Are Reapers too much of a niche unit?

[Norfindel]

That is why the Zerg get the Queen. The reason why Zerg need to stay one base ahead is mainly that Hatcherys are expensive and that SC:BW Zerg are more Gas reliant than Terran/Protoss. At this point Larvae are so cheap that Zerg are at the advantage.

Forcing the enemy into the defensive is the point of the unit. On the other hand it´s relativly worthless in "real" combat where for example the Hellion would be better/cheaper.
That the unit is designed for hit-and-run doesn´t make it a economy hardcounter. There are 2 sides to each unit debate: what is it usefull for and what can I do against it?

Well, Stalkers and Colossus are general use units, not dedicated base raiders. D8 Charges should be useful in battle, and the Reaper's bonus vs Light is interesting. I wouldn't say they're worthless in real combat.

The only real problem is if base raiding is too effective. Then going on the defensive would be a must.

[Nicol Bolas]

BTW, I looked at BR2 again and found something. D8 charges have a 2-second fuse. Or at least, they did around the time of BR2.

[Caliban113]

BTW, I looked at BR2 again and found something. D8 charges have a 2-second fuse. Or at least, they did around the time of BR2.

Where is that? - at the blocked Terran entrance?

Edit: - Oh wait, it's the birth of 'terrible terrible damage!' I forgot those were the D8s - Wow, it looks like there were only 4 or 5 of those thrown too.

.

[pure.Wasted]

This is a legitimate concern. If the Zerg have to keep an expansion ahead of other races, Stalkers and Reapers will make that somewhat difficult. Even with more larva and mobile defensive buildings, Zerg will be at a disadvantage.

Terrans get Reapers at around the same time, I think, as Zerg get access to Mutalisks -- basically the best counter for Reapers imaginable. So I think they'll do OK. It's hard to harass something that can chase you down and kill you when you don't have a chance of hitting back.



I think the main topic raised here is a valid concern... especially since we've seen how effective Hellions are both at harassing and in battle. If Reapers can only harass effectively, there will be times when getting Hellions won't be the optimal solution to harassing but it'll be the most cost-effective one.

I think one solution to this problem might be making them have defensive value, something Hellions mostly lack. We've already seen that they can get into Bunkers, which means their glass cannon suddenly becomes just a cannon, which is a pretty big deal. Not only that, but if units can still use their abilities from inside Bunkers, throwing D8s at an approaching enemy just might keep that force at bay for a while.

I mean, we haven't seen any of this yet, but it might work.

[Haptic]

It's highly doubtful that the reapers can cast inside the bunkers. Reapers inside bunkers are worthless anyway. On low ground, marines are sufficient. For higher grounds without ramps, you need a medivac to take a scv to build a bunker. I don't see any sort of abuse that could be done with bunkers + reapers.

[Pandonetho]

It's highly doubtful that the reapers can cast inside the bunkers. Reapers inside bunkers are worthless anyway. On low ground, marines are sufficient. For higher grounds without ramps, you need a medivac to take a scv to build a bunker. I don't see any sort of abuse that could be done with bunkers + reapers.

"Reapers are worthless in bunkers anyway, so I doubt they could cast inside of them"

Right, because that makes sense. If a unit is worthless, let's just make him more worthless by not letting him cast. Not to mention the fact that you have zero basis for your claim that "It's highly doubtful that they can cast inside bunkers." And why would you assume that?

[pure.Wasted]

It's highly doubtful that the reapers can cast inside the bunkers. Reapers inside bunkers are worthless anyway. On low ground, marines are sufficient. For higher grounds without ramps, you need a medivac to take a scv to build a bunker. I don't see any sort of abuse that could be done with bunkers + reapers.

1. What makes you say it's highly doubtful? Stim, Snipe, and EMP can all be used from inside Bunkers. I'd say it's doubtful that it CAN'T be cast from inside a Bunker, until we have reason to believe otherwise.

2. Why are Reapers in Bunkers worthless? Reapers are easier to kill, for cost, than Marines, but do a LOT more damage (4x damage of a Marine against Light). That makes them PERFECT candidates for keeping safe in a Bunker.

3. I wasn't talking about offensive Reapers in Bunkers. I was talking about defensive Reapers in Bunkers. Hence,

I think one solution to this problem might be making them have defensive value, something Hellions mostly lack.

[rcp181]

Last I heard, using abilities in bunkers was removed. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source so I can't say I'm certain.

Basically, we probably shouldn't assume anything at this point.

[pure.Wasted]

Last I heard, using abilities in bunkers was removed. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source so I can't say I'm certain.

Basically, we probably shouldn't assume anything at this point.

That would really suck. I can see how it might be imbalanced against P to have a Ghost that's basically invulnerable be able to EMP anything that comes at him... but there's still ways of dealing even with that costly strategy.

[Pandonetho]

Last I heard, using abilities in bunkers was removed. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source so I can't say I'm certain.

Last I heard, that never happened. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source so I can't say I'm certain.