Terran gameplay (StarCraft)

Gameplay attributes

 * Average cost
 * Average power
 * Very high adaptability: only race without location restrictions (can "lift off" and redeploy most of their structures without restriction)
 * Moderately efficient building method
 * Forces are comparatively weak unless set up initially before a battle (In order to fight zerg or protoss effectively, it is essential to stim the infantry, put tanks in siege mode, construct missile turrets and bunkers, lay Spider Mines, etc.)
 * The SCV unit (the basic worker) can repair buildings and mechanical units faster than the other two races can regenerate their buildings' HP. The Medic (only in the Brood War expansion) can heal the non-mechanical units faster than the other two races can regenerate their units' HP. On the other hand, neither their units nor buildings heal themselves and their buildings will also burn (decrease HP at one per second) when they reach critical HP (red HP bar). After reaching 0, they are destroyed.
 * Due to the increased micro requirements, players usually achieve a higher APM playing Terran than the other two races.

Notable abilities

 * EMP Shockwave — Science Vessel ability; it drains the energy from everything within the shock radius and, on Protoss units and buildings, drains shields. This makes the Science Vessel extremely effective against Protoss units, especially those like the Archons who have a large number of shield points but few hit points. It also has the useful ability to destroy Protoss hallucinations.
 * Nuclear Strike — Requires a nuclear missile to be built in a nuclear silo (add-on to command center); then a Ghost can spot a target for the nuke by pinpointing a red dot on screen. Note that all players will be notified that a nuke is being launched. After a short time the missile lands, doing massive damage to all nearby units and buildings. A nuke will deal either 2/3 or 500 damage to the target, whichever is more. Anything that is not under the laser point will be dealt reduced splash damage. If the Ghost does not flee after launching, it will be killed unless it has the ocular implants upgrade, which increases the sight radius of the Ghost, thus keeping it out of harm's way. While the Ghost is pointing, it can't move, attack or cast other abilites; however, it can remain cloaked if it was cloaked before the nuke was launched. Killing the Ghost during the pointing phase of the nuke (after the screen has indicated the nuke launch and before the red dot disappears) cancels the launched nuke, which is then lost.
 * Yamato Cannon — The Battlecruiser's only ability; it uses 150 energy to charge up and shoot an energy blast that has a range of 10, one of the longest ranges in the game. The blast does 260 damage. However, the range of the blast is longer than the sight range of the battlecruiser, so scout the target before firing for maximum range. Also, if the targeted unit is destroyed, the cannon does not fire
 * Heal — Medics are relatively low-tech units that cost only 50 minerals and 25 gas but are extremely effective when combined with other infantry. Terran players often use a Marines & Medics combination in the early game versus Zerg players.

Land

 * SCV (Space Construction Vehicle) &mdash; Worker. The SCV is considered to be both biological and mechanical. As such, it can be either repaired by another SCV or healed by a medic; it is also vulnerable to a Ghost's Lockdown and a Queen's Spawn Broodling. Compared to the other harvester units, the SCV (Space Construction Vehicle) has the most hitpoints.
 * Marine &mdash; Basic attack unit that can attack both land and air units.. They are also the only "first-tier" unit that can attack air targets. It is vulnerable to Reavers and Siege Tanks.
 * Firebat &mdash; Attacks only ground units, it has a short-ranged attack that does splash damage. Splash does not hurt your own units, but will damage allied and enemy units. Firebats are very specialized units. They annihilate small-sized melee units (Zerglings, other infantry), but later in the game, once the opponent has more ranged/air units, Firebats become less useful. Requires Academy.
 * Goliath &mdash; Mech assault unit, attacks air and land units. Goliaths are exceptional when coupled with Siege Tanks and Marines, and are essential for base defense, especially against Zerg (as they are mobile and, with the range upgrade, can attack Guardians at maximum range, unlike the stationary Missile Turrets). They are, however, medium in size and tend to be clumsy when ordered to walk in large groups. It is weak to swarms of Zerglings and Zealots and less effective against heavy units. Requires Armory.
 * Siege Tank &mdash; Can change from Tank mode to Siege Mode (once it is researched), making it a stationary long range heavy artillery piece, and back to Tank mode again to move. During transformation phase and in siege mode, the siege tank cannot move or attack. A tank in siege mode has the longest attack range of any unit, and can shoot farther than it can actually see so benefits from spotters, but but it cannot target units that get too close to it. In siege mode it inflicts splash damage. These features make it very popular and an excellent siege weapon as well as a defensive weapon. In combat it requires much support against melee and air units. Requires Machine Shop add-on.
 * Vulture &mdash; This Terran hoverbike is best known for its ability to deploy Spider Mines, as well as for its great speed. With the speed upgrade it is the fastest unit. Vultures are excellent scouts and skirmishers, and are highly effective against Protoss Zealots, especially with support. However, due to their concussive damage, they are ineffective when used alone against large units. Their attacks do great damage to Protoss shields (which take full damage from all attacks, regardless of damage type). Their grenade launchers cannot target air units.
 * The Spider Mine (when idle) mimics the Zerg burrowing capability. When activated, it tracks its target and detonates, dealing direct and splash damage. Spider Mines can be destroyed either while they are tracking their target, or by other units with the help of a detector. Spider Mines themselves are not detectors, but they will still target cloaked units, making them useful against Dark Templar. Their relatively large splash damage makes it effective against ground infantry.
 * Medic (Brood War only) &mdash; The Medic's main purpose is to heal biological ground units. Apart from its basic "heal" ability, the Optical Flare and Restoration abilities can also be researched. Optical Flare "blinds" its target, reducing its sight range to one and removing any detection abilities. Optical Flare can only be removed by other Medics using the Restoration ability. Restoration is a handy ability that allows the player to remove the effects of an enemy's special abilities from a single unit (except for the Protoss stasis field). The Medic also heals allied units. Requires Academy.
 * Ghost &mdash; The Ghost has several special abilities. It can engage a cloaking device (draining additional energy as it stays cloaked) and "Lockdown" enemy mechanical units, immobilizing and disabling them for a short period of time. Their most devastating ability is the targeting of a specific point for a nuclear strike. The Ghost is generally used for its special abilities rather than combat prowess. Requires Covert Ops add-on and Academy.

Air

 * Valkyrie (Brood War only) &mdash; This heavily armored flying attack frigate utilizes an extensive supply of air-to-air missiles that, individually, do light damage, but have a large area of effect. They are extremely effective against air support units such as Mutalisks, Scourges, or tightly-grouped Overlords, Guardians, Scouts, and Wraiths but are mostly ineffective against heavier air units. The Valkyrie was added to the expansion mainly to compensate for the Terrans' weakness to the Zerg Mutalisk rush. Requires Armory.


 * Wraith &mdash; Starfighter produced at the Starport, can be upgraded at the Control Tower. One can research the cloaking ability that allows it to turn invisible for a period of time. The Wraith is good for hit-and-run attacks on enemy workers, escorting larger ships, and engaging enemy air units. It is fairly effective in groups against other air units but does little damage against ground units and buildings.
 * Battlecruiser &mdash; Arguably the most powerful Terran unit in the game, it can be outfitted with the Yamato Cannon (a magnetically-focused nuclear blast that must be researched), and can attack air and land units. However, its normal laser attack has an extremely slow firing rate, and battlecruisers with no support are vulnerable to masses of Zerg Scourges and Devourers (in Brood War). The Yamato Cannon also expends a great deal of energy, but can allow the Battlecruisers to fire a tremendous beam of high-energy that can obliterate any small units or buildings in one hit, such as the Protoss Photon Cannon. An upgrade of the amount of energy points is available. Requires Physics Lab addon.
 * Science Vessel &mdash; Spellcaster, no attack. It can detect cloaked enemy units in its vicinity; can place a "defensive grid matrix" around other units, including other Science Vessels, but not itself, which functions as an extra shield for a limited time; or can fire an EMP shockwave to drain all buildings and units of shields and energy that are within its blast radius; can "irradiate" an organic unit, causing it to slowly lose hit points until it dies or takes 250 damage (whichever comes first) &mdash; this also damages other nearby organic units. Requires Science Facility.
 * Dropship &mdash; Flying transport, no attack. It is slightly faster than a Protoss Shuttle without Gravitic Drive, but much slower than one with. It is also faster than upgraded Overlords, and its toughness lies between them and the more fragile Shuttles. Requires Control Tower add-on.

Basic buildings
Unlike the buildings of other races, the major Terran buildings are mobile; they can Lift Off, fly slowly, and land elsewhere. Only air-to-air or ground-to-air attacks can damage these buildings when in the air. Buildings that have been lifted off can be repaired in mid-air by SCVs. If the building has an add-on, the add-on is left behind (and can be claimed by any player who lands the appropriate building next to it). Add-ons (which are unique to this race) can only function when the main building is attached, and any one building may only have one add-on attached. Unlike other races, a Terran building will burn down (take damage automatically) if its hit points reach critical (red HP bar, less than 1/3 of total hit points). Hit points slowly decrease until they reach 0, when the building is destroyed and must be rebuilt. Only SCVs can prevent the building from burning down by repairing the building into the yellow or green state (greater than 1/3 or 2/3 of total hit points, respectively).

Terran buildings are also bulky and have a tendency to take up a lot of space. Terran bases can fill up quickly. This is mostly due to supply depots, which, unlike Protoss Pylons and Zerg Overlords (though technically not buildings but still supply), are used for only one purpose and serve no tactical purpose within the game. However, they can be used as "walls" to force enemy troops to walk a longer way around or slow down their "rush" to attack the buildings first.


 * Command Center &mdash; Trains SCVs and serves as a drop-off point for resources. Also contributes 10 to the supply.
 * ComSat Station add-on &mdash; Scans a spot on the map for several seconds, using energy. Reveals all enemy units (including cloaked or burrowed) and buildings. It is an efficient and risk-free way of scouting out an enemy base (requires Academy).
 * Nuclear Missile Silo add-on &mdash; Produces and launches nuclear missiles (requires a Covert Ops add-on for the Science Facility; requires a Ghost to launch).
 * Supply Depot &mdash; Contributes 8 to the supply limit, with a maximum of 200. As they are needed for supply, they are constructed in great numbers. However, unlike Zerg Overlords (which are air units and take up no space) and Protoss Pylons (which are also needed for powering structures), Supply Depots serve no other inherent purpose, and take up the most space of any main supply-providing building/unit.
 * Engineering Bay &mdash; Provides three levels of armor and weapons upgrades for infantry.
 * Barracks &mdash; Trains Marines, Firebats, Ghosts, and (in Brood War) Medics. Requires Command Center.
 * Refinery &mdash; Allows the harvesting of vespene gas from a vespene geyser by SCVs. The SCV which builds the refinery will automatically start harvesting from it.
 * Missile Turret &mdash; Provides automated surface-to-air attack (though manually targetable) and includes detection capabilities.
 * Academy &mdash; Provides special ability upgrades for infantry and the ability to train Firebats and Medics (upgrades include Stim Packs for Marines and Firebats, U-238 shells for Marines, Restoration, Optical Flare, and energy upgrade for Medics). Requires Barracks.
 * Bunker &mdash; Has no attack of its own, but can house up to four infantry (Marine, Firebat, Ghost, Medic, or SCV). Units inside sustain no damage, and are free to return fire. Marines also receive a slight range increase, that, combined with U-238 Shells, puts them on equal range footing with upgraded Protoss Dragoons. Requires Barracks.

Advanced buildings

 * Factory &mdash; Constructs Vultures, Siege Tanks, and Goliaths. Requires Barracks.
 * Machine Shop add-on &mdash; Provides upgrades for mechanized ground units (Spider Mines and speed upgrade for Vulture, siege mode for Siege Tanks, and the Goliath air range upgrade (Brood War only)).
 * Armory &mdash; Allows for three levels of weapon and armor upgrades for Factory and Starport units and is also required for Goliaths and Valkyries (requires Factory).
 * Starport &mdash; Constructs Wraiths, Dropships, Battlecruisers, Science Vessels, and Valkyries. Requires Factory.
 * Control Tower add-on &mdash; Allows for upgrades to the Wraith (cloaking ability and energy upgrade).
 * Science Facility &mdash; Allows for the construction of and upgrades to Terran Science Vessels (EMP shockwave, irradiate, and energy upgrade) (also required for second and third level armor and weapons upgrades at Engineering Bay and Armory). Requires Starport.
 * Physics Lab add-on &mdash; Allows production of Battlecruisers and provides upgrades for them (Yamato Cannon and energy upgrade).
 * Covert Ops add-on &mdash; Allows production of and provides upgrades for Ghosts (sight upgrade, Lockdown, cloaking, and energy upgrade).

Techs
Terran players usually follow one of two main general tech trees: 1) Infantry and 2) Metal. It is not good to mix and match (unless engaged in a long match) because many buildings (such as academy/engineering bay and armory) upgrades for only one of the two tech trees.

1) Infantry is often used against Zerg opponents because of just how effective Marine/Medic is against almost all Zerg units (with the exception of lurkers). It is not as effective against Protoss or Terran units because of psi storm from Protoss High Templar and Terran Tanks/Goliaths/Vultures.

Against Zerg opponents, a typical build order would be a couple of Barracks (can also implement building block - see Strategies), Refinery, Academy, ComSat, Factory, Engineering Bays, Starport, Science Facility, and then expand to more buildings as you see fit. Generally (especially in long games), Terrans would just pump out Marine+Medic, some Tanks for siege support, ComSat for detection, and Science Vessels for detection and irradiate.

2) Metal is almost always used against Protoss and other Terrans because infantry is often ineffective. Metal refers to mechanical units (Tanks, Vultures, Goliaths, and maybe Wraiths and Battlecruisers).

Against Protoss and Terran opponents, a typical build order would be a Supply Depot + Barracks building block (see Strategies), Factory (2), Starport. From then on, the Terran will have to choose which specific strategy to implement, depending on various circumstances.

Strategies
Here is a list of some simple common strategies being used for Terrans:

Wall-in &mdash; This strategy is also called "turtling." On certain maps (Lost Temple, for example) there are positions where one can build a Supply Depot and Barracks where the two buildings can block units from entering or leaving. The Barracks can be used as a portcullis, as it can be lifted to allow units to pass underneath. This allows the Terran to defend their block from within the base (although this has rarely also been used offensively) with ranged units such as Tanks and Marines. This is extremely effective because the block are actual buildings and can be quickly repaired by SCVs if under attack, similar to repairing a wall from where one can mow down the enemy forces with barely any casualties. This is often used in the early stages of the game, where Terrans would generally tech up to metal units and would need a reliable wall to stop enemy forces from ravaging the base until reinforcements can come.

Dropping &mdash; One of the most notorious attacks Terrans are known for. After teching to Starport and getting Dropships, Terrans can drop units by loading them into Dropships and dropping them near weaknesses in the enemy base, causing large amounts of damage. For example, Terrans often drop Siege Tanks onto cliffs overlooking the enemy base and immediately siege them, attacking their buildings and units. Because the Tanks are on high ground, the enemy cannot destroy (or at least, have extreme difficulty in destroying) the Tanks. Drops can also be tactically used to destroy the enemy resource gatherers (using fast-attacking concussive/normal damage type units such as Vultures and Marines) and delay their economy for quite a while. And finally, drops can also be used as a large-scale attack force. Sending a group of 6-8 dropships and a Science Vessel or two, Terrans can unload a whole army of Tanks, Goliaths, and Marines+Medics inside an unguarded point in the enemy base.

Wraiths &mdash; Wraiths are often used against enemy Terrans, due to their lack of ready detectors (unlike Photon Cannons for Protoss and Overlords for Zerg). With their Cloaking ability, Wraiths can attack targets unguarded by stationary Turrets or Science Vessels. Even with a ComSat scanner, detection is only temporary; the Wraiths can retreat, and attack again. In addition, a Wraith rush can be somewhat effective against Zerg players in hunting down overlords and slowing down their army. Wraiths are also very good for harassing.

Irradiate &mdash; Used primarily against Zerg opponents, or expensive Protoss units such as a High Templar or Dark Templar. A variant strategy involves irradiating one's own mechanical unit (such as another Science Vessel), and moving it into melee range with enemy units, particularly workers, damaging and killing as many as possible before the Irradiate wears off.

Tank Push &mdash; This refers to the practice of "leapfrogging" Siege Tanks into enemy positions. Since the range of sieged Tanks is so large, one can attack the enemy base and destroy its frontline defenses, then inch some Tanks forward and continue destroying the defenses behind those.

Bunker Hopping &mdash; Refers to the similar practice of "leapfrogging" bunkers. One bunker staffed with marines is used to defend the SCV building another bunker which is then staffed to protect the building of another bunker etc., to create defense in depth.

Good Bunker Defense- One common mistake that amateurs make is randomly placing their bunkers, goliaths and siege tanks creating a divided defense system. The proper placement of defences are the bunkers normally in front that are being repaired by SCV's behind then goliaths or missile turrets after the SCV's and siege tanks at the back. This strategy is most effective when it is used in the vital choke points of your base, making swarming less effective making this strategy especially effective against Terran or Zerg.

Against the Zerg
The commanders, captains or generals usually just steamroll them with Battlecruisers or even ground forces but they had to watch out for swarms of Zerg units. Medics can remove many status effects such as Plague or Parasite. Zergling rushes are very hard to stop without proper support.

Against the Protoss
Because Terrans have the weakest early-game detection, a popular Protoss strategy when dealing with Terran Players is to wall himself in with Photon Cannons while teching to Dark Templars. The Dark Templar Rush as its called is quite capable of causing severe damage to an early game Terran assault, for Templar can one-hit kill Marines, and slice Missile Turrets to pieces easily.

There aren't many ways to prevent this. In a map like Lost Temple, the Terran should attempt to block chokepoints with supply depots with a single Barracks being used as a "Gate" of sorts, lifting off to allow your own troops to move through, or landing to prevent enemies from advancing. Supported with two or so missile turrets, this will prove a decent defense unless the enemy decides to use a Shuttle and just fly around these defenses. Additionally, hotkeying a Comsat Station can work in a pinch; the 1-s-click as its called can temporarily nullify the Templar cloaking ability. Spider Mines also work for they home in on cloaked units, and as of more recent patches, a Dark Templar has 40 Shields and 80 HP, meaning that a Spider Mine will kill it in a single hit while weakening any nearby Dark Templar.

The same wall-in suggestions work when fighting a Zealot Rush, for between their speed and durability, Zealots generally will just run past the Terran's base defenses and go straight for the SCVs, crippling the economy enough to win the production war that is Starcraft. Walling in works well for hindering the movement of Zealots, especially if Bunkers comprise some of the walls.

Concussive-damage units are a lot more effective against Protoss than normal, since Shields take full damage from every attack type. Firebats in particular easily beat their cost worth in Zealots as the splash-damage combined with Protoss bunching to attack units makes them very damaging. Keep a few medics around to allow more liberal use of Stimpacks; such a defense should help protect against the Protoss until one techs to Vultures.

Vultures are perhaps the best mid-game unit to use en-masse vs. Protoss. A single Vulture is cheaper than a Zealot and does more damage for the cost, and at range. 8 Vultures can take out a Zealot in a single salvo, and with proper micro can defeat many times their cost in Zealots. Versus heavier units like Dragoons, they can run up, deploy a mass of spider mines, then retreat; this tactic can easily be supplemented in the late-game once Ghosts appear, for Protoss have no counter to Lockdown. Lockdown several Dragoons and Reavers, and ride the Vultures up to drop spider mines adjacent to them. Such harassment works until Siege Tanks become available.

Against Protoss, keeping Siege Tanks in Tank Mode is a viable strategy. The Protoss units are generally durable enough to shrug off singular Siege Mode attacks that enough Zealots rushing a tank emplacement will win out; between those and Corsairs, unless the Tanks are being used for a specific purpose like shelling Photon Cannon emplacements or Reavers, they work best for hit-and-runs. They make good Dragoon hunters for such is the attack animation that a Tank shot is instantaneous and a Dragoon shot travels before hitting. Combined with a Dropship, a Terran can quickload a Tank before it takes damage, then unload it. However, this trick requires experience to pull off.

When it comes to aerial battles, Wraiths are the main unit to use against other Protoss air units for Protoss have the weakest late-game detection. True they have Observers but even Observers are vulnerable to comsat-sweeps followed by a Wraith Salvo. Unless the Protoss player uses redundant Observers, the Terran now has a window of opportunity to attack with impunity.

The Science Vessel is a powerful item for EMP works wonders on Dark Archons, Archons, High Templar, Shield Batteries, and Massed Carriers. However, other abilities are imporant as well. Defense Matrix nullifies the fragility of Vultures and a squad of Matrixed Vultures can rush past a base's defenses to go straight to Probe-hunting. Irridate can be used for the same purpose to an extent, as two Science Vessels Matrix and Irridate each other to go worker-hunting. However, one should beware Dark Archons with Feedback.

Battlecruisers are perfect for assault due to its damage that it inflicts on its foes but the only way to counter a full fleet of Battlecruisers is by building up as many AA units as possible and also use spells to back up.