Units

Dark Templar

The Dark Templar are powerful psionic warriors whose ancestors resettled on the planet Shakuras after they were exiled from the Protoss homeworld of Aiur for refusing to join the emerging Khala, the communal mind link shared by the entire race. In place of the Khala’s bright energies, the Dark Templar learned to manipulate the darker powers of the Void, which gave the Dark Templar the ability to become invisible at will. Armed with their potent Warp Blades, the Dark Templar are deadly and relentless foes capable of devastating conventional forces. Now that Aiur has fallen and its refugees have fled to Shakuras, the Dark Templar have joined their considerable strength to the Protoss’ numbers.
Heart of the Swarm Wings of Liberty
Unit Statistics

3D Model

Basic information

Race: Protoss
Life: 40
Shield: 80
Armor: 1 (4)
Movement: Fast
Cargo Size: 2
Attributes: Light - Biological - Psionic

Production

Producer: Gateway
Hotkey: D
Requires: Dark Shrine
Cost: 125 125
Supply: 2
Build time: 55

Combat

Upgrades:
Weapon:
Ability:

3D Model

Basic information

Race: Protoss
Life: 40
Shield: 80
Armor: 1 (4)
Movement: Fast
Cargo Size: 2
Attributes: Light - Biological - Psionic

Production

Producer: Gateway
Hotkey: D
Requires: Dark Shrine
Cost: 125 125
Supply: 2
Build time: 55

Combat

Upgrades:
Weapon:
Ability:

General Strategy

  • Light melee infiltrator that can attack ground targets.
  • Always invisible thanks to permanent cloaking.
  • Great for destroying buildings and raiding bases that do not have any means of detection.
  • Excellent for taking out targets with a small health pool.
  • Fragile; keep them out of enemy fire whenever possible.
  • They also possess the ability to merge with another templar (either High or Dark) to form a powerful psionic warrior known as an Archon.
  • Can be warped into the Battlefield by means of a Warp Gate.

Countermeasures

VS Terran
  • Build Missile Turrets in key spots around your base. Assign an Orbital Command to a Hotkey so you can quickly use its Scanner Sweep ability.
  • Use a mix of Marines, Reapers, and Marauders to bring them down efficiently.
  • You can also use the Ghost’s EMP round on the area where the shimmering figures are. The blast will render them visible for a few seconds, during which you can dispatch them with Sniper rounds.
VS Zerg
  • Morph some Overlords into Overseers to provide mobile detection. Keep one on your base at all times, or build a few Spore Crawlers.
  • Use Banelings and target the Dark Templars. Use the self-destruct ability near shimmers.
  • Use an Overseer to Fungal Growth shimmers, which will temporarily drop cloaked units out of stealth so you can finish them off.
  • Spawn Mutalisks to deal with them safely.
VS Protoss
  • Build Observers and place a few Photon Cannons around key spots in your base.
  • Deploy Immortals to soak up their damage through Hardened Shields and have Stalkers to focus-fire them. Ranged units work best against Dark Templars.
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Comments (575)

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ChristianE #873
ChristianE
5/11/2013
its better to have dark templars i could use it for assaults
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Apocalypzo #945
Apocalypzo
4/11/2013
it would be better to apply a tactic of dark templars and stalkers to allow neutralization of the overseer observer and others that could detect them therefore allowing the destruction of enemy
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VicTOryRT #163
VicTOryRT
3/15/2013
what's more cost effective to make archons with? These or high temps?
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hellsaura #259
hellsaura
3/22/2013
@VicTOryRT: high templar is ALOT cheaper than these for archons.
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zemp #460
zemp
4/1/2013
@hellsaura: agreed when u need archon hts.only use dts 2 form chons if u r going dt
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xsphxWater #259
xsphxWater
5/9/2013
@VicTOryRT: Usually High templars are cheaper but dt's are 25 gas cheaper and high temps are 75 minerals cheaper than dt's so it depends plus storm for high temps so i would say high temps are better.
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hellsdemon #621
hellsdemon
2/27/2013
i killed a dark Templar with 1 probe once. But that probe lost his friend in the process. :(
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Foxtar #423
Foxtar
3/8/2013
@hellsdemon: poor lil' probe :S
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Lingua #593
Lingua
2/18/2013
Love destroying a detectorless expansion w/ three of these
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Nerchio #832
Nerchio
2/24/2013
@Lingua: This is why you put spores at every expansion as Zerg.
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Nerchio #832
Nerchio
2/8/2013
From the Shadows I come.
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Rikkmaery #633
Rikkmaery
1/25/2013
So uh, why have we not seen any infested Dark Templar?
The Dark Templar don't have the Khala to protect them, so why have we yet to see any besides "No infested Protoss"?
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Nerchio #832
Nerchio
2/8/2013
@Rikkmaery: Obviously balance issues. Zerg would be OP (Not that it already isn't). Think about it. All you have to do is mass infestors with Infested Terrans and Infested Protoss. Instant gg.
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Gerrent #824
Gerrent
2/18/2013
@Rikkmaery: that and that infested terrans were actually seen in the game... closest to infested toss were the hybrids which are for the dark voice... would be cool to see hybrids in multiplayer though... not sure how that would work though... adding it to zerg stuff would be OP... and i doubt they make a 4th race that combines 2 other races...
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Deathguard #104
Deathguard
3/1/2013
@Rikkmaery: Protoss are supposedly immune to infestation, due to protection from the fortitude of the Khala or powers of the Void. An experiment conducted at the Protoss Advance/Experimental (PAX) Facility however, did result in the "infestation" of a zealot, despite the immunity, due to a disruption of the Khala provided.
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Glitch #759
Glitch
4/13/2013
@Rikkmaery: Razsagal get infested in BW?
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BlueWhale #992
BlueWhale
5/5/2013
@Glitch:she gets indoctrinated Mass Effect style
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Specter #841
Specter
1/19/2013
yeah
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Crabalanche #834
Crabalanche
12/21/2012
The image in "unit statistics" looks like the Predator from predator 2.
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MIRagE #314
MIRagE
11/29/2012
i seriously see no need for the unit. other than pwning some bronzie and then rages at u, tho i hate dts just cuz they ruin a possible macro game.(i love it when me and my enemy both take fast expansions. ECONOMY WARS!!!!!)
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CPAbdonBR #474
CPAbdonBR
12/5/2012
@XDslayer: Platinum players die a lot to Dt´s in PvP and PvT.
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lukestealth #624
lukestealth
11/28/2012
these are great for taking out new bases that just popped up because normally the player building the new bases doesnt consider missle turrets as ground defense and just get slaughtered by an invisible force. unless ur fighting a pro. then these are pretty much WORTHLESS at base attack but worth the cost when out in the field attacking when there are no dectectors
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CaptWaffles #807
CaptWaffles
11/19/2012
These units pwn if there arent any scanners!
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Thunderwing #487
Thunderwing
11/14/2012
With 14 or so gates: Immortal drop, then warp-in 8 of these, 3 Sentries, and 3 Stalks. High gas, but WORTH IT. Rinse and repeat.
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Agamand #673
Agamand
10/26/2012
some of the people here have never heard of of banshees+scanner sweep, mutas+overseer, or Observer+stalkers w/blink.
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ArkAngel #511
ArkAngel
10/17/2012
the level of broken that they are of.
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alpha #732
alpha
10/3/2012
nerf the dt its so stat if you get upgrades for them they will DESTROY the other teams base when you don't have detection i'm a toss player and i usually go air or mass stalks there to op if there lvld up and do way to much damage.
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THEBUB #434
THEBUB
10/21/2012
@alpha: ......... with detection, dts are too easily pwned, and everyone goes for detection ASAP in any kind of1v1 match. derp.
and they cant attack air units. so USE EM
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GoGoGo #844
GoGoGo
12/9/2012
@alpha: lol dude... mass stalk or only air? dude I have a tip. practice ur micro and try to mix ur strat up.
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Thunderwing #487
Thunderwing
9/22/2012
I personally prefer High Templar, unless I'm playing team matches, and occasionally against zerg. Orbital commands are a standard in terran builds, and lots of Protoss get Photons. In PvZ, I wait a little, see if someone makes Overseers by the time I can get these, then decide.
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Finnway #864
Finnway
12/10/2012
@Thunderwing: Same here. I usually have the gas to spend on High Templars but I rarely have the minerals to spend on DTs.
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Espionage #831
Espionage
12/15/2012
@Thunderwing: I think of these as slightly buffed zealots without charge, but if you got the recources instead of zealots just use DT's and if they dont detect them then they screwed.
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TeslaBolt #454
TeslaBolt
9/17/2012
it says to fungal growth using overseers???
i think it means infestors.
Use Banelings and target the Dark Templars. Use the self-destruct ability near shimmers.Use an OVERSEER to Fungal Growth shimmers, which will temporarily drop cloaked units out of stealth so you can finish them off.Spawn Mutalisks to deal with them safely."
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SweetStrudel #805
SweetStrudel
9/11/2012
Just waiting for this late game build; tempests snipers to eliminate detection and dt's to finish the job ;))
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SweetStrudel #805
SweetStrudel
9/11/2012
I've made good use of emp against dt's excluding one incident in which my ghost squadron of 10 were massacred by only 5 dt's ha ha. I think it was the upgrades.... :D
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KingGodFonzy #598
KingGodFonzy
8/25/2012
The best, and my favorite, protoss unit. I love these guys.
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THEBUB #434
THEBUB
8/25/2012
@Fonzy: just need an air attack ;)
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MappyTinfoil #727
MappyTinfoil
8/27/2012
@THEBUB: lol monobattles...
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THEBUB #434
THEBUB
8/24/2012
vs protoss: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS build DETECTORS OF ANY KIND!!!!!if they break out dts, and u cant see them, they will DOMINATE you, and their observers will EASILY spy on u. so always build detectors.thats my soapbox
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ArkAngel #511
ArkAngel
8/12/2012
omg dt o.p.