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Battlecruiser

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Battlecruiser
Race Terran
Role

Heavy Command Ship

Statistics
Hit points500
Energy200 Energy
SizeLarge
Production
Supply6 Supply
Minerals400 Image:Minerals Terran SC1.png
Gas300 Image:Gas Terran SC1.png
Build time160
Produced atStarport
RequiresFactory, Control Tower, Science Facility with attached Physics Lab
HotkeyB
Combat
Ground Attack25
Air Attack25
Armor3
Range6 (10 Yamato)
Sight11
Cooldown30

The battlecruiser is the premier terran capital ship, deployed throughout the Koprulu Sector.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Battlecruisers were employed as far back as the Guild Wars when, prior to the development of the starfighter (specifically designed to combat capital ships), most space engagements were fought between capital ships and medium gunships. Despite this development, battlecruisers are still widely used. Many terran generals use battlecruisers as their command centers during long space campaigns.[1] In almost any space engagement, battlecruisers and their fighter complements are among the most integral components.[2]

Battlecruiser design and armament varies, though it is a given that all battlecruisers are equipped with laser weaponry and neosteel armor.[3] Gravity accelerators are also found on all Battlecruisers.[4]

[edit] Classes

Many battlecruiser classes exist. Known classes include;

[edit] Leviathan-class

The Leviathan-class battlecruiser is an uncommon battlecruiser class and although still operating at the dawn of the 26th century, had largely been supplanted by the Behemoth-class variant. The Leviathan-class is capable of traveling through warp space and features ports for transport craft, smaller craft linking into the ship via hydraulics. These ports are located perilously close to the bridge however, making a Leviathan vulnerable to any enemy boarding action.[5]

[edit] Behemoth-class

The Behemoth-class battlecruiser
The Behemoth-class battlecruiser
A battlecruiser orbiting Tarsonis
A battlecruiser orbiting Tarsonis

The Behemoth-class battlecruiser was the most common battlecruiser class and represented the "standard" battlecruiser variant. The Behemoth variant is greatly advanced from its Leviathan-class predecessor, featuring the ability to operate within planetary atmospheres and even land on planets.[6] It also features a total of four docking bays (as opposed to hydraulic entry points) which are equipped with force fields, allowing easy deployment of fighters without fear of decompression[7] and greater resilience to enemy boarding actions.[8] Like the Leviathan, it is capable of traveling through warp space.[2]

Behemoth-class armor consists of the standard neosteel,[1] along with force fields,[4] while armament consists of multiple burst laser batteries and a complement of nuclear warheads.[9] Despite the heavy arsenal, Behemoth armament is slightly constricted in that its laser batteries cannot fire at targets to the side[4] and its warheads are reserved for orbital bombardment rather than space combat.[6] A saving grace for the Behemoth-class exists in the form of the Yamato Cannon.

Fighters are an integral component to battlecruiser deployment and the Behemoth-class conforms to this, capable of deploying Wraiths and scoutships to engage the enemy.[2] It also akin to a terran carrier, capable of housing hundreds of soldiers and hardware[4] and maintaining dropships and shuttles for rapid deployment.[2]

The Behemoth-class battlecruiser's primary weakness is its huge energy requirements and while the installation of a Colossus Reactor allows for increased energy storage, it is not a long term solution. Behemoths require access to Physics lab particle accelerators to power up their weapon systems. Should a fleet commander lose access to these accelerators, an entire Behemoth-class fleet can be crippled.[10]

Despite its shortcomings, the Behemoth-class has proven to be an enduring design, keeping up to date with periodic upgrades while its hammerhead design had provided the basis for future classes. Although more advanced classes of battlecruiser have been developed,[3] the Behemoth-class continues to remain in service.[8]

The Hercules/Minotaur-class battlecruiser
The Hercules/Minotaur-class battlecruiser

[edit] Hercules- and Minotaur-class

The Hercules-class and Minotaur-class battlecruisers are two recently developed battlecruiser classes, based largely off their Behemoth-class predecessor. Additional laser batteries have been installed on these ships, allowing for a greater rate and amount of fire. The Yamato Cannon remains in use[3] as well as the optional installation of Missile Barrage systems, giving these craft an armament capable of saturating the air with a lethal deluge of fire, ideal for destroying weak spacecraft.[11] Like the Yamato Cannon, these craft need to build up a significant amount of energy before activating this weapon system.[3][12]

[edit] Game Unit

[edit] StarCraft

The Battlecruiser in StarCraft I
The Battlecruiser in StarCraft I

The Behemoth-class battlecruiser has a staggering 500 hit points; no other standard game unit tops this margin. The devastating ATA/ATS laser batteries can inflict 25 base points of normal damage to air or ground targets. It is important to note that the Terran battlecruiser is the only non-hero unit in the game able to withstand a nuclear strike (as nukes do 500 damage, it will survive with HP equal to its armor rating). It is also notable to state that (in groups) the battlecruiser is practically the only capital ship class unit immune to the zerg scourge (the battlecruiser's base damage can kill a scourge in one shot). With the Yamato Gun, it can one-shot most defenses and units.

There are several effective counters against battlecruisers: terran players can utilize massed Goliaths or the Lockdown ability of their Ghost units in order to quickly neutralize a battlecruiser fleet. Abilities such as Psionic Storm, Feedback, and Plague are also devastating against battlecruiser fleets, especially those not escorted by science vessels capable of casting EMP Shockwave against enemy spell-casters. Protoss Scout fighters can also swarm a battlecruiser in groups or with support; their missiles stronger than laser batteries of the battlecruiser. Wraith squads are also capable of wasting battlecruiser fleets rather quickly due to their heavy damage, especially if cloaked. Devourers are useful counters with its corrosive acid but are vulnerable to the Yamato Cannon. Mass groups of hydralisks can quickly overwhelm battlecruiser fleets, especially if used in combination with Devourers and/or Defilers. The slow speed of the Battlecruiser also makes it difficult to disengage if a battle makes a turn for the worst, or to extract a damaged ship for repair.

[edit] Abilities

Firing the Yamato Gun
Firing the Yamato Gun
  • Yamato Gun
    • Cost: 100 Image:Minerals Terran SC1.png 100 Image:Gas Terran SC1.png
    • Researched at: Physics Lab
    • Energy Cost: 150 Energy
    • Damage: 260 (explosive)
    • Range: 10
    • A powerful weapon that focuses a nuclear explosion into a beam using magnetic fields.

[edit] Upgrades

[edit] Quotations

See: StarCraft Quotations

[edit] StarCraft: Ghost

Nova with a battlecruiser overhead.
Nova with a battlecruiser overhead.
Image: StarCraft Ghost Logo2.jpg

This article or section contains information about StarCraft: Ghost.
The content may be significantly out of date. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.

In StarCraft: Ghost, the battlecruiser acted as a support unit for Nova. Through targeting, the player could call down a Yamato Cannon strike that dealt damage to all objects in an area.[13]

[edit] StarCraft II

This article or section contains information about a StarCraft II unit or structure.
The content may be significantly out of date as StarCraft II experiences a new build weekly and may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.

Battlecruiser
Race Terran
RoleCapital ship
Statistics
Hit points500[14][15]
Energy200[14] Energy
TypeArmored, flying.[14]
Production
Supply6[16] Supply
Minerals400[16] Image:Minerals Terran SC1.png
Gas300[16] Image:Gas Terran SC1.png
Build time90[14] time
Produced atStarport
RequiresDeep Space Relay
Combat
Ground Attack8 (x8 attacks)[15]
Air Attack8 (x8 attacks)[15]
Armor3[14]

The battlecruiser types depicted in StarCraft II are the Hercules- and Minotaur-class.[3]

[edit] Attacks

The default weaponry of the battlecruiser is no longer a single powerful attack. Instead it will fire multiple laser bolts,[17][18] each inflicting 8 damage.[15] This attack can only target one unit,[11] but once a target is dead, the rest of the blasts immediately move to the next target,[18] thus wasting no attack on any target.

Battlecruisers can destroy enemy structures in only a few volleys.[19]

[edit] Abilities

Firing the Yamato Cannon
Firing the Yamato Cannon

The battlecruiser will have the choice of being upgraded with either the Yamato Cannon or the Missile Barrage attack, but not both. Once one has been chosen, the battlecruiser may not switch.[20][21] The ability has no additional resource cost.[21] The upgrade will visually change the unit model allowing players to easily determine which upgrade has been chosen.[22]

  • Yamato Cannon: Analogous to StarCraft's "Yamato Gun". Adds a large central gun to the bow. Prior to firing, the 'head' splits apart, and the 'neck' recoils when the weapon is fired. This ability requires a certain amount of energy.[3]
  • Missile Barrage: An area-of-effect anti-aircraft weapon which gains bonus damage against lightly-armored targets.[11] It does not damage friendly units.[23] This ability costs a certain amount of energy.[12]


Each version of the battlecruiser is treated as a different unit for UI purposes; double clicking on a Yamato-equipped battlecruiser will select all such battlecruisers but will not select battlecruisers with the Missile Barrage upgrade.[24][25]

[edit] Development

Firing Plasma Torpedoes
Firing Plasma Torpedoes

The battlecruiser has undergone some changes in development, such as replacing its Plasma Torpedo ability with a Missile Barrage ability.[11]

  • Plasma Torpedoes: An area-of-effect air-to-ground weapon which was effective against weak swarming units (like Marines and Zerglings).[26] It did damage over time.[21] Added multiple small barrels to the front of the ship's hammerhead.

[edit] Known Battlecruisers

[edit] Leviathan-class

[edit] Behemoth-class

A stockier Behemoth-class Battlecruiser
A stockier Behemoth-class Battlecruiser

[edit] Unknown classes

[edit] Known Battlecruiser Commanders

[edit] Images

[edit] Trivia

The Yamato Gun is a reference to the title ship of Space Battleship Yamato and its wave motion gun.

[edit] References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rosenberg, Aaron (June 1, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7133-4.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Battlecruiser-StarCraft II. Accessed on 2008-02-12
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-1898-0 (eBook).
  5. Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5.
  7. 2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2008-02-12.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7125-3.
  9. SC1 Battlecruiser. StarCraft Compendium. Accessed on 2008-02-12
  10. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Assault on Korhal (in English). 1998.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Karune. 2008-06-11. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 40. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-06-11.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Karune. 2008-06-11. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 40. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-06-11.
  13. GameSpot Accessed: May 22, 2008.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 StarCraft Legacy staff. 2008-07-07. WWI 08 Coverage - Terran Units. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2008-07-08.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 http://images.ccnec.com/pic/2007/08/04/20070804131202669_C.JPG
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 StarCraft Source. Accessed on 2008-05-09
  17. Phreak. 2008-07-07. StarCraft II - Blizzard Worldwide Invitational Version. Blogspot (Blog). Accessed 2008-07-09.
  18. 18.0 18.1 StarCraft Legacy staff. 2008-07-18. WWI 2008 - Comprehensive StarCraft II Review. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2008-07-18.
  19. Karune, StarCraft Legacy staff. 2008-06-21. StarCraft: Legacy StarCraft II Exclusive Q&A with Karune. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2008-06-21.
  20. Karune. 2007-10-05. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 16. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2007-10-05.
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 2008-03-17. Lipton. I interview Joneagle about his experience with Starcraft 2. StarFeeder. Accessed 2008-03-29.
  22. Zetaras Xal'Kurat. 2007-08-04. StarCraft II Preview. SC2 Blog Accessed August 13, 2007
  23. Karune. 2008-07-25. StarCraft II Q&A Batch 42. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-07-25.
  24. Zetaras Xal'Kurat. 2008-03-16. StarCraft 2 Korean and Chinese Build Summary. SC2 Blog. Accessed 2008-03-18.
  25. Zero. 2008-03-15. My Day at Blizzard. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2008-03-18.
  26. Mielke, James. 2007-07-27. Protoss for a Day. 1up.com Accessed 2007-07-28.
Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft/Brood War
Ground units SCV · Marine · Firebat · Vulture · Siege tank · Goliath · Medic · Ghost
Air unitsValkyrie · Wraith · Battlecruiser · Science vessel · Dropship
Basic buildingsCommand center (ComSat station · Nuclear silo) · Supply depot · Engineering bay · Barracks · Refinery · Missile turret · Academy · Bunker
Advanced buildingsFactory (Machine shop) · Armory · Starport (Control tower) · Science facility (Physics lab · Covert ops)
OtherNuclear missile · Spider mines
Terran Units of StarCraft: Ghost
Infantry PC Units — Light infantry · Marine · Firebat · Ghost — Other Units — Engineer/Scientist · SCV
Land VehiclesPC Vehicles — Stinger · Vulture · Siege tank — Other Vehicles — Goliath · Seeker droid
Air UnitsPC Vehicles — Grizzly — Other Vehicles — Assault dropship · Battlecruiser · Science vessel
Experimental UnitsBrain spectre · Spectre
Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II
Infantry SCV · Marine · Reaper · Marauder · Ghost
Land VehiclesJackal · Siege tank · Thor
Air UnitsViking · Medivac dropship · Banshee · Nomad · Battlecruiser
Basic BuildingsCommand center · Refinery · Supply depot · Barracks · Engineering bay
Automated DefensesAuto-turret · Missile turret · Spider mines
Support BuildingsSurveillance station · Planetary fortress · Radar tower · Bunker · Tech lab · Nuclear reactor
Advanced BuildingsFactory · Merc haven · Armory · Starport · Deep space relay · Ghost academy
OtherNuclear missile
Removed UnitsCobra · Drop pod · Firebat · Medic · Mine drone · Predator
Removed BuildingsMunitions depot · Sensor tower · Shadow ops · Star base
Terran Starship Classifications
Atmospheric Craft Drop pod - AH/G-24 Banshee - Shuttle
Material Transport Craft Cargo ship (Giant-class) - Space-hauler - Freighter - Recovery vessel
Personnel Transport Craft Puddle-jumper - Orbital spacecraft - Shuttle - Quantradyne APOD-33 dropshipAssault dropshipMedivac Dropship
Starfighters CF/A-17 WraithDF/A-19 Wraith Mk2 - Predator
Transforming Fighters Wyrm - Viking
Support Ships Utility vehicle - Science vesselElite science vesselKang science station - Scoutship - TF-620 Nomad
Light Warships Gunship - Valkyrie - Class 4 Interceptor - Frigate
Battlecruisers Leviathan-class - Behemoth-class - Hercules-class - Minotaur-class
Heavy Transport Mammoth-class - Supercarrier
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