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The Protoss Conclave - Units and Stuctures
Observer
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Strengths:
Invisible; flies; detects invisible enemies
Weaknesses:
Defenseless; easily destroyed; costly |
You'd think the slow, defenseless Observer would be an easy kill. Luckily for the Protoss, it's equipped with a personal cloaking field that makes it completely invisible to all but the few select structures and units capable of detecting its presence. The tiny flying Observer, true to its name, is designed specifically with scouting purposes in mind - to observe its surroundings without being detected and relay reconnaissance data back to Protoss headquarters.
| Hit/Shield Points/Size | 20/40/small | | Time to Build | 40 | | Cost (minerals/Vespene Gas/PSI) | 25/75/1 | | Armor/Strength | Protoss Plating 1, +1 per upgrade
Plasma Shields 0, +1 per upgrade | | Special Options | Detector
Personal cloaking |
It is rather inexpensive to produce, and ideally, it will last through the extent of the battle. It is relatively slow moving and has a fairly restricted field of vision by default, though both its speed and its sight range may be upgraded at your Observatory. Each of these upgrades enhances Observer performance significantly and should be researched in turn (Sensor Array first and Gravitic Booster second) if you're fighting in expansive areas where Observer recon is imperative.
Know which units and which structures will detect your Observers. These include Zerg Overlords and Spore Colonies, Terran Science Vessels and Missile Turrets, and Protoss Observers and Photon Cannons. Without the Sensor Array upgrade, your Observer might very easily stumble into the detection field of one of these enemy units and find itself on the receiving end of your enemy's arsenal. If detected and attacked, chances are your Observer will be destroyed. Maneuver your unit carefully and leave it in a place where no enemy detectors are present. It is useful to place Observers at mineral patches, in front of any choke points leading to your base, or anywhere within the enemy base itself so as to identify enemy forces on the move.
The Observer is most important for its ability to detect cloaked or hidden units, including Terran Wraiths, Ghosts, and Spider Mines; burrowed Zerg; and enemy Protoss Observers and Arbiters. Because the Observer cannot be seen itself, you can often throw the enemy into a state of panic when all of a sudden your forces attack those units he thought were invisible to your eyes. Send Observers with every major strike force if you anticipate cloaked opposition. Make certain to keep an Observer close to headquarters when fighting a cunning Terran opponent so as to flush out any incoming Ghosts and have another in the field to spot Spider Mines.
Next: Scout 
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