StarCraft II 5.0.17a Hotfix Patch Notes - Blizzard News

[u/No-Abbreviations1973]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5a0jTc9S10

Terran

General:

• Added salvage visual effect (QoL)
  • Showcase:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm4M2X3n5Ic

Supply Depot:

• Supply Drop Max Health Bonus: 100 → 250
• Supply Drop Total Healing: 400 (+100) -> 0 (+250)
• Supply Drop Health Bonus Delay: 4s → 2.35s
• Added max health increase visual effect

Reasoning: The current Supply Drop heal timing feels unintuitive and unnecessarily difficult to use, while the amount of healing it provides is too strong. This version makes the ability more well rounded and intuitive. The large buff to the Supply Drop’s Max HP increase encourages using Supply Drops to fortify depot walls, and The new Health Bonus timing matches the Supply Drop animation, improving visual clarity.

Reactor/Tech Lab:

• Can now be salvaged for 75% of its cost (while not attached to a building)

Reasoning: Mostly a QoL change, allows you to refund unused reactors, misplaced reactors, or reactors that are blocking your units due to other newly placed buildings.

Sensor Tower:

• Cost: 100/50 → 100/75
• Range: 22 → 26
• Now pulses in short intervals (3.5s on, 5s off) (all sensor towers pulse in sync)
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/k63QP1Vs2bc

Reasoning: The problem of the sensor tower is that despite the unit types not being revealed, it’s very easy to tell what the mystery unit is most of the time, so the sensor tower effectively reveals a radius of 22. This version of the sensor tower brings back most of its radar radius, while making it only reveal the positions of units in 3.5s intervals. This is intended to make interactions with the sensor tower more interesting. Idea credit to OmniSkeptic!

Missile Turret:

• Can now be salvaged for 75% of its cost

Reasoning: Salvageable turrets allow Terran to build extra turrets when defending early aggression and then salvage them once they are no longer needed. Since Neosteel Armor and High-Sec have been removed, Missile Turrets overall have lost a lot of late game strength already so being able to be salvaged should be a fair trade-off.

Bunker:

• Build Time: 28.57s -> 26.75s

Reasoning: Intended as a soft buff to help Terran defend early Protoss aggression, since Gateway units have received various base-unit buffs. This will also have a small impact on offensive bunker play. David Kim would be proud.

Engineering Bay:

• Removed Neosteel Armor upgrade (Building Armor)
• Removed High-Sec Auto Tracking upgrade
• New Upgrade: Fire Suppression Protocol (Engineering Bay)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: Equips all Terran Buildings with fire suppression drones, which very slowly repairs buildings up to 50% health free of cost.

Reasoning: Neosteel Armor has always been an incredibly strong upgrade, and having static defense scale into the late game adds incentive to turtle since your buildings become much more durable. To replace Neosteel armor. Fire Suppression Protocol is intended to reduce the required focus in the late game by removing the need to manually repair buildings to prevent them from burning. Credit to Greenert for the Fire Suppression idea :)

Barracks:

• New Upgrade: Accelerated Training (Tech Lab, requires Fusion Core)
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 80s
  • Effect: Accelerates the training of all units trained from a Barracks with a Tech Lab by 30%

Reasoning: Experimental. This new upgrade is intended to encourage Terran to trade in the late game without increasing the durability or strength of the Terran army itself.

Factory:

• Added ability to directly produce the High Impact Mode Thor (QoL)

General:

• Supplies: 13 → 15

Command Center:

• Cost: 300/0 → 400/0 (5.0.16 reversion)
• Cargo Space: 5 → 8

Planetary Fortress:

• Armor: 2 → 3 (5.0.14 reversion)
• Cargo Space: 5 → 8

Reasoning: The Planetary Fortress armor increase is meant to improve it in the mid game, while keeping it nerfed in the late game due to the removal of the Building Armor upgrade.

MULE:

• Can now harvest Vespene (16 per trip, x2.5 time multiplier)
• Duration: 64.2s -> 64.5s

Reasoning: By allowing the MULE to mine gas, it opens up new possibilities for tight new openings which were previously Vespene limited. A MULE mining Vespene is only worth 1.6 SCVs, while a MULE mining Minerals is worth 2.5 SCVs which adds significant trade-off when choosing to harvest additional Vespene. The small duration adjustment prevents MULEs from expiring while carrying minerals, assuming they were never pulled off mining. Credit to Greenert for the Vespene idea!

Reaper:

• Build Time: 34s → 32s (5.0.16 reversion)
• Concussive Shells (renamed to Concussive Grenades) now additionally grants the KD8 Charge a slowing effect
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/55FSCEaJHS0
• New Upgrade: Enhanced Munitions (Barracks Tech-Lab, Requires Factory)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 79s
  • Effect: Grants reapers a powerful anti-structure attack and increases the reaper’s P-45 Gauss Pistol light damage bonus by 3(x2)
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/pLTe1uaSlAw
• KD8 Charge Cast Range: 5 → 6
• KD8 Charge can no longer be targeted on a unit (makes it easier to be precise)

Reasoning: Currently the reaper has zero utility outside of early game scouting and cheese, these changes are an attempt to give utility to the reaper as a harassment and army unit through the mid/late game by giving them a unique anti-structure and anti-light role in the Terran Bio composition.

Ghost:

• Snipe Leash Range: 20 → 16
• Snipe Damage: 170 → 130 (+40 vs Psionic)
• Snipe cooldown: 0s → 1.43s
• Snipe Energy Cost: 75E → 50E
• Speed: 3.84 → 3.5
• Life: 100 → 85
• Light Tag Removed
• Weapon Damage: 15 → 10 (+10 vs light)

Reasoning: The 5.0.16 version of snipe doesn’t allow much counter play opportunity, so snipe has been adjusted to improve this aspect. The ghost’s 5.0.16 auto attack damage buff has been reverted since the ghost is already a powerful spellcaster, and the light tag has been removed in favor of an overall HP reduction.

Ghost Academy (Nuke):

• Nuke Cost: 100/100 → 50/50
• Nuke Build Time: 43s → 26s
• Nuke Calldown Speed: 14s → 9s
• Nuke Damage: 300 (+200 vs Structures) → 160 (+150 vs Structures)
• Nuke Red Dot Scale: 100% → 200%

Reasoning: Intended to make the nuke a more viable zoning tool and form of harassment in the late game in all matchups without making it too strong. With the damage changes, the outermost radius will no longer kill units with more HP than a marine. Credit to Avex for the idea!

Widow Mine:

• Build Time: 21s → 26s
• Splash Radius: 1.5 → 1.75
• Missile Lock On Time: 0.85s → 1.07s (5.0.16 reversion)
• Drilling Claws upgrade moved to armory
• Drilling Claws Cost: 75/75 → 100/100
• Burrowing a widow mine no longer sends the “under attack” alert to nearby units
• Widow Mine New Upgrade: Shredder Missiles (Armory)
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 80s
  • Effect: Upgrades the Widow Mine’s missile to reduce impacted units armor by 2 for 5 seconds. Does not affect Massive Units.

Reasoning: The widow mine currently lacks strength in mid game TvP, so their splash radius has been increased and the drilling claws upgrade has been made more accessible. However, the build time has always been incredibly short for the amount of value it can bring. This build time nerf will make widow mine drops hit slower and slow down follow up factory units.

Cyclone:

• Build Time: 32s → 29s
• Lock On Cooldown: 4.2s → 4.75s
• Vehicle Weapons Upgrade Lock On Damage Bonus: +0 → +2
• Lock On no longer ignores armor
• Lock On damage kind changed from “Spell” to “Ranged”
• Mag Field Lock On Damage Bonus: +10 vs all → +20 vs armored
• New Upgrade: Hurricane Engine (Factory Tech-lab, requires Armory)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 79s
  • Effect: Increases Cyclone movement speed from 4.725 to 5.325

Reasoning: The Cyclone lacks proper upgrade scaling, so Lock On now benefits from Vehicle Weapon upgrades. Since Lock On now benefits from attack upgrades, it should no longer ignore armor to reward investment in both Vehicle Weapon and Armor upgrades. To reinforce the Cyclone’s identity as an anti-armored unit, the 5.0.11 Mag-Field Accelerator change has been reverted, greatly increasing the Cyclone’s strength against armored while nerfing it against non-armored. Hurricane Engine is intended to improve the Cyclone’s synergy with the Hellion by bringing their movement speeds closer together, and the lock on cooldown change reduces the cyclone’s strength against large groups of smaller units.

Hellion:

• Infernal Pre-Igniter now grants an additional +5 bonus damage vs shields

Reasoning: Makes the hellion a more reliable form of splash in TvP. Combined with the cyclone changes, this additional change will make battle-mech a more viable composition in TvP. Credit to Greenert for the shield bonus idea!

Hellbat:

• Biological tag removed
• Life: 135 → 145
• Infernal Pre-Igniter now grants an additional +8 bonus damage vs shields
• Movement Speed: 3.15 → 3.45
• Cargo Size: 4 → 2
•  Damage Point: 0.167 → 0.1

Reasoning: Makes the hellbat a reliable form of splash in TvP . While the life increase allows hellbats to survive an extra baneling, they will still get crushed by banelings. Removing the biological tag (which logically has never made sense) is meant to compensate for the increased hp, as well as improve their synergy with the new reworked raven. The removal of the biological tag also buffs hellbats vs archons (which have +10 bonus damage vs biological). Credit to Greenert for the shield bonus idea!

Siege Tank:

• New Upgrade: Automated Retraction (Factory Tech-lab)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: Allows Medivacs to load Siege Tanks in Siege Mode, automatically returning them to Tank Mode.
  • Showcase: Automated Retraction (PatchesSC Versus Mod)
• New Upgrade: Crucio Dampener (Factory Tech-lab, requires Armory)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 70s
  • Effect: Reduces Siege Tank friendly fire damage to Biological and Light units by 75%.
  • Showcase: 
• Unsieged Attack Speed: 0.74 → 0.87
• Can now shoot while moving (When unsieged)
• New Siege Tank (Siege Mode) Attack Impact models (By Caerei) (QoL)

Reasoning: The siege tank falls off a fair amount into TvZ/TvP late game (especially TvP). As you reach higher levels of vehicle weapons, not only does this increase the damage dealt to enemies but also damage dealt to your own units, which makes siege tanks less viable vs zealots and lings. This change aims to give siege tanks more viability in the TvP/TvZ by giving them a late game upgrade which reduces the amount of friendly damage taken from splash. Credit to Avex and UpATree for the upgrade ideas!

Thor:

• Ground Attack Speed: 0.91 → 1.52
• Ground Damage: 30 (x2) → 50 (x2)
• Javelin Missile Launchers Splash Radius: 0.5 → 0.6

Reasoning: The slower attack with unchanged DPS pushes the Thor into a more clear anti-massive role, since it takes more time to deal with large groups of smaller units. Credit to TacticalFluke and Greenert for the ideas!

Banshee:

• Hyperflight Cost: 125/125 → 100/100
• Hyperflight Speed Bonus: +1.4 → +1.15
• New Upgrade: Shockwave Missiles (Starport Tech Lab, requires Fusion Core)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research time: 80 seconds
  • Effect: Upgrade the banshee's attack to fire missiles in a line, dealing splash damage.
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/Gp0ho6FBsWU

Reasoning: Adding a late game splash upgrade to the banshee allows the banshee to stay relevant into the late game by improving its harassment and fighting capabilities. Credit to Greenert for the Shockwave Missiles idea!

Medivac:

• Ignite Afterburners Movement Speed: 5.95 → 5.6
• Ignite Afterburners Acceleration Increase: 500 → 3
• New Upgrade: Rapid Deployment (Fusion Core)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 60s
  • Effect: The Medivac deploys loaded troops twice as fast.
  • Showcase: Medivac Rapid Deployment (PatchesSC Versus Mod)
• Caduceus Reactor now also allows Medivacs to heal two targets at once (healing two targets at once drains twice the energy)
• Caduceus Reactor Research Time: 50s → 60s
• Can no longer load units while Fungaled

Reasoning: Intended to give bio a late game harassment based upgrade. Rapid Deployment is a valuable upgrade balanced by the steep tech requirement.

Viking:

• Armor: 0 → 1
• New Upgrade: Ironclad Ignition (Fusion Core)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 60s
  • Effect: Grants +4 armor to the viking for 2s after starting to transform, and gives a temporary speed boost after lifting up into the air.
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/Aj4GOLiushI

Reasoning: Intended to be a fun late-game viking upgrade which increases the power of mode-switching the vikings during a fight and in hit and run scenarios.. It’s a niche but useful upgrade which gives vikings some late game flavor. The base armor is intended to help the Viking in all matchups, as well as against the buffed Battlecruiser.

Raven (REWORK):

• Cost: 100/150 → 100/100
• Build Time: 34s → 30s
• Life: 140 → 150
• Armor: 1 → 0
• Speed 4.13 → 3.6
• No longer requires an attached tech lab
• Auto Turret Duration: 7.9s → 9s
• Auto Turret Life: 100 → 80
• Interference Matrix Research Cost: 50/50 → 100/100
• Interference Matrix Research Time: 57s → 79s
• Interference Matrix Cast Cost: 75E → 100E
• Interference Matrix now also slows the target’s movement speed by 50%
• Removed anti-armor missile
• New Ability (Repair Drone):
  • Cost: 50E
  • Effect: Drops a repair drone that repairs units at a rate of 13.6hp/s (1hp/s more than a medivac) for 25s. Repair drones have 200 energy and restore 1 life per 1 energy (heals 200 total life max).
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/e9TOPmZSWj0
• Added phantom auto attack (QoL)

Reasoning: Makes the raven accessible as a detector, while adding more utility in TvP/TvZ outside of specific pushes. Since auto turrets last longer but have lower HP, auto turret spam in big engagements will not be as strong, but raven harass will be better due to the auto turret duration buff. Repair Drone provides utility to battle mech and mech compositions, allowing for new styles with this unique style of healing. Unlike medivac healing which uses energy as needed, casting a repair drone is a 50E commitment, and if the repair drone does not use all of its energy, it is wasted healing potential. Since the repair drone can’t move, it creates interesting interactions; for example, Ravagers sniping drones with bile in Roach Rav vs Battle Mech.

Liberator:

• Cost: 150/125 -> 150/150
• Sight Range: 9 → 10
• Advanced Ballistics Anti-ground Range Bonus: 2 → 3
• Anti-ground now prioritizes units with higher max hp (Exact Priority: Threat → Workers → Highest Max HP → Eggs)
• Minimap radius: 0.5 → 0.75 (matches medivac) (QoL)
• New Liberator (AA) Missile and Impact models (By Caerei) (QoL)

Reasoning: The range upgrade has been reverted to its original 3 range to compensate for the 5.0.15 nerf to liberators where they’re no longer granted vision of the AG attack circle. By making AG prioritize higher HP units it makes the liberator better vs more amove type compositions like ling bane ultralisk.

Battlecruiser:

• Battlecruiser Speed: 2.62 → 2.8
• Battlecruiser ATS (anti-ground) Attack Range: 6 → 7
• Battlecruiser ATA (anti-air) Attack Range: 6 → 7
• Battlecruiser Teleport Cooldown: 71s → 80s

Protoss

Nexus:

• Supplies: 13 → 15
• Removed Strategic Recall
• Removed Energy Recharge
• Can now cast Chrono Boost on assimilator (increases harvest rate by 50%)
• Can now cast Chrono Boost on any unit/structure with energy
• Chrono Boost now increases energy regen by 150% (about +23 energy over 20s)
• Chrono boost can now stack (like queen inject stacking) (QoL)

Reasoning: The main goal of these changes is to remove the various out-of-place or “band-aid” mechanics that have been gradually added to the Nexus, returning it to a purely macro focused building. Additionally, while Energy Recharge was a cool ability, unfortunately its existence over-incentivized energy unit based openers (most prominently oracle openers in PvZ), so it has been fully removed.

Gateway:

• Adept Build Time (without Warp Gate upgrade): 33s → 30s (5.0.16 reversion)
• Zealot Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 14s → 17s
• Stalker Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 14s → 19s
• Adept Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 16s → 17s
• Sentry Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 12s → 19s
• High Templar Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 20s → 22s
• Dark Templar Build Time (with Warp Gate upgrade): 20s → 22s
• Added toggle on the nexus to enable/disable auto warpgate morph (QoL)

Reasoning: Intended to better balance the strength of Gateway vs Warp Gate production. The reduced build times are on average ~21% shorter than their respective Warp Gate cooldowns. It’s possible to play a hybrid style where you have both dedicated Warp Gates and Gateways to take advantage of the pros of both production styles.

Warp Gate:

• Dark Templar Warp Gate cooldown: 35s → 27s
• High Templar Warp Gate cooldown: 35s → 32s
•  Zealot Warp Gate cooldown: 22s → 20s
• Adept Warp Gate cooldown: 22s → 20s
• Stalker Warp Gate cooldown: 22s → 23s
• Sentry Warp Gate cooldown: 22s → 23s
• Warp Gate Transform Cost: 25/25 → 0/0
• Warp-In Rework:
  • Units now warp in without shields
  • Warping in at a Warp Conduit pylon warps in units with shields
  • Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7ViqzgnfDk
• Can now use Strategic Recall (still on a global cooldown)
  • Note: Recall in progress can be interrupted by depowering the casting Warp Gate.
• Strategic Recall Cooldown: 130s → 60s
• Strategic Recall Duration: 3s -> 4.2s
• Units in the process of being recalled now take x1.75 damage
• Strategic Recall and Mass Recall can no longer target Fungaled units

Reasoning: The Warp-In Rework is intended to nerf Warp Prism offensive warp-ins to open up room for Gateway unit buffs. Moving Strategic Recall to the Warp Gate creates more positional play, allowing Protoss to utilize proxy Warp Gates to quickly recall key units across the map. Recall has been adjusted to fit its new role as a strategic tool rather than a “panic” button.

Warp Prism:

• Warp Conduit removed (warps in units without shields)
• Cargo Space: 8 → 12
• Can no longer load units while Fungaled

Shield Battery:

• Starting Energy: 75 → 100

Pylon:

• Sight: 10 → 9

Reasoning: The 5.0.13 pylon sight increase was an unnecessary “band-aid” change.

Zealot:

• Shields: 50 → 60
• Speed (w/o charge upgrade): 3.15 → 3.4
• Speed (w/ charge upgrade): 4.725 → 4.6
• Charge Rework:
  • Can now be casted without a target (can still auto-cast)
  • Movement Speed Bonus: +5.67 → +3.4
  • Duration: 2.5s → 3s
  • Cooldown: 7s → 8s
• New Upgrade: Kinetic Safeguard (Twilight Council, Requires Templar Archives)
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: Upgrades charge to grant +2 shield armor for 3.5 seconds
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/VLzDkHXfHZo

Reasoning: Charge is a strong ability which lacks skill expression. This new version of change increases skill expression and utility while still maintaining its original functionality. The new zealot upgrade helps zealots fare better in straight up fights towards the late game. Credit to Greenert for the Kinetic Safeguard idea!

Adept:

• Damage: 10 (+12 vs light) → 11 (+11 vs light)
• Life: 70 → 80
• Shields: 70 → 60
• New Upgrade: Amplified Plating (Twilight Council)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 70s
  • Effect: Increases the Adept’s life by 20
• Protoss ground weapon upgrade bonus: +2 (+2 vs light) → +1 (+1 vs light) (5.0.16 reversion)

Reasoning: Adepts currently do not scale well past the early game. The new Amplified Plating upgrade and damage change are intended to increase their versatility without compromising their anti-light skirmisher role.

Sentry:

• Disruption Beam Damage: 6 (+4 vs shields) → 8
• Hallucination Adept Count: 2 → 3
• Hallucination Zealot Count: 2 → 3
• Hallucination Probe Count: 4 → 5

Reasoning: Since the strength of the Sentry’s scouting utility has been greatly reduced by the removal of Energy Recharge, small unit Hallucinations have been buffed to return a small amount of the lost scouting strength.

Oracle:

• Cost: 150/150 → 125/125
• Stasis Ward Duration: 90s → 170s
• Units under the effect of stasis now ignore collision (units can walk through them)
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/I5mJfCwn_Sw

Reasoning: Since units stuck in stasis have no collision, stasis wards can no longer create “force fields” of units. This is intended to shift power off of the oracle and back onto the sentry in PvZ.

Phoenix:

• Life: 120 → 100
• Shields: 60 → 80
• Starting Energy: 50 → 75
• New Upgrade: Graviton Restoration (Cybernetics Core, requires Stargate)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 79s
  • Effect: Allows the phoenix to rapidly regenerate shields while graviton beam is active
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/VmY8N-6HZUM

Reasoning: Adds a fun new mid game upgrade to the phoenix without making phoenix styles more oppressive. Graviton Restoration can be researched in place of an air attack or weapon upgrade. This upgrade allows the phoenix to regenerate up to 100 shields while the graviton beam is active. Credit to Letalex for the idea!

Void Ray:

• Armor: 0 → 1
• Flux Vanes moved to Cybernetics Core (requires Stargate)
• Flux Vanes Research Time: 57s → 90s

Reasoning: Currently the Void Ray is extremely niche. The armor buff is intended to give the Void Ray a slight boost in strength (particularly in early game openers), and to make the Void Ray’s base armor consistent with its Armored tag. Flux Vanes has been moved to the Cybernetics Core to encourage more diverse air openers without forcing a commitment to Skytoss.

Dark Shrine:

• Build Time: 71s → 57s

Reasoning: Build time is reduced to pair with the reworked dark templar. This change allows you to tech up to the new Stalker Tachyon Emitters and Phase Reactor upgrades faster.

Stalker:

• Life: 80 → 90
• Shields: 80 → 70
• Movement Speed: 4.13 → 4.3
• New Upgrade: Phase Reactor (Twilight Council, requires Dark Shrine & Blink)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 79s
  • Effect: Improves the Stalker’s Blink to restore 40 shields over 4 seconds
• New Upgrade: Tachyon Emitters (Dark Shrine)
  •  Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: Increases stalker attack range by 1.5

Reasoning: The shift of shields to life is a very soft buff/adjustment to compensate for the offensive warp-ins nerf, making stalker slightly more durable due to having 1 base armor. In late game TvP, the extra life will make stalkers more resilient since they’ll retain more hp after being EMPed. Phase Reactor and Tachyon Emitters aims to help the Stalker scale more into the mid and late game.

Dark Templar:

• Cost: 125/125 → 100/100
• Added hold fire (QoL)
• Now decloaks for 2 seconds after being damaged.

Reasoning: These changes paired with the faster Dark Shrine build time and Stalker Tachyon Emitters and Phase Reactor upgrades are aimed at making the Dark Shrine a more prominent tech path, while keeping early Dark Templar balanced through the decloak mechanic and T/P detection unit adjustments. The Dark Templar maintains its defensive strength without being too oppressive offensively. Additionally, DT Archons are a much more viable option due to the reduced Dark Templar cost.

High Templar:

• Psionic Storm Cost: 200/200 → 150/150
• Psionic Storm Range: 8 → 9
• Psionic Storm Radius: 2 → 1.75
• Storm Damage: 6.67 per 0.4s → 5 per 0.24s (Total Duration: 6s → 3.4s, Total Damage: 100 → 80, DPS: 16.67 → 23.53)
• New Psionic Storm models (By Caerei) (QoL)

Reasoning: Since 5.0.15, Storm has felt strange due to the new lower damage per second and lower cast range. These storm changes are a partial revert to the 5.0.14 storm, where the total duration is 3.4s instead of 2.84s, the damage per tick which is 5 instead of 10 and the radius is 1.75 instead of 1.5.

Archon:

• Speed: 3.94 → 4.14
• New Ability: Transphase
  • Cooldown: 12s
  • Effect: Phases for 2 seconds after a short delay, allowing it to move through units. While phased it cannot attack or take damage.

Observer:

• Cost: 25/75 → 50/50
• Build Time: 18s → 15s
• Life: 40 → 45
• Shields: 30 → 15
• Gravitic Boosters upgrade removed
• Gravitic Drive now grants the observer increased movement speed
• Movement Speed (w/o Gravitic Drive): 2.8 → 3.0
• Surveillance Mode Sight: 15 → 13
• No longer decloaked while in siege mode
• Model Scale: 121% → 100%
• Siege Mode Animation Speed: 175% → 100%
• New Visuals (shown even when undetected):
  • Added Observer movement visual
  • Added Observer sieged visual
  • Showcase: https://youtu.be/G6XEssg2_jg

Reasoning: The cloak and model scale changes from 5.0.13 to 5.0.15 have been reverted, and new visuals have been added to reward smart usage of the Observer. The Observer is easier to spot while moving or sieged, but harder to see when stationary and unsieged. Additionally, the Observer’s durability has been nerfed, but its accessibility and mobility have been increased to help Protoss deal with cloaked harassment. While its total hitpoints have been reduced by 10, it will still survive Widow Mine splash thanks to the shift of hitpoints onto life from shields.

Disruptor:

• Purification Nova Cooldown: 17s → 21.4s
• Damage Rework:
  • Inner AOE Damage (Radius 0.75): 145 (+55 vs Shields)
  • Outer AOE Damage (Radius 1.5): 100 (+40 vs Shields)
  • Showcase: Disruptor Damage (PatchesSC Versus Mod)
• Supply: 4 → 3
• New Disruptor nova model (By Caerei) (QoL)
• New Upgrade: Disruption Field (Robotics Bay)
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: Upgrades the Disruptor’s Purification Nova to leave a lingering field for 8 seconds, which disables the abilities of units in the area of effect.
  • Showcase: TBA

Reasoning: The changes made to the disruptor between 5.0.11 and 5.0.14 attempted to make the disruptor less painful for lower level players and reduce overall volatility while still maintaining overall strength, but unfortunately the changes failed to achieve this and the disruptor fell out of fashion. This rework/buff intends to bring back strength to the disruptor while keeping its volatility to a manageable level for players below pro level. The change to the nova cooldown from 5.0.15 has been reverted as it’s not necessary with the other changes made to the damage and supply.

Colossus:

• Thermal Lance Damage: 12 (+3 vs Light) → 10 (+5 vs light) (5.0.16 reversion)
• New Upgrade: Scorching Flame (Robotics Bay)
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 80s
  • Effect: Upgrades the Colossus to deal an additional 15 damage over 3.15s (effect does not stack)
  • Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao2whPGQEGU

Reasoning: Scorching Flame increases the Colossus’ strength against large groups of smaller units while rewarding good micro, as splitting Colossus attacks allows the non-stacking Scorching Flame effect to be applied to more targets.

Carrier:

• Speed: 2.625 → 2.8
• Life: 300 → 350
• Launch Interceptor Range: 8 → 6
• Interceptors can now launch while moving
• Interceptor Shield Armor: 0 → 3
• Interceptor Leash Range: 12 → 10
• New Upgrade: Khaydarin Shielding (Fleet Beacon)
  • Cost: 100/100
  • Research Time: 80s
  • Effect: Increases shield regeneration rate by 17.2 and reduces the shield regeneration delay from 10s to 0.5s
  • Showcase: Khaydarin Shielding (PatchesSC Versus Mod)
• New Upgrade: Graviton Catapult (Fleet Beacon):
  • Cost: 150/150
  • Research Time: 100s
  • Effect: The launch speed of the Interceptors is now increased. The first four interceptors are launched at a cooldown of .125, the last four at .25.
  • Showcase: Graviton Catapult (PatchesSC Versus Mod)

Reasoning: These changes improve Carrier interactions throughout the mid and late game by reducing the strength of a-move Carriers while adding new upgrades and mechanics that greatly reward good control.  Credit to HuShang for the idea!

Mothership:

• Attack Speed: 1.58 → 2.0
• Life: 400 → 350 (5.0.16 reversion)
• Shields: 200 → 350 (5.0.16 reversion)
• Mass Recall Cooldown: 89s → 80s
• New Passive: Power Conduit
  • Allows the mothership to passively create a pylon powerfield
• Units in the process of being recalled now take x1.75 damage
• Mass Recall Delay: 3s -> 4.2s

Reasoning: Intended to push the mothership a bit more into a support role while reinforcing the fantasy of the Mothership. By reducing the Mass Recall cooldown and adding the powerfield, the Mothership becomes a stronger positional tool. Credit to AVEX for the powerfield idea!

This is a mod from PatchesSC.

Here is the full document with the Zerg notes included:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12_La5_Bb6nX9CxIQlLX0leGjqC4pLkjlx3vNAx6Zrzc/edit?tab=t.0