The terrans are relative newcomers to the Koprulu sector. They are the descendents of a disastrous colonization expedition launched from Earth centuries ago, its human cargo made up of dissidents and malcontents the government deemed expendable. The survivors of the expedition established three colonies that became the basis for the major power blocs in terran space: the Confederacy, the Kel-Morian Combine, and the Umojan Protectorate. The corrupt Confederacy was overthrown by terrorist and revolutionary Arcturus Mengsk during the chaos of the zerg invasion. Now the Terran Dominion has emerged from the ashes of the old Confederacy as the dominant power, ruled by none other than Emperor Arcturus I.

Forced to adapt to the harsh existence on the mostly lifeless worlds of the sector, the terrans are masters of survival. With neither the advanced technology of the protoss nor the natural prowess of the zerg to rely on, the terran military forces consist of a varied mix of units. From basic but effective infantry like the marines to heavily armed battlecruisers, terran units rely on solid armor, plentiful firepower, and strength in numbers to hold the line. Terrans excel in defensive situations where their bunkers and siege tanks really shine.

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Strengths

• Can build structures anywhere
• Can repair vehicles and buildings
• Cloaking and invisbility detection
• Mobility and good defense
• Medivac Dropships can heal units while airborne as well as transport
• Buildings can lift off the ground
• Can call destructive Nuclear warheads
• Radar towers can see enemies in the fog of war
• Heavily armored and strong siege capabilities
• Reapers can traverse up and down terrain
• Supply Depots can submerge under ground

Weakness

• Required micromanagement of units
• Buildings burn to the ground if low health
• Bunkers provide good defense but take much man power and resources

In the previous Starcraft, quite a few buildings had the ability to construct addons. An addon would enable production of higher tier units for the corresponding structure and also enable certain upgrades to be researched. This added more versatility to the Terrans as each addon can be rearranged with another building of its correct value. An example would be a Science Facility changing addons between a Covert Ops and a Physics Lab.

Recently new in Starcraft 2 is the removal of all old addons and the production of new addons called Tech Lab and Reactor. These two addons are interchangeable between certain structures like the Barracks, Factory and Starport. A Tech Lab is a new addon that enables production of higher tier units and enables upgrades for its corresponding structure. A Reactor is a great new addon which doubles the unit production queue of a structure, allowing it to produce two units at once.

In previous years, the Terran relied on a Comsat Station and Missile Turret for detecting invisible units. This was highly ineffective in many situations, so Terran scientists set out a devised a new type of structure. A Radar Tower helps detect invisible units, increases line of sight around the tower and also reveals an enemys position within the fog of war.