Goliath

"Goliath online."

- A goliath pilot

The goliath combat walker is a terran one-man all-terrain combat walker used to support marine forces.

Design
Goliaths are constructed out of neosteel. Their armor renders them quite resilient to fragmentation grenades and even small arms fire, though their cockpits are vulnerable to missiles. Their fronts are protected by a plexishield. Twin speakers are equipped on the walker and it can be equipped with external audio pickups.

Few terran mechs are as versatile as the goliath. With reverse-jointed legs, the twelve-foot tall goliath features all-terrain maneuverability. To control a goliath, the pilot straps themselves into a "cradle" which enables the goliath to mimic their movements by passing instructions through the onboard computer. The process takes practice to get used to it. Some commands (such as moving the arms up and down) can be uttered by voice. Designed for manuevarability in tight quarters, the goliath's excellent maneuverability gives it tactical advantages in open terrain, but its versatility gives it an edge even in chaotic urban environments.

Armament
The goliath features a computer-based heavy weapons system. It possesses multi-lock targeting abilities, and its Ares-class locator system allows for increased firing range. It is equally adept at providing both ground level and anti-air support. Goliath armament consists of twin anti-armor 30mm smoothbore autocannons on the arms which fire explosive shells and Hellfire-AA scatter missiles. As such, while goliaths are primarily used against aerial targets, they still pose a great threat to infantry. Goliaths were further upgraded with the arrival of the United Earth Directorate in the Koprulu Sector. With improved propulsion technologies via Charon Boosters and upgrades to existing targeting system software, the goliath's range via its Hellfire missiles was increased dramatically.

UED goliaths featured a large machine-gun attached to the lower torso and missile racks on the "shoulders". This design was adopted by the Dominion. Many goliaths were equipped with three guns, one on each arm and one between the "legs". By the Second Great War, another variant existed with two additional guns mounted coaxially with the main cannon. The autocannons can be replaced with shovel-hands to allow a pilot to (dis)embark while in the field.

History
Few units are as closely associated with terran military might as the goliath. The walker was originally manufactured by LarsCorp Technologies for the Kel-Morian Combine, intended for an infantry support role, especially in urban environments. The Combine was using it by 2480, and was respected by the Terran Confederacy for its versatile mix of ground-level lethality and anti-air support.

The walker became widespread throughout the Koprulu sector when the blueprints were stolen by corporate spies and sold to Confederate interests. The Confederacy produced their own goliaths en masse, and was using the walker in combat by 2485, at the Battle of Noranda Glacier on Onuru Sigma, which began the Guild Wars. Confederate goliaths were placed in the Confederate Armored Vehicle Corps, pilots requiring a PEB (Preferred Experience Base) of six months combat experience to be trained in their use. Not that goliaths were entirely confined to a single corps however, being found within many Confederate units and often attached to mechanized infantry. As such, goliaths became well known throughout the Koprulu sector.

Unfortunately for the goliath, the Brood War revealed critical weaknesses in terran anti-air capability. Wraith combat fighters and Valkyrie missile frigates proved to be an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms, while ground-based anti-air support from the goliath was too limited in its mobility: all too often airborne attackers would simply move out of the goliath's range and find less well-defended targets to destroy. As such, terran technicians developed the Viking as the solution to this lack of flexibility.

The Dominion Armed Forces and LarsCorp retained goliaths for a period after the Brood War. . By the Second Great War, the Dominion had mainly replaced them with vikings and the thor, but goliaths continue to see active duty within the Dominion. Goliaths were retained by Raynor's Raiders as well.

In spite of largely being replaced, the Dominion continued to field goliaths through the Second Great War and End War, and they continued to be a regular support walker for marine squadrons well into 2512.

StarCraft

 * For StarCraft gameplay information see: Goliath (StarCraft).
 * For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft Goliath Quotations.

StarCraft: Ghost
Goliaths were set to appear in StarCraft: Ghost. Nova could pilot them.

StarCraft II

 * For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Goliath (StarCraft II).
 * For StarCraft II in-game quotations see: StarCraft II Goliath Quotations.

Heroes of the Storm
Goliaths appear as mercenary units on the Braxis Holdout and Warhead Junction maps in Heroes of the Storm. They use the elite goliath model of the Spartan Company and Bulwark Company. They fall into the game's "bruiser" category, and on Braxis Holdout, are infested until being defeated, after which they will return to their normal form. They are supported by a raven.

A goliath skin is available for D.Va.

Known Goliath Pilots

 * "The Commander"
 * Lieutenant Tsuname
 * Gunnery Sergeant Farley
 * Sergeant Wynn
 * Alan Schezar
 * Breg Shaw
 * "Goliath One"
 * "Goliath Two"
 * "Goliath Three"
 * "Goliath Four"
 * "Goliath Five"
 * Skullder Unit 001 pilot

Specialist Units

 * Bulwark Company
 * New Dresdin Elite Guard
 * Spartan Company

Individual

 * Cerberus Goliath
 * Defense Robot
 * Flyswatter I
 * "Iron Golem" Goliath
 * Skullder series
 * Skullder Unit 001
 * Skullder Unit 004
 * Strike goliath
 * War Goliath