Quite simply, the Terran Arclite Siege Tank is one of the single-most powerful forces on the battlefield. It is an essential component of any major Terran assault and a testament to superior Terran weapon design and functionality.

The Arclite Siege Tank isn't terribly effective at first. Its good range and damage infliction is offset by its poor speed and slow rate of fire. What's more, its explosive rounds only deal half their normal damage against small, lightly armored units like Protoss Zealots and Zerg Zerglings, who can easily swarm, surround, and destroy a Siege Tank in no time.

All this changes the moment you research Siege Tech at your Factory's Machine Shop. An Arclite converted to siege mode bolts itself down and becomes an immobile artillery platform - and an unbelievably powerful one at that. In siege mode, tanks can fire at longer distances than any other known unit. Though their rate of fire is twice as slow as in tank mode, they deal well over twice the damage - enough to destroy most any ground unit in two shots. Moreover, Arclite Shock Cannon blasts deal damage to a large radius and can devastate packs of smaller, closely clustered units well before they come close enough to retaliate. The Arclite Shock Cannon also benefits far more from weapons upgrades than any other known weapons system, with each upgrade enhancing its destructive power to a remarkable extent.

The Siege Tank has several flaws. It is fairly expensive. It is fairly slow. It is defenseless against flying opponents. Its slow rate of fire makes it ineffective against swarms of small units. While a Siege Tank may transform to and from siege mode at will, the process leaves the tank vulnerable for several seconds. In siege mode, the tank cannot move and cannot attack enemies who manage to move adjacent to it. Meanwhile, the indiscriminately deadly blast from the Arclite Shock Cannon will injure any friendly units adjacent to an enemy target.

All these shortcomings may and must be counteracted. Support your Siege Tanks with Marines, Goliaths, or combinations of both to help deal with any enemies who get close and any aerial threats in particular. Sending an SCV or two with your force to repair any damaged tanks is also a healthy habit. Always use Siege Tanks in multiples of two; preferably send at least six into battle. One half to one third of these should remain a short distance behind the front line, which should promptly convert to siege mode upon sighting the enemy. The siege mode tanks will do what they do best, while the mobile rear line will deal with enemy stragglers who manage to get in close. Once the siege mode tanks destroy everything in range, convert them back to tank mode while advancing your rear line to the front and placing those, in turn, in siege mode. Repeat the process as necessary to slowly but surely advance, obliterating any enemy structures or opposition that dare stand in your path.

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