Hellion

The Hellion, formerly known as the Jackal, is a terran unit in StarCraft II.

Overview
The Hellion is a four-wheeled buggy-like vehicle. Like the vulture it fills the fast-attack, anti-infantry role. Unlike the vulture, it is armed with a flamethrower.

Game Unit
The Hellion is produced from the factory with no other requirement, meaning an attached nuclear reactor can double the rate of production.

Speed
The Hellion is a fast-moving unit, fast enough to chase down enemy units and easily reposition itself.

The Hellion is faster than the reaper side-by-side, but the reaper's cliff jumping ability can enable faster tactical movement. In a base raid, the reaper does more direct damage, but a Hellion can injure several workers simultaneously.

Attacks
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. 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. However, units that move out of the flame take less damage. The attack does not damage allied units.

Strategies
A recommended tactic is to use the Hellion as an ambush unit, positioning it on high ground to attack units below it.

Wings of Liberty Upgrades
In the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign, the hellion has two special upgrades: one which increases damage by +1 per 3 seconds, and another which increases movement speed by 40%.

Development
The Hellion was called the Jackal during development. In its earliest stages, the vehicle was a hoverbike much like the Vulture, and possessed a powerful anti-infantry railgun.