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Marines compose the bulk of most front-line forces, ranging from officially government-sanctioned units and local militias to renegades and mercenaries. Marines are generally equipped with a CMC Powered Combat Suit and a projectile small arm. The suit provides full life-support and NBC protection, allowing marines to deploy into environments that would otherwise be inimical to human life. (more...)

Zealots are lower-ranked Templar who have yet to reach the upper levels of the Khala. Each zealot is trained for decades in hand-to-hand combat, tactics, pain tolerance and martial discipline. Zealots are taught to hate their enemies with a white hot passion and to hunt them down without mercy. Through the path of the Khala, zealots learn to hone their innate battle rage to a fine edge, though can invoke a near-berserker rage when in battle. (more...)

The hydralisk is a zerg evolution of the slothien. While slothiens were peaceful herbivores, the hydralisk is noted as being one of the most fierce and sadistic of the zerg strains. Hydralisks commonly reach 5.5 meters in length and can draw themselves up to over 2.4 meters in height. Since hydralisks are relatively slow over open terrain. it is common for hydralisks to burrow and await their prey to enter killing range before attacking. However, continued evolution of the strain through muscular augmentation has resulted in faster hydralisks. (more...)

The dual-mode siege tank concept was a response to the Guild Wars and the goliath. Prior to the war, work had progressed on a static "final defense" cannon. However the war demonstrated the need for mobility and as a result an effort was made to make the cannon more mobile. The solution was creative. An existing tank design was modified so that it could operate as a conventional tank in addition to being able to deploy the cannon and become a static artillery emplacement at will. (more...)

Battlecruisers were employed during the Guild Wars when space engagements were fought by capital ships and medium-sized gunships. The development of anti-capital ship starfighters, such as Wraiths, did not spell the end of battlecruisers. The large warships adapted to carry strike craft which augmented and complemented the combat value of both. Battlecruisers continue to be an integral part of terran space forces as general purpose warships and command ships during extended campaigns. (more...)

The colossus is an antiquated protoss war machine, dating back to the Kalath Intercession. It is unique in that it was created purely as a war machine, in contrast to most protoss automatons which are mainly created for industrial and/or resource gathering purposes. Such a trait was demonstrated by the mass slaughter carried out against the kalathi, appalling the protoss. As such, the Conclave outlawed the manufacture of colossi, and existing machines were deactivated before being sealed away in distant asteroids and uninhabited moons. (more...)

Banelings are created from zerglings following a brief chrysalis phase. In the new form, the zergling's claws shrivel and become withered, and a swollen sac filled with volatile chemicals grows out of its back. Banelings can waddle, but after an evolution they can tuck into a tight ball and roll around the battlefield. The creature's only form of attack is to trigger a reaction within its chemical payload that causes it to explode with devastating force and shower the immediate surroundings with searing acid. (more...)

Reapers specialize in hit-and-run, close-quarters combat. They are more mobile than marines as their jet packs allow them to surmount obstacles independently. Reapers are clad in self-contained body suits, and are armed with dual P-45 "Scythe" gauss pistols and deuterium-eight demolition charges. Reapers are drawn from marine recruits that could not be successfully subjugated by neural resocialization. These resistant recruits tend to be among the most hardened of criminals, and are sent instead to the "Icehouse" in the Torus system to be inducted into the Reaper Corps. Reaper recruits are chemically altered to make them even more aggressive before being subjected to brutal training in close-quarters combat and the use of their jet packs. (more...)

Historically, crippled veteran templar could volunteer to continue serving by being transplanted into dragoon exoskeletons. This honored tradition was broken when the zerg infested the sacred shrine dedicated to the creation of dragoons during the fall of Aiur. After the Brood War, crippled protoss soldiers were transplanted into the new immortal shells.

Immortals are outfitted with twin phase disruptors as their primary attack form; they give critical fire support to legions of zealots. Their specially hardened energy shields only activate when struck by powerful attacks, which leaves them more vulnerable to the pinprick attacks of lesser foes. (more...)

The roach is a particularly tough zerg breed due to its high speed regeneration ability. The regeneration doesn't stack with the medivac dropship's healing ability.

Currently, the roach is a ranged unit, giving it added utility at choke points. It has possessed the ability of attacking both air and ground units, though is currently ground only. (more...)

The Raven is a versatile craft which combines the functions of a light manufacturing center and observation post. A common sight amongst the colonies of the Fringe Worlds, the Raven is built to operate in all but the harshest climates. Although the Raven shares a number of common traits with the SCV (its smaller 'cousin'), the Raven is a far more specialized and advanced engineering craft. (more...)

The Dark Templar are masters of stealth and guile, though the fall of Aiur to the zerg demonstrated that guile alone cannot defeat a foe as relentless as the Swarm. Inspired by the ancient and honored dragoon walkers the Dark Templar have begun to build war machines of their own. The stalker is a machine controlled by the shadow-essence of a Dark Templar warrior fused into a metal body. (more...)