Siege tank (StarCraft II)

The siege tank provides the terrans with mobile, long range firepower.

The siege tank continues to function as it did in previous games with the dual tank and artillery modes, except it doesn't require as much support as is needed in the original StarCraft. The tank cannot fire when moving, leaving the tank vulnerable to attacks by melee units. It is also highly vulnerable to air units.

The siege tank bobs slightly when it stops moving.

Siege tanks are strong against s and s, and weak against thors, immortals, and s. Given its firepower, siege tanks are also popular with marines and marauders, providing artillery support for both defensive and offensive roles. When combined with the MMM combo, it is especially effective against roaches, stalkers and even deterring colossi to an extent.

Wings of Liberty
Siege tanks are unlocked by playing the mission "The Dig", available after Rory Swann was able to procure them for Raynor's Raiders.

Strategies
Groups of siege tanks do not "overfire". If one zergling attacks 12 tanks, only one tank fires because only one shell is needed for the kill. This means that enemies can no longer take advantage of the tank's slow shot cooldown, further increasing its power and versatility.

Splitting tanks in multiple groups prevents a tank column from entering siege mode all at once and out of position. Other units should screen tanks in siege mode; this prevents tanks from being hit from friendly shock cannon fire when enemy units close the minimum range. The tank's siege mode range is greater than its sight range; supporting a tank with spotters is useful.

Building an army of both siege tanks and thors is possible, but expensive. The combination is difficult to stop.

Siege tanks do not operate well in conjunction with widow mines, as the damage they can do to enemy units (killing them) prevents widow mines from detonating.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft II Siege Tank Quotations

Development
The siege tank was premiered in the 2007 World Wide Invitation, at which much criticism was levied at the tank for its "cartoonish" appearence. One of the earliest revisions once the game went public was making the siege tank grittier and more detailed to appease the fans. Once this was accomplished, there was a stigma on the development team that the siege tank should be left alone as to avoid another backlash. However, this had to be confronted with the development of the Siege Breakers.