Archon

"Power overwhelming!"

- Protoss Archon

The Archon is a Protoss heavy assault warrior formed by merging two High Templar.

Overview
The first Archon(s) were created unexpectedly and their formation was soon legally sanctioned by Khala.

The creation of an Archon is a serious affair for it requires the reluctant sacrifice of valuable Templar for a short-term gain. Archons radiate energy like stars and burn out when depleted. After the Brood War and the reunification of the Protoss, Archons could also be created by merging Dark Templar with High Templar brethren. The merging results in the abandonment of the physical form and the loss of self, but those who do so are bequeathed great honor and a place in the Templar Archives.

The loss of most of the psionic powers of the two merging Templar is more than compensated for by the Archon's formidable psychic gestalt. Archons can independently erect a resilient shield and direct psionic shockwaves, bolts, and even storms against all manners of targets, along with possessing mental resolve.

Emotionally, Archons are manifestations of pure rage, though this may be "twisted" should the merging be in error.

StarCraft
Archons can attack both ground and air units and its attack causes tremendous splash damage. Attacking groups of enemy units greatly increases the efficiency of Archons. Their attack is actually short ranged, and not melee, and is not affected by the Defiler's Dark Swarm.

An Archon has most of its "health" invested in its shields. This is worrying only against Terrans who have the Science Vessel's EMP shockwave. With such a reliance on shields, Shield Batteries are a great boon for heavy Archon use.

Archons are neither biological or mechanical and are therefore immune to a great many abilities, such as Lockdown, Spawn Broodling and Irradiate. They also count as hovering and do not trigger spider mines.

Unsurprisingly Archons are expensive, especially in gas. Each effectively costs 100 minerals, 300 gas and 4 psi, the combined price of the two sacrificed High Templar. The cost necessarily limits the number of Archons that can be used, ensuring that lesser units like Zealots remain a vital part of Protoss strategy.

Upgrades

 * Ground Weapons
 * Ground Armor
 * Plasma Shields

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft I Archon Quotations

StarCraft II
Archons can now be formed by merging any combination of two High Templar and/or Dark Templar.

Pre-Release
In early builds there was only the "Twilight Archon". Later on the unit was replaced by the standard "Archon".

Known Archons

 * Aedus/Xerxes (took part in the Brontes IV campaign)
 * Mertick the Mauler (extraordinarily powerful mercenary)
 * Nannoth/Taeradun
 * Tassadar/Zeratul (non-canon)