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The phoenix is a protoss air superiority fighter.
Overview[]
- A Phoenix pilot(src)
Phoenixes in flight
A deadly spacecraft[1] designed for aerial harassment,[2] the Phoenix is highly maneuverable,[3] possesses great speed,[2] and is able to outmaneuver almost any foe.[3] In use by 2502,[4][5] the Phoenix is rapidly replacing the older Scouts and Corsairs in the role of air superiority fighters for the protoss. Phoenix patrols are a common sight on the outer rim of protoss territory, where they sweep deep space for alien threats.[1] A single Phoenix strike force can keep an enemy army pinned down even when vastly outnumbered.[6] Phoenixes can be carried in carrier hangers.[7]
The Tal'darim had incorporated the Phoenix into their arsenal by 2504.[8] Despite their preference for overwhelming force, they understand the value of the need to be swift and deadly, which was why they kept a fleet of phoenixes stolen from the Templar.
A flight of Tal'darim phoenixes
While the Purifiers regularly favor their mirages, a fleet of automated phoenixes is retained by them should the mirage's phasing technology not be needed.
In the reconstruction period after the End War, the Shelak Tribe commissioned a number of phoenixes modeled after Judicator Caste escort ships. In spite of their craftsmanship, these became controversial symbols.
The Ihan-rii constructed phoenixes from stone, which did not inhibit its maneuverability or top speed, but made them formidable missiles when crash landing.[6]
Propulsion[]
The Phoenix is propelled by a compact inertial drive, which surrounds the craft in a warp field, allowing swift displacement in deep space or planetary atmospheres.[9]
Twin high-power plasma thrusters supplement the drive, making the Phoenix a formidable interceptor craft. Additionally, an energy weave covers the Phoenix's wings, giving it an appearance akin to a circuit board. In reality, it is made out of light-reactive fibers that absorb, channel, and redirect all types of energy, including the pilot's psionic input. The weave's primary function is to maintain the coherence of the warp field that sheathes the Phoenix's fuselage, and enhance the ship's stability and maneuverability when banking, rolling, or sliding at high speeds.[9]
Armament[]
A Golden Age-styled Phoenix
The twin ion blaster armament of a Phoenix is highly suited for air-to-air combat,[1] and pack a punch against foes lacking armor.[2] Its main armament,[9] the blasters, disintegrate their targets through short wavelength energy beams[2] composed of negatively-charged ions, though it can only be used against aerial targets.[2] These cannons are designed to allow the Phoenix to fire while on the move, but their short wavelength limits the travel distance of each shot, as well as the damage caused to heavily armored targets. The cannons' effective combat range presented a problem until the protoss began to replace the old focusing lenses with the more advanced anion pulse-crystals.[9]
When confronted by more dangerous enemies, a Phoenix pilot can unleash a short-lived gravity beam by overloading the ship's warp field through its inertial drive.[3] The result is a beam composed of anti-gravity, which turns its target into a near-weightless object,[9] immobilizing it for a few precious seconds.[10] However, this is at the cost of the Phoenix's mobility. The beam was originally conceived as a weapon of last resort, but has since been embraced by the Great Fleet as an effective control weapon.[9]
In 2506, the phase-smith Karax used solarite to improve the power management systems of the phoenix. This allowed the phoenix to target multiple targets with its Graviton Beam, and to use the beam without diverting power from the phoenix's weapon or propulsion systems.[11]
Other Information[]
The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.
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Sophisticated and lethal as the Phoenix may be, all too often a patrol squadron will find itself heavily outnumbered by zerg or terran enemies. To overcome this weakness, phoenix pilots have developed a dangerous counter-ploy. A phoenix pilot can unleash a short-lived storm of destruction by overloading its warp field through the ship's ion blasters. The area-effect discharge is devastating and can destroy a large number of enemies at once, but it comes at a price: in the aftermath the phoenix is left temporarily powerless and crippled. Wary foes have learned to flee a phoenix overload and return moments later to destroy the helpless craft. In turn phoenix pilots have begun to use staggered discharges to catch their enemies in a web of destruction. These desperate tactics are frowned upon by protoss commanders, but have become tacitly accepted as a necessity.[1]
Game Unit[]
Versus[]
In-game, the phoenix lacks a ground attack, but makes up for this with its graviton beam. It is important to note that targets affected by the Graviton Beam can be hit by anti-air weapons, including other phoenixes. The Phoenix can move and attack simultaneously which, combined with its high speed, makes it great for harassing fleeing forces. This also make the phoenix effective as an economy raider, using the graviton beam on worker units.
The phoenix is very good at destroying light air units, such as mutalisks (especially with the range upgrade). The upgraded range of a Phoenix is double that of a mutalisk, allowing for players to easily fly around mutalisks, scoring free hits without the mutalisks being able to retaliate due to their slower speed.
The Phoenix is an effective counter unit for vikings, banshees, and void rays. It is weak against strongly-armored battlecruiser s, liberators, carriers, and corruptors. The phoenix is ineffective against the units it counters when outnumbered. However, it can makes up for this with its fast speed.
The phoenix banks when it turns.[12]
Upgrades and Abilities[]
Lifts target unit into the air, preventing it from moving, attacking, or using abilities. While using this ability the phoenix cannot move or attack. One in effect can be cancelled early to end the effects.
The effect ends instantly if either the targeted unit or the casting phoenix is destroyed.
Burrowed zerg units will be unburrowed by the ability, and will reburrow when they fall back to the ground.
| Usage | ||||
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- +1 damage for phoenixes，void rays，interceptors and motherships
- +4 ground damage，+3 air base damage and +2 bonus damage for tempests
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Level 3
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Increases protoss air unit armor.
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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- +1 armor to shields per level.
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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- +2 range to Phoenix attacks.
| Acquisition | ||||||
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Legacy of the Void[]
In the single-player campaign of Legacy of the Void, phoenixes are unlocked upon playing the mission "Temple of Unification." The phoenix no longer requires energy to use Graviton Beam, which instead has a thirty-second cooldown. The phoenix is also able to move and attack after using Graviton Beam, and Graviton Beam can be set to auto-cast. The Aiur variant of the phoenix has the passive ability "Double Graviton Beam," which levitates an additional nearby enemy ground unit when the phoenix uses its Graviton Beam.
These enhancements overall make the phoenix a much more offensive and aggressive unit than before, with a small number of them able to incapacitate a substantial number of enemies and attack them while they are helpless. Compared to the other starfighters in the campaign, the corsair and mirage, the corsair's disruption web is more useful for attacking enemy bases and controlling terrain, and the mirage is a more defensive unit.
Upgrades and Abilities[]
Lifts an enemy unit into the air, preventing it from moving, attacking, or using abilities.
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Co-op Missions[]
Artanis is able to build phoenix in Co-op Missions. They are Artanis's only air unit until he reaches Level 11 and unlocks the tempest. Artanis unlocks upgrades for his phoenix at Level 12.
Upgrades and Abilities[]
Lifts an enemy unit into the air, preventing it from moving, attacking, or using abilities.
Valorous Inspirator: Reduces the cooldown of Graviton Beam by 50%
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Increases phoenix's attack range by 2.
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When the phoenix uses Graviton Beam on a target, another nearby enemy unit is also levitated.
| Usage |
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Passive
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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Increases the attack damage of protoss air units.
| Usage |
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Passive
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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| Acquisition | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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Increases the armor of protoss air units.
| Usage |
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Passive
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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| Acquisition | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Level 2
Level 3
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Increases the shield armor of all protoss units and structures.
| Usage |
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Passive
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Strategies[]
The Phoenix can lift anti-air units like the queen with the Graviton Beam ability rendering them vulnerable and helpless against void rays or other Phoenixes.[13]
When grouped with void rays, the two ships complement each other's weaknesses and become a formidable fleet, with void rays firing at heavily-armored targets and ground targets while Phoenixes fire at poorly-armored targets.
Development[]
Early render of the Phoenix
Quotations[]
| Quotes | |
| Trained | When attacked |
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| Selected | Move order |
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| Attack order | |
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| Confirming order | |
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| Repeatedly selected | |
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| Other lines | |
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Known Phoenix Pilots[]
- Admiral Urun
Known Variants[]
Notes[]
The Phoenix bears the same name as StarCraft alpha and StarCraft beta versions of the Wraith.[14]
Images[]
- Skins
- Portraits
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Blizzard Entertainment. Phoenix, Blizzard Entertainment, Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2015-02-05, Death from Above: Protoss. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed 2023-01-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Races: Protoss. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2010-08-07.
- ↑ April 6, 2010. "Timeline." StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6.
- ↑ Elder, Josh (w), Ramanda Kamarga (p). "Why We Fight" In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1 (paperback binding), pp. 6–47. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 978-1427-80721-2.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Collections Tab: Skins. July 19, 2017.
- ↑ Watrous, Valerie (w), Manual, Garcia (i) and Sandra Molina (c). (September 13th, 2017). StarCraft II: Shadow Wars: Part 3. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Shadow Wars: Part 3. Accessed 2017-08-13.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Maw of the Void (in English). 2010-07-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 2015-02-05, Phoenix Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-02-08.
- ↑ Units: Phoenix, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2010-10-03.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. War Council interface (in English). 2015-11-10.
- ↑ StarCraft. 2010-02-02. The programming team has added some impressive new unit movement animations to the game. Air units like the phoenix and banshee bank on turns, roaches and hellions both rise when they start moving, and tanks slightly bob when stopping. Facebook (StarCraft). Accessed 2010-02-03.
- ↑ Dustin Browder, Robert Simpson, Yeon-Ho Lee, David Kim. 2009-06-22. Battle Report (3). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2009-06-22.
- ↑ Lord of Ascension. 2007-09-28. StarCraft Evolution. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-12-02.