Protoss
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The Protoss are a race in Blizzard Entertainment's real-time strategy computer game, StarCraft. They are technologically advanced and rely on cybernetics in battle and have mastered their powerful psionic abilities. They are the primary opponents of the Zerg. The Protoss are highly religious and follow a strict code known as the Khala. During the game, they are engaged in a devastating war with the Zerg; they have recently had to deal with a civil war within their ranks.
Protos in Greek means 'first'. This name is supposedly given because the Protoss were the first semi-successful Xel'Naga creation. They (the Protoss) were later deemed a failure by the greater species, leading to the engineering of the Zerg.
In StarCraft online culture, the Protoss are often referred to simply as Toss (or Pro by some Korean players or as "P'to" for written abbreviation); amongst experienced players, it's often abbreviated to simply P.
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[edit] History
Aiur is one of many worlds engineered by the Xel'Naga, a race of extragalactic geneticists, obsessed with creating the perfect race that would be marked by a distinct purity of form.<ref name="manual">Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.</ref> The Xel'Naga, after innumerable failures to create such a race, turned towards Aiur.They watched over a particular species of hunters and warriors and discerned that they indeed had a purity of form, as they were incredibly adaptable and had unmatched strength and speed. However, they found the most intriguing ability of the species to be a psionic link shared by the entire race. This link, a form of instinctive telepathy, enables them to communicate with one another, so that even large groups could work together efficiently.
The Xel'Naga altered them to some extent with their Khaydarin Crystals, but were content to remain unseen for many generations. The Xel'Naga felt they had achieved their goal, and gave the new race the name of Protoss, which loosely translates as 'the First Born'. Aiur was eventually covered with civilized Protoss, and so the Xel'Naga descended onto Aiur in order to more closely study the evolution of their charges. A Temple marks where they first set down upon Aiur.
The Xel'Naga were initially revered as gods, as the Protoss looked towards their creators with respect and a lust for knowledge. However, as the understanding and personal awareness of the young Protoss grew, they began to place greater pride in individual achievements rather than the benefit of the community. The various Tribes sought to distance themselves from one another, seeking their role not only within their immediate society, but the universe as a whole.
The tribes began to fear treachery from their masters, and in seeking to sever themselves from the rest of their race, attempted to lose the psychic link that they shared. This dissolved whatever remnants of brotherhood or unity that the Protoss had shared. Feeling that the greatest attribute of the Protoss was lost, the Xel'Naga began withdrawing from Aiur. However, the suspicious Protoss responded with an attack that destroyed a number of Xel'Naga Worldships. The Xel'Naga Worldships fended off the hasty attack and left the system. The Protoss Tribes then turned against each other, beginning the Aeon of Strife, the most devastating civil war in recorded galactic history.
[edit] The Aeon of Strife
During the Aeon of Strife, Protoss advancement slowed, and the tribes waged a massive war with each other, lasting hundreds of years. Little is known from this time, but it is known that the Protoss lost their psionic link with each other. The Aeon of Strife was the longest, most devastating civil war to ever strike any currently known species. The most famous Tribe from this time period is the Akilae Tribe, which are to this day renowned as the Protoss' finest psionic warriors.
During this time, the Protoss maintained colonies on other planets, but these too quickly became gripped with the Strife.
[edit] He Who Brings Order
The mystic Khas (a word meaning "He who brings order") eventually brought about the end of the Strife. He had studied the "forbidden" teachings of the Xel'Naga and unearthed the Khaydarin Crystals. With these crystals he was able to amplify the psionic link, which had submerged itself in Protoss egos, and recreate the link.
With this power, he traveled across Aiur, teaching the Protoss he encountered how to join the psionic link; this became a philosophy called the Khala. Eventually he reunited the majority of the Protoss, forming three castes and a new Tribe.
The very first group of warriors and students to surround him became the Ara Tribe, and joined the Judicator Caste. The other Tribes to quickly join also became members of this caste.
The next group of Tribes became the Templar Caste (the warriors), and the majority of the Protoss became the Khalai Caste (workers and artisans), ending the civil war.
The philosophy known as the Khala brought on the Second Age for the Protoss. The Tribal society evolved into three Castes: the Judicator Caste (led by the Conclave), the Khalai Caste and the Templar Caste.
[edit] Rogues
Unknown to the majority of Protoss at this time, some Protoss refused to join the Khala, yet did not act on the violent emotions of the Strife. Adun and his Templar refused to exterminate them as ordered by the Protoss Conclave. Instead, Adun taught them how to hide themselves from the Conclave and to create psionic storms. The latter lesson backfired, however, as the storms could not be controlled without the discipline of the Khala. The storms spiraled over Aiur, revealing the presence of the Rogue Tribes to the Protoss<ref name="manual" />.
The barely reunited tribes began to fight once more. Old vendettas and ancient prejudices were reborn as the Protoss who refused the way of Khala were branded as traitors and hunted down <ref>War shortly before the Exile - provides information about the Dark Templar exile</ref>.
Eventually the Conclave devised a way to impose order on the Protoss once more. The Rogue Tribes were secretly placed on board a Xel'Naga Freighter and exiled from Aiur<ref name="manual" />. Their fate was kept a secret from the other Protoss. Eventually they became known, in legend, as the Dark Templar. These Protoss, forced to draw on cosmic energies to power their psionic abilities, ceremonially severed the nerve cords that linked them to the Protoss telepathic community<ref name="manual" />.
[edit] Dark Templar
The Rogue Templar journeyed through the stars for a long time, hundreds of years. During this time the creation of the Dark Archon was banned, and the habit of cutting off their psionic appendages became common. In order to use psionic powers, they were forced to draw energy from the void. They also developed their fleet of Corsairs, vessels designed to defend themselves as they had travelled through the stars.
During these journeys the Rogue Tribes had encountered Char, probably early in their journey. While the Zerg had not yet reached Char, the Rogue Tribes somehow lost the Khalis crystal on the planet. The Rogue Tribes eventually discovered the dark planet, Shakuras, during their journeys and remained, due to the presence of a Xel'Naga Temple. On the planet, they either found or created a Warp Gate, which they could use to travel to Aiur. However, they did not use that Gate to connect to Aiur for a long time.
Struggling to adapt to their harsh and nearly lightless environment, the Rogue Tribes altered their skills and even their biology to cope. Eventually Matriarch Raszagal, aged 1046 at the time of StarCraft: Brood War, and the only Dark Templar who was old enough to clearly remember the exile from Aiur, became the leader of the Dark Templar.
[edit] Expansion and Discovery
The Protoss conquered hundreds of worlds within their corner of the galaxy, spreading civilization to many of the more advanced races that they encountered<ref name="manual" />.
The Protoss follow the Dae'uhl (Stewardship) of the planets once claimed by the Xel'Naga. They started supervising and protecting the lesser life forms, but they rarely interfered<ref name="manual" />.
When the Terrans arrived in the Koprulu Sector, colonizing over a dozen worlds within Protoss space, the Protoss observed silently. They put the humans under their Stewardship.
The Protoss suffered disastrous contact with the Zerg. The Protoss discovered Zerg drones on the edge of Protoss space and discovered their true purpose; to conquer the Protoss and absorb their psionic abilities into the gene pool. They realized that the Zerg had secretly been infesting the Terran planets, so they began to liquidate these planets as a means of controlling the infestation. The Protoss destroyed their first targets without warning.
[edit] The Fall of Aiur
After the destruction of the first Terran planet (Chau Sara), Tassadar would wait until the Terrans had left the planet before he attacked, but he would scour the surfaces clean of all Zerg. Tassadar, the leader of the force sent to scour the planets of the Zerg, enlisted the aid of the Dark Templar on Char without the permission of the Protoss Conclave after he discovered that they could be used to defeat the Zerg. Normally, a Zerg Cerebrate, a Zerg Brood commander, would be reincarnated if slain; however, the energies of the Dark Templar were able to cut off the reincarnation power. Unfortunately, when the Dark Templar led by Zeratul destroyed the first Cerebrate, the Zerg Overmind unexpectedly linked its mind with Zeratul. Their secrets were exposed to one another, and as a consequence, the Overmind discovered the location of Aiur. After a long battle, the Zerg finally managed to conquer the planet. Meanwhile, Tassadar was trapped on a space platform above Char, while Zeratul was captured in an installation by Infested Kerrigan, who had remained behind.
The Overmind itself landed on Aiur, but after a long, stalemated battle, Protoss forces slew several Cerebrates as a distraction tactic. Taking advantage of the confusion that followed, Tassadar, with the aid of Terran forces led by Jim Raynor, combined the energies of Dark and Light Templar and sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind. Even then, in the aftermath, most of the Protoss population (about 70%) was slain, Zerg were running loose on Aiur, and the Conclave had fallen. It is interesting to note that before the battle with the Overmind begins, the Conclave, realizing that Tassadar, Zeratul, and Jim Raynor had done much more than the Conclave could have hoped to accomplish, repented their past blind adherence to tradition. Aldaris remarks that they are the representatives of Aiur in its darkest hour.
[edit] Survival
With Zerg running loose across Aiur, Zeratul, a prominent Dark Templar leader, suggested that they flee to Shakuras, the homeworld of the Dark Templar. Despite protests from Aldaris, the leader of the remaining Judicators, they did so. However, it was soon discovered that the Zerg had followed them there, and that they had manifested themselves around the Xel'Naga. The Matriarch of the Dark Templar, Raszagal, noted that they would need two crystals, the Uraj and the Khalis, each containing the powers of either light or dark Templar (respectively), to defeat the Zerg.
However, Sarah Kerrigan, a Terran Ghost operative that had been infested by the Zerg into a ruthless servant of the Overmind, came to them and told them that there was a new Overmind growing on the planet Char. She claimed that she was free from the Overmind's control and that she didn't want to come under its influence again. So, when they agreed to help cripple the maturation of the Overmind, Kerrigan agreed, in turn, to help with the collection of the two crystals.
After the two crystals had been discovered and the Overmind was crippled, Aldaris and his followers declared civil war with the Protoss under the command of Artanis, Zeratul, Fenix, and their Terran allies (notably James Raynor). Aldaris's forces were defeated, and while Zeratul and Artanis were interrogating him, Kerrigan intervened and killed Aldaris. Zeratul was outraged, and banished Kerrigan from Shakuras. The Protoss proceeded to secure the Xel'Naga temple and combine the powers of the two crystals. This purged the surface of Shakuras of all life; only the Protoss taking refuge in the temple survived. The Protoss, therefore, defeated the Zerg force.
In spite of her banishment, Kerrigan did return to Shakuras (much later), and with the aid of Samir Duran, her Zerg armies assaulted the Protoss settlement of Telematros. Duran blew up a large pylon cluster and under cover from the great explosion, Kerrigan and her Zerg forces kidnapped Raszagal, the Dark Templar matriarch. This led Zeratul to confront Kerrigan, demanding the release of the matriarch. Kerrigan claimed that if Zeratul killed the new Overmind on Char, she would allow Razsagal to return to her tribe. Raszagal, whose mind secretly had been infested by Kerrigan, convinced Zeratul to go with her plan. The UED (United Earth Directorate) on Char were defeated and Zeratul arrived as promised and killed the Overmind. Raszagal was allowed to return to the Protoss, but under the nefarious influence of the Zerg, she wanted to stay at Kerrigan's side. Zeratul was outraged and "stole" Raszagal back, hoping to cure her. But before Zeratul could cure Raszagal and return to Shakuras in a dimensional warp, Kerrigan's forces had ruined his Protoss settlement. Facing defeat, Zeratul was forced to kill Raszagal so that she would not live as Kerrigan's slave. Surprisingly, Kerrigan allowed Zeratul to leave after that, thinking that he would never forgive himself for killing his own matriarch.
Later, when Kerrigan had gathered her forces above Char, the remaining Protoss under Artanis (as well as forces commanded by the United Earth Directorate and the Terran Dominion), attempted to stop Kerrigan. However, Kerrigan defeated all three forces, and the remaining Protoss commanded by Artanis (Fenix had been killed and Zeratul had disappeared) retreated to Shakuras to begin "rebuilding their once-glorious civilization".
[edit] The Future
After Zeratul had killed Raszagal, Kerrigan let him and a few Protoss survivors leave Char alive. Searching for Artanis and his warriors, Zeratul encountered a mysterious dark moon. While exploring the area, he discovered evidence that Samir Duran was creating a mysterious and powerful new species.
Artanis attempts to merge the two Protoss societies together on Shakuras, but many Dark Templar resent the presence of other Protoss on their world.
[edit] Physiology
Protoss are about three meters tall and have two luminous eyes, digitigrade legs, four digits on each of their hands (of which two are opposable), toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. Their skin is smooth and becomes rough and cracked with age. Extending back from the crown of the head, Protoss have a bony crest.
Protoss are bereft of mouths, noses, or visible ears. Though it is unknown how their senses of hearing or chemoreception operate, they are widely believed to possess such sensitivities. They can communicate telepathically with each other, especially over long distances. A Protoss' average life expectancy is around several hundred years, as the Protoss Artanis, who is 262 years old, is considered young. Protoss have a psionic pulse encased in a physical body. Once that body is destroyed, the psionic pulse dissipates, flaring with a pale, blue light.
[edit] Protoss religion
Protoss religion takes its roots from the wars that plagued Aiur following the retreat of the Xel'Naga. United after several years under the teachings of Khas, the Protoss began to adhere to Khas's teachings of the "Khala", or Path to Ascension. The resulting religion bears a striking resemblance to modern day Hinduism in teachings, e.g. it includes a caste-based social system, and even a group of "Untouchables" not considered part of the caste system at all (the Dark Templar). There is also a resemblance to Islamic religion in the historical aspect; Khas united the warrior tribes under a single religion, much like prophet Mohammed did with the nomadic arabic peoples. However, it is more like Medieval Catholicism in how it is carried out, with a hierarchy and Zealot warriors (The Templar caste could have got its name inspired on the Templar Crusaders, which also were holy warriors.); the Khala has a caste system and focuses heavily on the teachings of Khas and the ability of the Protoss to use Psionic powers. When Protoss warriors die in battle it is believed that they have reached the "Khala's End."
[edit] Religious principles
- Khala ("Path of Ascension")
- Dae'Uhl ("Great Stewardship")
[edit] Religious figures in Protoss society
- Khas — A prominent figure in Protoss society, he was the charismatic and spiritual leader who brought an end to the Aeon of Strife by using ancient Xel'Naga artifacts, the Khaydarin Crystals, to unite the warring tribes by calling them into a communal telepathic matrix. The belief that this was necessary for the Protoss to survive became known as the Khala, and it is followed by almost all Protoss factions. The Path of Khala is the sole and dominant religion in Protoss society, and societal rank (for example, templar, or judicator) and honour are linked with Khala.
- Adun — Another well-known figure in Protoss culture, he is honored by Khalai and Dark Templar alike. A powerful warrior in his time, he was charged with the extermination of the Rogue Tribes by the Conclave. Unable to bring themselves to slaughter their kin, Adun and his troops attempted to hide the heretics. Though he failed, he would be known as a saviour to the Dark Templar, and would gain similar status on Aiur after the myth of the heretics spread, revealing that he "saved" Aiur from the heretics and their "anarchist" ways. The phrase "En Taro Adun" is used by the Protoss as a formal greeting or farewell, and also serves as a battlecry, although Dark Templar often use "Adun Torridaz" instead of "En Taro Adun". "Adun Torridaz" seems to be used exclusively by the Dark Templar.
- Tassadar — He gained a following after his heroic death in defeating the Zerg Overmind. He serves as a contemporary example of Protoss virtues, and some Templar (notably Artanis) have taken to saying "En Taro Tassadar". A hero of massive powers, he was able to channel the energies of both High and Dark Templars. As one of the greatest Protoss to have ever lived, Tassadar is recognized and honored by every Protoss as a hero.
[edit] Heroes and other notable Protoss
[edit] Gameplay attributes
- High cost per unit produced.
- High unit power.
- High supply consumption per unit.
- The only race with upgradable plasma shields on both units and buildings. Plasma shields take full damage from all attacks but regenerate quickly.
[edit] Units
[edit] Land units
- Probe — Robotic builder unit. Unlike the Zerg Drone, the Probe is not consumed when placing a building, and unlike the Terran SCV, it only needs to start the building process then leave. This makes it very efficient, because one probe can be used to build an entire base.
- Zealot — Primary attack unit which wields a pair of energy blades. Compared to the Terran's and zerg's primary units it is much, much stronger, but this comes at a cost; Four Zerg Zerglings or two Terran Marines can be built for the same price and supply cost as a single Zealot. This unit cannot attack air units.
- Dragoon — Dragoons are injured or fallen warriors that are fitted with a mechanical suits so that they can continue fighting. It has a ranged attack which, unlike zealots, can attack air units. Because of its size, it cannot move through tight spaces. Its weapon is ineffective against 'light' armor units, making it vulnerable to units such as zerglings.
- Reaver — Robotic siege unit. This unit moves very slowly, but makes up for it in raw power. It fires homing bombs ("Scarabs") that rush towards a target and detonate on impact. Unlike most other units in the game, reavers do not have unlimited ammunition. Instead, Scarabs must be built inside the reaver, which can hold up to five at a time (an upgrade increases this to ten). The scarabs cause splash damage and unlike for example the Terran Siege Tank firing in siege mode, the Scarabs will not damage friendly units; therefore it can safely be set to engage clusters of friendly and enemy units engaged in melee combat. Scarabs cannot go through other units or over cliffs; they must find a clear path to the target. This attack is actually considered to be melee, not ranged. Due to their incredibly slow speed, these units are often moved about the map in Shuttles.
- High Templar — Primary "spell caster". These units do not have a physical attack (except for the hero unit Tassadar). Instead, they have useful Psionic attacks. Psionic storm, which deals high damage to all units in a small targeted area, and Hallucination, which creates two fake copies of a target unit that enemies cannot tell apart from the real thing. The copies do no damage, and in the case of the Carrier or Reaver, they are useless because they cannot build Interceptors and Scarabs respectively.
- Archon — Heavy assault unit. They are created when two High Templar merge together. They have a powerful short-ranged attack that deals splash damage, and a powerful shield that can withstand a large amount of damage. However, because of their extremely low hit points, they are incredibly vulnerable to the Terran Science Vessel's EMP attack, so much so as to make them generally unusable against Terran opponents. Archons do not activate Terran Vultures' Spider Mines (as they do not walk on the ground, but rather float over it), and they are immune to many ill effects, including Irradiate and Spawn Broodling.
- Dark Templar — Tactical offensive unit. It is permanently cloaked, with no cloaking special ablility or energy points required. Opponents require detector units (e.g. Terran: Science Vessel, Missile Turret; Zerg: Overlord, Spore Colony; Protoss: Observer, Photon Cannon) to see it. Also, Terran AI will sensor sweep in the direction of their dying men, which can make unexpecting Templars open to fire before the player can react. However, Terran AI do not sensor sweep if the Dark Templars attack Terran SCV's and non-offensive buildings including empty Terran Bunkers. It has a very powerful melee attack but relatively low hit points and shields. An unprepared opponent can quickly be crippled by even a single Dark Templar.
- Dark Archon — Secondary spell caster. It is created when two Dark Templar merge. It has no physical attack. It is perhaps best known for its Mind Control ability, a spell that allows a Protoss player to take control of an enemy unit at cost of 150 energy and all of the Dark Archon's shield points. The Dark Archon's other two spells are Feedback and Maelstrom. Maelstrom freezes all biological units in the radius of attack for a short period of time. Feedback can be used to damage and kill other energy-using units by converting their energy points into physical damage and using that damage against them. One tactic using the Dark Archon is to use the Mind Control ability on enemy builders to gain the ability to construct their structures and units, and thus create powerful combinations such as Terran Medics and Zerglings.
[edit] Air units
- Shuttle — Flying transport unit. After its speed is upgraded it is the fastest transport unit in the game. It can carry up to eight unit slots. (Each unit takes up a different number of slots; probes take up 1, zealots, dark templar, and high templar take up 2, and dragoons, archons, dark archons, and reavers take up 4.)
- Scout — Heavy fighter craft. Its speed and sight range can be upgraded at the Fleet Beacon. The Scout is quite expensive for its power and is usually used for scouting, support, and hit-and-run raids rather than in conventional mass attacks. Its ground attack is poor and its air attack is most effective against capital ships.
- Arbiter — Flying spellcaster. All player-owned units in a certain radius around the Arbiter(except other Arbiters) become cloaked without cost. Arbiters can cast Stasis Field, which freezes all units in an area for a set amount of time. Units frozen in stasis cannot be damaged, healed, regenerated or affected by any abilities at all. Arbiters can also cast Recall, an ability that transports a player's units in a targeted area to the vicinity of the arbiter almost instantaneously. Special ability and energy point upgrades can be purchased at the Arbiter Tribunal. The Arbiter does have an attack, but it has a poor firing speed and low damage making it an ineffective combat unit.
- Carrier — Capital ship. The carrier attacks by launching robotic Interceptors, each of which is built inside the Carrier at the cost of 25 minerals. Carriers can initially hold and deploy four interceptors, but an upgrade at the Fleet Beacon can increase their capacity to eight. The Interceptors give the Carrier a very long range, similar to that of Reavers and Guardians. If a Carrier is destroyed in battle, any interceptors it commands are also destroyed (after a short delay during which those Interceptors may still attack). Enemy units' AI are programmed to focus on the interceptors rather than the Carrier itself, so opponents must often directly target the carrier with their units.
- Observer — Aerial scouting detector unit. Observers are permanently cloaked and thus visible only to other detectors. Observers have no attacks or abilities, and have few hit points and shield points. The speed and sight range of Observers can be upgraded at the Observatory.
- Corsair — Light fighter. Possesses a rapid-fire low-damage splash attack usable only against air targets. It has a habit of chasing after any air unit even remotely close to it. The Corsair can cast Disruption Web, a spell that prevents all land units (friendly and otherwise) and defensive buildings within the web from firing. Units and buildings in the Disruption Web can be targeted for attacks and special abilities. The disruption field cannot be undone until the spell wears out. Corsair upgrades to abilities and energy points are available at the Fleet Beacon. (StarCraft: Brood War only)
- The Corsair was developed by Dark Templar during their wandering exile from Aiur in order to protect their Xel'Naga freighter, and has since been adapted as an anti-Zerg weapon.
[edit] Strategies
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
| StarCraft by Blizzard Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| StarCraft Universe | Gameplay of StarCraft • StarCraft storyline • Psionic technology |
| Factions and Organizations | Judicator Caste • Kel-Morian Combine • Khalai Caste • Protoss • Protoss Conclave • Pirate Militias • Raynor's Raiders • Sons of Korhal • Templar Caste • Terran • Terran Confederacy • Umojan Protectorate • United Earth Directorate • Xel'Naga • Zerg • Zerg Brood |
| Locations | Aiur • Antiga Prime • Braxis • Char • Chau Sara • Korhal • Mar Sara • Moria • Shakuras • Talematros • Tarsonis • Umoja • Zerus |
| Characters | Aldaris • Artanis • Gerard DuGalle • Edmund Duke • Samir Duran • Fenix • Sarah Kerrigan • Arcturus Mengsk • Nova • Raszagal • Jim Raynor • Alexei Stukov • Tassadar • Zeratul • Zerg Overmind • Minor Characters |
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