Zealot (Concept)

Zealot

CONCEPT

An energy blade wielding warrior of the Protoss race in the StarCraft series.

Overview

Zealots are low ranked Templars who have yet to reach the higher ranks of the Khala. Unlike their higher rank brethren that focus their training on enhancing their psionic abilities, Zealots use their limited psionic powers to enhance their hand-to-hand combat skills. Zealots are taught to hate their enemies and will use their rage to enhance their combat. Augmented with cybernetic implants and trained in tactics and pain tolerance, Zealots will stop at nothing to ensure victory for the Protoss. Armed with power suits and psionic blades, Zealots are fearsome melee warriors. When severely injured in battle, Zealots (or other templar) move their bodies into Dragoons or (in StarCraft II) Immortals.

StarCraft

ZEALOT	STATS
Race	Protoss
Type	Ground-biological
Role	Close-combat trooper
Armament	Psi Blades
Protection	Power Suit
Resources	100 minerals
Supply	2 units
Transport slots	2
Build time	40 sec
Hit points	100
Shields	60 (add 1 per Plasma Shields upgrade)
Armor (Object)	1 (add 1 per Ground Armor upgrade)
Attack (ground)	8 (x2 attacks) (add 1 per blade per Ground Weapons upgrade)
Cool down	22
Attack range	1
Sight range	7
Movement speed	Normal
Built at	Gateway (Object)
Hotkey (Concept)	Z
Build dialogue	"My life for Aiur (Location)"

Upgrade	Cost	Research Time	Researched At	Hotkey	Effect
Leg Enhancements	150 minerals 150 gas	133s	Citadel of Adun	L	Increases Zealot's movement speed

In Starcraft: Brood War, the Zealot is often not used until the late game due to their slow speed without their Leg Enhancements. Players can opt to build Zealots to counter Zerglings but for the most part, the Dragoon is favored in the early game due to their range. Against Zerg, Protoss players will often get the +1 Ground Weapons Upgrade quickly as this allows the Zealot to kill a Zergling in two hits as opposed to three. Once Zealots are upgraded with their Leg Enhancements however, Protoss armies tend to switch from a Dragoon based army to a Zealot, Archon, High Templar composition. Against a Terran player without much anti-air, a common tactic employed is Zealot Bombing. Zealots are loaded into a Shuttle which flies over Terran Siege Tank positions. The Zealots are dropped on top of the Siege Tanks, triggering nearby Siege Tanks to attack the Zealot. Because Siege Tanks deal splash damage, the Zealot and any nearby tanks are destroyed. Terran commanders must spread their Siege Tanks or employ more anti-air to counter this tactic. Zealots with Leg Enhancements can be extremely potent to Siege Tanks lines supported by Spider Mines as the Zealot can "drag" the Spider Mine to clusters of tanks.

StarCraft II

SC2 Zealot model

In the light of Aiur (Location) under occupation by the Zerg, Zealots have honed their training to higher levels in the Dark Templar (Concept) home world of Shakuras. With the drive to retake their home world, Zealots have become more powerful and have honed their psionic abilities.

ZEALOT	STATS
Race	Protoss
Type	Ground-biological
Role	Close-combat trooper
Armament	Psi Blades
Protection	Power Suit
Resources	100 minerals
Supply	2 units
Transport slots	2
Build time	33 sec
Hit points	100
Shield	50 (add 1 per Plasma Shields upgrade)
Regeneration per second	2
Armor (light)	1
Attack (ground)	8 (x2 attacks) (add 1 per blade per Ground Weapons upgrade
Cool down	1.2 sec
Attack range	0.1
Sight range	9
Movement speed	2.25 (2.75 in Charge mode with Charge upgrade)
Built at	Gateway/Warp Gate
Hotkey	Z

Upgrade	Cost	Research Time	Researched At	Hotkey	Effect
Charge	200 minerals 200 gas	140s	Twilight Council (Object)	C	In addition to increasing their base movement speed, Zealots can turn their bodies into pure energy for a few seconds. This allows them to home in at incredibly fast speeds towards their target.

Zealots more powerful than their Brood War counterparts thanks to the their new ability, Charge. Like Brood War, Zealots are out of favor in the early game and usually serve as shields for the more frail Stalkers. Their slow speed means they often die before reaching their targets. Once they have their Charge ability however, the Zealot can turn into a major damage dealer since they deal twice as much damage as the Stalkers and able to quickly surround a target. The tried and true High Templars and Archons make great support units for the Zealot and the new Sentry unit augments the Zealots capabilities immensely thanks to Force Field. Zealots are even more effective against Zerglings in StarCraft II with one Zealot able to engage three or more at once.

Matchups/Counters

MATCHUPS	COUNTERS
Terran: Marine (Concept), Marauder (Concept), Helion, Siege Tank (Object) (tank mode)	Terran: Firebat (Concept), Vulture, Wraith, Banshee, Battlecruiser
Protoss: Immortal	Protoss: Dark Templar (Concept), Reaver, Scout, Void Ray (Object), Carrier (Object)
Zerg: Zergling (Concept), Hydralisk (Concept)	Zerg: Lurker, Mutalisk (Concept), Guardian, Brood Lord (Concept)

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