Thor

"A massive mechanical human-shaped robot that protects its pilot while it wreaks destruction in its path, the Thor is a master of devastation whether on the sky, or on the ground. With the survivability of a pile of rocks, you can always count on a Thor to take to the front lines and make a big ol’ mess out there."

- Raynor's Raiders blurb

The thor is a huge and powerful terran mechanical walker. Despite the thor being smaller than the Odin, the thor is still heavily armed and armored, and known to be one of the most heavy and powerful mechanical units in the Dominion Armed Forces.

Overview
"These Thors are smaller than the Odin but they handle better -- and they still hit hard."

- Rory Swann

Named after the Norse god of thunder, the thor is a class of siege-walker. Those in service during the Second Great War were more maneuverable than the Odin incarnation.

Design
"This siege-walker may not be unstoppable, but it is undoubtedly close."

Heavy composite neosteel-ceramic armor protects the thor. The plates are modular and can be replaced easily if damaged, or exchanged for thicker versions depending on battlefield conditions. Designed to defeat high-explosive armor piercing rounds, as well as disrupt the searing beams of energy-based weapons, the thor’s plating offers unparalleled protection to the pilot and the mech’s internal systems. Its innermost layer has a heat-resistant kinetic mesh that prevents damage from shrapnel, slugs, or even sheared armor fragments. ATVX has also developed an "immortality protocol," allowing a thor to repair itself in the field as long as its hull remains intact.

The thor's cockpit is pressurized and protected by a military-grade steelglass canopy, as well as thick layers of composite neosteel-ceramic armor. At its center lies the pilot´s seat, which helps prevent operator injuries through powerful inertial dampeners and a foam-padded six-point harness. Multiple gauges and screens monitor the mech’s systems, and the main holographic display projects computer-generated imagery of the terrain. Were this screen to fail, the steelglass canopy has a fully integrated heads-up-display, a navigation screen, and a basic targeting system.

System
The thor is equipped with different types of heavy weapons. It is armed with four "Thor's Hammer" particle accelerators (two are fired from each arm). Originally, four 250mm strike cannons resided on its back, but these have since been replaced by Punisher cannons. These fire 250mm anti-aircraft shells fitted with advanced electronics to minimize wasted shots. Their depleted uranium cores allow them to punch through the plating of heavily armored aerial targets, causing serious damage. Each shell is individually chambered by a basic auto-loading mechanism that simplifies maintenance and repairs. The cannons' rate of fire is capped to avoid malfunctions and to extend the service life of the ordnance. Bypassing the limit is not recommended, as the cannons may melt or explode.

For aerial opponents, the thor is equipped with Javelin missile launchers. These are located on both sides of the steelglass canopy, and fire four small, IFF fragmentation warheads that can rip through multiple, lightly armored aerial targets on a single salvo. Due to the missiles’ small size, the thor can carry a large payload, ensuring it will be fully prepared to deal with groups of flying bogeys even in drawn-out engagements.

The thor can be optionally outfitted with 330mm barrage cannons.

History
"If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that sometimes you just need someone who likes to smash things."

- Dominion recruitment file.

The thor stemmed from the Terran Dominion Thor Project, a program that resulted in the creation of the Odin. When the thor made its public debut, military analysts were stunned, and embedded UNN reporters described it as "a huge bipedal war machine armed with a dorsal artillery that wouldn't be out of place on a battleship." Thors were being used in the field by 2502.

During the Second Great War, the Terran Dominion utilized the thor in defending areas such as New Folsom Prison.

The Odin, a particularly powerful prototype, was developed by 2503. A Protectorate shadowguard stole intelligence on the Odin, which was later taken to Valhalla.

Chief Engineer Rory Swann reverse-engineered a schematic of the thor from examining the Odin prototype. He refined a design that had millions of credits of R&D poured into it. His efforts focused on making it cheaper. The Raiders received their first thors during the attack on the UNN Studios.

Game Unit
The thor can be transported by the Hercules dropship and medivac dropships. One thor fills up the medivac's entire capacity, transforming into a cube-like shape and hanging from underneath.

As of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the thor can switch between Javelin missiles (which destroy light air units) and Punisher cannons (which are single-target attacks designed to take on powerful air units).

Combat Roles
A thor's primary role is to act as the spearhead: a big tough unit that can push past an artillery barrage or fortified positions or push into an enemy base and lead s into battle.

Its other primary role is to defend allied units from air attacks with its powerful anti-air weaponry. It works well against light air units like s, but the attack is not as effective against heavily armored air units such as s.

The thor is countered by range, mobility, and certain anti-armor units. It doesn't deal splash damage to ground units, therefore, it cannot effectively deal with massed units such as marines, s, and s.

A popular strategy with the unit is the "thor harass" (sometimes called "thorship"), similar to the reaver harass of StarCraft. It involves pairing the thor with a medivac dropship, combining the thor's power and the mobility of the latter.

Heart of the Swarm
In Heart of the Swarm, the thor prioritizes air vs ground targets.
 * High Impact Payload (E): Time 4 seconds. Removes Javelin missiles (which have an AoE attack) and equips the thor with Punisher Cannons (which hit single targets harder). This specific ability is removed in Legacy of the Void.
 * Explosive Payload (E): Time 4 seconds. Removes the Punisher Cannon and replaces with Javelin missiles. This ability is active by default.

Wings of Liberty Campaign
The thor can be unlocked after playing the mission "Media Blitz", and made available after Chief Engineer Rory Swann scanned the schematics of the Odin and made it less expensive to produce.

Co-op Missions
Thors are exclusive to Rory Swann in Co-op Missions, unlocked once he reaches Level 6.

Thor vs Siege Tanks
Some features that existed on the thor in previous builds led to a concern that its role was overlapping with that of the siege tank. Unlike the siege tank, the thor is an assault unit rather than a siege unit. Its ground attack has much less range than a siege tank's 120 mm cannon, so it is exposed to enemy fire while attacking.

Another difference from the siege tank is that the thor can also function as a ground to air attacker.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft II Thor Quotations

Known Thor Pilots

 * Sandin Forst

Known Thor Variants

 * Blackhammer