Hellion

"For a small investment, your hellions can be the envy of every military organization in the sector."

- ATVX hellion advertisement

The hellion is a terran raider and skirmisher unit.

Overview
"Hey hotshot! I got schematics to build them hellions you saw on Mar Sara, should be good down there!"

- Chief Engineer Rory Swann

The hellion is a high-speed raider built around a lightweight four-wheel chassis and is regarded as a support unit. It is only lightly protected, with a stock neosteel frame for high maneuverability.

Hellions are commonly used by mercenary companies, and can be modified for other uses such as for the sport demolition. These demolition hellions are commonly used by fringe world junker gangs. Many mercenary companies would illegally modify their hellions with stim emitters.

Armament
"High running speed and long, hellish streams of ignited plasma make the hellion a perfect hit-and-run nightmare against slow-moving light infantry and base resource workers. Built for off-road durability around a lightweight four-wheel chassis, hellions bring great value to the military motor pool&mdash;low cost, high damage output."

- Dominion Marine Corps Combat Handbook: Infantry Edition (excerpt)

Hellions excel at lightning-fast strike missions and evasive maneuvering. They are capable of causing damage disproportionate to their size, particularly against enemy infantry, thanks to their heavy infernal flamethrowers. This is directed using an antiquated targeting system. Additionally, the hellion's remarkable acceleration allows for improvisational tactics in the field. Some hellion drivers will deliberately outrun their enemies only to turn and attack when they have reached maximum range. The low cost, exceptional agility, and devastating firepower of these vehicles have made them extremely popular with mercenary companies, many of whom modified them to make quick escapes.

Propulsion
"I hear these puppies will run on just about anything, even whiskey."

- A Dominion marine

The hellion is controlled by a driver who sits within a pressurized cabin. Its worn faux-leather seats are lined with fireproof material capable of stopping shrapnel. The pilot is secured by numerous straps and padding. Some drivers opt to personalize their space through trinkets such as hanging dice, bobbleheads, or simple photographs.

For propulsion, the hellion uses a variable burn engine powered by diverse liquid or compressed fuels, with portrenol being the most popular due to its low cost. This high-shift newton engine makes for a very fast vehicle, and is a versatile piece of engineering. Some veteran hellion drivers claim it will run on anything, even a bottle of Scotty Bolger's Old No. 8 Whisky. Four wheels carry the hellion along, and when hellions entered service, they came equipped with all-terrain armored non-pneumatic tires. These tires have a high shock-absorption index, and are capable of running flat for up to 100 km&mdash;supposedly enough to get out of a hot zone. Untraversable locations, however, proved the need for a better tire. Raynor's Raiders developed an armored, non-pneumatic tire with a high shock absorption index. Soon after, the Dominion, thanks to its network of spies, secured the blueprints and upgraded its entire hellion motor pool.

The Dominion Special Forces created their own three-wheeled variant of the hellion, making it sleeker and easier to steer. Many hellion drivers stated this variant was more fun to drive.

History
In use by 2490, the hellion was originally developed as an armored combat vehicle, but was deemed too cumbersome to be effective in its intended scout role. After it was stripped down to a bare-bones neosteel frame, engineers began reconstructing the hellion as a lightly armored vehicle, focused on speed and mobility. The hellion ended up becoming one of the best terran skirmishers in the Koprulu sector and beyond. The Dominion Armed Forces used the hellion as their primary scouting vehicle, supplanting the role once held by the vulture. Taking note of the hellion's good performance record, the Dominion developed the hellbat, a vehicle based on the hellion, but with the ability to transform into a bi-pedal walker. The entire Dominion hellion motor pool has been upgraded to hellbat form.

Game Unit
The hellion is a hybrid-replacement for the vulture and the firebat.

Animations
The hellion has movement animations; it slightly rises when it starts moving, and lowers when it stops.

The hellion is a fast-moving unit, fast enough to chase down enemy units and easily reposition itself. Hellions are strong against tier 1 units and workers. They are weak against thors, stalkers, and roaches.

A factory can immediately produce hellions directly, and if an armory is present, can also produce hellbats directly. They cannot switch forms into each other unless Transformation Servos are researched at a factory tech lab.
 * Hellbat Transformation

Strategies
A recommended tactic is to use the hellion as an ambush unit, positioning it on high ground to attack units below it. Four hellions (ideally upgraded) can be loaded into a medivac dropship for a tactical strike on the enemy's mineral line. Though delicate, hellions are agile, making them excellent hit and run units in the early game, particularly against melee units such as zealots or zerglings.

The Hellion's weapon targets only ground units. It does splash damage in a line, targeting one unit but striking all units along the line.
 * Attacks

The attack is well-suited to destroying weaker units such as marines.

The hellion must stop in order to attack. The weapon strikes targets instantly and can be used for (almost literal) hit and run attacks and "kiting". To do maximum damage, it should shoot once, close the gap, shoot again, close the gap again, and so forth in order to maximize damage and not waste shots. Attacks should not be targeted on the closest opponents, but instead those further back, to ensure the maximum number of enemy units are hit. If the attack is launched at a precise distance, then by the time the flames hit the target the Hellion can be moving away to safety. However, units that move out of the flame take less damage so a player should try to keep the flame on enemy units to maximize damage.

The attack does not damage allied units.

Wings of Liberty
In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, hellions are unlocked by playing Outbreak, and are made available by Chief Engineer Rory Swann scanning the schematics of hellions Commander Jim Raynor saw on Mar Sara.

Dustin Browder has expressed regret about the handling of the hellion in the campaign. While the hellion's mobility is useful in multiplayer, firebat/medic combinations in singleplayer arbitrarily outshone it.

Heart of the Swarm
On the art side, hellions now have a fire paint job.

A variant hellion portrait is available to players via Heart of the Swarm's leveling system.

Co-op Missions
Hellions are usable by Mira Han and Matt Horner and Rory Swann in Co-op Missions. They do not need to have their transformation ability researched, and build from the factory in Hellbat mode (Swann only). Han and Horner's hellions are equipped with a burst grenade launcher and build from the Assault galleon. Nova Terra gains access to the Hellion ranger, with increased life and damage.

Nova Covert Ops
In Nova Covert Ops, the hellion can equip one of various provided upgrades and abilities for each mission. However, they are only usable in their hellbat form.

The player's hellions use a different unit model with three wheels, compared to the standard four-wheeled hellion.

Development
The hellion will gain a smart servos upgrade in an upcoming patch.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft II Hellion Quotations

Known Types

 * Hellion ranger
 * Outback Hunter

Trivia
The hellion's unit portrait depicts the driver smoking a cigarillo or cherrot style cigar.