[SC2] Protoss questions
Hey Reddit!
Just a few questions from a relatively newbie Protoss SC2 player.
It's my first time to play an RTS online and I'm getting wiped a lot :( so I've been reading strats and watching vids, learning hotkeys and shortcuts for a few days, and I'm doing well (moved from 82 to 38 in Copper league over about 7-8 games & maybe 3 wins since placement). I'm not absolutely crap, is what I'm trying to say, but I'm by no means good and I'm very eager to learn & improve.
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First, is the observer the only Protoss anti-cloak unit? I keep losing them to smart players, so I have to have a couple spare or risk getting destroyed by cloak or burrow.
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Second, I hear you can hot-key your Nexus, but this seems to fail for me. Is it just CTRL+key? Maybe two tries wasn't enough :P
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Third, I hear a lot of complaints about Protoss out-ranking Terran, yet I haven't come across a Terran since placement who didn't have a shit-ton of reavers, marauders, marines, and sometimes even thors on my doorstep in a couple of minutes. I've learned some good build orders, learned to scout well, and since learning I've not yet lost to Zerg and gone 2-for-1 against Tossers (forgot observers, DT rape :'( ), but Terrans still get off that early rush that I haven't learned to counter yet. If you're a good player, and get terran rushed, what would you do if you saw maybe 3 or 4 barracks with a reactor and a tech lab? Would you have a different strategy if you saw more of one than the other?
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Fourth, how soon would you expand your base? I see everyone expands to their natural- I suppose because they can keep their units close together, but to me this is putting all your eggs in one basket that's easy to find. Last night I beat someone who'd created a second expansion at the very bottom of the map on Scrap Station. I didn't have a clue about this, and had I not beaten him within another 2-3 mins, he would have resourced up enough to resist my third and final push, then flown over some VR's and Phoenixes, maybe run in a few immortals, and destroyed me.
This to me seemed like a very wise move- do your expand AWAY from your main, build half your warp-gates there, then hot-key your warp gate and place the units wherever you have pylon power. Also, build a stargate or robofacility at each (because two is minimum this late in the game), and when/if he takes your main, you still have your expansion. He MAY detect it, but if you protect it with some observers/proxy pylons to detect assaults on it and your unit rally-points nearby/halfway, you should be able to hold it as if it was your natural- except that (like me) he may not know it was even there until the replay!
Lots of Q's, sorry guys, hope this isn't too noob for r/starcraft!
Posted Apr 15, 2010, 7:01 AM UTC
1: Each race has 1 flying unit that can detect and 1 ground building that detects (and Terran can scan). In SC2, it seems way more important to have the detectors in your base (or maybe its just not as easy as it was in SC1). As Protoss, you should have some cannons in your base and observers on the map.
Interesting point here: It is smart to keep your base compact as Protoss to utilize (multiple) pylons as well as protect your base easier. Less cannons will cover more buildings. At the same time, it is necessary to keep a watchful eye around your starting base since drops/nydus networks/warp prisms are deadly.
It is smart to have a spare, then say if the one you have on the field dies, you can start building an extra spare and use the one you have. They are cloaked for a reason, when I use mine, I try not to let my opponent know I have them.
2: You can hotkey it to the numbers only.
3:As Protoss against Terran, I like to use DTs to hit their army, it does a bit of damage before scans come in. You can also from scans. But against reapers you need stalkers early to defend against them.
4:I suggest putting units to scout at expansions so you know if they take them. As Zerg, I always have lings either stationed or patrolling expansions to see if they get taken.
Hope that wasn't all just rambling.
Looks like a solid reply to me.
I've found a weakness that I've never noticed until last night, but which now seems pretty obvious.
I had a bunch of war gates close together and only two pylons covering all 7 of them. When the enemy managed to get a couple of DTs into my base, and I had my observers out in the field, they both went for the ONE pylon that covered my two cannons, with the help of an Immortal. It fell quickly, knocking out three of the warp gates, and the second fell REALLY fast, knocking out the other four gates. That left me with my army on the other side of the map facing his main force, and two DTs with an immortal completely unhindered while giving my base a royal arse fucking. By the time I finished his army and tried to catch up, I had two immortals and a stalker in his heavily cannon and pylon'd base, with him warping in new armies 15 seconds later. His DTs and immortals had destroyed my probes, nexus, and robo facility.
I gg'd.
Should have build closer, with more pylons, and observers. I need to learn to hotkey those... now sounds like a good time to practice that.