The Protoss are only getting one new unit, but several old units are getting major revisions in the upcoming expansion

Nov 8, 2014 18:01 GMT  ·  By

Yesterday, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled the upcoming expansion to Starcraft 2, Legacy of the Void, at BlizzCon 2014.

The developer has now released a video showcasing the new unit and revised mechanics that the Protoss race will receive when the expansion goes live, enabling real-time strategy fans to see what units they’ll be leading into the fray.

The powerful Protoss race is getting only one new unit, a micro-intensive splash damage drone called the Disruptor, warped in at the Robotics Facility.

The new unit can assume an energy form, becoming invulnerable, and after a few seconds dealing a massive wave of burst damage around itself.

The Disruptor takes a lot of skill to deploy effectively, and avoiding its devastating area of effect ability is equally skill-testing.

The Immortal is getting some significant changes to the way it functions, losing the Hardened Shield passive, and gaining an activated ability that absorbs incoming damage for a short duration.

The change enables Immortals to hold their ground against units that were typically able to make short work of them, but judicious use of the ability and careful micromanagement are necessary to pull it off.

The Warp Prism is getting upgraded with the ability to pick up other units at a distance, making for more effective rescue missions, allowing it to get critical units outside of the enemy’s reach during engagements.

The change will make micromanagement of drops a core part of Protoss gameplay, and will open more tactical opportunities for players.

More interesting changes to gameplay

The Oracle is also being overhauled in Legacy of the Void, combining Revelation with Envision. Cloaked units hit by Revelation are also revealed, opening up a new method of detection in situations where Observers aren’t available.

To round out the Oracle’s range of abilities and make it a more versatile unit, the ability to place stasis traps has been added to the unit. Stasis Ward is triggered whenever an enemy unit gets close to the trap, freezing nearby units in place and rendering them unable to attack.

The Tempest has been redesigned to only be able to attack ground units. Along with this, the aerial unit gained significantly increased movement speed, as well as an active ability called Disintegration, allowing it to deal very high, single-target damage over a long period of time.

The last of the Protoss units to get a touch-up is the Carrier, enabling it to deploy its Interceptors to fight at a designated target area. This means that your Carriers will be out of harm’s way, and that they will also be able to spread their damage over several different locations.