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  • The cobra, formerly the name of the diamondback and cut zerg unit
"Yeah yeah, good old days, robbin' trains, yadda yadda, bang bang. I'm making Diamondbacks!"

- Chief Engineer Rory Swann(src)

The diamondback is a terran hover-AFV.

History[]

The first diamondback prototypes were produced by the Terran Confederacy during the Great War, but never developed beyond that stage.[1] Prior to the Second Great War the Dominion used them against the zerg on Vygoire.[2]

MattHornerMissions SC2 Icon1
This article or section contains information from the optional Rebellion Missions in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

Four years later, Raynor's Raiders found abandoned diamondbacks in the hills of Tarsonis. Chief Engineer Rory Swann uploaded their schematics to their factory network. The Raiders commandeered some of them and subsequently used them to hit Terran Dominion trains there. The diamondback's ability to fire on the move, and its high speed, made it well suited for catching the trains.[1]

Diamondbacks were also used by Mira's Marauders.[3] The Dominion also acquired diamondbacks, using them to help defend the UNN Studios,[4] Skygeirr Station[5] and the Psi Destroyer[6] and storing a large number at a cell block in New Folsom Prison.[7]


AlliedCommanders SC2-LotV Art1
This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.

Alexei Stukov deployed infested diamondbacks against the forces of Amon during the End War.[8]

Game Unit[]

Wings of Liberty[]

Diamondbacks are a campaign-only unit in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. They are first available in Matt Horner's mission, "The Great Train Robbery." Their fire on the move ability makes them great for rearguard actions when pulling back to safer ground and they're strong enough to do good damage to just about any ground unit or structure. A few goliaths for support wouldn't be amiss as they have no anti-air capability.[1]

Diamondbacks are strong against roaches, ultralisks, goliaths, firebats, stalkers, and colossi. However, they are weak against zerglings, marauderssiege tanks, immortals, and any air units. They are also not very efficient against marines, zealots, archons, banelings, and hydralisks due to their slow attack speed and reliance on bonus damage.

Abilities[]

FireontheMove SC2 Icon1
Fire on the Move

The Diamondback can fire its Rail Gun while moving.

ve

Upgrades[]

  • +1 damage for cyclones
  • +1 base damage and +1 bonus damage for hellions
  • +2 damage for hellbats
  • +2 base damage and +1 bonus damage for siege tanks (tank mode)
  • +4 base damage and +1 bonus damage for siege tanks (siege mode)
  • +3 ground damage,+1/+3 air base damage and +1 bonus damage for thors (AoE/single-target)
Acquisition
Purchased from Armory
Hotkey E
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 190seconds
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 220seconds
ve

Attack upgrades improve attack cooldown of affected units by 5% per level.

These self-replicating ultra capacitors reduce the reload time of weapons and systems. Now each of the weapon upgrades at the armory and engineering bay increases attack speed by 5% in addition to increasing damage.

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion laboratory for 5 protoss research points
ve

Increases the armor of terran vehicles

Acquisition
Purchased from Armory
Hotkey V
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 190seconds
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 220seconds
ve
SC2 Lab VanPlating Icon
Vanadium Plating

Armor upgrades increase health of affected units by 5% per level.[9]

We have created a new lightweight alloy called vanadium. Vanadium diffuses weapon impacts much more efficiently than traditional armor plating, and it better preserves the life of our units. Now each of the armor upgrades in the armory and engineering bay increases unit life by 5% in addition to increasing armor.

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion laboratory for 5 protoss research points
ve

Diamondbacks gain +1 range.

The Tri-Lithium Power Cell has 40% more capacity and fits in the same slot as the outdated monolithium power cell. This increased power surge allows the diamondback to accurately fire at more distant targets.[10]

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion armory for $75,000
ve
ShapedHull SC2 Icon1
Shaped Hull

Diamondbacks gain +50 hit points.

Bellerephon now offers a diamondback with a hull made from a single piece of shaped titanium. This newer model can absorb more punishment than the traditional diamondback because the hull has no joints or rivets that can buckle.[10]

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion armory for $90,000
ve

Damaged mechanical units recover hit points when out of combat, at a rate of 0.6015 each second.[11]

Our ship and vehicle hulls are now made from a material called Regenerative Bio-Steel. This material uses internal nanobots to slowly repair any damage the hull sustains. While this regeneration process is much slower than conventional SCV repairs, it can be the difference between life and death if no SCVs are available.

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion laboratory for 20 zerg research points
ve

Quotations[]

See: StarCraft II Diamondback Quotations

The diamondback is voiced by Quinton Flynn.

Development[]

The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.
Cobra SC2 Game1

The cobra with the same depiction as the diamondback

Early in the development of StarCraft II, the diamondback was known as the cobra.[12] It was in the game engine as early as 2006[13] and was armed with twin Eviscerator cannons which dealt very heavy damage against armored targets. It had the ability to target air units as well.[14] Concept art depicts a variety of cobra configurations, sometimes with a single cannon, sometimes with two, with the locations of the cannon(s) varying between the center of the craft, or its shoulders.[15]

CobraConcept

Cobra concept art used for an early in-game model

The cobra had 130 HP in 2007 and was designed to counter the thor's slow turning speed.[16] At one point, in October, it possessed an electrical attack which slowed enemy units.[17] By December, the cobra was scrapped for overlapping too much with the thor.[18]

The diamondback has three unused upgrades available in the StarCraft II Map Editor; Burst Capacitators, Hyperfluxor and Tungsten Spikes. The Tungsten Spikes upgrade increases the attack range by 1, probably being the old name for Tri-Lithium Power Cells. Hyperfluxor is a complete upgrade that increased the diamondback's attack speed by twenty percent.

Cobra SC2 DevRend1

Early in-game model

The Burst Capacitator upgrade remains as a half-finished ability in the editor. It allows the diamondback to fire a charged up shot every five seconds (the charging process is nullified if the diamondback fires before it charges up).[19]

Data in the map editor suggest that Swann would have been able to build diamondbacks in Co-op Missions. In addition to retaining its upgrades from Wings of Liberty, it would have benefited from Swann's Immortality Protocol, being able to be rebuilt in the field upon destruction.[20]

Known Variants[]

Trivia[]

It is possibly named after the diamondback rattlesnake.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, The Great Train Robbery (in English). 2010-07-27.
  2. Irvine, Alex. "“Great One”." (April 11, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Great One Accessed 2013-04-11.
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Cutthroat (in English). 2010-07-27.
  4. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Media Blitz (in English). 2010-07-27.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Infested (in English). 2013-03-12.
  6. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Death From Above (in English). 2013-03-12.
  7. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Breakout (in English). 2010-07-27.
  8. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Co-op Missions, (in English). 2015-11-17.
  9. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Protoss research (in English). 2010.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory upgrades (in English). 2010.
  11. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Zerg research (in English). 2010.
  12. StarCraft Legacy staff. 2009-08-21. New BlizzCon 2009 Screens. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2009-08-28.
  13. 2011-10-23, BlizzCon 2011 - Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and Blizzard DOTA - Art & Technology Panel (Full). YouTube, accessed on 2011-11-07
  14. Source: Shacknews. Artist: Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-09-26.
  15. Toyama, Kevin. The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (hardcover). Insight Editions, July 27, 2010.
  16. StarCraft II: Terran Gameplay
  17. Karune. 2007-10-15. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 17. StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2007-10-15.
  18. Zetaras Xal'Kurat. 2007-12-15. Q&A 24: The Thor’s New Role and the Reaper’s New Home. SC2 Blog.
  19. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010
  20. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). November 10, 2015
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