Hit Points: 80 Plasma Shields: 40 Size: Small Supply: 2 Cost: 125 100 Build Time: 50 Produced at: Gateway Requires: Templar Archives Base Ground Attack: 40 Base Air Attack: N/A Base Armor: 1 Range: 1 Sight: 7 Cooldown: 30 Production Hot Key: K

Banished from Aiur for refusing to submit to the Khala, the Dark Templar have wandered throughout the far reaches of space for generations. These mighty warriors, drawing secret powers from the cold void of the cosmos, are able to bend light around themselves, which renders them virtually invisible. Armed with modified Psi-Blade technology, the Dark Templar relentlessly strive to protect their race and the ancient secrets of their tribes.

The permanent cloaking ability of all Dark Templar make them particularly useful for any ground assault or defense, particularly against the Terrans, who have limited detection abilities during the early stages of a game. The Terrans have two ways to detect Dark Templar in the early game: Missile Turrets and the ComSat Station add-on for the Command Center. Missile Turrets provide static cloak detection that is useful for defending a Terran base from attacks, but building Missile Turrets requires the Terran to use a build order that incorporates the Engineering Bay. If attacked by Dark Templar without having constructed an Engineering Bay, Terrans players will find it difficult to erect Missile Turrets for detection purposes while being attacked. Providing adequate and redundant detection coverage from every angle of attack can also require multiple turrets, and every expenditure of minerals in the early game is crucial. Terrans cannot necessarily rely on just one Turret for detection, as two Dark Templar can raze a Turret quickly. The ComSat Station can be used for both offensive and defensive needs, but the ComSat is a temporary solution for the needs of cloak detection. A Protoss player can use one Dark Templar to evoke a ComSat response, then disengage from combat. This kind of attack repeated several times can leave the ComSat's energy depleted and the Terran player in an unfortunate bind. Later in the match, the Terran player can purchase Science Vessels for mobile detection, but they require very high advancement within the Terran tech tree and are expensive in terms of required Vespene gas.

When facing other Protoss players Photon Cannons can be used for static defensive cloak detection, but to maintain detection abilities while on the attack, Observers must be purchased. Even a few Dark Templars can completely disrupt an opposing attack force if it has neglected to bring an Observer along. The feared Templar can also use their Psionic Storms to destroy Dark Templar, even without the benefit of cloak detection.

Against the Zerg, you should take a more cautious route when using Dark Templar. The Zerg almost always have an abundance of mobile detection in the form of Overlords, which are required for controlling their units and are available from the beginning of every match. The Zerg can also have Sunken Colonies very early in the game and, coupled with detection ability of the Overlord, these defenses will deter most any Dark Templar invasion. However, this shouldn't stop you from making any Dark Templar against the Zerg. Just be sure to bring along support to quickly eradicate the Zerg means of detection. If the Zerg player is in a habit of spreading out a web of Overlords to cover every avenue of attack, he can be more easily punished by the mighty Protoss air fleets.

The modified Dark Templar Psi-Blade technology is almost as deadly as their ability to remain permanently cloaked. Their awesome weapons deal heavy damage against any ground unit and with a sizeable group of Dark Templar, you can easily decimate enemy forces and structures. Be sure to gain every attack advantage by getting the Ground Weapon Upgrades at the Forge for the +3 to attack power for each level that it grants. A single, fully upgraded Dark Templar can deal a massive 49 points of damage with each stroke.

A few disadvantages, however, keep the Dark Templar from being the ultimate unit. The first is their inability to attack aerial units. As with Zealots, Dark Templar should be accompanied by Dragoons, Scouts, Corsairs or Carriers in the latter game to make sure the Dark Templar are not mercilessly picked off by enemy airborne units.

The biggest drawback for the Dark Templar is the cooldown time between their attacks. Even though the damage potential per swing of their Psi-blade is very high, each swing can only happen so fast. As a result, Dark Templar are vulnerable to attacks against mass enemy forces, particularly hordes of Zerglings with the Speed and Adrenal Gland Upgrades, or terran Marines with the Stim Pack upgrade.

[ Click to Enlarge - 74 KB ] Dark Templar are used to pull a sneak attack on the Aqua Dragoons using a single Dragoon as a decoy.	[ Click to Enlarge - 87 KB ] Dark Templars can act as ground based scouts. Use them to sneak a peek at an enemy base.
[ Click to Enlarge - 76 KB ] Use Dark Templar to watch well traveled locations. Here a Dark Templar spots an advancing enemy attack party.	[ Click to Enlarge - 80 KB ] Dark Templar catch an ill-prepared Terran player off guard and with no protection against the stealth attack.
[ Click to Enlarge - 85 KB ] The Dark Templar destroy the Missile Turret and Academy.	[ Click to Enlarge - 88 KB ] Eventually the Terrans get a Missile Turret up and the Dark Templar are discovered and dealt with.
[ Click to Enlarge - 88 KB ] Dark Templar stalk a Marine advance.	[ Click to Enlarge - 81 KB ] Dark Templar prevent a Terran Expansion.
[ Click to Enlarge - 71 KB ] Some Dark Templars rip apart an incoming Zerg attack.	[ Click to Enlarge - 102 KB ] With this many Overlords, those Dark Templar are easily spotted and destroyed by the Hydralisks.

Terrans:

• Use ComSat Station Scanner sweeps, walled off Missile Turrets, and Science Vessels to detect Dark Templar as detection is the key to stopping these assassins.
• Marines are very effective once the Dark Templar are detected.
• The fast moving Vulture can easily make hit and run attacks against the slow Dark Templar. Also, the Vulture's Spider Mines have the native ability to detect and attack cloaked units on the ground.
• Science Vessels are essential for mobile detection of the Dark Templar.

[ Click to Enlarge - 80 KB ] The Science Vessel spots the Dark Templar and it is slaughtered by the Marines.	[ Click to Enlarge - 75 KB ] Use Science Vessels to reveal and Irradiate the Dark Templar.

Protoss:

• Hit your enemy with Dark Templar before they hit you.
• Photon Cannons both detect and attack incoming Dark Templar.
• Use Observers on the offensive to detect defending enemy Dark Templar.
• The Psionic Storm of the High Templar will damage or destroy Dark Templars, whether or not an Observer or Photon Cannon has detected them.

[ Click to Enlarge - 95 KB ] An Observer reveals the Dark Templar, and the Dragoons finish it off.

Zerg:

• Make sure to bring several Overlords with the Speed upgrade along on all attacks. Overlords should patrol the perimeter of any of your own bases, and Overlords should be placed at crucial chokepoints to spot incoming attacks.
• The Ensnare ability of the Queen and the Plague ability of the Defiler will both reveal and hinder Dark Templar.
• Spore Colonies provide hard to destroy, static cloak detection for Zerg bases. Surround the Spore Colonies with Sunken Colonies to make it difficult for the Dark Templar to attack the detector.
• Once the Dark Templar are detected, use mass amounts of Zerglings that have the Speed and Adrenal Gland upgrades.

Summon Dark Archon

When two or more Dark Templar are selected, the option to summon a Dark Archon is made available. Once two Dark Templar begin merging in order to form a Dark Archon, the process cannot be reversed. The Dark Archon has no attack ability but has powerful special abilities at its command.

Look here for more information on the Dark Archon.