An idea on how to make Reapers late game viable

[hyde]

The real problem is their cost and ability.
Essentially their "role" is negated by superior units that are required to overlap other roles.

Anti Light Role replaced by the Hellion, which provides mid/late game macro with minerals, necessary HP to your entire mecha army
Late game their role as anti light is removed by Hellions who can far exceed this role in terms of their speed+splash+no gas requirement+ reactor possibilities.
Hellions also provide the neccessary unit bulk/HP due to the constraint on gas, everyone would like to simply mass siegetanks/thors but that is impossible due to the gas/mineral reatios.

Raiding Role replaced by Viking/Medivac OR Vikings, which provides anti light air raid
When it is late game, 4 reapers is 200 gas ... You also will probably try to hit their natural expos and what not.
A lot of the 1v1 maps have "Island Expansions" , therefore their Jetpack ability is useless.
A Medivac full of marines has far more potential and mobility than reapers.
Also vs Protoss/Zerg, Medivac Marine squads provide back up and deter Voidray/Mutalisk cheese.
Again the Cost of a medivac+6 marines is 400/100 , 6 Reapers is 300/300. Gas is too valuable especially when Terran Mid/Late game depends on metal. Biological units don't cut it especially when they start massing hydralisks/baneling/cracklings or the typical stalker/immortal/collossi combos.

Especially in TvT, a single parked siege tank by your expo's or main can easily destroy any reaper raids. With Vikings, at least you can spot potential dangers and not lose the units. Upon leaping the cliff, your reapers get PWNED. "Scanning" to circumvent this is irrelevant because thats an additional opportunity cost of a mule/supply call down that you lose.

[AdmiralMengsk]

I use reapers late game.


Can't attack the expansions and the main base at the same time? Use some reapers to distract the enemy. While attacking the front get some reapers around back in his mineral line. Your opponent may beat your army but he then has no economy to continue the push. Some will say that other units can accomplish this like the banshees, vikings, hell even some ravens with auto turrets but i still like using the reaper.

[VVheat]

The real problem is their cost and ability.
Essentially their "role" is negated by superior units that are required to overlap other roles.

Anti Light Role replaced by the Hellion, which provides mid/late game macro with minerals, necessary HP to your entire mecha army
Late game their role as anti light is removed by Hellions who can far exceed this role in terms of their speed+splash+no gas requirement+ reactor possibilities.
Hellions also provide the neccessary unit bulk/HP due to the constraint on gas, everyone would like to simply mass siegetanks/thors but that is impossible due to the gas/mineral reatios.

Raiding Role replaced by Viking/Medivac OR Vikings, which provides anti light air raid
When it is late game, 4 reapers is 200 gas ... You also will probably try to hit their natural expos and what not.
A lot of the 1v1 maps have "Island Expansions" , therefore their Jetpack ability is useless.
A Medivac full of marines has far more potential and mobility than reapers.
Also vs Protoss/Zerg, Medivac Marine squads provide back up and deter Voidray/Mutalisk cheese.
Again the Cost of a medivac+6 marines is 400/100 , 6 Reapers is 300/300. Gas is too valuable especially when Terran Mid/Late game depends on metal. Biological units don't cut it especially when they start massing hydralisks/baneling/cracklings or the typical stalker/immortal/collossi combos.

Especially in TvT, a single parked siege tank by your expo's or main can easily destroy any reaper raids. With Vikings, at least you can spot potential dangers and not lose the units. Upon leaping the cliff, your reapers get PWNED. "Scanning" to circumvent this is irrelevant because thats an additional opportunity cost of a mule/supply call down that you lose.

Well said!

[MulletBen]

I think it's a good idea, making reapers more viable in lategame.
But I think they already are, I usually pump out at least 12 reapers, rush them in behind the base and destroy the enemy's economy instantly.
This works really well when they are destracted or just not paying attention.

This. One thing I would very much like to see, however, is for the upgrades that increase reaper's attacks be increased. If you go MM, it's something you should be getting anyway. Buffing the upgrades would make reapers more powerful as the game went on, and still able to preform the same duties as early game, in spite of their overlap with other unit's roles. Also, they are the best building killers the Terran have. That is a role not taken by any other unit (they still have far higher DPS vs. buildings than marauders). I think raising their increase in building attack upgrade to +5 could do the trick.

Well said!

Seconded.

[VVheat]

We also forgot to mention the Banshee: they raid bases much better than reapers once they are available.

Reaper's good damage against buildings is useless when they die too easily.