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- A Dominion Armed Forces blurb for the widow mine(src)
A widow mine
The widow mine is a terran unit introduced in Heart of the Swarm.
Overview[]
- Redell Quinton on widow mines(src)
A widow mine
A support unit,[1] the widow mine is a quadrupedal device that represents the next step in Dominion automated weaponry.[2] It is just under half as tall as a terran wearing CMC armor.[3] It is controlled remotely, piloted into a contested area and then set to activate when enemy units draw near. Once triggered, the widow mine launches a missile designed to explode in a firestorm of shrapnel, eliminating its primary target as well as any foes that might be nearby.[2] These sentinel missiles are of short range and pack a fragmentation warhead, that delivers superheated shrapnel to the target and the adjacent area on detonation. The missiles are assembled in an automated manufacturing plant located in the 'thorax' of the unit. After numerous friendly fire incidents, widow mines were outfitted with a powerful friend or foe identification system, which is loosely based on the operative algorithms present in all Crucio smart shells. Initially, the system worked as intended, but it didn't take long for casualty rates to rise once again.
If the widow mine sustains crippling damage to any of its systems, an advanced heuristics recovery algorithm quickly begins the process of determining what's the best course of action to restore operative efficiency. After executing multiple simulated scenarios, the simple onboard AI reroutes power from affected systems and reprograms the unit's behavioral patterns to either allow it to complete its mission, or return home for repairs.[4]
Mira's Mercs modified widow mines to accommodate additional weaponry and explosives, after a long period of destructive explosive experimentation.
Widow mines were common pets among the upper-class households of Tyrador IX, in spite of the occasional gory accident that would make the news as a result.[5]
History[]
The widow mine was inspired by zerg burrowers,[4] and constructed around a modified version of the spider mine pioneered by Victor Kachinsky.[2] Field tests revealed that the burrowing capabilities of the weapon could be improved at a nominal cost. The addition of neosteel carbide tips, and sonic oscillators that allow each leg to vibrate independently at high speeds, significantly reduced burrow times. The enhanced claws have seen much use in "Mine Fighting," a popular (and illegal) sport that pits two of these robots against each other for credits and glory.[4] The design of these mines was further improved on by the research and development of Redell Quinton of Project Blackstone.[6]
Widow mines have been used in diverse scenarios—perimeter defense, tactical ambushes, and political assassinations. An apocryphal record even attests to a single widow mine killing a corrupt colonial magistrate and his entourage of like-minded officials by destroying the dining room they were in.[4] Upgrades in drilling technology later allowed the widow mine to reduce its burrow time by two-thirds, with the implementation of neosteel carbide tips and sonic oscillators.[3]
Under the reign of Valerian Mengsk, technicians were perplexed by the occasional misfires of the past, and added more protective plating to the widow mines to better contain accidents and protect against unintended injuries.
Always fond of robotics, Umojan Protectorate engineers held an exclusive competition to craft the perfect widow mine. They were thrilled to discover the winner was still a student finishing her degree. Their widow mine variant was incorporated into their arsenal.[5]
Dominion marines have been known to pit widow mines against each other in friendly scuffles at the barracks. For the sake of balance, its drilling claws upgrade is disabled for these fights, as well as its missile launcher.[3]
Game Unit[]
Versus[]
Widow mines are a burrowing assault unit in the terran arsenal. While unburrowed they cannot attack, but when burrowed, they can fire a sentinel missile at opponents, dealing splash damage in a massive area. This makes them effective against clumped low health units like mutalisks, or marines. However, the missile takes time to recharge after a use. Its attack only targets units, not structures.
Widow mines are cloaked when initially burrowed, but become decloaked while their missile is on cooldown. When the player has researched Drilling Claws, the widow mine will always remain cloaked while burrowed. As of Patch 5.0.13, widow mines give an attack alert when burrowing in range of enemy units.
Upgrades and Abilities[]
The widow mine burrows, activating the Sentinel Missiles ability. When the player has an armory, the widow mine is cloaked while burrowed.
The ability can be autocast.
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The widow mine fires a sentinel missile that deals 125 damage (+35 vs. shields) and 40 (+25 vs. shields) splash damage to units within 1.75 radius. The ability is automatically activated when the widow mine burrows and can only be deactivated when the mine unburrows.
The attack damages any friendlies except itself or other widow mines[7]
Reveals the widow mine when on cooldown, unless the player has constructed an armory.
The ability is autocast.
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Reduces the time Activate Mine takes to burrow and unburrow the widow mine from 3 seconds to 1.07 seconds.
Unlocks the Concealment upgrade, preventing the widow mine from being revealed by default when reloading.
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This unit is no longer revealed while reloading.
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Passive
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| Acquisition | ||
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Unburrow the widow mine and deactivates its weapon, allowing it to move.
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Increases the armor of terran vehicles and spacecraft.
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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Co-op Missions[]
Widow mines are usable by Mira Han and Matt Horner in Co-op Missions. They can be built from assault galleons, and can be upgraded to send out five explosions upon death.
Abilities and Upgrades[]
Reduces Sentinel Missile cooldown by 20 seconds. When Widow Mines are destroyed, they launch 5 Sentinel Missiles at random nearby targets (within a radius of 5.5) that deal 10 (20 vs. Shields) area damage (radius 2.625).
Stronger Death Chance Mastery: When Widow Mines are destroyed, they launch 10 Sentinel Missiles at random nearby targets (within a radius of 5.5) that deal 10 (20 vs. Shields) area damage (radius 2.625) with a 2% chance per mastery point.
Chaotic Power Couple: Increases the damage dealt by Sentinel Missiles from destroyed Widow Mines from 10 (20 vs. Shields) to 20 (30 vs. Shields).
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Basic
With Impatience
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Sentinel missile range is increased by 50%, and Widow Mines can burrow and unburrow much faster.
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Basic
With Impatience
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Mira's unit production and research times are reduced by 30%.
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Increases the hit points of Horner's units by 1% and gain +0.5% attack speed per supply of Horner's units.
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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Increases the armor of all terran units.
| Usage |
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Passive
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| Campaign Acquisition | ||
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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
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Development[]
The widow mine was previously a suicide unit.[8][9] Revealed in June 2012 a couple months after the shredder was scrapped, it would attach itself to a nearby unit and detonate after 10 seconds.[10]
The Patch 3.11.0 Balance Update in Legacy of the Void reduced the bonus damage of Sentinel Missiles vs. Shields from 40 to 25.
For Patch 4.0, widow mines were altered to be observable when reloading their sentinel missile, even if still burrowed. This was done to "reduce certain game-ending moments" and make cleaning up unattended widow mines easier, while still allowing the widow mine to perform its splash damage role if properly set up with a terran army or used defensively.[11]
The Patch 4.1.1 Balance Update reduced the widow mine's build time from 28.6 seconds to 21.4. Patch 4.7.1 modified the Drilling Claws upgrade to permanently cloak widow mines when they're burrowed and add a visual indicator to show that the unit has the upgrade. Patch 4.12.0 changed this so the existence of an armory grants burrowed Widow Mines invisibility while reloading, and the red laser attachment for Widow Mines will now communicate the existence of an armory instead of the completion of the Drilling Claws upgrade.
Images[]
- Skins
- Portraits
References[]
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