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The Terran Dominion - Units and Structures
Vulture
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Strengths:
Inexpensive; very fast; reasonably powerful; can deploy Spider Mines
Weaknesses:
Easily destroyed; cannot attack flying units; ineffective against large targets |
The Terran Vulture Hoverbike is extremely well suited to several specific tasks. It is a remarkably fast unit - all the more so after you research Ion Thrusters at your Factory's Machine Shop - and it is very inexpensive to produce, making it the perfect scout. Send one out early in a battle to discover the nature of your opponent and identify prime locations for expanding your base. Once you build more, send packs of them to harass your enemy and his supply line through hit-and-run tactics. Conserve your Vultures if possible, for you can quickly repair them to perfect condition back at your base.
| Hit Points/Size | 80/medium | | Time to Build | 30 | | Cost (minerals/Vespene Gas/supply) | 75/0/2 | | Weapon/Strength | Fragmentation Grenade 20, +2 per upgrade (concussive) | | Armor/Strength | Vehicle Plating 0, +1 per upgrade | | Special Options | Spider Mines (3) |
Vultures are equipped with Fragmentation Grenade launchers designed to eliminate personnel at a long range. Frag Grenades are devastating when used against small, lightly armored targets like Zerg Zerglings, Protoss Zealots, and even Terran Marines, but they are next to useless against heavily armored vehicles and buildings. Because Vultures are quite vulnerable, your best bet is to keep them moving and use their superior speed and range to overwhelm the enemy infantry. Vultures cannot attack flying targets, so take care to pull them out if they come under fire by airborne forces.
Spider Mines
The single most important feature of the Vulture is its ability to deploy Spider Mines. Research this ability as soon as possible. After the upgrade, each Vulture will be equipped with three - and only three - Spider Mines. These may be dropped on any solid surface, and after a few moments of vulnerability, they will arm themselves and sink into the ground, invisible to the enemy thereafter. When an enemy unit approaches, the mine will surface and rush straight toward its target, exploding to deliver devastating damage to that target and anything in its immediate vicinity. If the enemy is eliminated before the mine gets to him, the mine will bury itself again and resume its patient wait. Better still, even while the mine is submerged, it reveals its immediate surroundings to you and thus functions as a scout.
| Designation | Vulture Spider Mine | | Hit Points/Size | 20/small | | Weapon/Strength | Spider Mines/125 damage (splash) |
Spider Mines are not infallible. They will be spotted by enemy units with cloak-detecting capabilities, including Zerg Overlords, Protoss Observers, and Terran Science Vessels, at which point, the enemy may send ranged, hovering, or flying units to easily eliminate them. Hovering ground units will not set off Spider Mines when they approach. These include Protoss Probes and Archons, Zerg Drones, and Terran SCVs and Vultures.
Because of these minor shortcomings and their limited supply, you must deploy Spider Mines with care. Always place some, well spread out so they do not destroy one another in the blast, in front of any choke points leading to your base. Place some at resource patches to thwart enemy expansion. Place some near the enemy base to spy on it and catch your enemy off guard when he tries to mobilize his troops. Place some along all primary travel routes. Even if the enemy detects your mines, flushing them out will take up much of his precious time.
Next: Goliath 
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