Disclaimer: This document lists the new multiplayer units and abilities as they currently stand in the StarCraft® II: Heart of the Swarm™ beta. The units and abilities you see described below are still subject to change. What we've listed below is just a snapshot of where we currently stand on multiplayer Heart of the Swarm.
Protoss
Upon analyzing data from their most recent battles, the protoss have identified a few areas of improvement that would help them maximize effectiveness against their enemies. Based on their findings, the protoss have augmented their arsenal with an extremely long-range attacker, additional psionic units, and a new form of enemy harassment.
Tempest
Description: The Tempest is a new capital ship that can fire at both ground and air targets from long range, doing additional damage to massive air units. When supported by other units, the huge range of the Tempest allows the protoss to harass and force action by opponents.
Oracle
Description: The Oracle is a psionic warship, built from a Stargate, that uses unique abilities to raid and harass the enemy. The first is Pulsar Beam, which is energy-based and does devastating damage to light units on the ground. Another ability, Envision, grants temporary detection to the Oracle. Revelation is an area effect ability that causes all units and structures in the targeted area to grant vision for an extended period of time.
Mothership Core
Description: The Mothership Core is unique in more ways than one. It's a flying unit that has a fast firing, air to ground weapon; only a single Mothership Core can exist in your army at once. There are several abilities available from the Mothership Core. Time Warp creates an field that slows the movement speed of enemy ground units. Photon Overcharge is a defensive ability that temporarily grants a powerful, long range attack to a nexus. Finally, Mass Recall allows players to quickly recall the Mothership Core and units around it back to a Nexus.
Mothership
Description: It's not really a new unit in Heart of the Swarm, but the Mothership abilities are slightly different from Wings of Liberty. The Mothership retains the Mass Recall and Time Warp abilities from the Mothership Core. It also retains its cloaking field from Wings of Liberty. The Mothership is now created by upgrading the Mothership Core after a Fleet Beacon is constructed.
Terran
The resourceful terrans have also been improving their technology to better survive their battles in the Koprulu sector.
Widow Mine
Description: The Widow Mine is a new unit built from the Factory that allows the terran player to control areas of the battlefield. The Widow Mine moves into position and sets to stationary mode, which burrows and activates it. When an enemy air or ground unit moves into range, the Widow Mine fires a missile that deals high damage to the targeted unit, and a smaller amount of splash damage around the blast.
Hellbat
The Hellion has been upgraded to a transforming unit similar to the Viking. When transformed into Hellbat mode, it has additional hit points and a stronger flame attack that covers a short forward-facing arc. This makes the Hellion more effective against large clusters of light units such as Zealots or Zerglings. The player can opt to transform the Hellbat back into its original, more mobile form as well.
New Abilities
In Heart of the Swarm, the Medivac gains a cooldown-based speed-boost ability called Ignite Afterburners, and the Caduceus Reactor upgrade improves its healing efficiency. Additionally, the Reaper no longer has a special building attack. Instead, it gains a passive health-regeneration upgrade that allows it to recharge hit points quickly when out of combat. The Thor now has a selectable ground to air attack, allowing it to switch from the standard area of effect missiles to a single-target missile that does added damage to massive air units.
Zerg
The zerg continue to evolve and adapt to changing environments, particularly the dangers they face on the battlefield. New creatures will help the zerg stage more effective sieges and add unique enemy-manipulating abilities to their arsenal.
Viper
Description: The Viper is a new flying unit with three unique abilities. Blinding Cloud temporarily reduces the attack range of ground units inside the cloud to melee range. Abduct allows the Viper to physically pull a unit to the Viper’s location. Finally, the Viper can use Consume, a channeled ability that allows it to gain some energy back at the expense of damage to your own zerg building.
Swarm Host
Description: The Swarm Host is a slow-moving ground unit that has no standard attack. When burrowed, the Swarm Host spawns a continuous stream of slow-moving units called Locusts that can be used to lay siege and pressure entrenched enemy positions.
New Abilities
Mutalisks have been given a new passive ability that allows it to regenerate health more quickly, and the Hydralisk has a new upgrade that allows them to move faster while not on creep.
This is a StarCraft: Legacy (http://sclegacy.com/) event article.
