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GameSpot's Guide to Starcraft

Mission 4: The Quest for Uraj

Overview
Obliterate a Terran base and set up your own in its wake. Defend your position against basic Terran military units. Cut your way through basic Terran defenses to the southeast corner where the Uraj Crystal lies, and move Kerrigan to that point.

Possible Expansions
You'll find a lightly defended Terran position to the southwest of your starting position. The sooner you take it down, the sooner you can claim the minerals for yourself. If you need another expansion, which you likely will not, there is another Terran base on the opposite side of the map whose position you can claim accordingly.

Key Points
Those three fully upgraded Reavers you start with will last you the whole battle, as long as you keep them safe. Therefore you don't need to build a Robotics Support Bay unless you really want to, although you'll still want an Observatory for Observers. You have no air support for this mission, and so you'll find that Dragoons and Zealots will do most of the work for you. Dark Templars will not be very useful in this mission, because the Terrans are heavily fortified with cloak-detecting Missile Turrets in most parts of the map. However, the Terran base to your southwest is not defended with Missile Turrets and is therefore vulnerable to the cloaked Kerrigan if she attacks immediately; if you hesitate, the Terrans will use Comsat Sweeps to reveal her position. Keep in mind that your goal is only to get Kerrigan to the beacon; you needn't eliminate the Terran presence on the map unless you feel particularly bloodthirsty.

Your fully upgraded Reavers will smash this Terran installation in no time, and will fiercely defend your base through the remainder of the mission.

Walk-through

Watch as Reavers and Dragoons are shuttled in on the lightly defended Terran base. As soon as Kerrigan and the Probes arrive, and the Command Center is destroyed, get to work on a Nexus. Set up your base defensively; quickly prepare a Shield Battery to keep those Reavers alive, and fortify your position with Photon Cannons. Meanwhile, cloak Kerrigan and order her southwest, where you'll find a Terran base that is not equipped to deal with an invisible enemy. She won't have time to raze the base alone, but you can use her to cripple it. Go for its defending units, including Goliaths and Siege Tanks, and stick around until the Terrans figure out how to Comsat, or Kerrigan runs low on energy. Then move her back to the safety of your base.

Assemble a small force of Zealots and Dragoons, upgrade them substantially, and use them to finish off the southwestern base. Build an expansion and defend it with Photon Cannons and one of your Reavers. You may wish to similarly eliminate the lightly defended base to the far east of your new expansion, and set up a second expansion there if you like.

Although they will face fierce resistance from Siege Tanks, your Dragoons can burn a path through enemy lines, allowing Kerrigan to reach her goal.

Assemble plenty of Zealots and Dragoons. Make sure you have an Observer backing them up in case cloaked Wraiths strike back. Fight your forces through the canyon near the center of the map and find the upward ramp along the west ridge. Be prepared for Bunkers and Siege Tanks to do their worst against you, but they shouldn't last long between your Zealots and Dragoons.

Once up the ramp, you won't find much more opposition as you work your way all the way south. Now work your way all the way east, until the Uraj is nearby, just to your north on lower ground. Use your remaining forces to clear as much of the area around the Uraj as possible, making sure to eliminate as many Missile Turrets as you can. Use a small group of Zealots to charge up to high ground northwest of the Uraj to deal with the Siege Tank there, and try and keep your Observer out of sight. Build reinforcements as you fight, and send them if you need them. When the coast looks pretty clear, cloak Kerrigan and send her to the Uraj. Even if she's detected, she's hardy enough to take quite a beating, so chances are you can muscle your way in. Once Kerrigan reaches the Beacon, your mission is a success.

Next: Mission 5: The Battle of Braxis
 

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