A lot of people have been asking me about the single player campaign and what decisions I made for the Zerg and Protoss investigation while trying to beat the game in brutal mode. First of all, I have to say that taking on Brutal mode in Starcraft 2 is not an easy task, to say the least. I’m going to show you what, in my opinion, is the best research path to follow when trying to conquer a brutal difficulty.
Zerg Research:
Tier 1: The first choice is between Shrike Turrets, which places an automated turret in each bunker (which basically does an extra marine’s damage) or Fortified Bunkers, which is an extra +150 health in each bunker. Personally I chose Shrike Turrets simply because the best defense is good offense and I usually keep extra SCVs around my defensive wall for quick repairs and once you have the Dual-Fusion Welders upgrade it makes the extra hit points a complete waste. of technology. Having 2 Bunkers (upgraded with Neosteel Bunker) with Shrike Turrets increases the damage of 14 marines, which is about 84 DPS or damage per second. That’s a good defense against Bunkers who can take a beating longer.
Winner: Shrike Turrets
Level 2: The second option is between the Perdition Turret and the Planetary Fortress, which equips a command center with Twin Ibiks Cannons that pump out 40 splash damage at a decent range and increase armor by 3, which is actually a greater amount than 3 sounds . For me, the doom turret, which actually does massive area damage, is a complete and utter gimmick. The defense provided by these turrets is completely overshadowed by the damage of fully upgraded bunkers with some siege tanks behind them. It’s the same tactic I used in Starcraft 1 and I used the exact same tactic in Starcraft 2. If something ain’t broke, why fix it? The Planetary Fortress is a great addition to any defensive wall, and I particularly found this very useful in the All In final mission, as well as others.
Winner: Planetary Fortress
Level 3: The third option is between the Hercules class freighter and the Predator. I had a hard time making up my mind here because with the techniques I use, both are next to useless, but since you have to pick one, I’d go with the Hercules. I honestly have no idea how they expected you to use the Predator because when you research it you’re usually using air units for the majority of what’s left in the campaign. At least with the Hercules it makes missions like The Moebius Factor 10 times easier and is also perfect for leaving your medic/marauder/marine squads behind enemy lines without risking losing any units if it’s destroyed.
Winner: Hercules
Level 4: The fourth option is between Cellular Reactor, which causes specialized units to start with +100 energy and receive an additional +100 energy when spawned, and Regenerative Bio-Steel, which allows your ships and vehicles to slowly regain health. While Cellular Reactor seems like an awesome option, most levels are not time constrained and if you have some patience (which you obviously do or wouldn’t even dream of taking this game to brutal) it doesn’t become all that useful. Regenerative Bio-Steel keeps your units in the battle longer and allows you to return faster, especially when combined with Science Vessels.
Winner: Regenerative Biosteel
level 5: The final choice between Psi-Disrupter (which constantly slows all nearby Zerg by 50% within its radius) and the Hive Mind Emulator (which allows you to mind control any Zerg unit permanently) is a matter of personal preference. However, I found the psychic disruptor to be the biggest asset slowing down the zerg to take an extreme beating from my super bunkers and siege tanks and stopping them before they actually get to me is much better than controlling just one in my opinion. Ultralisk or Broodlord. or whatever you want except Kerrigan, of course. Hive Mind Emulator requires additional micro-skills that I wasn’t willing to waste when dealing with the harshness and speed of brutal difficulty.
Winner: Psi-Disruptor