General Strategies and Tactics

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Go to GameSpot's Guide to Broodwar

Group Tactics
The military forces at your disposal, no matter what race is under your command, tend to be highly specialized. There are a few exceptions: The Terran Goliath, Zerg Hydralisk, and Protoss Dragoon tend to work quite well in any situation. But even these units work best in combination with other forces. As a general rule, the more units you can effectively deploy and manage in battle, the better off you will be.

 
A diverse Protoss garrison is prepared for anything the enemy might send its way
An effective Terran base assault, for example, will use Siege Tanks to deal the brunt of the damage. However, Siege Tanks are defenseless against flying units. If the Terran anticipates enemy air power, a squad of Goliaths will deal with them. A large pack of Marines will help screen the Siege Tanks and Goliaths alike, while cloaked Wraiths can flank the opponent and keep him from retreating. A Terran Ghost can meanwhile use Lockdown to disable mechanical enemy units, while a Science Vessel will detect cloaked enemies and use Defensive Matrix to bolster the defense of the Siege Tank front lines. Other variations are possible, but the point stands that using groups of units working together is the best means of offsetting their shortcomings.

Should you fight an opponent who is adept at using group tactics, attempt to eliminate the groups one by one to create weaknesses in his force. A Protoss commander who succeeds in destroying the Goliaths and Ghosts in the previous example may carefully proceed with Scouts and Carriers, having destroyed the Terrans' primary anti-air defense. Refer to the unit guide elsewhere in this volume for further information on what units work best together.



Next: Regarding Cloaking and Cloak Detectors and The High Ground Advantage