuable unit, it is capable of inflicting massive damage on its adversaries. A spaceship designed for air combat, it has a short ranged and quick firing energy weapon. This Ion Blaster can also be used on ground targets, but will be less effective than on other air units.

A Phoenix uses its Anti-Gravity ability to dislodge and lift buildings and ground units into the air. This formidable weapon disables their movement and power to attack, making them vulnerable to air assaults. A weapon like this gives the Phoenix the opportunity to destroy ground units – one Phoenix suspends the land unit, while the others attack it.

Some large ground units like Thor can’t be lifted, but smaller units like a Zerg Queen or a Terran Siege Tank can be pulled up in this way. Anti-Gravity uses 4 energy points per second and renders the Phoenix immobile while being used. Should the unit be surrounded, the impressive Power Overload ability means that it can unleash a great amount of energy that attacks all air units in the vicinity. This makes it a powerful weapon against barrages of small enemy vessels. Unfortunately it’s virtually useless against capital vessels.

An important – though mildly negative – aspect of this ability is that the Phoenix shuts down after the overload. During this time it is susceptible to attack and has poor defenses, so you might want to send it into battle with ground forces as backup. The Phoenix needs about five seconds to recover, so timing and precision is vital.

Be sure not to overload all of your fleet in one go. If the enemy happens to retreat past your disabled fleet, they will all be destroyed. With Air Armor, Air Weapons and Plasma Shields upgrades, what’s not to love about this advanced air unit?

Like the Immortal, the Protoss Stalker is another dragoon variant that will prove to be of great benefit to the Protoss race. The Stalker is a swift and lethal unit whose remarkable powers cannot be overemphasized.

The Dark Templar, a branch of the Protoss race who refused to submit to the encompassing Khala, were exiled to the remote planet of Shakuras where they were compelled to find new means of defense. Here the dark templar learned to harness their psionic strength and power from the Void in order to hide themselves in anticipation of inflicting a surprise attack on the enemy.

Despite their perfected techniques and their increasing strength, the dark templar found that they could not defeat the unyielding zerg. Thus the dark templar began to build war machines that were modeled on the dragoon walkers of old.

This is the origin of the Stalker, a machine that is controlled by the shadow-essence of a dark templar combatant. The stalker is famed for its teleportation ability. It literally has the ability to ‘blink’ from one spot to another, enabling them to strike unexpectedly or escape an attack with ease.

This blink ability is shown in the 3rd Starcraft 2 Battle Report – where David Kim exposes just how lethal it can be under the right circumstances.

Mounted on the stalker’s armor are lethal particle disrupters that can easily cripple ground and air targets. This new unit will give your Protoss troops the edge – if your game strategies include complex movement then Stalkers will be the chocolate sauce on your ice-cream.

The dragoons of old have been transformed into the heroic Protoss Immortals, cybernetic ground troopers that are unquestionably fiercer than their predecessors.

The shrine that was historically devoted to the tradition of transforming the crippled Protoss warriors into dragoons was overrun by the Zerg infestation that saw the Protoss home world conquered by the Zerg race. The dragoons that remained after the Brood War have now been transformed into Immortals.

The Protoss Immortal unit is a master at defending its species, using its hardened shield upgrade ability to absorb the most powerful weapon fire from enemy combatants. They offer crucial support to the multitude of Zealots by absorbing the brunt of an attack, offering Zealots a considerable opportunity to close in on the enemy.

The impenetrable shields of the Immortal will only become active when encountering the most aggressive attacks, those that inflict more than 10 damage.

Despite the strong defense of the Immortal, it is vulnerable to rapid attacks that are able to speedily damage its protective shields. It is truly a gloomy occasion when any Immortal is lost in battle because these primordial warriors are a dying breed who will forfeit their lives in defense of their species.

While we are all desperately waiting for an open beta to begin, a fight to the death between David Kim and Matt Cooper (both associate game balance designers) was released using the alpha build of the game. It’s a 20 minute brawl that is sure to whet your appetite. We won’t spoil who wins here, because it really is a great game to watch.

This is the first of the StarCraft Battle Report series and has excellent commentary by lead designer Dustin Browder and Robert Simpson. The next Battle Report is in the works. Straight from Mr. Browder:

Question: When can we have the next Battle Report?
Answer: We were waiting on getting some improved graphics in (some of the new stuff looked REALLY rough). That was finished last week and we are now playing and looking for a good game. Once we get that game the process is reasonably quick to get it out. Once we go Beta, you guys can do these and put them up. When that happens I’m sure there will be a ton of them and I’m sure the quality of the games played and the announcing will go way up.

The next game is apparently pits the Terran versus Zerg, which should be very interesting.

I can’t believe the alpha build of StarCraft 2 looks and plays as well as it does in that video.

(Source and Image: Joystiq and Blizzard)

More sinister than their Khala loving brethren, the Dark Templar are truly powerful beings. Solitary and adventurous in spirit the Dark Templar learned to harness a far more formidable force from their psionic abilities known as the ‘energies of the void.’

Silent and deadly, these units stalk their pray with an unnerving familiarity. Their void energy makes it possible for them to become invisible as often as they wish and cause havoc inside an unsuspecting enemy base. They use warp blades to kill their foes, a kind of scythe that is filled with void energy.

A distinguishing feature is the absence of the Protoss stem that grows from the back of their necks. Fiercely guarding their individuality they cut it off so that a greater distinction can be made between the two units. The armor they wear is gray and they tend to glow a pleasant aquamarine color when invisible.

Dark Templar units are good for ambush tactics during game play, or a host of them will match a horde of burrowed hydralisks.

A Protoss Zealot is a Templar who fights to defend their species and the Khala way of life. Technologically superior, these units are equipped with a suit of armor and cybernetic implants that make them extremely powerful.

Each Protoss Zealot trains constantly and is an expert in martial discipline and hand to hand combat. They have no mercy towards their enemies and destroy them with a personal hatred that has been burned into them since the beginning of their training.

Their psionic ability manifests itself as two blades of pure blue energy that extend from each arm. They are also somewhat telepathic and can predict the movements of their enemies down to the last second, striking at the precise moment and with precision accuracy.

Not only are Zealots designed for close combat, they also possess a light speed that confuses their foes as they strike, perceiving them as out of range when in fact they are upon them. This occurs quicker than the blink of an eye as their entire bodies convert into pure psionic energy.

• Protoss Dark Templar
• Prelate, leader of individual Protoss separate from Khala
• Unites Protoss and Dark Templar
• Likes Tassador, Jim Raynor
• Dislikes Zerg, Queen of Blades, Samir Duran

Zeratul is an honorable if not tragic creature. He works tirelessly for his people and defends them with everything he is. The Zerg is his greatest enemy. A threat not only to him but his entire race. The Protoss world of Auir fell to them, and the knowledge that it was mostly his fault tears at his conscious. He killed a cerebrate and temporarily linked minds with the Overmind, and unwittingly gave it Auir’s location.

Zeratul is a powerful psionic warrior and a highly skilled assassin. He was instrumental in the reuniting of Auir Protoss and Dark Templar Protoss after the Zerg invasions. He became leader by freeing the Protoss matriarch Raszagal from her bonds with the Queen of Blades (Sarah Kerrigan) and then as she died she handed the Dark Templar over to him.

The Xel’Naga was an ancient species that gave rise to thousands of other species on the many worlds where it ruled. They were a peaceful race, caring only about advancing the evolutionary stages of their subjects. They sought to create the perfect life form, but failed time and time again. Then the Xel’Naga came to a planet that had advanced beings on it, resistant to climate and the harsh natural surroundings of space, stronger and faster than any creature they had ever seen. On Auir they found the beginnings of the Protoss race, a community based on tribal society who could speak telepathically to each other. This race was the first they had created to evolve beyond basic animal instinct. The Protoss lived unaware of the Xel’Naga for centuries alone on Auir.

Still the Xel’Naga pushed the Protoss species, subtly guiding the generations until they too became sentient beings. With unrivalled intellect and mastery in the cultural arts the Protoss or first born as the Xel’Naga called them, became their greatest success. So they deemed it safe to reveal themselves to the Protoss. Warring tribes pulled closer together as the Xel’Naga walked among them on Auir.

The Protoss where eager to know the secrets of the universe from their creators who were impressed by their thirst for knowledge. So hungry were they for information that they developed sciences of their own, forging ahead in the area of meta-neural study. This made them see the advantages of personal advancement in a community. The tribes isolated themselves from one another, trying to find their place in the world and in the universe. Their creators were sorely disappointed at how easily the Protoss could lose their communal ties to each other. The Xel’Naga blamed themselves, thinking that they forced the evolutionary process on them to quickly. The tribes divided even further as individuals rose to power and they grew suspicious of their creators. The Protoss drew back from the Xel’Naga as rumors were spread about their disloyalties. Determined to separate themselves completely from other tribes on Auir, they lost the psychic connection they had between each other. Without empathy for their own kind, the Protoss race degenerated into warring and infighting.

The Xel’Naga realizing that they had failed in creating the perfect race, began to leave Auir. In a violent and senseless rage the Protoss attacked their ships, destroying many as thy fled into deep space. The Protoss tribes then turned on each other bringing about the most famous battles in a period known as Aeon Strife. It was only when the mystic Khas, who had studied the ancient teachings of the Xel’Naga discovered the Khaydarin Crystals that things began to change. Khas managed to rediscover the deep primal psychic connection that had lain dormant in his race for so long. He began teaching young Protoss how to use it, and regain their sense of community back. They understood why the Xel’Naga had abandoned them now, how they had denied their purpose and spurned their own kind. In a desperate attempt to reunite his people Khas invented a system of psychic ascension known as the Khala. His people began to reconnect, and ultimately it saved the warring tribes from wiping each other out. The Protoss willingly rallied to the system of the Khala and the race was reborn with a new sense of purpose and vitality.

The tribal system turned into a caste system because of the Khala. The Protoss became three castes – the Judicators, the Khalai, and the Templar. With this new renaming and eliminating of old rivalries, it was a fresh start for the Protoss race.

The Judicator caste – Protoss elders and statesmen known as the Conclave charged to uphold Khala law.

The Khalai caste – Most of the Protoss community, industrialists, workers, merchants, and intelligent middle class charged to rebuild war stricken Auir.

The Templar caste – Warriors charged with a holy mission to defend Auir, their psionic power increased rapidly by rigidly following Khala teachings.

The Protoss planet eventually became a superior place, and they channeled their energies to advance science. Soon they could space travel and the stars stretched out before them. They invaded and conquered worlds spreading their superior intellect and technologies. As stated by Khala law, they became the great stewards or Dae’Uhl of the universe something similar to what the Xel’Naga had been. But they refused to meddle in the evolution of their protected worlds, and allowed them to progress naturally.

The Conclave kept a secret from the Khalai however, there were still dissident tribes who did not want to join into Khala society. They were scared that their identities would be lost and that this great communal nation of the Khala would destroy the Protoss in the end. The Conclave ordered the Templar to destroy these dissidents but they could not. Under Adun their leader they hid the tribes and tried to teach them the ways of the Khala. But they would not be taught and soon without a system to control their psionic ability it spiraled out of control causing massive storms in Auir. The Conclave was unable to punish the Templar for fear of revealing their plot to kill the tribes to their people. Eventually they banished the dissident tribes, sending them away in an old Xel’Naga ship and they would come to be known as the Dark Templar.

Humanity appeared on the edge of the Protoss galaxy. The Protoss were silent and watched the humans studying their short lives and behavior. The Terran were an interesting race, managing to fight with each other and against other worlds always advancing their technologies and sciences. The sentient Protoss were dismayed at how quickly the Terran used up a worlds natural resources, they had no concept or respect for the balance of nature. Still they were not allowed to interfere by Khala law. Then on a scouting mission, information was gathered about something that would mean the death of the entire Terran race.

High Templar Tassador discovered alien space probes heading toward the Terran worlds. They studied the alien probes and were more than disturbed to find that they responded to the crystals. This mean that they were Xel’Naga made. Their one track mind set scared them even more, “find humanity…eradicate…learn…evolve.” It was a threat to their entire galaxy. Xel’Naga made these life forms would be strong, capable and extremely dangerous. Tassador rallied the Templar to fight to save the Terran, but the Conclave would have them eradicated by this new force is space. One thing was certain, the threat was not purely the Terrans, so Tassador was allowed to take his warships and assess the impending danger of this new species. When they arrived they found the new races work had already begun in the Terran colonies. Colonists had either been assimilated or eradicated, a horror the Protoss was subject to see. The entire planet was infested and orders came down to incinerate it before it spreads. Soon it was clear the alien infestation had spread and Tassador was given orders to burn all worlds affected by this new threat. He began to disagree with the motives of the Conclave giving the orders and decided to go against his orders waiting outside the perimeters of the Terran worlds watching the Zerg spread. Waiting for a chance to save humanity