Dealing With Stalker Units: A Terrin's Guide To Survival

Stalkers are a fast-moving, ranged Protoss ground unit that can hit both air and ground targets. They are a key component of early ground armies due to their range, speed, ability to counter air units, and early access to an attack bonus towards armoured units. Here are some ways to deal with them as Terran:

- Marauders: Marauders do 20 damage per attack against armoured units, which is 6 damage better than what Stalkers do to them in response. They are also cheaper and quicker to produce.

- Marines: Three marines are equal in cost to one Stalker, but have more health and deal more damage. Mass marines will always beat mass Stalkers.

- Siege Tanks: These have superior range, firepower and HP.

Move silently by using another exploration activity

When dealing with stalker units as a terrin, one effective strategy is to utilise the "Terrain Stalker" feat, which allows you to move silently and remain undetected by non-allies in specific types of difficult terrain. This includes terrain such as rubble, snow, or underbrush. By selecting this feat, you can sneak without the need for a Stealth check, as long as your movement is cautious and controlled. Here are some detailed instructions on how to move silently by using another exploration activity:

• Prerequisites: To use the Terrain Stalker feat effectively, your character must be trained in Stealth. This is a necessary prerequisite to ensure your character has the skills needed to remain undetected.
• Selecting the Terrain: Choose one type of difficult terrain that you want to specialise in. The options are rubble, snow, or underbrush. This specialisation will allow you to take advantage of the natural cover and concealment provided by these environments.
• Moving Silently: While in your chosen type of terrain, you can move silently without attempting a Stealth check. However, there are two important conditions to keep in mind. First, you must remain undetected by all non-allies in the area. Second, your movement must be cautious—moving no more than 5 feet at a time and staying at least 10 feet away from any enemies during your movement. This slow and deliberate approach helps you maintain stealth.
• Approaching Creatures: The Terrain Stalker feat also enhances your ability to approach creatures without being noticed. When you are undetected and following the movement restrictions mentioned above, you can automatically get within 15 feet of other creatures while Avoiding their Notice during exploration. Just ensure they aren't actively Searching or on guard.
• Multiple Terrain Types: It's worth noting that you can select the Terrain Stalker feat multiple times, each time choosing a different type of terrain. This allows your character to adapt to a variety of environments and increase their stealth capabilities in different settings.
• Exploration Activity: When using the Terrain Stalker feat, you can move silently while engaging in another exploration activity. For example, you might be scouting an area, tracking enemies, or gathering information. As long as you adhere to the movement restrictions and remain undetected, you can combine stealth with other exploration tasks.

Remember, the key to successfully moving silently and dealing with stalker units as a terrin is to take advantage of the Terrain Stalker feat's benefits. Move slowly, stay away from enemies, and utilise the natural cover provided by the chosen terrain type. By doing so, you can effectively scout, gather information, and remain undetected by stalker units.

Move in 5-foot increments to wherever you like that has cover

When dealing with Stalker units as Terran, it is important to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Stalkers are fast-moving, ranged ground units that can attack both air and ground targets. They have high mobility and hit-and-run capabilities, making them effective at ambushing and pursuing enemies.

To counter Stalkers, you should focus on units that can take advantage of their weaknesses. Here are some strategies to consider:

When facing Stalker units, a good tactic is to move your Terran units in 5-foot increments, taking advantage of any available cover on the battlefield. By breaking down your movements into smaller increments, you can react more effectively to the Stalker's "Blink" ability, which allows them to teleport over short distances. This ability has a cooldown period, so by moving in smaller increments, you can adjust your positioning and take advantage of cover to avoid their sudden attacks.

Utilize the terrain to your advantage, such as cliffs or obstacles that the Stalkers cannot bypass with their Blink ability. This will help you create distance and make it more difficult for them to ambush your units. Remember that Blink requires line-of-sight, so breaking line-of-sight by using cover or terrain can also be an effective strategy.

Additionally, try to engage the Stalkers in smaller groups. Stalkers are most effective when they can focus their attacks on a single target, so by splitting up your forces, you can reduce the impact of their Blink ability and return fire more effectively.

Remember to adapt your strategy based on the specific situation and the composition of your army. For example, if you are facing a combination of Stalker and Zealot units, your approach may differ from facing Stalkers alone.

By following these strategies and staying agile, you can effectively counter Stalker units and turn the battle in your favor.

Don't move within 10 feet of an enemy

Stalkers are fast-moving, ranged Protoss ground units that can hit both air and ground targets. They are fragile and are particularly weak against Marauders and Immortals.

To avoid being within 10 feet of a Stalker, it is important to understand their abilities and how to counter them. Here are some strategies to keep your distance:

• Maintain Distance: Stalkers have high movement speed and the Blink ability, allowing them to close the gap quickly. Keep your units spread out and maintain a safe distance from Stalkers. This will make it harder for them to engage effectively.
• Use Anti-Armored Units: Stalkers are classified as armored units. In StarCraft, certain units deal bonus damage to armored targets. As a Terran player, consider using Marauders, which have bonus damage against armored units and can slow Stalkers with their Concussive Shells ability. Mass Marines can also be effective, as they attack faster than Stalkers and will eventually overwhelm them.
• Siege Tanks: Utilize Siege Tanks to take advantage of their superior range and firepower. Position them at a distance, out of the Stalker's immediate threat range, and use them to provide covering fire for your other units.
• Air Units: Consider using air units such as Banshees or Vikings, which can stay out of the Stalker's immediate threat range while dealing damage.
• EMP: If possible, use EMP abilities to neutralize the Stalker's shields, making them more vulnerable to attack.
• Expand and Control the Map: If you can confine the Protoss player to their base, you can expand and gain control over the map. This will give you more resources and production capabilities, allowing you to outproduce your opponent and potentially overwhelm them with superior numbers.
• Walling: In the early game, you can wall off your base's choke points with buildings to prevent Stalker rushes. This will buy you time to tech up and build more specialized counter units.

Remember, the key to dealing with Stalkers is to maintain distance, utilize counter units with bonus damage against armored targets, and take advantage of the Stalker's fragility. By following these strategies, you can effectively avoid getting too close to Stalkers and maintain a tactical advantage.

Choose a different type of terrain

Terrain can play a crucial role in dealing with Stalker units as Terran in StarCraft. Here are some strategies you can employ by choosing different types of terrain:

• Cliff Advantage: Stalkers are highly mobile and can use their Blink ability to bypass obstacles and move up and down cliffs. You can use this to your advantage by choosing a terrain with cliffs and high ground. Position your Terran infantry on the high ground, especially near cliffs, to gain an advantage over Stalkers. This will allow you to attack them while being more difficult to target yourself.
• Choke Points: Select a terrain that has natural choke points, such as narrow passages or bottlenecks. By forcing the Stalkers to engage in a confined area, you can limit their mobility and ability to flank your forces. This can be especially effective if you have siege tanks or other units with superior range.
• Defensive Positions: Stalkers excel at hit-and-run tactics due to their speed and Blink ability. To counter this, choose a terrain that allows you to establish strong defensive positions. Build bunkers and defensive structures at strategic locations to create a formidable defense. This will make it harder for Stalkers to harass your forces and cause damage before retreating.
• Air Superiority: Stalkers are effective against both ground and air targets, but they are particularly vulnerable to air units like Vikings and Liberators. Choose a terrain that provides open spaces for air combat. By achieving air superiority, you can target Stalkers from above and reduce their effectiveness.
• Terrain Obstacles: Stalkers can use their Blink ability to bypass rocks and other terrain obstacles. However, you can still use terrain to your advantage by choosing a map with dense forests or complex obstacles. This can provide cover for your forces and make it harder for Stalkers to directly engage your units. Use the terrain to your advantage and set up ambushes or flanking maneuvers.

Remember to adapt your strategy based on the specific terrain available in each map and the composition of your army. Utilize the terrain to neutralize the strengths of Stalker units and turn the battle in your favor.

Use Terrain Stalker in exploration mode

Stalker units are a key component of early ground armies due to their ranged damage, speed, ability to counter air units, and early access to an attack bonus towards armoured units. They are fast-moving, ranged Protoss ground units, capable of hitting both air and ground targets. They are warped in at the Gateway and require a Cybernetics Core.

The Stalker's name is indicative of its hit-and-run capabilities: they have a relatively high movement speed, and after the Blink upgrade has been researched at the Twilight Council, they can advance or retreat very quickly, bypassing rocks and hopping up and down cliffs.

To use Terrain Stalker in exploration mode, you will need to utilise the Blink ability. This allows the Stalker to teleport to a nearby target location that is not obscured by Fog of War. This ability can be used once every 7-10 seconds, depending on the version of the game. Blink is one of the most versatile upgrades in the game and can be used for harassment, quick defence, and chasing down retreating units.

To use Blink, you will need vision of the area you are trying to reach. This means you will often need air units or Hallucinated Phoenixes to Blink into an enemy base. Using Blink is very micro-intensive but can be extremely powerful on certain maps.

In addition to Blink, there are other upgrades and abilities that can enhance the effectiveness of Stalker units. These include:

• Charge: Increases the speed of Zealots for 10 seconds per use.
• Archon Warp: When used alongside another Templar, the two form an Archon, a glowing ball of viciousness equipped with shields and a great attack that can hit both ground and air units.
• Feedback: Drains energy and causes HP damage equal to the drain.
• Psionic Storm: An area attack that causes 80 HP damage per use.
• Guardian Shield: Creates a field that increases damage to nearby units by 2 for a total of 15 seconds.
• Force Field: Slows down ground units' movement in a selected area.

When utilising Terrain Stalker in exploration mode, it is important to be aware of their weaknesses. Stalkers are relatively fragile units and are particularly weak against Marauders and Immortals. They are also ineffective against Zerglings due to their low damage per second. Therefore, it is crucial to have a diverse army composition and utilise appropriate micro to maximise the effectiveness of Stalker units.

Frequently asked questions