- Sean Plott(src)
The Mobile Utility Lunar Excavator[1] (MULE) is an experimental terran mining robot.
Overview
The MULE is still in the prototype stage and has a limited battery life.[2] The Dominion Fleet deploys these machines via drop pod. Once deployed, a MULE will collect resources three times faster than an SCV—a fact that some SCV pilots don't take kindly to hearing.[3]
Game Unit
MULEs are summoned by the orbital command's Calldown: MULE ability. Each drop pod contains one MULE. A MULE takes about three times longer to finish mining a load than an SCV, but retrieves 25 minerals per load, meaning that it collects minerals approximately twice as quickly as an SCV (SCVs retrieve 5 minerals per load). A MULE and an SCV may mine from the same mineral patch simultaneously.
MULEs mine the same amount from high yield mineral patches.[4]
A MULE summoned directly onto a mineral patch will harvest 270 minerals before running out of energy.[5]
Production
An orbital command summons one MULE via drop pod. If the ability is targeted on a mineral patch the MULE will begin mining automatically, extracting 45 minerals per trip. The ability may be used only on areas uncovered by the fog of war.
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Abilities
Restores the hit points of a mechanical unit or building, terran or protoss. Repairing costs resources.
The ability can be autocast.
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Upgrades
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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Wings of Liberty
Damaged mechanical units recover hit points when out of combat, at a rate of 0.6015 each second.[6]
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.
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Armor upgrades increase health of affected units by 5% per level.[7]
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.
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Co-op Missions
MULEs are exclusive to Jim Raynor in Co-op Missions, and can be spawned from the orbital command.
MULEs are a possible gift players can gain during the "Gift Exchange" mutator. Each player gains two MULEs with Christmas hats.[8]
Armor upgrades at the armory and engineering bay increase the life of affected units in addition to increasing their armor.
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Development
The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.
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The MULE's attack[9] was removed by April 2009.[10] Its repair ability was also removed by April 2009[10] but later reinstated.
MULEs carried three times more minerals than SCVs.[11]
MULEs harvested 42 minerals per trip from rich mineral patches prior to patch 1.4.3.
MULEs were removed from Legacy of the Void in patch 2.5.5.[12] They were returned in the subsequent update patch, albeit with the calldown now set to autocast.[13] They were returned to how they functioned in Heart of the Swarm in a subsequent update.[14] In an upcoming patch, MULEs will be able to mine vespene gas, but will lose efficiency if more than one MULE is assined to a refinery. They will harvest 10 gas per trip. To offset this, their ability to harvest minerals will be reduced to 20 per trip.[15]
Achievements
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colspan=2 class="infobox2title" style="background:
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| Points |
10 |
| Criteria |
Call down 30 MULEs in a single Unranked or Ranked game. |
Heroes of the Storm
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The following section contains information from Heroes of the Storm and is not canon to StarCraft continuity
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MULEs appear in Heroes of the Storm as a talent upgrade for support and specialist heroes, and can be called down to repair structures.[16]
Trivia
- The MULE's portrait bears similarity to HAL 9000.
References
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