Dark Shrine

The Dark Shrine is a structure on the Protoss Technology Tree. Its only function is to unlock the powerful Dark Templar stealth melee unit at the Gateway and/or Warpgate. The Dark Shrine requires a Twilight Council before it can be warped in.

Like most Protoss structures, the Dark Shrine can only be warped in at a location powered by the Psionic Matrix. However, if it loses access to the power field, even an unpowered Dark Shrine still allows the creation of Dark Templar.

Competitive Use

The Dark Templar is often used in surprise attacks, and for that reason, hiding the Dark Shrine from enemy scouting is usually considered an important part of any strategy that uses Dark Templar. In an early Dark Templar Rush, players will try to keep the Dark Templar obscured from view to increase the chance that the opponent will neglect to get detection until after the Dark Templar carry out their first attack. In late-game transitions to Dark Templar, the same desire for subterfuge often means that the Dark Shrine is built in an area unlikely to be scouted by the opponent.

Deciding between High Templar and Dark Templar is often a crucial distinction, especially in the mid-game transition. The Dark Shrine does not require a Templar Archives, and the converse is also true. Each building can therefore be considered on a separate branch of the tech tree, forcing players who are rushing Templar tech to choose between Dark Templar or High Templar. Deploying both in the mid-game is virtually impossible due to the high cost in Vespene Gas of both structures and the units themselves.

Due to the small size of a Dark Shrine, a Probe can easily sneak off into a remote location and build a Dark Shrine and Pylon with relatively low risk of being scouted.

PROTOSS – THE WARRIORS OF AIUR

HONOR. WISDOM. TRADITION.

In stark contrast to the adaptable Terrans and the ferocious Zerg, stand the rigid, tradition-minded Protoss. With their psionic abilities and advanced technology, the Protoss have long considered themselves the most powerful species in the galaxy. This people’s greatest asset is the tenets of their primary religion – the Khala – whose tight framework demands dogmatic adherence.

Protoss Buildings

Another outstanding technical achievement of the Protoss is to teleport their buildings over long distances from their home planet Aiur to the most remote parts of the galaxy. This is done by converting the buildings into energy and dematerializing them within the psifields built on the outposts.