Mengsk and Prestige

It’s best to use them as mineral dump/buffer while you build up your forces, rather than the meat of your army.

Then again what do I know? lol. I usually just go all-in on Royal Guard only when playing P2.

Agreed, my expenditure on troopers in P2 is strictly to cover allies who can’t deal with the mission at all (ie. they gonna die to a wave or suffer a major set back if I don’t do something.)

This usually only involves one or few flame trooper(s) or perhaps rocket troopers, depending on the situation. Generally, both players gain a much better advantage by allowing mandate to save up for a full 100mandate Dogs of War cast.

RG comes out so quickly compared to non-P2 that this isn’t much of an issue. I think the first PoA (your highest cost slowest production) comes out I think 7-8min ish?

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I find that when using P2, Troopers are more of an early game and late game support unit. Like for example going against air comps so you drop a bunker and upgrade them with missile launchers while you’re waiting to get thors and BCs. Then by late game if you are happy with your RG number then you can spend the rest of your supply on troopers but I’d rather squeeze in an extra marauder or ghost.

So far I found Missile Launchers is the only necessity when going P2. Aegis Guards seem to win out most ground battles on their own with the support of Shadows, and i’ve been pumping out a lot of them none stop. Though, I confess a few Flamethrower at the front provides good distraction as rest of the team dishing out damage.

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Personally? I don’t think so. Not worth the grind in my opinion, none of the prestiges promote playstyles that I want to grind them for.

ngl, P3 is low key busted. Those mini nukes just turn any planet, anywhere, into a desolate wasteland.

I believe they promoted in SC1 that the Terran nukes in this era leave no traces of radiation, due to their original purpose was to colonize planets and can’t afford to destroy where they could potentially settle.

But given Mengsk’s mentality though…

“Contaminated strike online. Bury our foes in radioactive shrapnel”

“Irradiate the very ground they walk on”

Well… The nukes may or may not spill radiation, but he certainly has the inclination…

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It’s actually well established that Korhal, and especially so Augustgrad, was nuked into being a desert by Mengsk.

I believe they promoted in SC1 that the Terran nukes in this era leave no traces of radiation, due to their original purpose was to colonize planets and can’t afford to destroy where they could potentially settle.

Na they leave radiation, the nukes you mostly use in game (the normal ghost nuke) are just smaller tactical nukes, but most of your forces are outfitted in gear (like CMC armor) that can resist radiation. Protoss also seem to be resistant with their power suit shields, and zerg even thrive with it (ultralisk caverns are basically radiation chambers they use to facilitate evolutions). But the big thing was after Korhal, the Confederacy banned Apocalypse-class nukes and went to smaller tactical ones since Korhal was controversial even for them. Mengsk however backpedaled on that after taking over and started using them against the alien threat (though in-game it’s still USUALLY tactical nukes). My fan theory is the main nuke of Nuclear Annihilation is an Apocalypse-class.

I always figured Contaminated Strike was radiation on top of a lot of other things, given you can literally upgrade it to have hallucinogenic drugs in them. Just a general cocktail of “bad.”

It’s actually well established that Korhal, and especially so Augustgrad, was nuked into being a desert by Mengsk.

That was the Confederacy, they nuked the world into a desert, which was what led Mengsk to taking the remnants and reform the revolution into the Sons of Korhal. Augustgrad was the new capital after the old capital of Styrling was irradiated into ruin, which is why Mengsk named it for his grandfather. Mengsk was more than willing to use nukes on the UED as it was already a desert and experimental missiles when Kerrigan invaded, but Korhal going from the temperate jewel of the Confederacy to a desert was all the Confederacy.

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And just so people understand (or so my own understanding anyway), “tactical nuke” is just a smaller yield compared to say “strategic nuke” versus likely smaller still to what Sub mentioned as “Apocalypse-class”.

What that means is the amount of radiation given off post detonation would be vastly different. I wouldn’t know what the lore indicate in terms of the relative size of a “tactical nuke” is compared to our real world tests. Although I think we can safely assume Terran has clearly more advanced technology, thus better ways to clear the post detonation radioactivity (as well as prevention).

Of course, all assumptions on by part :joy:.

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Yeah you got the long and short of it, tactical nukes are smaller yield for more surgical strikes. In some other works the Dominion brings out bigger nukes, so we know they exist, but in the confines of what’s used in the game it tends to be the smaller stuff. Granted, their payloads certainly aren’t super tiny and their radiation does get mentioned in some of the novelizations (Speed of Darkness comes to mind). But for your marines it isn’t as huge of a deal because CMC armor explicitly has NBC (Nuclear/Biological/Chemical) shielding. A lot of terran forces use similar tech, but this does always get weird for vultures (who are very clearly not wearing suits), but they’ve always been weird ones.

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In other words, Mengsk is quite liberal in using nukes and radiation despite his co-commanders, AKA 2nd Amendment Plus Ultra.

P2 sounds like the most humane of his tactics.

Until you rapid fire tactical missiles with his Shadows :smiling_imp:

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Been a looooong time since I last used Shadows only.

I believe the reason why radiation mechanic isn’t so prevalent in Starcraft apart from game design is that most races have an excuse/adaptation for radiation prevention. Terrans are always in a suit that protects against it (and why they aren’t roasted alive on volcanic planets). Zerg have just adapted to it. Protoss rely on their plasma shields to keep it at bay.

Probably what he uses for PR events. Those shiny royal guard are eye candy.

Especially the Marauders. Them be shiny bois.

Question I’ve yet to make a Sky Fury, despite P2. Is it useful?

They’re generally not worth making, he has so many better options for anti-air. Though they can be useful for sniping objectives and as anti-air screening when massing ESOs (though P1’s constant contaminated strikes are a better option for the latter)

I usually make some vs. air comps with carriers, tempets, or battlecruisers in them since their bonus damage is against massive units. I think shuttles and void shards are also on the list, correct me if I’m wrong. But usually it’s better to just get Thor and BC’s for anti-air. Triple tap yamatos wipe out an air fleet easy.