Stargate

The Stargate is a unit producing structure for the Protoss, responsible for producing most of the Protoss air units. It requires a Cybernetics Core before it can be warped in. The Stargate produces the Phoenix, Oracle and the Void Ray, and after the Fleet Beacon is completed, the Stargate can also warp in the Carrier and the Tempest. The Stargate is one of very few structures that displays a distinctive animation depending on which unit is currently under production — this means that enemy scouts are able to see what type of unit is about to appear.

Like most Protoss structures, the Stargate can only be warped in at a location powered by the Psionic Matrix. It can only produce units while it remains within the Matrix, otherwise it becomes unpowered and cannot function.

Stargate-based play is an option at all stages of competitive matchups. Phoenixes and Void Rays are used in several rush strategies, for example. The Void Ray is often deployed alongside a Colossus-based army to provide additional anti-air support along with helping the Colossus to destroy enemy structures in the later stages of the game.

Still, Stargate units are considered slightly riskier to deploy when compared to Robotics Facility units. In part, the lack of a mobile detector unit at the Stargate restricts the viability of early- or mid-game armies centered around Stargate units. Additionally, the Carrier is considered too slow and expensive to be a viable alternative to the Colossus in most matchups.

However, due to the expectation that a Robotics Facility is the likely Protoss option in the early- and mid-game, a Protoss player can sometimes gain the element of surprise by instead choosing to use the Stargate (especially if the Stargate is hidden from enemy scouts.

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.