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"These guys are immensely capable, and a rare sight to behold indeed!"

- Radio Liberty on the core.(src)

MothershipCore SC2-HotS Art1

A mothership core

The mothership core is a protoss unit built from the nexus. It provides support abilities and only one core can be built per player.

Overview

MothershipCore SC2 Art1

A mothership core

While an invaluable part of the protoss arsenal, motherships are costly and time-consuming to produce. As a result, the protoss have begun constructing them in two stages, with the mothership core being the first step. The core itself is used as a defensive and support weapon until a mothership can be completed.[1] They share a strong psionic link with the khaydarin crystals located in every nexus.[2]

It is rare to see mothership cores on the battlefield.[3]

Abilities

Mothership cores are equipped with a repulsor cannon, which draws its energy from the khaydarin crystal located at the heart of the core. It fires a blast of semi-solid psionic energy (too dense for aerial combat) that causes damage by delivering kinetic and thermal energy. Each shot pierces matter violently, leaving a misty cloud of psionic fire in its wake. Additionally, the core can channel psionic power into the khaydarin crystal located within a nexus, turning it into a deadly weapon. In this state, the supercharged matrix fires psionically imbued photon bolts that can tear through enemy scouts and light raiding parties, as well as deter larger attack groups until reinforcements can be warped in.

The core can bend space-time to create a field where the present dilates and stretches endlessly. The unpredictable energy flux within this field bears down heavily on anything that crosses it. Enemy forces caught in this time warp are slowed to a crawl, allowing protoss forces to dispatch them with ease. They can also use a nexus's khaydarin crystals as a warp beacon—releasing a large amount of energy, a mothership core can unravel the weave of space-time, teleporting groups of warriors to any nexus point in the vicinity (this is a form of recall).[2]

Game Unit

The mothership core is available to players very early in the game and it is highly recommended that they build one in this stage.[7]

The mothership core was created to solve the problem of multiplayer protoss vs. protoss games, said games rarely going to mid-late game due to the warp-in abilities negating the defender's advantage. Its Photon Overcharge ability is a counter to this,[8] along with countering zerg rush techniques.[9] It is also intended that its Recall abilities will allow protoss players to be more aggressive.[10]

Its unit portrait is the same as that of the standard mothership. It likewise speaks with a female voice.

Abilities

PhotonOvercharge SC2 Icon1
Photon Overcharge

In Heart of the Swarm, the mothership core uses this ability on a nexus, which gains a photon cannon-like weapon. The weapon has range 13, targets air and ground and deals 20 damage. The weapon lasts 60 seconds and has its own cooldown of 1.25.

In Legacy of the Void, this ability is cast on pylons, dealing 30 damage[11] with a cooldown of .71 seconds.[12]

Usage
Hotkey F
Cost 100 (HotS)/50 (LotV)[12] Energy
Range 10 (HotS)[13]/7 (LotV)[11]
Duration 60 (HotS)/14 (LotV)[12] seconds
Cooldown 20 seconds
ve
MSCMassRecall LotV Game1
Mass Recall

Teleports all units in an area 7[13] from a mothership core or mothership to a nexus. The ability is cast through a simple button click on a nexus.

Usage
Hotkey R
Cost 100 (HotS)/50 (LotV[14] Energy 2 seconds
ve
Mothership SC2 Icon1
Transform Mothership Core to Mothership

The mothership core turns into a mothership, costing 6 supply.

Usage
Hotkey U
Cost 300 Minerals 300 Vespene gas 71 seconds
ve

Time Warp
The mothership core creates a temporal field that slows all ground units’ movement speed within a 3.5 radius by 50%. This ability has a range of 9[15] and costs 100 energy to use.[16] The duration is 10 seconds.[17]

Development

Main article: Mothership core/Development

References

  1. Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-12-20. Mothership Core. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-12-21.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2014-11-20, Mothership Core Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-11-26
  3. 2014-11-20, Robotics Analysis and the Heart of a Mothership. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-11-21
  4. Cloaken. 2012-09-14. Balance Update #2 9/14/2012. Battle.net, accessed on 2012-09-14
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-02-28. Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- February 28, 2014. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-03-01.
  6. ColtCrime. 05/10/2012 [1]. Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion. Accessed 2013-4-28.
  7. 2012-06-08, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm - Battle Report (Protoss vs Zerg). Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2012-06-21
  8. June, 2012, Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm "New Units" Explained by David Kim. G4, accessed on 2012-06-21
  9. June, 2012, Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm "New Units" Gameplay Preview With Sam Didier. G4, accessed on 2012-06-21
  10. 2012-06-11, Dustin Browder gives Slasher the scoop on Heart of the Swarm. YouTube, accessed on 2012-06-21
  11. 11.0 11.1 2015-09-03, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- September 3, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-06
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 2016-01-29, Legacy of the Void Balance Update -- January 29, 2016. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2016-01-30
  13. 13.0 13.1 Aldrexus. 2012-09-28. Balance Update #4 (9/28/2012). Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion. Accessed 2012-09-30.
  14. 2015-05-14, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- May 14, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-05-20
  15. Aldrexus. 2012-10-26. Balance Update #7 (10/26/2012). Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion. Accessed 2012-10-26.
  16. Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-02-04. Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- February 4, 2014. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-02-06.
  17. Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-07-25. Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- July 25, 2014. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-07-26.


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