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	The terran Mammoth-class carrier

Carrier
Historical
Earliest sighting	2499
Race	Protoss
Type	Capital ship
Propulsion	Numerous engines
Armaments	Energy beam
FTL	Yes (warp space)
Political
Role	Command ship Transport Flagship

The carrier is a protoss heavy air unit.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Game Unit 2.1 StarCraft 2.1.1 Abilities 2.1.2 Upgrades 2.1.3 Quotations 2.2 StarCraft: Ghost 2.3 StarCraft II 2.3.1 Abilities 2.3.2 Upgrades 2.3.3 Heart of the Swarm Changes 2.3.4 Development 2.3.5 Quotations 3 Known Carriers 3.1 Variants 4 Known Carrier Commanders 5 References

OverviewEdit

Carriers are large, heavily armored and shielded warships. They form the core of the Great Fleet, serving as command centers for fleet commanders,^[1] though some terrans think this position will be taken by the void ray.^[2]

Carriers have forward mounted energy weapons used for purification^[3][4]; they lack other armament beyond interceptors. The computer-controlled Interceptors are unleashed in swarms against other ships.^[1] The hangers may also carry other craft such as scouts and arbiters.^[5]

Carriers may make warp space jumps^[6] and can operate in both atmospheric and deep space conditions.^[5] Carrier commanders have private quarters.^[5]

Game UnitEdit

StarCraftEdit

Carrier
Unit
Race	Protoss
Role	Heavy Command Ship
Armament	Interceptors
Properties
Size	Large
Sight range	11
Production
Minerals	350
Gas	250
Psi	6
Build time	140
Produced from	Stargate
Requires	Fleet beacon
Hotkey	C
Movement
Speed	3.33
Protection
Shields	150
Hit points	300
Armor	2(+3)
Combat
Attack range	8

The carrier is less durable than the battlecruiser, however it accelerates much faster. Forcibly recalling its interceptors and releasing them again may extend interceptor life and save resources since interceptors are automatically repaired upon returning. Interceptors self-destruct if their parent carrier is destroyed. If a carrier is disabled (for example, through Lockdown), its interceptors will return to the carrier and only resume attacking once the carrier becomes active again.^[7]

Terrans may disable carriers using the ghost's Lockdown. Two battlecruisers with Yamato cannon can destroy a carrier. Valkyries may clear out interceptors with their splash damage attack.

Zerg have a wider range of anti-carrier abilities. The defiler's Plague and Dark Swarm are useful as carriers and interceptors tend to bunch up; Plague-affected interceptors return to carriers for repairs and remain docked until Plague wears off. The queen's Ensnare radically reduces interceptor rate of fire, and hampers the withdrawal of both interceptors and carriers. Scourge may be used against small groups of carriers, but are countered by corsairs.

Protoss may use the high templar's Psionic Storm.

Carriers may use terrain to kite; this may reduce vulnerability to anti-air structures and units.

AbilitiesEdit

Build Interceptor
Usage Minerals 25 Activation/ Build Time 18 Hotkey I
Notes
The carrier can create up to four interceptors (eight with the Carrier Capacity upgrade).

UpgradesEdit

Air Armor Researched at Cybernetics core Hotkey A Properties Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 150 225 300 Gas 150 225 300 Research time 266 298 330 Required Fleet beacon Notes +1 bonus to armor per level for shuttles, scouts, arbiters, carriers, interceptors, observers and corsairs.

Plasma Shields Researched at Forge Hotkey S Properties Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 200 300 400 Gas 200 300 400 Research time 266 298 330 Required Cybernetics core Notes +1 armor bonus to shields per level for all units and structures.

Carrier Capacity
Researched at	Fleet beacon
Hotkey	C
Properties
Minerals 100 Gas 100 Research time 100
Notes
Increases the number of interceptors carriers can hold at once by 4 (to 8).

QuotationsEdit

See: StarCraft Carrier Quotations

StarCraft: GhostEdit

	This article or section contains information about StarCraft: Ghost, which has been declared non-canon. Elements may be taken as 'flavor lore' however. 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.

Carriers were to appear in StarCraft: Ghost.^[8]

StarCraft IIEdit

Carrier
Unit
Race	Protoss
Role	Capital ship
Armament	Interceptors
Properties
Sight range	12
Production
Minerals	350
Gas	250
Psi	6
Build time	120
Produced from	Stargate
Requires	Fleet beacon
Hotkey	C
Movement
Speed	1.875
Acceleration	1.063
Lateral acceleration	46.0625
Deceleration	0
Collision radius	1.25
Protection
Shields	150
Shield regen/second	2
Hit points	300
Armor	2
Type	Air Massive Mechanical
Armor type	Armored
Launch interceptors
Cooldown	0.5
Range	8
Meta
Target priority	20
Kill score	2000
Production score	1000

Carriers re-appear in StarCraft II. Its in-game appearances also include being the protoss boss in Lost Viking. Carriers are less costly than the motherships and the battlecruisers but take 120 seconds to warp in. Compared to in StarCraft, the carrier starts with 4 interceptors when it's warped in and doesn't need the Interceptor Capacity upgrade, saving time and resources on enhancing interceptor numbers. As in SC1, interceptors self-destruct when their parent carrier is destroyed; they are not adopted by other carriers.

AbilitiesEdit

Build Interceptor
Usage Minerals 25 Activation/ Build Time 15 seconds Hotkey I
Notes
The carrier is produced with four interceptors. Carriers may produce up to eight interceptors as an auto-cast ability.
Edit

UpgradesEdit

Graviton Catapult
Researched at	Fleet beacon
Properties
Minerals 150 Gas 150 Research time 80
Notes
Launch interceptors faster.
Edit

Air Armor
Researched at	Cybernetics Core
Hotkey	A
Properties
Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 150 225 300 Gas 150 225 300 Research time 160 190 220
Notes
Increases protoss air unit armor.
Edit

Plasma Shields
Researched at	Forge
Hotkey	S
Properties
Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 150 225 300 Gas 150 225 300 Research time 160 190 220
Notes
+1 armor to shields per level.
Edit

Heart of the Swarm ChangesEdit

In Heart of the Swarm, the carrier was not available in early multiplayer development.^[9] It came back during the beta.^[10] Beta files indicate that it once had the ability to manufacture scarabs.^[11]

The main issue with the carrier is that its role effectively overlaps with the colossus. Both are siege range units, but the colossus is splash damage, is a lot faster in coming into play, is less of a risk to bring out, and because of how common colossi are in protoss games, counter units such as corruptors or Vikings are already available, making carriers even less viable. The carrier could be buffed to address these issues, but it was decided that a more effective solution was to provide a replacement via the tempest.^[12]

DevelopmentEdit

The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.

The carrier was originally replaced by the tempest during the development of StarCraft II but was brought back due to "an emotional connection with the original unit."^[13] Although it keeps the structural design of the tempest, the 'light' color scheme has been maintained.^[14]

The carrier could produce escorts. This ability was removed in later builds.^[15]

• Manufacture Escorts
  • Carriers may manufacture up to four escorts.^[14]
  • Strike fighter escorts cost resources (and about one second) to build and lasted only 45 seconds, but added a decent amount of firepower to a carriers attack. A carrier could have a maximum of 4 escorts. Escorts were given attack orders to focus-fire on whatever the carrier was attacking and they could be destroyed independently of the carrier or each other. The cost for these escorts would be significant enough to where players would not want to just have the max number all of the time, as that would bleed one's economy needlessly. Thus, players would have to pick and choose their battles in where they wanted the full force of the protoss fleet present.^[14]

QuotationsEdit

See: StarCraft II Carrier Quotations

Known CarriersEdit

• Koramund
• Qel'Ha
• Tempest (not to be confused with the tempest-class starship).
• Xa'lor

VariantsEdit

• Fleet Carrier
• Super Carrier

Known Carrier CommandersEdit

• Executor Amur
• Executor Andraxxus
• Executor Koronis
• Executor Damiarch
• Executor Selendis
• Praetor Quordas
• High templar Mess'Ta (acting commander)

ReferencesEdit

↑ 1.0 1.1 Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment Staff. 2010-07-24. Void Ray. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2010-07-24. ↑ Furman, Simon (w), Federico Dallocchio, Mike S. Miller, Carlos D'Anda (p, i). "StarCraft #6" StarCraft 1 (6) (November 25, 2009) DC Comics (Wildstorm). ↑ Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5. ↑ Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7. ↑ Carrier. StarCraft Compendium Protoss Strategy. Accessed 2007-09-10. ↑ Ghost Units, StarCraft Freak. Accessed on 2011-12-25 ↑ 2011-10-21. Blizzard Cuts and Adds StarCraft II Units. IGN. Accessed 2011-10-21. ↑ Cloaken. 2012-09-14. Balance Update #2 9/14/2012. Battle.net, accessed on 2012-09-14 ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. Heart of the Swarm beta Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). September 4, 2012 ↑ 2012-01-25, Questions from the Community. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2012-01-26 ↑ StarCraft Legacy Staff. 2007-08-09. BlizzCon 2007 First Protoss Impressions. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-05-18. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Karune. 2008-04-08. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 34. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-04-08 ↑ StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-04-04. WWI 08 Coverage - Protoss Units. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-06-22.

Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft/Brood War

Ground units Probe · Zealot · Dragoon · Reaver · High templar · Archon • Dark templar (BW) · Dark archon (BW) Air units Shuttle · Scout · Arbiter · Carrier (Interceptor) · Observer • Corsair (BW) Basic buildings Nexus · Assimilator · Pylon · Gateway · Forge · Shield battery · Cybernetics core · Photon cannon Advanced buildings Robotics facility · Stargate · Citadel of Adun · Robotics support bay · Fleet beacon · Templar archives · Observatory · Arbiter tribunal Canceled buildings Maintenance bay

Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft: Ghost
Ground Probe · Zealot · Dragoon · High templar · Dark templar · Purifier/Vindicator Air Scout · Shuttle · Observer · Carrier Buildings Photon cannon

Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft II

Infantry Probe · Zealot · High templar · Dark templar · Archon Land mechanized Stalker · Immortal · Sentry · Colossus Air units Warp prism · Observer · Phoenix · Void ray · Oracle (HotS) · Carrier (Interceptor) · Tempest (HotS) · Mothership (Mothership core, HotS) Basic buildings Nexus · Assimilator · Pylon · Gateway (Warp gate) · Forge · Cybernetics core Combat buildings Photon cannon Advanced buildings Twilight council · Dark shrine · Templar archives · Robotics facility · Robotics bay · Stargate · Fleet beacon Campaign-only units and structures Units Scout · Star relic · Stone guardian Buildings Monolith · Obelisk Canceled Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft II

Protoss Starship Classifications
Transports Atmospheric vessel • Escape pod • Shuttle — Shuttle variant • Warp prism Starfighters Corsair • Phoenix • Scout — Pathfinder Scout · Purifier Scout · Scout Hero Support Ships Arbiter — High Arbiter · Paganite • Mothership • Oracle • Star relic Capital Ships Carrier · Fleet Carrier · Super carrier • Mothership • Tempest • Void ray Carrier-Launched Fighters Escort • Interceptor