A lot of people have been asking me about the single player campaign and what decisions I made for Zerg and Protoss research while trying to beat the game in brutal mode. First of all, I must 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 on each bunker (which basically does an extra marine’s damage), or Fortified Bunkers, which has an extra +150 health on each bunker. I personally chose Shrike Turrets simply because the best defense is a good offense and I usually keep extra SCV around my defensive wall for quick repairs and once you have the Dual-Fusion Welders upgrade the extra hit points are 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 that can take a beating longer.

Winner: Shrike Turrets

Level 2: Second choice is between Perdition Turret and 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 larger amount than 3 sounds . For me, the turret of doom, which actually deals massive AoE damage, is a complete and utter gimmick. The defense provided by these turrets is completely overshadowed by the damage from 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 isn’t broken, why fix it? The Planetary Fortress is a great addition to any defensive wall, and I particularly found this very useful in the final All In mission, as well as others.

Winner: Planetary Fortress

Level 3: The third choice 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 almost useless, but since you have to choose 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 most of what’s left in the campaign. At least with the Hercules it makes missions like The Moebius Factor 10x easier and it’s 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 choice is between Cellular Reactor, which makes specialized units start at +100 energy and receive +100 bonus 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 don’t have any time constraints 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 that useful. Regenerative Bio-Steel keeps your units in 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 Hive Mind Emulator (which allows you to mind control any Zerg unit permanently) is a matter of personal preference. However, I’ve found that the psychic disruptor is the biggest asset that slows 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, in my opinion, much better than controlling a single Ultralisk or Broodlord. or whatever you want except Kerrigan, of course. Hive Mind Emulator requires additional micro-skills that I wasn’t about to waste when dealing with the harshness and speed of the brutal difficulty.

Winner: Psi-Disruptor