Robotics Support Bay

[e][h] Robotics Support Bay

Building Information

Cost:

 150  100  19

Hotkey:

V → B

Defense:

450 450 1

Requirements:

• Robotics Facility
• Pylon Power

Unlocked Tech:

• Reaver

Upgrades available:

• Scarab Damage
• Reaver Capacity
• Gravitic Drive

Animated:

No

The Robotics Support Bay is a Protoss building. Building it requires the Robotics Facility. It unlocks the Reaver tech at the Robotics Facility, as well as various upgrades.

Notably, the Robotics Support Bay has a very fast build time.

Upgrades

Of the three available upgrades, two are used in the competitive metagame. The Shuttle speed upgrade (Gravitic Drive) is the most important, as Shuttle/Reaver play becomes significantly safer and more effective with it.

Scarab Damage

200      200      105 (fastest) Reaver Scarab damage is increased by +25 to 125. Usually neglected or deferred for the Shuttle speed upgrade, as that is more important. However, this allows Reavers to 1HKO Dark Templars with a direct hit, or 1HKO SCVs in a Scarab's 50% splash damage area. In PvP, this is a more common upgrade, as the extra damage matters in Dragoon fights.

Increased Reaver Capacity

200      200      105 (fastest) Reaver Scarab capacity is increased by +5 to 10. Not researched at all, as professional players have the micro skill to queue Scarabs during downtime or combat. It is also unusual for a Reaver to be drained of all of its Scarabs during combat, as it is continually picked up and moved around via the Shuttle. This upgrade also has a downside: the player won't always be able to calculate how many Scarabs are currently on the Reaver if any are being built.

Gravitic Drive

200      200      105 (fastest) Shuttle speed is increased by +50%. An essential upgrade that may be researched even if using just a single Shuttle, as the addditional speed helps the Shuttle flee safely from attacks. For certain surprise timings, this is deferred, as the upgrade is expensive and slow. The Shuttle becomes as fast as other basic air units such as the Corsair, Mutalisk, Scourge, and Wraith.

Competitive Usage

versus Zerg

This is a lategame building in this matchup. Protoss can't reliably tech to Reavers in the midgame due to the dual threat of Mutalisks and Hydralisks. Once Protoss has a stable defense, Reavers may be considered to defeat mass amounts of Hydras and Lurkers.

versus Terran

The Robotics Support Bay is typically built before the Observatory in order to quickly build a Shuttle/Reaver. The initial worker harass may use a slow Shuttle, as the speed upgrade takes significant time to complete.

versus Protoss

Reavers are essential in this matchup, as the primary combat unit is the Dragoon. The Scarab Damage upgrade is routinely researched here. 125 damage Scarabs makes Reavers more effective at picking off weakened enemy Dragoons, or cripple healthy enemy Dragoons so that friendly Dragoons may finish them faster.