A detector is a building or unit that is able to detect and thus unmask cloaked or burrowed units. 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.
Vulkans can detect cloaked foes.
StarCraft
Detectors include:
- The ComSat station can detect at long range when using its Scanner Sweep function
- Missile turret
- Science vessel
- Spider mines can sense and attack cloaked ground units. Mines do not reveal cloaked units, however.
StarCraft II
Detectors include:
- Ghosts can detect the presence of cloaked units that have an energy bar.
- Radar Towers grant detection to nearby missile turrets and can detect the presence of cloaked enemies.
- The Surveillance station can detect at long range when using its Scanner Sweep function
- Vulkan
Non-Buildable Detectors
These detectors can not be built/transformed/warped by any worker unit.
- Left/Right Wall Missle Trap:
- HP: 50/50
- Hellfire Missle Pack: Damage 20
- Floor Missile Trap:
- HP: 50/50
- Hellfire Missile Pack: Damage 20
- Floor Gun Trap:
- HP: 50/50
- Twin Autocannons: Damage 10
- Left/Right Wall Flame Trap:
- HP: 50/50
- Flame Thrower: Damage 8
These are often found in story maps where resource gathering is unnecessary:
- The Jacobs Installation
- The Amerigo
- The Psi Disrupter
- The Flannum Installation
- Zerg Cerebrates
- HP: 1500/1500
- The Overmind
- HP: 5000/5000