Hellion
Unit
Race	Terran
Role	Fast scout
Armament	Infernal flamethrower
Properties
Transport size	2
Sight range	10
Production
Minerals	100
Supply	2
Build time	30
Produced from	Factory
Hotkey	E
Movement
Speed	4.25
Acceleration	1000
Lateral acceleration	46
Deceleration	0
Collision radius	0.625
Protection
Hit points	90 (100 in Outbreak)
Armor	0
Type	Ground Mechanical
Armor type	Light
Infernal flamethrower
Damage	8 (+6 vs light), increases to 8 (+11 vs light) with Infernal Pre-Igniter upgrade
Targets	Ground
Cooldown	2.5
Range	5
Upgrade/level	+1
Meta
Target priority	20
Kill score	600
Production score	300

The hellion is a terran skirmish unit.^[1]

OverviewEdit

In use by 2490,^[2] the hellion is a high-speed raider built around a lightweight four-wheel chassis. Hellions are capable of causing damage disproportionate to their size, particularly against enemy infantry, thanks to their heavy Infernal flamethrowers. Additionally, their remarkable acceleration allows for improvisational tactics in the field. Some hellion drivers will deliberately outrun their enemies only to turn and attack when they have reached maximum range. The low cost, exceptional agility, and devastating firepower of these vehicles have made them extremely popular with mercenary companies.^[3]

Game UnitEdit

The hellion is a replacement for the vulture, albeit retaining the firebat's abilities.^[4]

The Hellion has movement animations; it slightly rises when it starts moving, and lowers when it stops.^[5]

The hellion is a fast-moving unit, fast enough to chase down enemy units and easily reposition itself. Hellions are strong against tier 1 units and workers. They are weak against thors, stalkers, and roaches.

AttacksEdit

The Hellion's weapon targets only ground units. It does splash damage in a line, targeting one unit but striking all units along the line.

The attack is well-suited to destroying weaker units such as marines.^[1][6]

The Hellion must stop in order to attack. The weapon strikes targets instantly^[7] and can be used for (almost literal) hit and run attacks^[8] and "kiting". To do maximum damage, it should shoot once, close the gap, shoot again, close the gap again, and so forth in order to maximize damage and not waste shots.^[9] Attacks should not be targeted on the closest opponents, but instead those further back, to ensure the maximum number of enemy units are hit.^[10] If the attack is launched at a precise distance, then by the time the flames hit the target the Hellion can be moving away to safety.^[11] However, units that move out of the flame take less damage^[12] so a player should try to keep the flame on enemy units to maximize damage.^[13]

The attack does not damage allied units.

StrategiesEdit

A recommended tactic is to use the Hellion as an ambush unit, positioning it on high ground to attack units below it.^[14] 4 Hellions (ideally upgraded) can be loaded into a medivac dropship for a tactical strike on the enemy's mineral line. Though delicate, hellions are agile, making them excellent hit and run units in the early game, particularly against melee units such as zealots or zerglings.

UpgradesEdit

Terran Vehicle Weapons Researched at Armory Hotkey E Properties Minerals 100 175 250 Gas 100 175 250 Research time 160 190 220 Notes Increases the attack damage of terran vehicles. Edit

Terran Vehicle Plating Researched at Armory Hotkey V Properties Minerals 100 175 250 Gas 100 175 250 Research time 160 190 220 Notes Increases the armor of terran vehicles Edit

Infernal Pre-Igniter
Researched at	Tech lab attached to factory
Hotkey	I
Properties
Minerals 150 Gas 150 Research time 110
Notes
Increases the Hellion's attack damage by +5 (to +11) vs light units. The flame changes to a blue color. The flame color on the icon was changed to blue in patch 1.3.5.
Edit

Wings of LibertyEdit

In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, hellions are unlocked by playing Outbreak, and are made available by Rory Swann scanning the schematics of hellions Jim Raynor found on Mar Sara.^[15]

Dustin Browder has expressed regret about the handling of the hellion in the campaign. While the hellion's mobility is useful in multiplayer, firebat/medic combinations in singleplayer arbitrarily outshone it.^[16]

Ultra Capacitors Campaign Wings of Liberty Cost 5 protoss research points Researched at Hyperion laboratory Notes Attack upgrades at the armory and engineering bay improved cooldown by 5% per level. Self-replicating ultra capacitors reduce the reload time of weapons and systems.[18] Edit

Vanadium Plating Campaign Wings of Liberty Cost 5 protoss research points Researched at Hyperion laboratory Notes Armor upgrades at the armory and engineering bay increase health by 5% per level. Vanadium better disperses weapon impacts than standard armor.[18] Edit

Regenerative Bio-Steel
Campaign Wings of Liberty Cost 20 zerg research points
Acquisition Researched at Hyperion laboratory
Notes
Damaged ships and vehicles recover hit points over time.[19]
Edit

Heart of the SwarmEdit

	This article or section contains information from StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.
	The content may change substantially over time.

In Heart of the Swarm, hellions will gain the ability to transform into the tougher but slower battle hellion.^[20] Battle hellions may become the de facto mode of the hellion.^[21]

On the art side, hellions now have a fire paint job.^[22]

DevelopmentEdit

The hellion went through 600 design changes over the course of development. Various names were pitched, including the jackal, loki and fire bike.^[4] In its earliest stages, the vehicle was a hoverbike much like the Vulture, and possessed a powerful anti-infantry railgun.^[23] Eventually the design settled upon was a three-wheeled vehicle. The response on the development team was rather mixed about the three wheeled version, and while taking an opportunity to quickly make non-lethal civilian variations the four wheeled version was made. The three wheeled version was reused for the Outback Hunter.^[4]

Civilian HellionsEdit

A civilian version of the hellion, with flame paint, was to be available in the single-player campaign during development.^[24] They diverged into bike and squad cruisers.^[25] In the final production Hellions are not seen used by civilians and no flame print models appear in the game.

The color schemes of the two were derived from Bumblebee, Optimus Prime and The General Lee. Their drivers were the same model as missile turret operators.^[4]

QuotationsEdit

See: StarCraft II Hellion Quotations

Known TypesEdit

• Outback Hunter

ReferencesEdit