This article describes the Unit Type (StarCraft) or Attributes (StarCraft II). For information on the device, see here.
A detector is a unit or structure with the ability of Detection: it is able to reveal camouflage, permanently cloaked, burrowed, or hallucinations enemy units. Having enough Detectors across the map is an important aspect of any player's strategy, as they will provide intelligence on potentially fatal attacks from otherwise unstoppable hidden units.
While every race and faction has a mobile detector unit, they also have a passive stationary defense building that provides detection, such as Photon Cannons, Spore Crawlers, and Missile Turrets. Detector buildings lack the mobility of units, but make up for it by being much more durable and by being equipped with more powerful weapon systems. Regardless of which race a player uses, if the opponent uses cloaked or burrowed units, having a Detector in your army before engaging your opponent is pivotal.
StarCraft
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Detectors can be stationary (buildings) or mobile (units). Once a detector uncovers a cloaked unit, any friendly unit can fire on it. This capability is especially critical when faced with a ghost targeting a nuclear missile or an arbiter providing cover for a number of units. Detector units trapped in Lockdown or hit by Optical Flares will lose their ability to detect.
List of Detector unitsEdit
- Scanner Sweep (ComSat station ability)
- Missile turret
- Science vessel
- Spider mines can sense and attack cloaked ground units. Mines do not reveal cloaked units, however.
Special AbilitiesEdit
Ensnare, Maelstrom, Plague, Stasis field and Lockdown will reveal cloaked protoss and terran units caught in their areas of effect for the ability's duration. Burrowed zerg units are unaffected by these abilities except Stasis Field while burrowed, but if hit by these abilities while above ground, they will be revealed if they burrow. Irradiate reveals all cloaked units it affects and also affects burrowed zerg units. EMP Shockwave will not affect protoss cloaked units or zerg burrowed units, but terran ghosts and Wraiths will be affected and lose all their energy, causing them to immediately decloak.
Non-Buildable DetectorsEdit
These detectors can not be built/transformed/warped by any worker unit.
StarCraft IIEdit
Units in Starcraft II are tagged with one or more Attributes that determine bonus damage, affect targeting, and/or can influence spells and abilities.
This unit or structure can detect cloaked, burrowed, duplicated and hallucination enemies.
List of Detector unitsEdit
In StarCraft II detectors can reveal cloaked, permanently cloaked, burrowed, or hallucinations enemy units.[1] The Detector units, categorized by race, are listed below.
- Mothership (Trouble in Paradise) (Nova Covert Ops only)
- Observer
- Oracle (Envision Ability) (Revelation ability (LotV) (Legacy of the Void and Co-op Missions mode)
- Photon cannon
- Purifier (Safe Haven on Level Brutal)
- Zeratul (Legacy of the Void only)
- Havoc (Co-op Missions mode)
- Fenix (Co-op Missions mode (Cybros arbiter mode with Observation Protocol upgrade)
- Xel'naga watcher (Co-op Missions mode)
- Tesseract cannon (Co-op Missions mode)
- Tesseract monolith (Co-op Missions mode)
- Auto-turret (Tychus Co-op Missions)
- Eradicator (Nova Covert Ops and Miner Evacuation Co-op Missions only)
- Ghost (Nova Covert Ops only (in front of their sight))
- Sensor drone (Nova Covert Ops only)
- Gun turret
- Kill bot
- Missile turret
- Raven
- Science vessel
- Nova Terra (Nova Covert Ops and Co-op Missions mode)
- Lt. Nikara (Co-op Missions with upgrade)
- Nux (Co-op Missions with upgrade)
- Vega (Co-op Missions with upgrade)
- Warhound turret (Co-op Missions)
- Sonar drone (Nova Covert Ops (Sonar Pulse))
- Blightbringer
- Dehaka (Co-op Missions only)
- Impaler colony
- Infested missile turret
- Sarah Kerrigan (Wings of Liberty only)
- Leviathan
- Omega worm
- Overseer
- Spore cannon
- Spore crawler
- Primal wurm
Other
- Hybrid behemoth
- Hybrid dominator
- Hybrid reaver (Heart of the Swarm)
- Maar
Spells and AbilitiesEdit
The following abilities will reveal burrowed, cloaked, or hallucinated units for a short time.
The orbital command has the ability to temporarily clear the fog of war and detect all cloaked or burrowed units within the target area.
This can be executed anywhere on the map at any time. The circular view shown lasts for about 10 seconds before changing to the fog of war static view.
Analogous to the ComSat station in StarCraft.
| Usage | ||||||
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Drains 100 shields from protoss units and drains 100 energy[2] from units in the area of effect, including friendly units. Shield upgrades have no effect.
The EMP field has an area-of-effect of 1.5.[3]
Cloaked units are revealed for a short time. Burrowed units are not.
| Usage | ||||||
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An infestor launches a projectile with a speed of 15;[5] enemy units within the area of effect (2.25 radius) have their speed reduced by 75% and suffer 30 damage over 3 seconds. Cloaked and burrowed units are revealed.
Fungal Growth stops the use of Blink, Tactical Jump and prevents units from burrowing or unburrowing. Affected units can not be loaded into buildings or transports.
| Usage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Acquisition | ||
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Enemy units and structures in an area grant vision to the player for 30 seconds.
Reveals cloaked or burrowed units or structures (LotV only).
| Usage | ||||||||
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Stuns enemies in a large area around Kerrigan and deals 100 damage to them.
Heroic units are slowed instead.
| Usage | ||||
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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AchievementsEdit
 I See Dead Units
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| Points |
10 |
| Criteria |
Destroy 10 cloaked or burrowed units in a single Melee game. |
ReferencesEdit
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