Detector

This article describes the Unit Type (StarCraft) or Attributes (StarCraft II). For information on the device, see Detector (device).

A detector is a unit or structure with the ability of detection, meaning it is able to reveal cloaked and burrowed enemy units, or hallucinations. Having enough detectors across the map is an important aspect of any player's strategy, as they will provide forewarning 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, missile turrets, and spore colonies. 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

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.

Detectors

Protoss

• Observer
• Photon cannon

Terran

• 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.

Zerg

• Overlord
• Spore colony

Special Abilities

Ensnare, Maelstrom, Plague, and Stasis field 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 while burrowed, but if hit by these abilities while above ground, they will be revealed if they burrow. The Devourer Acid Spores, as well as Lockdown and Parasite, will reveal cloaked (and in the case of Parasite, burrowed) units that are affected, but these units must already be detected in order to be targeted by the ability.

Irradiate reveals any cloaked and burrowed units it directly affects, and will damage cloaked units adjacent to the target without revealing them, but will not damage burrowed units adjacent to the target. 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.

Unusually, Defensive Matrix will reveal the friendly unit that is affected by it, to enemy units. The same applies to friendly units that are caught in the area of effect of Plague, and then burrow while still affected.

Non-Buildable Detectors

These detectors cannot be built/transformed/warped by any worker unit.

Terran

• Traps

Zerg

• Yggdrasill
• Cerebrates
• Overmind / Second Overmind
• Overmind cocoon

StarCraft II

Units in Starcraft II are tagged with one or more attributes that determine bonus damage, affect targeting, and/or can influence spells and abilities.

Detector

This unit or structure can detect cloaked, burrowed, duplicated and hallucination enemies.

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List of Detectors

In StarCraft II detectors can reveal cloaked, permanently cloaked, and burrowed enemy units, as well as Hallucinations.

The Detector units, categorized by race, are listed below.

Protoss

• Observer
• Photon cannon
• Oracle (Revelation ability in Legacy of the Void and Co-op Missions mode)
  • Oracle (Envision ability in Heart of the Swarm)
• Mothership (Nova Covert Ops only)
• Purifier (mothership) (Safe Haven on Level Brutal)
• Zeratul (Legacy of the Void only)
• Havoc (Co-op Missions mode)
• Fenix (Co-op Missions mode, in 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)

Terran

• Missile turret
• Raven
  • Raven Type-II (Co-op Missions)
  • Theia Raven (Co-op Missions)
• Auto-turret (Tychus Co-op Missions)
• Eradicator (Nova Covert Ops and Miner Evacuation Co-op Missions only)
• Ghost (Nova Covert Ops only, in direct line of sight)
• Sensor drone (Nova Covert Ops only)
• Gun turret
• Imperial witness (Co-op Missions)
• Kill bot
• 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, with Sonar Pulse)

Zerg

• Overseer
  • Mecha Overseer (Co-op Missions)
• Spore crawler
  • Mecha spore crawler (Co-op Missions)
• Blightbringer
• Dehaka (Co-op Missions only, with upgrade)
• Impaler colony
• Infested missile turret
• Units benefiting from Ocular Symbiote from Queen
• Sarah Kerrigan (Wings of Liberty only)
• Leviathan
• Omega worm
• Spore cannon
• Primal wurm

Other

• Hybrid behemoth
• Hybrid dominator
• Hybrid reaver (Heart of the Swarm)
• Hybrid Experiment 523I (Co-op Missions)
• Maar
• Super Gary (Co-op Missions)

Spells and Abilities

The following abilities will reveal burrowed, cloaked, or hallucinated units for a short time.

Scanner Sweep

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 12 seconds before changing to the fog of war static view.

Analogous to the ComSat station in StarCraft.

Usage
Hotkey C Cost 50 Duration 12

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EMP Shot

Drains 100 shields from protoss units and drains 100 energy 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.

Cloaked units are revealed for a short time. Burrowed units are not.

Usage
Hotkey E Cost 75 Range 10

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Fungal Growth

An infestor launches a projectile with a speed of 15; enemy units within the area of effect (2.25 radius) have their speed reduced by 75% and suffer 25damage 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
Hotkey F Cost 75 Range 10 Duration 3 seconds

Acquisition
Purchased from Automatically researched

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Ensnare

Slows attack and movement rates of enemy units in the area of effect by 50%.

Usage
Hotkey E Cost 75 Range 9 Duration 6

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Fungal Growth

Immobilizes enemy units and deals 80 damage over 4 seconds. Reveals cloaked and burrowed units.

Usage
Hotkey F Cost 75

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Stukov Level 14.

Acquisition
Purchased from Infested tech lab attached to infested starport Hotkey F Cost 100 100 60

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Ocular Symbiote

Grants a friendly unit the ability to detect cloaked and burrowed units for 180 seconds and increases their sight range by 5.

Usage
Hotkey E Cost 25 Duration 180

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Stukov Level 8.

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Revelation

Enemy units and structures in an area grant vision to the player for 20 seconds.

Reveals cloaked or burrowed units or structures (LotV only).

Usage
Cost 25 Range 12 Duration 20 Cooldown 10

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Immobilization Wave

Deals 100 damage to enemies in a large area (radius 27) around Kerrigan and stuns them for 10 seconds.

Reveals cloaked and burrowed units and structures.

Heroic units are slowed instead of stunned.

Folly of Man: Reduces the Immobilization Wave damage from 100 to 50.

Usage
Hotkey D Cooldown Coolup: 600 Cooldown: 180 144 (with Ability Efficiency) Notes Mastery: +3.33 (+1.665 with Folly of Man) ability damage per Immobilization Wave Increased Damage mastery point. Up to a maximum 200 (100 with Folly of Man) ability damage

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Kerrigan Level 2.

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Achievements

I See Dead Units
Points	10
Criteria	Destroy 10 cloaked or burrowed units in a single Melee game.
Notes
Cloaked units killed inside transports are count.
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