Viking

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"Ladies, gentlemen, I give you the latest weapon in the Dominion's arsenal, a force both for pacification and protection as we forge further into the unknown. It is my pleasure to unveil the Viking ground/air combat facilitation system!"

―Terran Dominion spokesman^[src]

Viking
Unit
Race	Terran
Role	Air-Superiority Fighter/Assault Walker Hybrid
Properties
Hit points	125[1][2][3]
Type	Ground/Air, mechanical.[1]
Armor type	Armored[1]
Production
Minerals	125[4]
Gas	100[4]
Supply	2[2][1]
Build time	42[5][1]
Produced at	Starport[6][3]
Hot key	V[1]
Combat
Ground attack	14[7][8]
Air attack	10[1] +10 vs massive (x2 attacks)[9]
Cooldown	Anti-ground: Very low[7]
Armor	1[1]
Attack range	Anti-air: 6 (+2 with Jotun Boosters)[8] Anti-ground: 7[8]

The viking is a terran unit with the ability to transform between a ground unit ("Assault mode") and an air unit ("Fighter mode").^[10][11]

Contents 1 Overview 2 Game Unit 2.1 Ground Mode 2.2 Air Mode 2.3 Upgrades 3 Development 4 Quotes 5 Known Vikings 6 Known Viking Pilots 7 Trivia 8 Images 9 References

[edit] Overview

"We start thinking of it as pretty or decorative, we risk forgetting its purpose is just downright ugly."

―Captain Jon Dyre (quoted by Wes Carter)^[src]

The Brood War revealed weaknesses in terran anti-air capability. Wraith combat fighters and valkyrie missile frigates proved to be an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms. In addition, ground-based anti-air support from goliath assault walkers was too limited in its mobility: all too often airborne attackers would simply move out of the goliath's range.^[11]

In the aftermath of the war, terran weapon technicians proposed a radical new concept to resolve both of these problems; an armored vehicle with the ability to change its combat role from an assault walker to an air-superiority fighter, enabling it to switch smoothly to fulfill tactical needs in a developing battle.^[11] One such vehicle was the wyrm. However, it was followed by the more successful viking design, a craft with more armor, more options and a faster response time.^[12] As such, the viking was showcased at the colony of Ursa, where one single-handedly destroyed a military base.^[13]

Based heavily on the transformation design of the siege tank, the viking was designed to be the ultimate anti-air and ground-support weapon system, armed with MT50 Lanzer Torpedoes and twin gatling guns for both respective tasks.^[11] A targeting system exists for both, along with displaying height and location. The ability to self-destruct is also present.^[12] However, while the viking's versatility is its greatest asset, it is also one of its drawbacks. Few pilots are able to handle both combat modes and the majority of viking pilots are killed in their first battle. Those who survive however, become amongst the most skilled pilots.^[11]

[edit] Game Unit

The viking is produced from the starport (a change from previous builds).^[14] It can take advantage of the reactor.^[3]

[edit] Ground Mode

In the walker mode the viking has low armor, leaving it vulnerable to powerful ground units such as siege tanks.^[15] The walker mode is armed with twin gatling cannons.^[10] It can only attack ground units (a change from some previous builds).^[3]

[edit] Air Mode

When in this mode the viking has an extremely powerful anti-air attack (MT50 Lanzer Torpedoes)^[11] designed to destroy capital ships.^[15] Attacks against heavily armored targets give it a damage bonus, but it is less well suited to deal with lightly armored air units.^[16] In addition, it does not have the ability to attack ground units.^[17][11] In this mode, it has superior mobility and base-raiding capabilities.^[18]

[edit] Upgrades

Jotun Boosters[8] Researched at Tech lab[19] Properties Minerals 100[8] Gas 100[8] Research time 110[8] Notes Increases the range of Viking anti-air attacks by +2.[8] Edit	Terran Ship Weapons Researched at Armory[20] Properties Minerals 100[8] 175[8] 250[8] Gas 100[8] 175[8] 250[8] Research time 170[8] 200[8] 230[8] Notes Increases the damage of terran air units. Edit
Terran Ship Armor Researched at Armory[20] Properties Minerals 150[8] 225[8] 300[8] Gas 150[8] 225[8] 300[8] Research time 170[8] 200[8] 230[8] Notes Increases the armor of terran air units by 1. Edit	The Viking is upgraded as an air vehicle.[14]

[edit] Development

Karune stated that its ground mode could attack both ground and air units in February 2008^[18] but that ability underwent balance testing and has since been removed.^[21]

At earlier builds the viking was built on the factory at ground mode, but needed a Fighter Tech upgrade to enable transforming to air mode.^[22]

[edit] Quotes

Main article: StarCraft II Quotations

[edit] Known Vikings

Viking 02

[edit] Known Viking Pilots

• Captain Jon Dyre

[edit] Trivia

The Lost Vikings is a 1992 Blizzard Entertainment game featuring the adventures of three Vikings. One of the pictures on the official Viking page is labeled "the Lost Vikings".^[11]

A Blizzard employee also designed a mini-game called Lost Viking in which a sole Viking must fight a massive protoss air force, including a mothership.^[23]

[edit] Images

Early render of the Viking (fighter mode)

Early render of the Viking (walker mode)

[edit] References

Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II
Infantry	SCV · Marine · Reaper · Marauder · Ghost
Land Vehicles	MULE · Hellion · Siege tank · Thor
Air Units	Viking · Medivac dropship · Banshee · Raven · Battlecruiser
Basic Buildings	Command center · Refinery · Supply depot · Barracks · Engineering bay
Automated Defenses and Explosives	Auto-turret · Defensive drone · D-8 charges · Missile turret
Support Buildings	Orbital command · Planetary fortress · Sensor tower · Bunker
Add-ons	Tech lab · Nuclear reactor
Advanced Buildings	Merc compound · Ghost academy · Factory · Armory · Starport · Fusion core
Other	Drop pod · Nuclear missile
Campaign-Exclusive Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II	Infantry	Firebat · Medic · Rebel · Spectre
	Mercenaries	(Kel-Morian Mercenaries — Elite marines) · (Devil Dogs — Elite firebats) · (Hammer Securities — Elite marauders)
	Land Vehicles	Cobra · Diamondback tank · Goliath · Transport truck · Vulture
	Air Units	Hercules dropship · Wraith
	Automated defenses	Perdition turret · Shrike turret
Scrapped	Removed Units	Mine drone · Predator · Spider mines · Targeting drone
	Removed Buildings	Munitions depot · Radar tower · Shadow ops · Star base

Terran Starship Classifications
Transports	Cargo	Barge • Cargo ship — Giant-class • Freighter • Recovery vessel • Space-hauler • System runner
	Personnel	Escape pod • Orbital dropship • Orbital spacecraft • Planet hopper • Puddle-jumper • Salvage vessel • Shuttle • Supercarrier • Tour ship • Yacht
	Military	Drop pod • Escape pod • Quantradyne APOD-33 dropship · Assault dropship · Heavy lander · Hercules dropship · Medivac dropship • Grizzly • Hawk • Mammoth-class personnel carrier
Strike Craft	Starfighters	Predator • Scoutship • CF/A-17 Wraith — DF/A-19 Wraith Mk2
	Transforming	Viking • Wyrm
Support Ships	Exploration vessel • Raven • Science vessel — Elite science vessel · Kang science station • Scoutship • Utility vehicle
Warships	Light	AH/G-24 Banshee • Destroyer • Gun cutter • Gunship • Frigate — Valkyrie • Class 4 Interceptor • Wanderer
	Cruisers	Cruiser • Light cruiser
	Battlecruisers	Leviathan-class · Behemoth-class · Starcruiser · Hercules-class · Minotaur-class

Terran Ground Vehicles
Civilian
Groundcars	Cougar · Zephyr
Hover	428 hoverbike • Hovercar
Other	Field crawler • Hauler • Hellion • Robo-harvester • Rockcrawler • Transport truck
Military
Siege Tanks	Arclite siege tank · Karnage tank — Crucio siege tank
Hover Tanks	Cobra · Diamondback tank
Walkers	Goliaths	Cerberus Goliath · "Iron Golem" Goliath · New Dresdin Elite Guard · Skullder Unit 001 · Skullder Unit 004 · War Goliath
	Transforming	Wyrm • Viking
	Heavy	Thor
Light	Combat car • Light reconnaissance vehicle • Hellion • Stinger • Vulture
Other	Armored personnel carrier • Ground support truck • Mobile artillery