The Shield Battery is your single most important defensive structure. A pack of units, from Zealots to Reavers to Carriers, surrounding a strategically placed Shield Battery will be made virtually unstoppable and can hold off enemy assaults many times their number.

Construct Shield Batteries well in advance. They begin with a very limited reserve of energy, but begin charging up to a maximum of 200 points immediately. One point of energy converts to two points of shielding on any given unit, so a fully charged Shield Battery might easily maintain a swarm of Zealots or Dragoons. Still, since Shield Batteries are cheap, you are advised to build several in relatively close proximity so that should one be depleted, your forces may seek out the other.

The power of Shield Battery may be extracted in one of two ways. The more convenient method is to select a pack of units and right-click on the Battery. Each unit will be promptly recharged. The other method is to select the Battery, choose the Recharge option, and select the unit that Requires attention. In this way, your troops near the Battery may continue fighting while their shields are restored.

Shield Batteries are also useful in conjunction with speed-upgraded Scouts, who can fly quick sorties into enemy territory and then return to recharge before they sustain any serious damage.

Next: Photon Cannon