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"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's a MULE."

The Mobile Utility Lunar Excavator[1] (MULE) is an experimental terran mining robot.

Overview

"The damn things ran through power like it was going out of style, and when they went dry, it was up to a couple good SceeVees to give 'em juice."

The MULE is still in the prototype stage and has a limited battery life.[2] The Dominion Fleet deploys these machines via drop pod. Once deployed, a MULE will collect resources three times faster than an SCV—a fact that some SCV pilots don't take kindly to hearing.[3] This was possible because they can haul loads of such weight that would bring an SCV to a standstill. When MULEs ran out of power, two SCVs could provide more to them to get them started once again.

Because the powerhouse excavators had no brains or instinct, the very best SceeVees knew that to get the most efficient work out of MULEs, it was best to work in concert with them. The SCV pilot could then actively correct their unimaginative telemetry and guide the MULEs to where they were needed most.[4]

Game Unit

StarCraft II

MULEs are summoned by the orbital command's Calldown: MULE ability. Each drop pod contains one MULE. A MULE takes about twice as long to finish mining a load than an SCV, but retrieves 25 minerals per trip, meaning that it collects minerals at approximately 2.5 times the rate (SCVs retrieve 5 minerals per load). MULEs, however, mine the same amount as SCVs from rich mineral patches. A MULE and an SCV may mine from the same mineral patch simultaneously, though multiple MULEs cannot harvest from the same patch. MULEs last 64 seconds before shutting down, and can be called down anywhere on the map with player vision. As it takes slightly under 64 seconds for orbital commands to recharge 50 energy, one orbital command can call down a new MULE as the previous one expires.

In addition to mining resources, MULEs can also be used to repair units. While this is an inefficient way to use them in comparison to using them to mine, they can be used in emergencies to keep mechanical units alive during battles. Another use of MULEs is to drop them near enemy units that inflict friendly splash damage, such as siege tanks, causing disruption and friendly fire.

Production

MULECalldown SC2 Icon1
Calldown: MULE

An orbital command summons one MULE via drop pod. If the ability is targeted on a mineral patch the MULE will begin mining automatically, extracting 45 minerals per trip. The ability may be used only on areas uncovered by the fog of war.

Usage
Hotkey E
Cost 50 Energy
Duration 64 seconds
ve

Abilities

Repair SC2 Icon1
Repair

Restores the hit points of a mechanical unit or building, terran or protoss. Repairing costs resources.

The ability can be autocast.

Usage
Cost Varies Minerals Varies Vespene gas
ve

Upgrades

Acquisition
Purchased from Engineering bay
Hotkey A
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 114seconds
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 136seconds
Required Armory
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 157seconds
Required Armory
ve
Wings of Liberty

Damaged mechanical units recover hit points when out of combat, at a rate of 0.6015 each second.[5]

Our ship and vehicle hulls are now made from a material called Regenerative Bio-Steel. This material uses internal nanobots to slowly repair any damage the hull sustains. While this regeneration process is much slower than conventional SCV repairs, it can be the difference between life and death if no SCVs are available.

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion laboratory for 20 zerg research points
ve
SC2 Lab VanPlating Icon
Vanadium Plating

Armor upgrades increase health of affected units by 5% per level.[6]

We have created a new lightweight alloy called vanadium. Vanadium diffuses weapon impacts much more efficiently than traditional armor plating, and it better preserves the life of our units. Now each of the armor upgrades in the armory and engineering bay increases unit life by 5% in addition to increasing armor.

Campaign Acquisition
Acquired from Hyperion laboratory for 5 protoss research points
ve
Co-op Missions

MULEs are exclusive to Jim Raynor in Co-op Missions, and can be spawned from the orbital command. Unlike Versus MULEs, Raynor's MULEs collect 30 minerals per trip rather than 25.

MULEs are a possible gift players can gain during the "Gift Exchange" mutator. Each player gains two MULEs with Christmas hats.[7]

Repair SC2 Icon1
Repair

Restores the hit points of a mechanical unit or building. Repairing costs resources. The ability can be set to autocast.

Usage
Hotkey R
Cost Varies (full repair = 25% value cost) Minerals
Varies (full repair = 25% value cost) Vespene gas
Varies (full repair = 100% value build time÷number of SCVs/MULEs) seconds
ve
SC2 TerrInfArm
Terran Infantry Armor

Increases the armor of terran infantry.

Vanadium Plating: Increases the life of terran infantry by 10% per level.

Backwater Marshall: The increase of life for terran infantry go up, from 10% per level to 20% per level.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Engineering bay
Hotkey A
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 TerranVespene SC2 Game1
Mastery: -2 Minerals -2 TerranVespene SC2 Game1 per Research Resource Cost mastery point. Down to a maximum 40 Minerals 40 Vespene gas
160seconds
Effect Hit points: 66
Armor: 1
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 TerranVespene SC2 Game1
Mastery: -3.5 Minerals -3.5 TerranVespene SC2 Game1 per Research Resource Cost mastery point. Down to a maximum 70 Minerals 70 Vespene gas
190seconds
Effect Hit points: 72
Armor: 2
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 TerranVespene SC2 Game1
Mastery: -5 Minerals -5 TerranVespene SC2 Game1 per Research Resource Cost mastery point. Down to a maximum 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas
220seconds
Effect Hit points: 78
Armor: 3
ve

Development

The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.

The MULE's attack[8] was removed by April 2009.[9] Its repair ability was also removed by April 2009[9] but later reinstated.

In May 2009, MULEs were stated to carry three times more minerals than SCVs.[10]

In March 2010, a MULE summoned directly onto a mineral patch would harvest 270 minerals before running out of energy.[11]

Prior to Patch 1.4.3, MULEs harvested 42 minerals per trip from rich mineral patches.[12]

MULEs were temporarily removed from Legacy of the Void in Patch 2.5.5.[13] They were returned in the subsequent Balance Update patch, albeit with the calldown now set to autocast, having a cooldown instead of an energy cost, and having a casting range of 30.[14] They were returned to how they functioned in Heart of the Swarm in Balance Update #2.[15] Balance Update #3 increased their return rate multiplier to 2.05 from 3.85, while Balance Update #4 reverted this and decreased the amount of minerals they harvest from 30.

Prior to Legacy of the Void, deploying many MULEs at once could result in several of them simultaneously harvesting from one field.

In a Legacy of the Void design update, MULEs were planned to be able to mine vespene gas, but would lose efficiency if more than one MULE was assigned to a refinery. They would have harvested 10 gas per trip. To offset this, their ability to harvest minerals was to be reduced to 20 per trip. This change was reverted before it could be implemented in-game.[16]

As of the Patch 4.11 Balance Update, MULEs now always attempt to spawn on the side of minerals closest to a town hall.

Achievements

Mule xing Mule X'ing
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Call down 30 MULEs in a single Unranked or Ranked game.

Edit

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes DevLog2
The following section contains information from Heroes of the Storm and is not canon to StarCraft continuity

MULEs appear in Heroes of the Storm as a talent upgrade for support and specialist heroes, and can be called down to repair structures.[17]

Trivia

  • The MULE's portrait bears similarity to HAL 9000.

References

  1. shinbanryu​. 2010-05-02. 맵소스를 직접 찍었습니다. Korean fan's blog. Accessed 2010-05-02.
  2. Karune. 2009-02-18. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 49. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2009-02-18.
  3. Barba, Rick. StarCraft Field Manual (hardcover). Insight Editions, November 17, 2015.
  4. Bogdanove, Kal-El. "The Fightin' SceeVees." (May 30, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: The Fightin' SceeVees. Accessed 2013-05-30
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Zerg research (in English). 2010.
  6. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Protoss research (in English). 2010.
  7. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Co-op Missions Mutator, Violent Night. (in English). 2016-12-19.
  8. Karune. 2009-02-18. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 49 (page 2). Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2009-02-18.
  9. 9.0 9.1 True, as long as you have line of sight on the spot, you can drop MULE. On the enemy's Siege Tanks, on a ramp, etc. However MULE can't attack or repair. Cydra. 2009-04-23. Blues -- can the OC call down mules anywhere? Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2009-04-24.
  10. Browder, Dustin and Shadowie. 2009-05-01. Fan Site Q&A #3 - SC2Pod. SC2pod. Accessed 2009-05-01.
  11. StarCraft Legacy staff. 2010-03-08. Macro in StarCraft II Beta - First Look. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2010-03-16.
  12. Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-02-21. Patch 1.4.3 Now Live. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-02-22.
  13. 2015-08-20, Legacy of the Void Beta Patch 2.5.5. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-03
  14. 2015-09-03, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- September 3, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-06
  15. 2015-09-17, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- September 17, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-30
  16. 2017-08-17, StarCraft II Multiplayer - Major Design Changes. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-08-20
  17. Blizzard Entertainment. Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). June 2, 2015
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