StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War implement damage types and units sizes in their gameplay mechanics that affect how much damage a unit takes from other units.
StarCraft II uses the Attributes mechanics instead.
Damage type[]
In StarCraft, there are three damage types: concussive, normal, and explosive. The actual damage done depends on the type and the size of the target unit, as indicated in the following table:
| Entity | Concussive | Normal | Explosive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small units (HP) | 100% | 100% | 50% |
| Medium units (HP) | 50% | 100% | 75% |
| Large units (HP) | 25% | 100% | 100% |
| Buildings (HP) | 25% | 100% | 100% |
| Protoss shields | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Concussive Damage[]
Vultures, ghosts, and firebats deal concussive damage, meaning their full damage potential is limited to small units, such as zerglings and zealots. It is particularly ineffective against buildings and large units.
Explosive Damage[]
Explosive damage (not to be confused with splash damage, explained below) inflicts its full effect upon large units and buildings. Its efficiency against small units is half as much. Notable source of explosive damage include:
- All rocket attacks (e.g., missile turrets, goliaths anti-air, scouts anti-air, valkyries, wraiths anti-air)
- Most high-powered cannons, (e.g., siege tanks and dragoons), with protoss photon cannons being notable exceptions.
- Hydralisk
- Sunken colony
- Infested terran
- Devourer
Normal Damage[]
Normal attacks are effective against everything. Notable sources of normal damage include:
- All melee attacks (e.g., zergling and ultralisk)
- Laser weapons (e.g., battlecruiser and wraith)
- Most bullets (e.g., marine, scout's gun, interceptor)
- SCV, probe, and drone
- Certain seemingly explosive attacks (e.g., photon cannon, archon, spore colony, guardian, and scourge)
- Mutalisk
Splash damage[]
Notwithstanding the damage type, certain weapons may inflict splash damage, i.e., instead of affecting one primary target, they may damage all unit around the primary target.
There is no correlation between damage type and splash damage. For example:
- Firebats inflict concussive splash damage
- Siege tanks always inflict explosive point damage in tank mode, but explosive splash damage in siege mode
- Archon, reaver, lurker, and the high templar's Psionic Storm inflict normal splash damage
Unit size[]
Unit size is only loosely correlated with the size of a unit's sprite and the amount of space a unit takes up inside a transport. Unit size is more closely linked to armor quality.
A small ground unit, such as a ghost, wears personal armor, whereas a large unit, such as a siege tank, is covered with neosteel plating. Few units, such as the hydralisk, are medium-sized.
Most air units are large. Indeed, all terran air units are large, including the demure wraith. Consequently, most powerful anti-air attacks deal explosive damage. The most notable exception is the mutalisk, which is small, but is expected to face explosive attacks. Zerg scourges, protoss interceptors, and observers are the other small sized air units. Zerg queens and protoss corsairs are medium-sized.
List of damage types and units sizes[]
Terran units[]
| Unit | Size | Ground Attack | Air Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCV | Small | Normal | - |
| Marine | Small | Normal | Normal |
| Firebat | Small | Concussive+ | - |
| Ghost | Small | Concussive | Concussive |
| Vulture | Medium | Concussive | - |
| Siege Tank – Tank | Large | Explosive | - |
| Siege Tank – Siege | Large | Explosive* | - |
| Goliath | Large | Normal | Explosive |
| Wraith | Large | Normal | Explosive |
| Dropship | Large | - | - |
| Science Vessel | Large | - | - |
| Battlecruiser | Large | Normal | Normal |
| Medic | Small | - | - |
| Valkyrie | Large | - | Explosive+ |
- * Weapon does splash damage to all units
- + Weapon does splash damage to enemies and allies, but not to friendly units
Zerg units[]
| Unit | Size | Ground Attack | Air Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larva | Small | - | - |
| Drone | Small | Normal | - |
| Zergling | Small | Normal | - |
| Hydralisk | Medium | Explosive | Explosive |
| Ultralisk | Large | Normal | - |
| Infested Terran | Small | Explosive* | - |
| Broodling | Small | Normal | - |
| Defiler | Medium | - | - |
| Queen | Medium | - | - |
| Overlord | Large | - | - |
| Scourge | Small | - | Normal |
| Mutalisk | Small | Normal | Normal |
| Guardian | Large | Normal | - |
| Lurker | Medium | Normal+ | - |
| Devourer | Large | - | Explosive |
- * Weapon does splash damage to all units
- + Weapon does splash damage to enemies and allies, but not to friendly units
Protoss units[]
| Unit | Size | Ground Attack | Air Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probe | Small | Normal | - |
| Zealot | Small | Normal | - |
| Dragoon | Large | Explosive | Explosive |
| High Templar | Small | - | - |
| Archon | Large | Normal+ | Normal+ |
| Reaver | Large | Normal+ | - |
| Shuttle | Large | - | - |
| Observer | Small | - | - |
| Scout | Large | Normal | Explosive |
| Carrier | Large | - | - |
| Interceptor | Small | Normal | Normal |
| Arbiter | Large | Explosive | Explosive |
| Dark Archon | Large | - | - |
| Dark Templar | Small | Normal | - |
| Corsair | Medium | - | Explosive+ |
- * Weapon does splash damage to all units
- + Weapon does splash damage to enemies and allies, but not to friendly units
See also[]
- Attributes, the equivalent mechanics of StarCraft II
References[]
- General Strategy (Damage Types and Unit Sizes). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-11-20.