Co-op Commander Guide: Vorazun Text by TL.net ESPORTS Graphics by Jester

















Overview

Vorazun, Matriarch of the Nerazim and daughter of Raszagal, commands a wide array of elusive Nerazim forces. Specializing in crowd control and cloaked units, she is capable of striking from the shadows and annihilating the enemy before they can muster any response.



Vorazun is best suited for experienced players, as the wide range of tools available to her requires some finesse and knowledge to make full use of. However, beginners can still find success by focusing on her units' staggering burst-damage potential.



Vorazun, Matriarch of the Nerazim and daughter of Raszagal, commands a wide array of elusive Nerazim forces. Specializing in crowd control and cloaked units, she is capable of striking from the shadows and annihilating the enemy before they can muster any response.Vorazun is best suited for experienced players, as the wide range of tools available to her requires some finesse and knowledge to make full use of. However, beginners can still find success by focusing on her units' staggering burst-damage potential. Strengths

Crowd Control: Vorazun has access to the highest number of crowd control abilities out of any commander. Centurions, Dark Templar, Dark Archons, Corsairs, and Oracles all possess a variety of crowd control abilities. On top of that, her Spear of Adun Black Hole and Time Stop abilities stand amongst the most powerful abilities available to any commander, and can completely disable entire armies of even the most dangerous enemy units - including Hybrid.



Anti-Ground Burst Damage: Dark Templar possess incredible anti-ground burst damage with their Shadow Fury ability, and can often obliterate attack waves before they have a chance to retaliate.



Weaknesses

Poor Mineral Dump: Vorazun’s most efficient units - the Dark Templar, Corsair, and Void Ray - all suffer from high gas costs. This leaves her with a significant surplus of minerals without any real purpose, as Vorazun’s mineral sinks (Cannons and Centurions) are situational and lacklustre.



Short Range: Vorazun’s primary anti-ground unit, the Dark Templar, is a melee unit. Similarly, her primary anti-air unit, the Corsair, possesses short range. This leaves her primary units vulnerable to certain enemy units and mutators that are especially effective against close-ranged units.



Situational Anti-Air: Vorazun’s primary anti-air unit, the Corsair, has trouble dealing with armored air units outside of Black Hole, at least before they have reached a critical mass. Meanwhile, Stalkers are useful in the early-game to pick off occasional enemy air units, but struggle to deal with masses of air units later on. Void Rays are viable all-purpose units that fare reasonably well against most air units, but they are very expensive and have a long ramp-up time.











Suggested Unit Compositions



Dark Templar/Corsair:



This should be the default composition for most situations and is the composition that synergizes best with her two primary spells - Black Hole and Time Stop. Having a fully-cloaked army is also a great advantage, as you can simply snipe enemy detectors, which will trick cloaked enemy units such as Ghosts and Banshees to decloak. However, the gas you use to build Corsairs and research their upgrades is gas that is not going into fielding more Dark Templar, therefore lowering your anti-ground burst potential. Photon Cannons and Centurions can be used as mineral dumps since you will be floating a lot of minerals, but neither are excellent options. A Corsair-heavy variant of this composition is generally the best choice against enemy air compositions, as a single Black Hole allows the Corsairs’ splash attacks to both ignore armor and splash all the enemy air units caught in the Black Hole.





Dark Templar + Stalker:



The Stalker is an alternative anti-air unit to the Corsair. Stalkers are relatively gas-light compared to the Corsair and do not require a Stargate, Fleet Beacon, or Air upgrades. By saving this gas, you are left with more gas with which you can produce additional Dark Templar. And as Dark Templar are one of the best anti-ground units in the game, this composition works well if you are facing heavy ground opposition with only a few enemy air units. However, you will to have to actively micro your Stalkers in order to keep them alive, as their lack of cloaking leaves them vulnerable.





Mass Void Ray:

Mass Void Ray is an alternative to Dark Templar-based strategies that trades the Dark Templar’s shorter ramp-up time and higher anti-ground burst damage for increased versatility. At maximum supply, it’s just as powerful as a Dark Templar/Corsair army, but it’s noticeably weaker before reaching a certain critical mass. It can be a robust option against anti-melee units such as Volatile Infested on Miner Evacuation, or against anti-melee mutators such as Mutually Assured Destruction. Note that Void Rays are not cloaked and do not benefit from Vorazun’s cloaking bonuses, but you can make use of the Dark Pylon’s cloaking field to give them these bonuses, something that is especially useful in a defensive situation. This should be the default composition for most situations and is the composition that synergizes best with her two primary spells - Black Hole and Time Stop. Having a fully-cloaked army is also a great advantage, as you can simply snipe enemy detectors, which will trick cloaked enemy units such as Ghosts and Banshees to decloak. However, the gas you use to build Corsairs and research their upgrades is gas that is not going into fielding more Dark Templar, therefore lowering your anti-ground burst potential. Photon Cannons and Centurions can be used as mineral dumps since you will be floating a lot of minerals, but neither are excellent options. A Corsair-heavy variant of this composition is generally the best choice against enemy air compositions, as a single Black Hole allows the Corsairs’ splash attacks to both ignore armor and splash all the enemy air units caught in the Black Hole.The Stalker is an alternative anti-air unit to the Corsair. Stalkers are relatively gas-light compared to the Corsair and do not require a Stargate, Fleet Beacon, or Air upgrades. By saving this gas, you are left with more gas with which you can produce additional Dark Templar. And as Dark Templar are one of the best anti-ground units in the game, this composition works well if you are facing heavy ground opposition with only a few enemy air units. However, you will to have to actively micro your Stalkers in order to keep them alive, as their lack of cloaking leaves them vulnerable.Mass Void Ray is an alternative to Dark Templar-based strategies that trades the Dark Templar’s shorter ramp-up time and higher anti-ground burst damage for increased versatility. At maximum supply, it’s just as powerful as a Dark Templar/Corsair army, but it’s noticeably weaker before reaching a certain critical mass. It can be a robust option against anti-melee units such as Volatile Infested on Miner Evacuation, or against anti-melee mutators such as Mutually Assured Destruction. Note that Void Rays are not cloaked and do not benefit from Vorazun’s cloaking bonuses, but you can make use of the Dark Pylon’s cloaking field to give them these bonuses, something that is especially useful in a defensive situation.







General Tips Always use Shadow Guard to clear your expansion. On some maps, you’ll want to delay your first cast of Shadow Guard in order to clear both the rocks and first enemy wave.



While it seems counter-intuitive, it is usually correct to “burn” the first Time Stop as soon as it becomes available at 4 minutes into the game - on most maps, at least - even though your army is not ready yet. This is due to the way Time Stop pauses the progress of all objective and enemy spawn timers, providing both players with 20 seconds of free income and tech progress. This can be invaluable in ensuring certain power spikes, such as the Dark Templar’s Shadow Fury upgrade, can be acquired before high levels of enemy resistance are met.



Against air compositions, combining a few Corsairs with the use of Black Hole will result in most air units being rapidly torn asunder thanks to the combination of armor reduction from Black Hole and splash damage from your fleet of Corsairs. If you expect to face heavy air opposition, save most of your energy for the use of Black Hole, as Corsairs can be found lacking when forced to engage an enemy fleet without it.



The Dark Shrine should be built as soon as possible (around 3:50) if you plan on using Dark Templar at any point during the game. Vorazun’s other Gateway units are weak and should be skipped entirely whenever possible. Vorazun’s excellent top-bar abilities can help to cover for her weak early-game while teching up to Dark Templar, but at times you will have to depend on your ally for early defense. Reduce this downtime where you have no reliable army as much as possible by staying on top of your early-game macro.



The Dark Templar’s Shadow Fury ability is essential and should be researched as soon as your Dark Shrine finishes. When fighting enemy waves without Time Stop or Black Hole, rely on Shadow Fury to let your Dark Templar destroy the incoming units. When facing dangerous ground units with splash damage such as Reavers or Banelings, you should reserve their Blink ability for retreating to a safe distance in order to allow your Shadow Fury cooldown to reset. In other situations, you may want to use your Blink to move your Dark Templar forward aggressively in order to get more out of your Shadow Fury cooldown.

















Calldown and Unit Overview



Calldowns



25 energy



The Dark Pylon is a versatile calldown and one of Vorazun’s more difficult skills to master. In addition to cloaking your units and producing an energy field, Dark Pylons also provide supply, which is especially useful in the early-game. If you have points in Vorazun’s Spear of Adun energy mastery, calling down a Dark Pylon at the start of every match greatly accelerates the early stages of your build. In the mid to late-game, additional Dark Pylons can be placed at strategic locations in order to provide Vorazun’s army with Recalls for additional mobility. Their power fields can also be used to reinforce, warping in units at forward locations. With mastery points in Dark Pylon Range, the cloaking field can be useful for protecting bases and granting non-cloaked units additional damage and survivability. Finally, Dark Pylons can be used along with walls of Photon Cannons or allied static defenses, providing Vorazun an above average defensive option.

The Dark Pylon is a versatile calldown and one of Vorazun’s more difficult skills to master. In addition to cloaking your units and producing an energy field, Dark Pylons also provide supply, which is especially useful in the early-game. If you have points in Vorazun’s Spear of Adun energy mastery, calling down a Dark Pylon at the start of every match greatly accelerates the early stages of your build. In the mid to late-game, additional Dark Pylons can be placed at strategic locations in order to provide Vorazun’s army with Recalls for additional mobility. Their power fields can also be used to reinforce, warping in units at forward locations. With mastery points in Dark Pylon Range, the cloaking field can be useful for protecting bases and granting non-cloaked units additional damage and survivability. Finally, Dark Pylons can be used along with walls of Photon Cannons or allied static defenses, providing Vorazun an above average defensive option.

25 energy



Black Hole completely disables all enemy units trapped within its area of effect for 8 seconds (up to 12.8 seconds with mastery), dragging them to the center of the effect. Affected enemies are reduced to 0 armor, allowing Corsairs in particular to overcome the weakness of their fast, low-damaging splash attack. Precise and liberal use of Black Hole allows for both players to come out of engagements with zero losses at any stage of the game, making it an important aspect of Vorazun to master its use. Special care should be taken to identify times when the ability could be used to assist your ally when they are operating apart from your own army.

Black Hole completely disables all enemy units trapped within its area of effect for 8 seconds (up to 12.8 seconds with mastery), dragging them to the center of the effect. Affected enemies are reduced to 0 armor, allowing Corsairs in particular to overcome the weakness of their fast, low-damaging splash attack. Precise and liberal use of Black Hole allows for both players to come out of engagements with zero losses at any stage of the game, making it an important aspect of Vorazun to master its use. Special care should be taken to identify times when the ability could be used to assist your ally when they are operating apart from your own army.



50 energy

57.84 DPS x 4

Shadow Fury: 100/(175 vs light) x 4 damage,15 second cooldown

3 minute cooldown



The Shadow Guard consists of four Elite Dark Templar that come with all their abilities unlocked. It is your primary source of early game damage before an army can be built and should usually be called down as soon as it becomes available. Generally, it is used to clear the first wave of enemies as well as your expansion rocks or the enemies defending your expansion. Unfortunately, the Shadow Guard doesn’t scale particularly well as the game goes on, leaving Black Hole and Dark Pylon as more efficient ways to spend energy from the midgame and onwards. You should typically never summon the Shadow Guard more than one or two times throughout the game, unless you are floating an abundance of unspent energy.

The Shadow Guard consists of four Elite Dark Templar that come with all their abilities unlocked. It is your primary source of early game damage before an army can be built and should usually be called down as soon as it becomes available. Generally, it is used to clear the first wave of enemies as well as your expansion rocks or the enemies defending your expansion. Unfortunately, the Shadow Guard doesn’t scale particularly well as the game goes on, leaving Black Hole and Dark Pylon as more efficient ways to spend energy from the midgame and onwards. You should typically never summon the Shadow Guard more than one or two times throughout the game, unless you are floating an abundance of unspent energy.



4 minute cooldown



An overwhelmingly powerful base pushing ability that borders on cheating. Time Stop protects both players’ armies by providing an enormous period of map-wide enemy lockdown, stopping all enemy units from taking any action and even pausing the timer on mission objectives and wave spawns (except Trains on Oblivion Express and Shuttles on Void Launch). Care should be taken to coordinate the use of this ability with your ally, lest they be caught by surprise and left unable to take advantage of Time Stop’s massive benefits. Plan around casting each Time Stop as soon as it comes off cooldown, as it provides 20 seconds of both free attacking and free income/tech by delaying attack waves and objectives - the more you use it, the more benefits you will reap.

An overwhelmingly powerful base pushing ability that borders on cheating. Time Stop protects both players’ armies by providing an enormous period of map-wide enemy lockdown, stopping all enemy units from taking any action and even pausing the timer on mission objectives and wave spawns (except Trains on Oblivion Express and Shuttles on Void Launch). Care should be taken to coordinate the use of this ability with your ally, lest they be caught by surprise and left unable to take advantage of Time Stop’s massive benefits. Plan around casting each Time Stop as soon as it comes off cooldown, as it provides 20 seconds of both free attacking and free income/tech by delaying attack waves and objectives - the more you use it, the more benefits you will reap.



Units and Buildings



13.33 DPS at 0/0



As a melee unit with an upgraded Zealot charge that stuns nearby enemies, the Centurion’s role in Vorazun’s army is directly in conflict with that of the Dark Templar, which can already annihilate most ground units in the blink of an eye. Adding Centurions to a Dark Templar-based army is often a waste of resources, even as a mineral dump, as they add little of substance to Vorazun’s combat strength. Additionally, they are not cloaked, leaving them vulnerable to dying by the droves. They’re better used in combination with Stalkers or Dark Archons, but you rarely want those units in the first place. As a melee unit with an upgraded Zealot charge that stuns nearby enemies, the Centurion’s role in Vorazun’s army is directly in conflict with that of the Dark Templar, which can already annihilate most ground units in the blink of an eye. Adding Centurions to a Dark Templar-based army is often a waste of resources, even as a mineral dump, as they add little of substance to Vorazun’s combat strength. Additionally, they are not cloaked, leaving them vulnerable to dying by the droves. They’re better used in combination with Stalkers or Dark Archons, but you rarely want those units in the first place.

6.94/(9.72 vs armored) DPS



Vorazun’s cheap anti-air unit. Useful when there are few enemy air units, as they are much cheaper than Corsairs in terms of gas investment. They are also better at dealing single-target damage to large armored air units (such as the Pirate Ships on Rifts to Korhal and air Hybrids) than Corsairs. Unfortunately, they lack the cloaking advantages afforded to Dark Templar and Corsairs and their raw stats are hardly impressive, so you should not depend too heavily upon them. Vorazun’s cheap anti-air unit. Useful when there are few enemy air units, as they are much cheaper than Corsairs in terms of gas investment. They are also better at dealing single-target damage to large armored air units (such as the Pirate Ships on Rifts to Korhal and air Hybrids) than Corsairs. Unfortunately, they lack the cloaking advantages afforded to Dark Templar and Corsairs and their raw stats are hardly impressive, so you should not depend too heavily upon them.

30.62 DPS



Vorazun’s core unit and her primary source of anti-ground damage. Shadow Fury tears apart attack waves and enemy defenses, while Blink can be used to get out of risky situations or instantly engage in melee. Void Stasis can be used to disable dangerous non-heroic ground units such as Reavers, but is often unnecessary. One important thing to note is that Dark Templar are completely invincible while they are executing Shadow Fury, which comes in handy for dealing with certain mutators. Vorazun’s core unit and her primary source of anti-ground damage. Shadow Fury tears apart attack waves and enemy defenses, while Blink can be used to get out of risky situations or instantly engage in melee. Void Stasis can be used to disable dangerous non-heroic ground units such as Reavers, but is often unnecessary. One important thing to note is that Dark Templar are completely invincible while they are executing Shadow Fury, which comes in handy for dealing with certain mutators.

10.29 DPS



Dark Archons are spellcasters with access to an exceptionally potent set of crowd control abilities. Confusion turns your enemies against each other, temporarily adding their DPS to your army, while Mind Control permanently steals control of any non-heroic enemy unit (except the Ultralisk). The major downside is that they are incredibly expensive and don’t have passive cloaking. If you plan on producing Dark Archons, you are often left with little gas to spend on other units. As a result, using Dark Archons severely limits the burst-damage potential that Vorazun’s army typically possesses, resulting in a much longer time to clear each wave. Dark Archons are spellcasters with access to an exceptionally potent set of crowd control abilities. Confusion turns your enemies against each other, temporarily adding their DPS to your army, while Mind Control permanently steals control of any non-heroic enemy unit (except the Ultralisk). The major downside is that they are incredibly expensive and don’t have passive cloaking. If you plan on producing Dark Archons, you are often left with little gas to spend on other units. As a result, using Dark Archons severely limits the burst-damage potential that Vorazun’s army typically possesses, resulting in a much longer time to clear each wave.

10.45/(20.91 vs light) DPS



Vorazun’s go-to anti-air unit - Corsairs come with a powerful crowd control ability in the form of Disruption Web, which disables enemy ground units in an area. Corsairs deal splash damage, and excel at shredding clumped-up air units. Due to the nature of their splash damage, they tend to be more effective against attack waves than against base defenses. They synergize well with Black Hole’s simultaneous gathering of enemy units and armor nullification. Their Stealth Drive upgrade should be prioritized and preferably completed before using the Corsairs in combat, so that they can benefit from the enhanced survivability and damage provided by Vorazun’s passive cloaking abilities. On the other hand, the Disruption Web upgrade is useful but not crucial, owing to the superior burst damage of Dark Templar. As Corsairs tend to clump up easily, they are especially vulnerable to the Viper’s Parasitic Bomb and the Raven’s Seeker Missile - keep an eye out for these abilities and try to move the afflicted unit away from the group quickly. Vorazun’s go-to anti-air unit - Corsairs come with a powerful crowd control ability in the form of Disruption Web, which disables enemy ground units in an area. Corsairs deal splash damage, and excel at shredding clumped-up air units. Due to the nature of their splash damage, they tend to be more effective against attack waves than against base defenses. They synergize well with Black Hole’s simultaneous gathering of enemy units and armor nullification. Their Stealth Drive upgrade should be prioritized and preferably completed before using the Corsairs in combat, so that they can benefit from the enhanced survivability and damage provided by Vorazun’s passive cloaking abilities. On the other hand, the Disruption Web upgrade is useful but not crucial, owing to the superior burst damage of Dark Templar. As Corsairs tend to clump up easily, they are especially vulnerable to the Viper’s Parasitic Bomb and the Raven’s Seeker Missile - keep an eye out for these abilities and try to move the afflicted unit away from the group quickly.

12.00/(20.00 vs armored) DPS (initial)

12.00/(32.00 vs armored) DPS (sustained)



Void Rays are expensive, powerful air units that perform equally well against air and ground targets, but do better against armored enemies - something that benefits them in Co-op, as most dangerous enemies are armored. Void Rays are not cloaked and do not benefit from Vorazun’s cloaking bonuses, so they are best used within a Dark Pylon’s cloaking field in a defensive situation. Void Rays have good range, single-target damage, and, most importantly, an air-to-ground attack. This makes them a viable choice in situations where Dark Templar are weak, such as against Volatile Infested on Miner Evacuation or against Reaver compositions. Void Rays are expensive, powerful air units that perform equally well against air and ground targets, but do better against armored enemies - something that benefits them in Co-op, as most dangerous enemies are armored. Void Rays are not cloaked and do not benefit from Vorazun’s cloaking bonuses, so they are best used within a Dark Pylon’s cloaking field in a defensive situation. Void Rays have good range, single-target damage, and, most importantly, an air-to-ground attack. This makes them a viable choice in situations where Dark Templar are weak, such as against Volatile Infested on Miner Evacuation or against Reaver compositions.

17.44/(29.07 vs light) DPS



An aerial spellcaster that functions as Vorazun’s mobile detection. Possesses the Stasis Ward ability that can be upgraded to allow trapped enemy units to be vulnerable to attacks. While powerful in theory, this requires time to set up and doesn’t have an impressive radius. As the crowd control capability of Stasis Ward heavily overlaps with that of Black Hole and Time Stop, which are much more reliable methods of disabling enemies, the Oracle is usually built only for its detection. Should an Oracle be required, it should be carefully microed as it will otherwise be easily killed by the enemy due to its fast movement speed and lack of cloaking. The Oracle should follow either a Corsair, Stalker, or Void Ray depending on the composition you are using. The Oracle’s Pulsar Beam attack is mostly useless as it costs too much energy and draws enemy aggression - if you want to spend the Oracle’s energy, spend it on Stasis Wards.

An aerial spellcaster that functions as Vorazun’s mobile detection. Possesses the Stasis Ward ability that can be upgraded to allow trapped enemy units to be vulnerable to attacks. While powerful in theory, this requires time to set up and doesn’t have an impressive radius. As the crowd control capability of Stasis Ward heavily overlaps with that of Black Hole and Time Stop, which are much more reliable methods of disabling enemies, the Oracle is usually built only for its detection. Should an Oracle be required, it should be carefully microed as it will otherwise be easily killed by the enemy due to its fast movement speed and lack of cloaking. The Oracle should follow either a Corsair, Stalker, or Void Ray depending on the composition you are using. The Oracle’s Pulsar Beam attack is mostly useless as it costs too much energy and draws enemy aggression - if you want to spend the Oracle’s energy, spend it on Stasis Wards.

16.00 DPS



Photon Cannons can be built as defensive tools to either protect Dark Pylons or for detection at certain key locations. These are generally a better mineral dump option than Centurions.

Photon Cannons can be built as defensive tools to either protect Dark Pylons or for detection at certain key locations. These are generally a better mineral dump option than Centurions. In-depth



Build Order

The following build is recommended on maps where your natural is blocked by Rocks. For all other maps, refer to the map-specific section and the attached replays.

13 Dark Pylon



Dark Pylon 15 Assimilator



Assimilator 16 Assimilator



Assimilator 17 Gateway



Gateway 19 Forge (Optional)



Forge (Optional) 20 Pylon



Pylon 22 Cybernetics Core (Research Warp Gate)



Cybernetics Core (Research Warp Gate) 25 Twilight Council



Twilight Council - Cast Shadow Guard at 3 minutes to destroy the gas rocks first, followed by the main rock



Cast Shadow Guard at 3 minutes to destroy the gas rocks first, followed by the main rock 26 Assimilator



Assimilator 26 Assimilator



Assimilator 27 Nexus



Nexus 28 Dark Shrine (Chrono Boost for the research of Shadow Fury)

A few notes:

There are many maps on which it's useful to delay casting your first Shadow Guard in order to clear the first enemy attack wave as well. Refer to the map-specific section for details.



The optional Forge should only be built if you're not planning on building Stargate units; otherwise, delay building this Forge until you have a substantial number of Dark Templar.



A fast Stargate after the Cybernetics Core should usually be built if opting for Corsairs. Two Stargates instead of a Twilight Council can be built if opting for Mass Void Rays.



With Dark Templar-based builds, add 1-2 Gateways before building your Dark Shrine - enough to make sure you can still build your Dark Shrine on time.

The following build is recommended on maps where your natural is blocked by Rocks. For all other maps, refer to the map-specific section and the attached replays.A few notes:

Masteries

Power Set 1: Dark Pylon Range (+2% - +60%)



Black Hole Duration (+2% - +60%) Both options are equally viable. Dark Pylon Range is best used in combination with a non-cloaked army or defense, such as with mass Void Rays or for cloaking the structures of a defensive ally. It can also be used in certain mutations to cloak the entire base and surrounding the Dark Pylon fully with buildings, leaving melee enemies unable to reach the Dark Pylon. On the other hand, Black Hole Duration can be very useful in the early-game or against tough mutators that buff the enemy units - the extra duration is especially handy against Hybrid Nemeses that Corsairs otherwise have trouble dealing with.



Power Set 2 Shadow Guard Duration (+0.5 sec - +15 sec)



Time Stop Unit Speed Increase (+1% - +30%) Shadow Guard Duration is generally not very useful, as the calldown is seldom used past the early-game. In this guide, we recommend that you never use more than two casts of Shadow Guard throughout the game - with that in mind, this mastery effectively amounts to an extra 30 seconds of Shadow Guard. On the contrary, Time Stop Unit Speed Increase provides a substantial DPS boost for both players’ armies whenever Time Stop is used, which should be early and often.



Power Set 3: Chrono Boost Efficiency (+1% - +30%)



Initial and Maximum Spear of Adun Energy: (+3 - +90) There are two schools of thought here. Some players prefer 30 points in the Spear of Adun Energy mastery, which provides greater initial Spear of Adun energy and therefore more liberal use of Vorazun’s powerful abilities. This can be useful for shoring up Vorazun’s early-game weaknesses, and allows you to assist your ally more easily. Other players prefer a 22/8 mastery point split, with 8 mastery points in Spear of Adun energy to provide sufficient energy for both an initial Dark Pylon and the first cast of Shadow Guard at 3 minutes into the game. Having more mastery points in Chrono Boost allows for faster research, which is especially important in the case of the crucial Shadow Fury upgrade for Dark Templar and Stealth Drive upgrade for the Corsair. Also, Chrono Boosting the Starport can possibly allow you to produce Corsairs out of one Stargate instead of two, or can be used to speed up Forge and/or Cybernetics Core upgrades. However, this 22/8 mastery split should be used by more experienced players only, as this necessitates efficient usage of Vorazun’s abilities during the early-game as well as extra attention paid to tight macro play. Both options are equally viable. Dark Pylon Range is best used in combination with a non-cloaked army or defense, such as with mass Void Rays or for cloaking the structures of a defensive ally. It can also be used in certain mutations to cloak the entire base and surrounding the Dark Pylon fully with buildings, leaving melee enemies unable to reach the Dark Pylon. On the other hand, Black Hole Duration can be very useful in the early-game or against tough mutators that buff the enemy units - the extra duration is especially handy against Hybrid Nemeses that Corsairs otherwise have trouble dealing with.Shadow Guard Duration is generally not very useful, as the calldown is seldom used past the early-game. In this guide, we recommend that you never use more than two casts of Shadow Guard throughout the game - with that in mind, this mastery effectively amounts to an extra 30 seconds of Shadow Guard. On the contrary, Time Stop Unit Speed Increase provides a substantial DPS boost for both players’ armies whenever Time Stop is used, which should be early and often.There are two schools of thought here. Some players prefer 30 points in the Spear of Adun Energy mastery, which provides greater initial Spear of Adun energy and therefore more liberal use of Vorazun’s powerful abilities. This can be useful for shoring up Vorazun’s early-game weaknesses, and allows you to assist your ally more easily. Other players prefer a 22/8 mastery point split, with 8 mastery points in Spear of Adun energy to provide sufficient energy for both an initial Dark Pylon and the first cast of Shadow Guard at 3 minutes into the game. Having more mastery points in Chrono Boost allows for faster research, which is especially important in the case of the crucial Shadow Fury upgrade for Dark Templar and Stealth Drive upgrade for the Corsair. Also, Chrono Boosting the Starport can possibly allow you to produce Corsairs out of one Stargate instead of two, or can be used to speed up Forge and/or Cybernetics Core upgrades. However, this 22/8 mastery split should be used by more experienced players only, as this necessitates efficient usage of Vorazun’s abilities during the early-game as well as extra attention paid to tight macro play.



Synergies





















Raynor Vorazun’s Emergency Recall can save cloaked Banshees and Dusk Wings, but this is generally not a huge draw. The Dark Pylon’s Recall can help Raynor’s army greatly with mobility.

Kerrigan Vorazun’s Emergency Recall and Strike from the Shadows have great synergy with Lurkers. Kerrigan can also burrow units that are near death, thus saving them via Emergency Recall - this is especially useful for Kerrigan herself.

Artanis When paired with Artanis, Vorazun gets two layers of protection for her cloaked units, giving them incredible sustainability. Vorazun can also make use of Artanis’ Projected Power Field. Orbital Strike and Black Hole synergize well together by allowing you to deal an impressive amount of damage to a clumped up enemy wave, but this requires coordination.

Swann Swann's Vespene Harvesters allow Vorazun to spend her resources more evenly in order to amass even more Dark Templar, Corsairs, and Void Rays. Vorazun can cloak Swann’s static defense, offering significant protection to them. Note that structures do not benefit from Vorazun’s 15% damage increase to cloaked units, but Siege Tanks certainly do. An early Time Stop is also a boon to Swann, who greatly appreciates an extra 20 seconds to ramp up his army.

Zagara Zagara’s early aggression allows Vorazun to safely reach a critical mass of units. Vorazun should be able to take over from mid-game as Zagara starts to become less effective. Time Stop can keep Zagara relevant in the late-game as Zagara will not lose units for its duration.

Karax Orbital Strike and Black Hole synergize well together by allowing you to deal an impressive amount of damage to a clumped up enemy wave, but this requires coordination. Karax’s Repair Beam is able to heal Vorazun’s air units.

Abathur Toxic Nests can be quickly placed inside a Black Hole cast by Vorazun, giving you the potential for a massive Biomass pay-off from enemies caught within the effect. Brutalisks and Devourers benefit greatly from the Black Hole as well due to their splash damage. Abathur can also provide much-needed healing to Vorazun’s army.

Alarak Alarak’s Hero unit and Structure Overcharge can control the early-game while Vorazun powers up. Dark Pylons assist in the mobility of Alarak’s slow-moving army.

Nova Since Nova has access to several cloaked units and her Raven Type-II’s Bio-Mechanical Repair Drone can be upgraded to cloak the units they are healing, a good percentage of Nova’s units will benefit from Vorazun’s cloaking advantages.

Stukov If Stukov is investing heavily in biological units, he can gift his expansion gas geysers to Vorazun, allowing her to mass her gas-heavy units more easily.

Fenix Emergency Recall, Strike from the Shadows, and Veil of Shadows make the Cybros Arbiter’s Cloaking Field more useful.

Dehaka Dehaka’s Hero unit and calldowns dominate the early-game, ensuring that Vorazun is able to tech up and amass units at her leisure.



Map-Specific Tips























Chain of Ascension Delay your first Shadow Guard until 3:30. This will allow you time to both clear your expansion, the first mini-wave that assaults Ji’nara, and the first attack wave that comes for your base from one of the sides.



Use your first Time Stop at 4:00. You won’t need it again until after 8:00.



Use Black Hole on the second enemy wave to back up your units. It’s an exceptionally strong wave that may cause you a lot of trouble if it’s an air wave and your ally doesn’t contribute.



Time Stop or Black Hole should ideally be used to clear each of the Hybrid spawns and the two major bases in Ji’nara’s path. Generally, Time Stop works best for clearing the bases as the units are rather scattered, while Black Hole deals well with the concentrated Hybrid spawns. You should still aim to use Time Stop as often as possible - don’t hold onto it unnecessarily.



Placing a Dark Pylon in the middle of the map near your expansion allows you to Recall your army to defend against the stream of small attack waves headed for Ji’nara, as well as Recall them after each fight with the Hybrid spawns.



The Slayn Elemental is a difficult bonus for Vorazun. A combination of Stalkers and Black Hole is your best bet against this threat. Blink the Stalkers away before the Cocoons land on them. Corsairs can still work, but they take more time to kill the Slayn Elemental, while Void Rays are an investment you may not want to make if you plan on clearing the map quickly.

Dead of Night Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. It won’t be needed until after 8:00 at the start of Day 2.



This is a good map for liberal use of Shadow Guard, therefore making the Shadow Guard Duration mastery useful. Black Holes are not as helpful on this map as the attacking units form a constant stream instead of the usual concentrated attack waves on other maps. Similarly, you only need one or two Dark Pylons in your base. Aim to use Shadow Guard every Day, preferably in combination with Time Stop in order to maximize their damage output.



At the beginning of the game, place your first Dark Pylon such that it covers the front choke of your base. Place your structures to wall off the choke, leaving a gap open. Add Photon Cannons behind this wall.



If your ally is able to defend Night 1 on their own, you can cast the first Summon Shadow Guard at 3:20 to start clearing out the units/buildings even during Day 1. Delaying your Shadow Guard allows you to also take care of the first Special Infested. Otherwise, hold off on the use of this ability until the Infested start streaming in.



Dark Templar are key to not only clearing during the Day but also for defending during the Night, except on Night 1. They are extremely efficient at clearing the Infested Structures both Day and Night - be aggressive and amass an army of Dark Templar instead of turtling up. A few Dark Templar can also be placed at the gaps leading into your base and ordered to hold position - they’ll cut down any Infested that try to crawl in.



All Special Infested are detectors. Take care when pushing during the night with Dark Templar.



Against Spotters, be sure to build more Pylons and Photon Cannons in order to distract them. Against Kaboomers, Dark Templar will suffer heavy losses if you A-move into them. Engage Kaboomers only with Shadow Fury, or use Black Hole to disable them.



If your ally is willing to fully defend the base at Night, continue to push with your Dark Templar. However, keep an eye on the base and be ready to assist your ally by casting Black Hole, Recalling your army, or warping in some Dark Templar.



Corsairs are unnecessary on this map as there are very few air units. Instead, rely on Stalkers for anti-air and a single Oracle for detection. However, it is worth noting that these units are not strictly necessary, as it is often more efficient to Blink the Dark Templar from place to place to clear the Infested structures only, bypassing air units and other base defenses entirely. Bases that are heavily defended by air or invisible units can be handled with Black Hole or Time Stop. This requires some game knowledge however, so use this strategy at your own risk.



Should you need to defend the base on your own, build up your Photon Cannon count at the southwestern entrance by Night 2 and defend that choke with only Photon Cannons. Wall off the northeastern Choke with Gateways and defend it using your Dark Templar. Build Photon Cannons to defend the northeast if Spotters spawn on Night 2.

Lock & Load Delay your first Summon Shadow Guard until 3:30, which will allow you to clear the units at the first Celestial Lock and the first enemy wave.



Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. You won’t need it until after 8:00.



Place a Dark Pylon at each captured Celestial Lock and build Photon Cannons around it in order to halt the trickle of enemy units that will attempt to recapture the Celestial Lock. Recall your army whenever enemy waves are headed for your Celestial Locks.



Dark Templar/Corsair can be your unit composition of choice as it has excellent mobility and is effective both in small and large numbers. Compositions that involve Stalkers tend to peter off too quickly on this map, while Void Rays take too long to ramp up. This composition results in leftover minerals, which should be spent on reinforcing Dark Pylons with Photon Cannons.

Malwarfare You can quickly lay claim to your expansion’s gas by placing your first Dark Pylon on the cliff overlooking the expansion, then using its Cloaking Field to sneak a Probe past the defenders. Place another Dark Pylon that covers the gas geysers, thus cloaking the Assimilators you build on top of them.



Delay your first Shadow Guard until 3:15, which will provide you with plenty of time to clear both the first wave and the expansion. Your second Shadow Guard at ~6:20 can clear enemy waves attacking Aurana as well as destroy the first Suppression Tower.



Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. You won’t need it until after 8:00.



Dark Templar can manually cast Shadow Fury to burst down Suppression Towers.



Dark Pylons are extremely useful in teleporting entire armies around the map, especially from Suppression Tower to Suppression Tower.

Miner Evacuation The Shadow Guard Duration mastery can be useful on this map as it allows you to clear your expansion as soon as possible. If you don’t have the Mastery, summon your Shadow Guard at 3:20 and use your first Time Stop at 4:00. This gives your Shadow Guard 20 extra seconds during which they can clear the expansion without fear of reprisal.



If the first Evacuation Ship is next to the expansion, you can defend it and expand quickly using two clusters of 1 Dark Pylon and 4 Photon Cannons at each entrance. Be sure to bring a few Probes early on to warp in both Photon Cannons and your expansion’s Assimilators - you’ll need them on-scene lest they are cut off by the spawning Infested.



Dark Templar/Corsair and mass Void Rays are equally viable strategies on this map. A Dark Templar focused build will have more success early on as it takes a shorter time to ramp up - however, due to the large number of Volatile Infested on the map, they’ll struggle during the late-game when melee units get picked off more quickly.



When using Mass Void Rays to defend, support them with a Dark Pylon at each Evacuation Ship - preferably with maximum points sunk into the Dark Pylon Range mastery - protected by Photon Cannons and high-HP buildings such as Cybernetics Cores to tank for your Photon Cannons after you have built a significant mineral bank. Void Rays are greatly enhanced when cloaked, as they receive bonus damage, shield regeneration and Emergency Recall.



Oracle Stasis Wards can be useful on this map, more so than on any other map. Place them in the path of the Infested in order to prevent damage to the Evacuation Ships. A single Stasis Ward can also be used to start the launching sequence of the Evacuation Ship, which comes in handy for a mass Void Ray army lacking ground units.



The Dark Pylon at your expansion should be used for Recalling your army to defend against attack waves, followed by immediately recalling back to the Evacuation Ship if you have another Dark Pylon there. If Time Stop is available, you can use it to cover for the short period where your army is absent from the Evacuation Ship. Alternatively, build enough Photon Cannons at the expansion to defend against the attack wave with the aid of a Black Hole.



When trying to destroy either of the the Bonus Objectives, support your army with either Black Hole or a Time Stop. Dark Templar can suffer heavy losses against the Eradicators should Black Hole or Time Stop be unavailable.

Mist Opportunites Anti-air units are not required until the second set of Harvesting Bots. Any potential air units show up at 8:19 at the earliest. If opting for a Dark Templar/Corsair composition, the Stargate can be delayed very slightly in favor of warping in more Dark Templar in order to defend the first Harvesting Bot.



Use Time Stop to assault major enemy bases and encampments. Use Black Hole to handle difficult attack waves.



While preparing for the defense of 4th and 5th sets of Bots, warp in Photon Cannons at each choke point, preferably supported by a Dark Pylon and normal Pylons at each cluster. Use Dark Pylons to teleport your or ally’s armies around the map in order to intercept the waves of enemies approaching from different angles.

Oblivion Express Use your first Summon Shadow Guard at 3:25. This allows them to destroy both the expansion Rocks and the first attack wave. After clearing the Rocks, send them to the northwest enemy base and cast Time Stop as soon as the first enemy wave spawns.



You may not have a sufficient number of Dark Templar for the first Train. Use a second cast of Summon Shadow Guard as soon as it is available if your ally cannot handle it. If the Train escorts come with air units, warp in a few Stalkers.



You will need lots of Dark Templar to deal with the Trains quickly. Prioritize Dark Templar tech.

Blink forward often when catching up with fleeing Trains in order to avoid Dark Templar catching on each other while chasing the tail end of the Train.



Blink forward often when catching up with fleeing Trains in order to avoid Dark Templar catching on each other while chasing the tail end of the Train. Time Stop is best used when the double Trains have arrived and both your - and your ally’s armies are in position. In order to time this ideally, reserve your second Time Stop for the second Train and use only Black Hole to deal with all other Trains and attack waves, holding back Time Stop for the double Train waves.



A Dark Pylon can be placed between the top and bottom tracks. Support it with Photon Cannons in order to prevent the trickle of enemy units from taking over the map with static defense.



A Dark Pylon can be placed between the bottom Train track and the Bonus Train track, allowing your army to be Recalled in pursuit of the Bonus Train.

Rifts to Korhal Your first Shadow Guard can be used to defend against the first enemy wave and then to clear your expansion Rocks. With some practice, you can split them into two pairs and send one of these pairs to break your ally’s Rocks.



Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. It won’t be needed until after 8:00.



Ideally, both players should have enough combined forces to assault the second set of Void Shards at around 8:00 with the help of your second cast of Summon Shadow Guard and Time Stop.



Save a Time Stop for each enemy base that contains Void Shards. Enemy waves can be effectively dealt with using Black Hole.



Navigating this map involves a lot of walking. Circumvent this by deploying a Dark Pylon at the 2nd set of Void Shards after they have been cleared, then be prepared to defend it against incoming attack waves.



The Pirate Ship bonus is a difficult one for Vorazun. Fortunately, it can be disabled by Black Hole to buy your anti-air units time.

Scythe of Amon Summon the first Shadow Guards at around 3:40 and use Time Stop at 4:00 in order to intercept the first enemy wave and clear the expansion Void Sliver’s defenders. As long as you keep attacking the Void Sliver with any unit - even a worker - it will not respawn its Void Rift and will be left helpless to be demolished at your leisure. Take your expansion as soon as the Void Sliver’s defenders have been cleared out.



Use your second cast of Summon Shadow Guard at around 6:40to clear the first Bonus area and the Void Sliver’s defending units in the way. Stalkers may be required against Protoss or Zerg defenders to take out Phoenixes or Corruptors and Scourge.



Try to save a Time Stop for each subsequent Void Sliver, which can be easily killed by an army of Dark Templar within its duration. Once the Void Sliver is down, use the Dark Pylon’s Recall on your army to escape the heavily-armored air units defending each Void Sliver, since a Dark Templar-centric army composition is ill-equipped to deal with these units. This tactic also allows you to skip detection, if there is no invisible attacking unit in the enemy waves.



Stalkers are usually a better choice than Corsairs against non-air enemy waves on this map, while you will likely need Corsairs against air waves. Use Black Hole to defend against the enemy waves, which generally come with Hybrids. Stalkers fare better than Corsairs against the large numbers of spread-out, capital-class ships defending the enemy bases on this map. A Stalker composition will also allow for more Dark Templar, which are a key unit on this map.

Temple of the Past If you are adept with your control, you can possibly split your first Shadow Guard into two pairs to clear both sets of rocks and then defend against the first enemy wave.



Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. It won’t be needed until after 8:00.



Upon clearing each Zenith Stone, deploy a Dark Pylon in the now-empty alcove. These locations are safe from enemy attack waves and allow you to quickly Recall your army or warp in Gateway units.



Spend spare minerals by warping in Photon Cannons around the Temple or at each possible Void Thrasher spawn area.



Black Hole or Time Stop should be used for dealing with more difficult waves - especially those that come with the high-HP Hybrid Nemeses that Vorazun is weak against. Time Stop should ideally be used for the double waves that approach from both sides so that your ally can make use of it as well. Be liberal with Black Hole and abstain from using Summon Shadow Guard beyond the first cast.

The Vermillion Problem Use your first Summon Shadow Guard to defend against the first enemy wave and to subsequently attack the enemies guarding your expansion as described below. .



After the first lava surge, send a probe to sneak into the northeast entrance of the expansion to provide vision for a Dark Pylon. Use it to quickly Recall your Shadow Guard to the expansion after dealing with the first wave. Warp in a few Stalkers at the Dark Pylon and use Time Stop in order to clear out the structures and any lingering air defenders.



Time Stop should ideally be reserved for attacking the heavily defended bases, while Black Hole is enough to defend against problematic enemy attack waves.



Scattering a few Dark Pylons around the map can be very useful for defending against attack waves, and for Recalling your army to deal with the Molten Salamander during lava surges and the defenders at each crystal spawn area. The attack waves can be rather unpredictable, heading for either your main base or expansion.

Void Launch Use your first cast of Summon Shadow Guard to clear the Rocks at your expansion, then Recall them to your main base to deal with the first enemy attack wave.



Use your first Time Stop at 4:00. It won’t be needed until after 8:00.



Corsairs are great units on this map against the Shuttles and their escorts. Use Black Hole to counteract their weakness against Hybrid Nemeses.



If you are not familiar with the attack wave and Shuttle patterns, it can be useful to deploy a Dark Pylon at each Warp Conduit in order to quickly Recall your Corsairs to destroy the Shuttles before they can escape.



Dark Templar are needed to complement the Corsairs and destroy enemy attack waves and base defenses. Engage with your Dark Templar to clear out enemy bases whenever Time Stop is ready.



Try to push into one of the enemy main bases in order to build additional Assimilators for extra gas. If you are able to clear out the defenses around the Shuttle Launch Bays, spend your spare minerals on warping in Photon Cannons around them in order to spawn camp the Shuttles. Otherwise, set up your Photon Cannons around the Warp Conduits.



The final wave of Void Launch features masses of capital-class ships and is therefore difficult for Vorazun to defend against. Plan for this by bringing in additional air units to ensure that you retain air superiority. Save Time Stop and enough energy for multiple Black Holes during this final wave.

Void Thrashing Burn your first Time Stop at 4:00. It won’t be needed until after 8:00.



This map features two attack wave patterns, with the initial wave spawning at either 3:00 or 4:00. If the first wave is announced at 3:00, cast your Summon Shadow Guard at the expansion to clear the Rocks before Recalling them to the main base to deal with the first attack wave and the defending units at the first Void Thrasher. Otherwise, wait until 3:15 to summon your Shadow Guard to clear the Rocks, so that their duration lasts long enough for them to intercept the 4:00 attack wave - it will spawn from the northwest.



Dark Templar work especially well on this map, and should be the core unit of your army composition. Even against bases with heavy air presence, you can simply snipe the Void Thrashers during Time Stop with your Dark Templar and then Recall them to safety with a Dark Pylon once the Thrashers are dead.



Reserve Time Stop for assaulting each set of Void Thrashers, casting it just before your army moves to engage. Should there be any significant number of leftover units still alive by the time Time Stop ends, disable them with a Black Hole while you clean up the remaining Void Thrashers.

Replay Pack Attached is a replay pack of the record solo speed runs for Vorazun on each map. These replays demonstrate how to play Vorazun as a general concept. In addition, we have broken down which compositions you'll be able to find on each run:

Stalker/Dark Templar: Chain of Ascension, Lock & Load, Malwarfare, Mist Opportunities, Oblivion Express, Rifts to Korhal, Scythe of Amon, Temple of the Past, The Vermillion Problem, Void Thrashing(100%)



Chain of Ascension, Lock & Load, Malwarfare, Mist Opportunities, Oblivion Express, Rifts to Korhal, Scythe of Amon, Temple of the Past, The Vermillion Problem, Void Thrashing(100%) Corsair/Dark Templar: Lock & Load(100%), Void Launch



Lock & Load(100%), Void Launch Mass Dark Templar: Dead of Night(any%), Void Trashing(any%)



Dead of Night(any%), Void Trashing(any%) Mass Void Ray: Miner Evacuation

Vorazun Replay Pack Attached is a replay pack of the record solo speed runs for Vorazun on each map. These replays demonstrate how to play Vorazun as a general concept. In addition, we have broken down which compositions you'll be able to find on each run:



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