 | These small drones are employed to survey vast wasteland areas or record battles for the Protoss archives. Their complex sensor array can detect cloaked enemies with ease, making the Observer an invaluable auxiliary unit on the battlefield. However, the sensor array also depletes the Observer’s overall energy, which weakens the unit’s defensive capabilities. To compensate for their lack of armor power, Observers are equipped with a micro-cloaking field to hide them from the enemy. The drone’s small sensor signature allows it to maintain this field over long periods with very little drain on its power core. |
Stats
| Basic Information | Production | ||
| Race: | Protoss | Producer: | Robotics Facility |
| Life: | 40 | Hotkey: | B |
| Shield: | 20 | Cost: | 25 Minerals and 75 Gas |
| Armor: | 0 (3) | Supply: | 1 |
| Movement: | Slow | Build Time: | 30 |
| Attributes: | Light - Mechanical | ||
Upgrades
| Name | Hotkey | Cost | Build Time |
| Protoss Air Armor Level 1 | A | 100 Minerals + 100 Gas | 160 |
| Upgrades the armor of Protoss Air Units | |||
| Protoss Air Armor Level 2 | A | 150 Minerals + 150 Gas | 190 |
| Further upgrades the armor of Protoss Air Units | |||
| Protoss Air Armor Level 3 | A | 200 Minerals + 200 Gas | 220 |
| Maximizes the armor of Protoss Air Units | |||
| Protoss Shields Level 1 | S | 150 Minerals + 150 Gas | 100 |
| Upgrades the shields of all Protoss units and structures. | |||
| Protoss Shields Level 2 | S | 225 Minerals + 225 Gas | 190 |
| Further upgrades the shields of all Protoss units and structures. | |||
| Protoss Shields Level 3 | S | 300 Minerals + 300 Gas | 220 |
| Maximizes the shields of all Protoss units and structures. | |||
| Gravitic Boosters | B | 100 Minerals + 100 Gas | 80 |
| Increases the movement speed of Observers. | |||
Abilities
| Permanently Cloaked | The Observer is permanently cloaked. |
| Detector | This unit can detect cloaked, burrowed and hallucinated units. |
General Strategy
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Light unit that provides detection.
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Permanently cloaked.
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Fragile; be careful of anti-air defenses that can detect them.
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Extremely valuable as a scout. Use it to explore the map or track the enemy’s movements.
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An attentive opponent may notice the shimmering outline of your observer, even if they are cloaked. Try not to move through heavily monitored areas, like going through the middle of the enemy’s base.
Countermeasures
VS Terran
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Build Missile Turrets around your base to detect them.
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Build a Raven and some Vikings, and fly around the map to hunt down enemy Observers.
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If you see the shimmering form of the Observer, use a Ghost to fire an EMP round at it. This will reveal it for a few seconds, giving your Ghost enough time to kill it.
VS Zerg
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Morph some Overlords into Overseers for their detection capabilities, or build a few Spore Crawlers around your base.
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Spawn Mutalisks and team them up with an Overseer. Proceed to scour the map in search of Observers.
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Have an Infestor use Fungal Growth if you spot a shimmering outline. This removes the cloak for a few seconds and allows your anti-air units to kill the Observer.
VS Protoss
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Place a few Photon Cannons around your base to detect them.
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Use Phoenixes coupled with an Observer of your own to hunt down enemy Observers.
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Observers are extremely fragile, so units that can attack air (and can see them) will be able to kill them quickly.
