The Terrans are the most balanced of StarCraft's three races. A technological edge on the hordes of the Zerg, lower unit costs than the highly advanced Protoss, and very mobile forces make the Terrans a formidable opponent. However, poor unit management can quickly reduce the Terrans to Zerg Chow. This guide will help you understand how best to use your units to lead the Terrans to victory.

The basic unit of the Terran ground forces is the Marine. This unit is not as flashy as most, but it should form the backbone of your forces. The Marine's gun is as effective against air units as it is against ground, which makes it quite versatile. The most important thing to remember with Marines is to use them in groups - they are lightly armored and a single Marine can quickly become overrun. For a formidable base defense, create a network of bunkers manned by Marines. Conduct research to extend their range and improve their firepower, and your bunkers will pose a formidable obstacle to your attackers.

The limited range of fire and lack of air attack capability makes the Firebat a less versatile unit than the Marine. However, the Firebat packs an awesome punch from close in. Use Firebats to quickly bring down enemy structures or defensively in bunkers. If you mix Marines and Firebats in your bunkers, you will have an awesome one-two punch against attackers. This is particularly effective against the Zerg when you are faced with large rushes of Zerglings.

Next we come to the Ghost. This is a special unit with some unique capabilities that make it quite powerful. Use its cloaking ability to enter an enemy base and target a building for a nuke strike. The damage will be quite impressive. Just watch out for those units with detectors (e.g. Observers), they can see your Ghosts and let other units open fire on them. Ghosts also have an ability to "lockdown" enemy mechanized units. This is very useful for defense - keep a Ghost in your base to slowdown an enemy attack until you can rush other units to the defense.

The Vulture is a high speed attack vehicle. Use this speed to your advantage by using Vultures as quick-response defenders. A group of Vultures can be quickly dispatched to the far reaches of your base, either stopping the attack or delaying it until additional help can arrive. Vultures also have a special weapon that is a big asset to your defense - the spider mine. Drop spider mines around the perimeter of your base - both to stop would-be attackers in their path and serve as a warning of an approaching attack.

The Goliath is a very powerful unit - it has high attack ratings against both ground and air units. Keep a few around with your ground troops for excellent air defense. In turn, these units will help protect your Goliaths, since their slow speed makes them vulnerable to swarming attacks.

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