Protoss
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.
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.
[Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.] 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.
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.
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 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.
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
.
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
[War shortly before the Exile - provides information about the Dark Templar exile].
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.
Matriarch Raszagal, a very old Protoss and
Dark Templar leader, is old enough to remember the Exile clearly. 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
.
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, a 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, age 1046 at the time of StarCraft: Brood War, and the only Dark Templar who was old enough to clearly remember
Aiur, became the leader of the Dark Templar.
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
.
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
.
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 probes 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.
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.
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-grand civilization".
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.
Protoss are about three meters tall and have two luminous eyes,
digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four digits on each of their hands (of which two are opposable), toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. 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 about a thousand years (see
Matriarch Raszagal). Protoss blood is blue, with a slight iridescence. They also have a psionic pulse encased in a physical body. Once that body is destroyed, the psionic pulse dissipates, flaring with a pale, blue light.
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). However, it is more like Medieval Catholicism in how it is carried out, with a hierarchy and Zealot 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."
Religious principles
*
Khala ("Path of Ascension")
* Dae'Uhl ("Great Stewardship")
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 Toridas" instead of "En Taro Adun". "Adun Toridas" 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 energies, both High and Dark Templars. As one of the greatest Protoss to have ever lived, Tassadar is recognized and honorized by every Protoss as a heroic God.
*
Aldaris*
Artanis*
Eredas*
Fenix*
Matriarch Raszagal*
Mojo*
Taldarin*
Tassadar*
Ulrejaz*
Zeratul*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.
Land units
*
Probe — Builder unit. Unlike the Zerg Drone, the Probe is not consumed when placing a building, and unlike and 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. Like the other two builder units, it is virually useless in combat.
*
Zealot — Primary attack unit which wields a pair of energy blades. Compared to 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 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 — Siege unit. This unit moves very slowly, but makes up for it in raw power. It shoots out explosive charges called scarabs that rush towards a target and deotonate 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 only damage enemy 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. 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. Instead, they have useful magic spells. 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.
*
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 Stealthly with permanent cloaking (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. 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 most well 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. A very common 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 Zealots.
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.)
 |
Protoss Scouts bombing Chau Sara |
*
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 generally a very rare sight on the battlefield. Its ground attack is poor and its air attack is most effective against capital ships.
*
Arbiter — Caster; all player-owned units in a certain radius (except other Arbiters) become cloaked without cost. Arbiters can cast
Stasis Field that freezes all units in an area for a set amount of time. No health or energy points can be lost or gained during stasis. No other abilities can affect units, including the undoing of the stasis field. 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. Arbiters can
Recall locked down units but cannot
Recall units in stasis. Special ability and energy point upgrades can be purchased at the Arbiter Tribunal. The Arbiter does have an attack however it has poor firing speed and damage making it an ineffective combat unit.
*
Carrier — Heavy air unit. The carrier attacks by launching 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. Attacking units' AI are programmed to focus on the interceptors rather than the Carrier itself.
*
Observer — Aerial scouting unit. 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 — Caster and light fighter with a rapid-fire low damage splash attack usable only against air targets and 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.
*
Strategy*
Battle.Net: Protoss
