StarCraftEdit

In StarCraft, there are three damage types: concussive, normal, and explosive. The actual damage done depends on the type and the size of the target unit, as indicated in the following table:

Protoss shields always take full damage.

Concussive DamageEdit

Units which deal concussive damage are optimized to kill small units such as zerglings and zealots. Concussive damage is limited more than any other damage type and is comparatively a rare attack mode.

It includes the vulture, ghost, and firebat.

Concussive damage, like all damage types, always does full damage against protoss shields.

Explosive DamageEdit

Units which deal explosive damage are optimized to kill large units and buildings. Explosive damage isn't particularly effective against small units (which suffer half of the damage). Despite the name, many explosive attacks do not deal splash damage; for instance, the siege tank's attack in tank mode is optimized for destroying armored units, but it only gains splash damage when it switches to siege mode.

It includes all rockets attacks (e.g. missile turrets, goliaths, scouts), and all types of powerful cannons, like those of siege tanks and dragoons.

Explosive damage always deals full damage against protoss shields.

Normal DamageEdit

Normal attacks are effective against all types of units.

It includes all melee attacks, like those of the zergling and ultralisk. It also includes laser weapons (battlecruiser and wraith), most bullets (marine) and special cases (photon cannon, workers' attacks)

Unit SizesEdit

Unit size is only loosely correlated with the size of a unit's sprite and the amount of space a unit takes up in a transport. Unit size is more closely linked to armor quality.

A small ground unit, such as a ghost, wears personal armor, whereas a large unit, such as a siege tank, is covered with neosteel plating. Few units, such as the hydralisk, are medium-sized.

Most air units are large; indeed, all terran air units are large, even units which would be expected to be relatively small and lightly-armored, such as wraiths (compared to battlecruisers). Most powerful anti-air attacks deal explosive damage, as a result. The biggest exception to the rule is probably the mutalisk, which is small, but is expected to face explosive attacks regularly. (Mutalisks do low damage, however).

NotesEdit

• If a unit is shielded (protoss only), the shield takes full damage from any attack, regardless of the unit's size.
• All buildings are "large" units.
• Some attacks may also deal splash damage, which damage units around the target. Splash damage typically affects all units except the attacker's own units; the exceptions are siege tank, spider mines, and infested terrans which affect all units.

StarCraft IIEdit

In StarCraft II, units deal a base amount of damage and may gain bonus damage against certain unit types, as opposed to in StarCraft, where damage may be reduced depending on what unit type is being damaged.^[1] Damage is added on a "per hit" basis, and bonuses are calculated before armor is subtracted.^[2]

Attack types are more varied than in StarCraft, and can gain bonuses towards light, armored, biological, and massive units.^[3] Most units are either light or armored. Buildings are treated as armored^[3] and have the "structure" property.^[4] Some units, such as the archon, are neither light nor armored.^[1]

Shields are subject to the bonus damage of the unit underneath them.^[5]

ReferencesEdit

General Strategy (Damage Types and Unit Sizes). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-11-20.