Raven (Wings of Liberty)

This article covers the now superseded Wings of Liberty multiplayer version of this unit. For other versions see Raven (Legacy of the Void) and Raven (Heart of the Swarm).

[e][h] Raven

Unit Information

Type:

Air Unit

Description:

Aerial support unit. Can use Auto Turret, Point Defense Drone and Seeker Missiles abilities.

Built from:

Starport

Cost:

 100  200  60  2

Hotkey:

R

Unit stats

Defense:

140 1 (+1)

Attributes:

Light, Mechanical, Detector

Energy:

50 (+25) / 200

Sight:

11

Speed:

2.25

Strong against:

• Dark Templar
• Banshee
• Roach

Weak against:

• Phoenix
• Ghost
• Corruptor

Note: All time-related values are expressed assuming Normal speed, as they were before LotV. See Game Speed.

Description

The Raven is a multi-purpose Terran air unit that can provide offensive as well as defensive capabilities. The Raven has four abilities that it can use to aid a Terran player in attacking the enemy or defending from attacks. The Raven is the spiritual successor to Starcraft:Brood War's Science Vessel.

Ravens are a useful addition to a late-game Terran army, particularly against Zerg players. Their detection can scout groups of burrowed units which is particularly useful at preventing Baneling traps and groups of Auto-Turrets can be used to block units and deal strong damage to groups of Zerglings. The Seeker Missile is also an effective spell and deals large AoE damage that can devastate large armies if used correctly.

Abilities

Detector

Range: 11 The Raven is a Detector unit that can see cloaked, burrowed and hallucinated units.

Spells

Build Auto-Turret

Caster: Raven 50 Range: 3 Duration: 180 s (+60) Radius: 6 (+1) Hotkey: T The Raven drops an Auto-Turret at the target location.

Build Point Defense Drone

Caster: Raven 100 Range: 3 Duration: 180 s (+60) Radius: 8 (+1) Hotkey: D The Raven drops a Point Defense Drone at the target location.

Seeker Missile

Caster: Raven 125 Range: 6 Duration: 15 s (+5) Radius: up to 2.0 Damage: up to 100 Hotkey: R The Raven fires a missile that follows the target. If it reaches the target, it will explode, dealing 100 splash damage.

Upgrades

Durable Materials

150      150      110 Hotkey: D Researched from: Tech Lab Increases the duration of Auto-Turrets and Point Defense Drones from 180 to 240 seconds, and increases the duration of the Seeker Missile from 15 to 20 Seconds.

Corvid Reactor

150      150      79 Hotkey: T Researched from: Tech Lab Increases the Raven's starting energy by 25.

Competitive Usage

Vs. Protoss

The Terran player uses Ravens to support his push during a TvP on Metalopolis.

Ravens are primarily used as mobile detectors in TvP, providing protection from Dark Templar, and allowing the Terran to destroy scouting Observers to limit the information gathering abilities of the opposing Protoss player. Despite this functionality, Ravens heavy gas cost limits their viability in a match-up which often requires expensive units such as Ghosts or Siege Tanks. This compounded by the Raven's inability to be used as strong counter to any specific Protoss unit, and its susceptibility to a High Templar's Feedback, a unit which is commonly used in TvP.

Vs. Terran

A single Raven forces a Siege Tank to unsiege or be destroyed on the high ground of Desert Oasis.

Raven TvT use is dictated by the opening builds of the two players, and the amount of gas they consume. They are commonly used to defend against early Banshee harass when paired with a defensive Viking. Ravens can also assist with early Marauder pushes, providing vision and protecting against similar armies. Ravens also provide mobile vision for Siege Tanks, allowing to hit targets previously unavailable. Because so much of the TvT army is reliant on gas, Ravens production is limited.

Vs. Zerg

Hincram(T) uses his Ravens to attack SluSh's(Z) Roach / Zergling force during a game on Lost Temple.

Ravens have multiple uses in TvZ. One of the major benefits of Raven usage is its functionality as a mobile Detector. This allows the Terran player to defend properly against burrowed Banelings, Roaches, and Infestors, limiting the damage the Zerg units can cause. This mobile detection ability also increases the threat of the Terran push, because it allows the advancing army to remove nearby Creep Tumors, negating the bonus speed it provides to opposing ground forces. This is especially beneficial for Mech play, which is threatened by flanking attacks and surrounds. Because only a small or handful of Raven's are required for mobile detection, the Terran player can spend gas on alternate fighting units.

Gallery

Quotes

Quotes
Built	Selected	Annoyed	Move	Attack	Under Attack
Raven online.	Ready for service. Scanning battlefield conditions. Engineering at your disposal. Awaiting orders. Command. State your request.	Logic capacitor, offline. Darn, I appear to have Tourette's syndrome. Command not recognized. Can not comply. What are you doing, commander? What have you done for me lately, human? I'm sorry, commander, I'm afraid I can't do that. Authority override in effect. This vessel has assumed control. It has assumed control. All your base are belong to us. I know I've made some very poor decisions lately, but I can give complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. Who said anything about cake?	Job confirmed. Order accepted. Understood. This vessel will comply. Command authority registered. Systems primed. Right away. Immediately. Commencing. Order acknowledged. Under way.	Auto turret Auto turret engaged. Seeker missile Target acquired. Point defense drone Eyes in the sky.	This vessel requires assistance.

Raven's quotes (video and sound) - YouTube video.

Patch Changes

Patch 11 (version 0.13.0.15250)
Seeker Missile range has been decreased from 9 to 6. Seeker Missile splash radius has been decreased from 2.4 to 2. Seeker Missile upgrade no longer requires Fusion Core.

Patch 1.3.3
(Undocumented) PDD no longer stops broodlings from spawning from brood lord attacks - Forum Post

Patch 1.4 (version 1.4.0)
Seeker Missile movement speed increased from 2.5 to 2.953.

Patch 1.4.3 BU
(Undocumented) PDD can now defend against the Queen's ground attack -

Patch 1.5.3 Balance Update
Upgrade requirement removed for Seeker Missile.