Carrier

From StarCraft Wiki

For the terran troop carrier, see Mammoth-class carrier.

Carrier
Unit
Race	Protoss
Role	Heavy Command Ship
Armament	Interceptors
Properties
Hit points	300
Shields	150
Size	Large
Production
Minerals	300
Gas	150
Psi	6
Build time	140
Produced at	Stargate
Requires	Fleet beacon
Hot key	C
Combat
Armor	4
Attack range	8
Sight range	11
Unit speed	3.33

The carrier is a protoss heavy air unit.

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 "Super Carriers" 2 Game Unit 2.1 StarCraft 2.1.1 Abilities 2.1.2 Upgrades 2.1.3 Quotations 2.2 StarCraft II 2.2.1 Abilities 2.2.2 Upgrades 2.2.3 Development 2.3 StarCraft: The Board Game 3 Known Carriers 4 Known Carrier Classes 5 Images 6 References

[edit] Overview

Carriers are large, heavily armored and shielded warships that form the core of the protoss fleet, serving as command centers for fleet commanders. Although carriers lack weapon batteries or other armaments of any kind, their ability to unleash swarms of computer controlled interceptors makes them devastating in ship to ship battle.^[1] In addition, the carrier's hangars can house Scout fighters and even Arbiters.^[2]

Carriers are capable of making jumps through warp space^[3] and can operate in both atmospheric and deep space conditions.^[2] When not on the bridge, a carrier commander is entitled to his/her own quarters.^[2]

At least some carriers can fire energy beams from their front sections; enough beams inflict purification on a planet.^[4]

[edit] "Super Carriers"

Main article: Super carrier

[edit] Game Unit

[edit] StarCraft

The carrier is less durable and slightly faster 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 child interceptors will return to the carrier and only resume attacking once the carrier becomes active again.^[5] Carriers in groups can take down any enemy unit within the blink of an eye though are not invulnerable.

Terrans benefit with the ghost's Lockdown, massed goliaths and valkyries (mainly for taking down interceptors). A pair of battlecruisers can also destroy a carrier with the Yamato cannon. Zerg can counter with groups of scourges and massed hydralisks to back off carrier fleets. Carriers however, can still inflict heavy damage on the latter by hit-and-run methods. The zerg abilities Plague and Dark Swarm may also be used against carriers to great effect due to the tendency for carriers to "bunch up". The protoss's Psionic Storm and massed dragoons are also effective counters against carriers.

The enemy may choose to attack the carrier rather than its interceptors. Using terrain such as water and cliffs may limit the ability of ground targets to engage the carrier directly. The tactic is especially effective against defensive structures defended by anti-air units.

Sprite.

Wireframe.

[edit] Abilities

Build Interceptor
Usage Minerals 25
Notes
The carrier can create up to four interceptors (eight with the Carrier Capacity upgrade).

[edit] Upgrades

Air Armor Researched at Cybernetics core Properties Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 150 225 300 Gas 150 225 300 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 Required Cybernetics core Cybernetics core Notes +1 bonus to shields per level for all units and structures.
Carrier Capacity Researched at Fleet beacon Properties Minerals 100 Gas 100 Notes Increases the number of interceptors carriers can hold at once by 4 (to 8).

[edit] Quotations

See: StarCraft I Carrier Quotations

[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.

Carrier
Unit
Race	Protoss
Armament	Interceptors
Properties
Hit points	250[6]
Shields	150[6]
Type	Air[7] Mechanical[7] Massive[6]
Armor type	Armored[8]
Production
Minerals	350[6]
Gas	250[6]
Psi	6[8]
Build time	120[8]
Produced at	Stargate[8]
Requires	Fleet beacon[8]
Hot key	C[8]
Combat
Armor	4[8]
Attack range	Over 8[9]
Sight range	11
Unit speed	Normal[8]

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."^[10] Although it keeps the structural design of the tempest, the 'light' color scheme has been maintained.^[11]

Carriers have a longer range than before.^[9]

[edit] Abilities

Build Interceptor
Usage Minerals 25[7] Duration 15 seconds[6]
Notes
The carrier is produced with four interceptors.[12] Carriers may produce up to eight interceptors[12][13] as an auto-cast ability.[11][12]
Edit

[edit] Upgrades

Graviton Catapult[6]
Researched at	Fleet beacon[14]
Properties
Minerals 150[6] Gas 150[6] Research time 80[6]
Notes
Launch interceptors faster.[6]
Edit

Air Armor Researched at Cybernetics Core[15] Hotkey A[15] Properties Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 100[15] 150[15] 200[15] Gas 100[15] 150[15] 200[15] Research time 140[15] 170[15] 200[15] Notes Increases air unit armor. Edit

Plasma shields Researched at Forge[15] Hotkey S[15] Properties Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Minerals 200[15] 300[15] 400[15] Gas 200[15] 300[15] 400[15] Research time 140[15] 170[15] 200[15] Notes +1 to shields per level. Edit

[edit] Development

The carrier used to have the ability to produce escorts.^[7] This ability has been removed in the latest builds of StarCraft II.^[7]

• Manufacture Escorts
  • Carriers may manufacture up to four escorts.^[11]
  • 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.^[11]

[edit] StarCraft: The Board Game

Carriers are featured as unit pieces in StarCraft: The Board Game.

[edit] Known Carriers

• Gantrithor (Super Carrier)
• Qel'Ha
• Tempest (not to be confused with the Tempest unit).
• Xa'lor

[edit] Known Carrier Classes

• Fleet Carrier
• Super Carrier

[edit] Images

StarCraft I profile.

Carriers attacking in StarCraft II

[edit] References

Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft/Brood War
Ground units	Probe · Zealot · Dragoon · Reaver · High templar · Archon • Brood War only • Dark templar · Dark archon
Air units	Shuttle · Scout · Arbiter · Carrier (Interceptor) · Observer • Brood War only • Corsair
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

Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft II
Infantry	Probe · Zealot · High templar · Dark templar · Archon
Land mechanized	Stalker · Immortal · Disruptor · Colossus
Air vehicles	Warp prism · Observer · Phoenix · Void ray · Carrier (Interceptor) · Mothership
Basic buildings	Nexus · Assimilator · Pylon · Gateway (Warp gate) · Forge · Cybernetics core · Obelisk
Combat buildings	Photon cannon
Advanced buildings	Twilight council · Dark shrine · Templar archives · Robotics facility · Robotics support bay · Stargate · Fleet beacon
Campaign-Exclusive Protoss Units and Structures of StarCraft II	Special Protoss Units	Stone zealot
Scrapped	Removed units	Escort · Reaver · Soul hunter/purifier · Star relic · Stasis orb · Tempest (Shuriken) · Twilight archon
	Removed buildings	Observatory · Phase cannon · War beacon · War shrine

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