Artanis is a playable commander in the Co-op Missions mode of the game. He can warp in units instantly into battle, and can use support powers from the Spear of Adun.[1] This includes the ability to generate shields around friendly units, both his own, and that of his ally, and to use orbital strikes. He has access to units such as the Aiur zealot.[2] These abilities, along with the energy counter (which steadily recharges) are displayed across the top of the screen.
Artanis' abilities overall contribute to a focus on exploiting warp in, variably increasing the frequency and quantity of units he can warp in. As part of this, he can exploit Pylon Power fields to establish forward positions and empower his troops.
Strike from high orbit with the Spear of Adun using devestating abilities
Command Aiur units and warp your army instantly into battle
Mastery
Power Set 1
Shield Overcharge duration and strength: +2% – 60%
Guardian Shell health and shield heal: +1% – 30%
Power Set 2
Warp Charges regeneration: +2% – 60%
Speed Increase for Warped units: +2% – 60%
Power Set 3
Chrono Boost efficiency: +1% – 30%
Spear of Adun starting and maximum energy: +3 – 90
Calldown Abilities
Project Power Field
Project a pylon power field onto the target location (starts with power field on initial base). Using this ability again will move the power field to a new location. Your ally may also use this field.
Speed Increase for Warped units Mastery: All combat units, after warped on energy fields (from both Pylons and Project Power Field ability), gain +2% to movement speed, attack speed, cooldown reduction and energy regeneration per each mastery point for 30 seconds.
Nexus Legate: Upon use, Project Power Field warps out any of your combat units standing in an existing Power Field projection into the new location. Project Power Field has no cooldown, but costs 25 energy.
Usage
Cost
25 (with Nexus Legate)
Cooldown
30 0 (with Nexus Legate)
Notes
Mastery: +2% per Speed Increase for Warped units mastery point. Up to a maximum +60%
Fires five lasers onto the battlefield from orbit, each of them dealing 50 (100 vs Armored) area damage. A HUD is super-imposed over the user interface when selecting points of impact.
Arkship Commandant: Increases the Orbital Strike cost by 100%. Orbital Strikes warp in Unbound fanatics, which throw off damaging energy and lasts 15 seconds.
Allows friendly units and structures to absorb up to 100 damage. Lasts for 20 seconds.
Shield Overcharge: Increases the Shield Overcharge' absorbs damage from 100 to 200.
Arkship Commandant: Reduces the Shield Overcharge cost and cooldown by 50%. Shield Overcharge is now required to target a location and applies to all units and structures within 8 range of selected area.
Usage
Cost
50 25 (with Arkship Commandant)
Duration
20 Mastery: +0.6 per Shield Overcharge Duration and Damage Absorption mastery point. Up to a maximum 38
Cooldown
180 90 (with Arkship Commandant)
Notes
Mastery: +6 absorbs damage per Shield Overcharge Duration and Damage Absorption mastery point. Up to a maximum 380 absorbs damage
Unlocks the ability for the Spear of Adun to randomly bombard an area for massive damage over 15 seconds. Activate Solar Bombardment from the top panel.
Upon taking fatal damage, friendly units become invulnerable for a short time, escaping death and restoring 15% life and shields. The same unit cannot be shielded again for 240 seconds.
Upgrades zealot to aiur zealot and unlocks the following upgrades at the twilight council. • Unlock the aiur zealot's Whirlwind ability, which deals 5 damage per second for 3 seconds to all nearby enemies. • Increases the dragoon's life by 40, for a total of 120.
Unlocks additional high templar upgrades at the templar archives. • Increases the high templar's starting energy by 150, for a total of 200. • Upgrade the high templar's Psionic Storm ability to also restore 50 shields to friendly units to the target area.
Unlocks additional upgrades for the reaver at the robotics bay. • Increases the maximum number of scarabs that reavers can hold by 5, for a total of 10. • Increases the splash radius of scarab explosions by 25%.
Unlocks additional upgrades for the phoenix and tempest at the fleet beacon. • Allow phoenixes to use Graviton Beam on two targets at once. • Unlock the tempest's Disintegration ability, which deals 500 damage to target unit or structure over 20 seconds.
Power Set 1: Guardian Shell Health and Shield Heal:
Full points on a passive ability that actually heals your units, unlike Shield Overcharge.
Power Set 2: Speed Increase for Warped units:
Full points equates to a free Stim Pack for 30 seconds; build extra production facilities and produce units only before attacking to maximize this mastery.
Power Set 3: Spear of Adun Initial and Maximum Energy
Full points allows for -immediate- expansion; alternatively, Artanis greatly appreciates faster probes and upgrades.
A Bold Plan
Artanis is very effective at prolonged, sustained aggression. His ability to warp in all his units combined with his Pylon Power ability let him quickly reinforce armies, and his Superior Warp Gates talent alleviates building too many unnecessary production facilities. Once he hits Level 15 and begins every mission with max supply, the player has a substantial amount of freedom with their resources, and can get by with only a few production facilities powered by one or two pylons. Due to this, Artanis can begin producing an expensive army early as a result of the minerals he has saved.
We Stand Unified
Artanis' has a varied unit composition and can use whatever tech path the player wants efficiently. Universally, the player should always have large mixed force of zealots and dragoons, due to their high damage output and low cost. From there, the player should support them with either of the following:
Immortals and Reavers for anti-ground support
High Templars and Archons for high area of effect damage from Psionic Storm.
Phoenixes and Tempests for air support.
Any of these unit compositions work perfectly well, with the preferred choice varying depending on the mission being played and the enemy race chosen, alongside his allies' choice of commander.
They Will Meet Justice
With Artanis' calldown abilities, Shield Overcharge is universally effective when going on the offensive. Solar Bombardment is excellent for crushing enemy forces coming through a chokepoint, and is also good on Oblivion Express and Void Launch to quickly kill the trains and shuttles. Keep in mind that the site of impact for Solar Bombardment must remain in sight for enemies to be hit by it; if the player just scouts an area to bombard and then retreat, it won't have any effect while in the fog of war. Enemies will also retreat out of the area of effect if they are not engaged in combat.
Synergies
Protoss Commanders
Alarak is an effective teammate for Artanis. Aiur zealots, dragoons, and tempests complement Alarak perfectly by providing powerful melee attackers and anti-air power. Wrathwalkers are more powerful and mobile than Artanis' reavers, and ascendants are superior to Artanis' high templar as offensive casters. If Alarak is in peril, Artanis' Power Field cooldown is invaluable to warp in supplicants in the field.
Karax is a questionable teammate for Artanis. Artanis' mechanical forces benefit greatly from Reconstruction Beam and carrier repair drones abilities. However, Artanis' warp-in structures use charges, so Chrono Wave isn't particularly helpful in rebuilding an army if he has a sufficient number of structures. Artanis' army is also tougher and cheaper; Artanis can warp dragoons, a unit of which Karax lacks a counterpart; Artanis' tempests beat carriers at both burst and sustained damage; Artanis' reavers can out-burst colossi. If Karax makes use of warp gates, he can synergize well with Artanis' Pylon Power. He can also use Artanis' Pylon Power to set up stationary defenses without a pylon.
Vorazun is a questionable teammate for Artanis. Vorazun's Black Hole ability combos nicely with the Solar Bombardment ability. Vorazun's corsairs are superior anti-air compared to Artanis' phoenix. Like Karax, Vorazun can make use of Artanis' Pylon Power ability. Both Vorazun and Artanis have relatively expensive armies and tech paths, leaving them vulnerable to early game assaults.
Terran Commanders
Raynor is an excellent teammate for Artanis. Raynor's main offensive units (marines) have high DPS; Guardian Shell and Shield Overcharge supplements medics perfectly, which greatly extend the lifespan of Raynor's fragile infantry units, especially against enemy AoE attacks. Artanis' immortals and tempests can safely deal with the formidable hybrid behemoths, thus compensating for Raynor's general lack of durable units. Raynor's marines provide superior anti-air capabilities over Artanis's dragoons. Raynor also has access to missile turrets, providing more formidable anti-air than photon cannons. Medics can extend the lifespan of Artanis' army, which can end up surviving on low health due to Guardian Shell and thus being weaker for the next engagement without healing.
Swann is an excellent teammate for Artanis. Artanis's mechanical forces benefit greatly from Swann's science vessel nano-repair abilities. Swann's units compliment Artanis' very well, with goliaths bringing anti-aircraft firepower that supplements Artanis' damage soaking anti-armor immortals for a well-balanced army. Artanis is also able to deploy observers, to allow the Drakken laser drill to fire on distant targets and objectives without risking either commander's army.
Nova has decent synergy with Artanis, as his Guardian Shield and Shield
Overcharge help a great deal in keeping Nova's expensive army alive.
Nova can provide better anti-air than Artanis' Dragoons, and the two can
ravage bases with their abilities if Nova acts as a spotter. Nova's
airlift isn't the most helpful to Artanis since he can deploy a power
field to any location he wishes.
Zerg Commanders
Kerrigan is a questionable teammate for Artanis. Artanis's Shield Overcharge and Guardian Shell are invaluable for protecting mutalisks or ultralisks, giving them a chance to survive and retreat on higher difficulties. Kerrigan's ability to solo early waves allows Artanis to tech for a more powerful army late game. Assimilation Aura can aid Artanis in building an army composed of tempests and/or reavers, which cost a high amount of resources per unit.
Zagara is an excellent teammate for Artanis. Zagara's main offensive units (banelings) have high DPS; but are fragile, which Artanis alleviates with Shield Overcharge and Guardian Shell. Zagara's is able to hold a strong front due to her ability to maintain a numerical army, allowing Artanis' powerful offensive higher-tier reavers, archons, and tempests to be produced and deployed to the field.
Abathur is a questionable teammate for Artanis, as his units are already very hard to kill and don't get much benefit from Guardian Shell or Shield Overcharge. Artanis can destroy bases more effectively than Abathur, though, via his Solar Bombardment, reavers and immortals. However, Abathur's large ground units can cause collision issues with dragoons, immortals and reavers, especially in choke points or on ramps. Mend can help patch up Artanis' army after Guardian Shell is expended on them.