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Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
It is in a good spot, however, that is considering the difficulty of designing a unit with this type of splash attack. If the recharge timer of the attack was to be tweaked/reduced, the goal should be to also decrease the damage and make even more synergy with the Warp Prism. This is because Disruptors currently discourages engagements rather than encourages when produced in larger numbers, and making some tweaks to damage and recharge timer would mean more potential for prism+disruptor play and less en masse production.
Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
I think the Disruptor works pretty well in any situation as long as the situation allows a kill on at least three gas-cost units. Strategically, though, you would probably prefer to be offensive with them as that gives you the control. From a design perspective you could question if the unit should be able to defend i.e. drops and other types of harass well, but the fact is that as long as the Disruptor is capable of one-shotting gas-expensive units like Marauders, Stalkers, Adepts, Roaches, Ravagers and even more mineral-costly units like Zealots and Marines due to their smaller size, it will always be good in both offensive and defensive situations.
In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
The Disruptor is more capable of doing damage when unit counts are high and/or clumped whereas the Colossus, arguably, is more capable of doing damage when units are split or in lower numbers.
Since Terran bio units have a lot of mobility, we are now seeing Colossus being played more and more in this matchup despite the nerfs.
How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
It should mimic the Reaver as much as improved design allows. The unique part I believe should be the ability to control the projectile, that forces micro and is an interesting splash-damage aspect to the game. I would also like to see the unit be more optimally produced in numbers of 2 or 4, similarily to reavers, as we could then see Warp Prisms fully utilize this unit rather than see Disruptors being produced en masse. Reavers, as you know, had a very low movement speed.
Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
I think the only problem is that you can order the projectile to follow a unit as essentially that is a command that counter-produces micro. Solely from a micro-perspective the answer to the question is yes, it promotes a strong amount of micro, but if you take into account how many units are one-shotted by this thing, stuff like sniping the Disruptor before projectile explodes etc. becomes much less encouraged and thus promotes a more passive game.
The projectile does have some AI complications that may decrease the effect when ordered to follow a unit, so perhaps the microaspect of the projectile is in a reasonable spot.
Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
It should definitely do friendly fire damage and I would also like to see the projectile damage the Disruptor and other Disruptors too where currently they do not. I believe the unit should absorb the weakness of the siegetanks and simply be too weak when melee or other units are close, and tweaking i.e. the +shields damage would then mean they do not one-shot eachother either. Of course, if we are already thinking about nerfing the unit, this should be reconsidered.
Can the disruptor be used en masse?
Yes. In TvP and ZvP the incentive to go "mass" Disruptors is probably not so high, maybe a good number is between 8 and 12, but in PvP I think the number is limitless as long as Skytoss is not in play. The only Protoss gateway unit that can consistently dodge the Disruptor projectile are Blinkstalkers, and we are seeing more and more games where nothing but Stalkers and Disruptors are produced. I think this raises up some concern about the current damage of the Disruptor, plus, due to the damage, Disruptors essentially becomes the only unit interacting with each other in PvP. With that being said, Stalker and Disruptor mirror wars does offer some interesting gameplay and it is unclear how critical the problem really is.
How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
With the recent patch the synergy is better; but I still think the extra micro required as opposed to just produce Disruptors and walk with them manually is still not clear enough to me. I feel either changes to recharge timer/damage is needed or a significant reduction in Disruptor movementspeed (similar to reaver) is necessary to promote this. It is debatable, however, how big of a problem there currently is with the Disruptor, but I think any player has felt it when playing.
Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
Yes, but the kind of "yes" that still favors this over the HotS Colossus vs Colossus situation. I have pictured Colossus+Disruptor compositions over just mass Disruptor but the unit is simply too good, especially with the +shields damage. As mentioned, since Blinkstalkers are the only unit that dodges these projectiles consistently, less depth and complex compositionary design is applied to the matchup.
Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
I am between content and happy with the current state.
- The +shields damage is very likely too much.
- Maybe a bit too much flat damage. (Roaches, Ravagers, Marauders)
- Maybe a bit too much mobility.
- Maybe a closer gap/polarizatiion between recharge timer and damage.
What changes would you make to the disruptor?
First I would like to see the Disruptor in PvP without extra shields damage. I am fairly certain this unit would still be made en-masse and still over Colossus.
Second I would be curious if the unit should be more synergetic with Warp Prisms and less in mass-produced clumps. To do this I would either decrease movementspeed by a fair amount or reduce the recharge timer and the flat damage.
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If you nerf damage you have to reduce lurker health.
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You can find me on twitter at @electronicmo
1.Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
No. Missing with your disruptors is game ending. Getting good hits just annihilate them. The cooldown takes ages. It feels very all or nothing at the moment. Against Zerg I think it's okay but against Terran stim bio + medivacs = they just run away or they pick their units up.
2.Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
Either or.. it depends. It works best offensively when you're cornerning them. Defensively if they're trying to push up a ramp or choke it provides good space control. But in the middle of the map it's a pretty shit unit.
3.In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
Almost all circumstances, I feel. Colossus simply doesn't do enough damage.
4.How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
I think it should mimic the Reaver in that the Reaver provided a more stable, consistent source of splash damage. Right now Disruptors are too hit or miss and the delay is too long. But with the Reaver you had a shot every few seconds.
5.Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
In a vacuum, perhaps. But with all the other very micro intensive units Protoss has I don't think that we need another unit that requires its own ability. Disruptors are very micro intensive because not only do they have an activated ability (and no auto attack) but also each projectile must be microed individually.
6.Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
I think it would be better to remove the friendly fire. You basically can't use chargelots with Disruptors. When people said Colossi should have friendly splash I said the same thing, and here we are... because stim bio is faster than both Zealots and the projectile, any time you try to engage with Zealots and Disruptors they just run away and you only hit your own units. I think the micro required to pull off this unit combo is too much.
7.Can the disruptor be used en masse?
Because it builds from the Robo, requires a robo bay, and doesn't build incredibly fast, it's hard to have a lot of them by the time any army shows up at your door. Sure if you're good at keeping them alive you can mass up, but they can't shoot up and can't kill buildings. So tech switches can ruin you.
8.How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
The Warp prism is incredibly strong and synergizes well with all Protoss units now, which is a bit of a problem. You can't micro ALL your units with the Warp Prism during a fight....
9.Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
I would know if I actually faced any Protoss on the ladder..... right now I'm seeing like 75% Zerg and 25% Terran.
10.Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
Nope!
It's a unit that was purposely made hard to use because of negativity around the Colossus. But with all the other changes made to Protoss, the nerf from the economy, and the new units available to the other races, this added complexity can be a little overwhelming.
11.What changes would you make to the disruptor?
If they want to encourage more micro, then say fuck it and revert back to the original. Yes, you HAD to micro it with a Warp Prism but at least it was rewarding. It did a lot of damage and had a cooldown that made it a constant threat to the enemy. Now the disruptor is this thing that you just need to dodge ONE TIME and then you win the battle because it dies before it gets to shoot again. At least Templar can merge into Archons once their energy is used up.
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Personally I think it's attack needs to be adjusted slightly, but other than that I think it fits in. I just hate that it is damn ugly and makes the colossus look like a joke.
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PERSPECTIVE: My only experience with this unit is playing against it as Terran.
Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
- I'm not sure if it's in a good state. A huge hit can be game-ending damage, whereas a big miss might not be as devastating, might force a retreat. Even if you miss, you've caused a serious amount of micro from your opponent, and delayed their engagement, if not forced a retreat.
Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
- Seems suited for both roles.
In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
- I don't know. Both units seem to do the same thing: long-range burst AOE damage that wrecks Bio units. But the Disruptor has the added advantage of being able to kill invisible or burrowed units without needing detection. Colossus having the advantage of continuous AOE DPS.
How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
- I don't know. Not familiar with the Reaver.
Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
- Fair as in equal, or fair as in a lot? Dodging one, or two, Disruptor balls is incredibly difficult. It's essentially baneling micro versus a Protoss deathball, except that you can't focus fire, and the detonations are essentially guaranteed. So as the player dodging the shots your choices are: (1) take game-ending damage, (2) substantially break formation, (3) stim and full retreat. It seems clear to me that the player controlling the nova has the advantage on the micro-side of things.
Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
- I don't know. As a Terran, most of our powerful AOE stuff does friendly fire damage, so it makes sense. Storm causes FF, so it makes sense that a very widow-mine-like attack capable of causing game-ending damage should cause FF damage.
Can the disruptor be used en masse?
- I've never seen it massed. Usually 2-4 in the main army and maybe a few for base defense seem sufficient. I don't think it can be used en masse.
How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
- Incredibly well. Does the nova purification ball of instant-death show up on the mini-map? I can't recall if it does or doesn't. But, the Disruptor can be dropped in the fog of war and launch that little bastard, so if you're not just watching the mineral line at that moment, you're going to take major damage.
Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
- I don't know.
Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
- The main thing I don't like about it is that the nova ball can come out of the fog of war travel into your army without provoking aggression, and just decimate everything. It creates situations where if you aren't looking at your army in that tiny 2-second window, you could lose the game, without the Protoss risking very much. I strongly dislike this dynamic.
Being a Terran player, our major damage dealers all have warnings for the opponent. Maybe something as simple as a distinct blip on the minimap when nova balls are traveling.
What changes would you make to the disruptor?
- A distinctive mini-map presence for the nova purification, so if you're not looking at your army, there is a greater-than-zero-percent chance to react.
- I don't know how to adjust the stats, or if there is a stat adjustment needed. I think the main issue is the 2-second lookaway from your army ending the game.
Twitter handle: @TimeSpiraling
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I really like where the disruptor is at right now. The only thing I would tweak is the movement speed, I think it should be a little slower. Similar to other big expensive units.
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Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
I would say that this is true when there are larger amounts of Disruptors, since you have more shots to play with. Disruptor is in an interesting place where the more you have, the better of an investment it is since you have more chance to land a shot, which could potentially be game ending. The downside of this, of course, is the fact that you are investing a lot of resources into an anti-ground composition; so you are weak from units that have air-to-ground attacks. There's also the concept of not having enough consistent DPS from other units on the ground if you over-invest into the Disruptor.
I would like to see the Disruptor with a smaller splash radius, less damage, but a shorter cool down. I would prefer the unit to be more of a consistent damage rather than splash damage unit. This will promote micro from both sides, as a better Protoss player would be able to constantly select each Disruptor with a shorter cool down, control the shots, and their army, while their opponent will have to keep reacting with good dodges and unit control.
Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
The Disruptor works a little bit better defensively where you can be pre-prepared to take on a fight; making sure the Disruptor is in a good hiding place within range, and gives you more room to make sure your opponent is in a vulnerable position to get hit. It does work well offensively, however, as the shot is not only meant to do damage (which it more often times does not do) but does very good zone control; forcing your opponent to re-position their army and weaken their defensive concave.
In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
In every circumstance, I would say. They both share similar features as being an anti-ground AoE siege-type unit. The Disruptor does not have the Colossus vulnerability vs air-to-air units like the Viking, have the same range, and the Disruptor can just dish out more damage at once.
How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
I would say it should mimic the Reaver in the sense of consistency. The Reaver did strong, AoE damage more often and more consistent. The drawbacks of the Reaver are that it is a really slow unit, and the Scarabs cost minerals. If they were to put my suggestion that I mentioned above, it might be a good idea to slow down the Disruptor movement speed, make the energy balls cost minerals, or both.
Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
Yes, I would agree that the Disruptor is a micro-intensive unit with plenty of unit interaction from both sides. The Protoss has to make sure that the Disruptor is in the back, safe from danger, while controlling both his army and the Disruptor shot, while having a Warp Prism nearby to pick up the Disruptor if it gets in danger and cancel the shot (as of the most recent patch). The opponent has the options of running away, splitting, or yoloing into the Disruptor to kill it to fizzle out the shot.
Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
The Disruptor should do friendly fire so that it has a weakness to fast, melee units such as Zerglings and Chargelots if there are no Warp Prisms around to save it from danger. Also adds a hightened bit of risk and tension for the Protoss player to make sure that the shots are far from their army. Can also introduce some counterplay from the opponent to try and trick the Protoss player into blowing up more of their own units than theirs.
Can the disruptor be used en masse?
Depends on the opponent's unit composition. In PvP, this is definitely true in the Blink/Disruptor wars. It is a bit true in PvZ if the Zerg is committing heavily into ground units (especially the Lurker), and a little true in PvT when the Terran is going bio and has really good unit control. Since Terran units move so fast and are really effective at splitting, if the Protoss player wants to land a show they're going to have to invest into more Disruptors to make the Terran's time more difficult.
How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
They synergize pretty well in the sense that the Warp Prism can keep the Disruptor from harm. It synergizes a little less well than when the Disruptor was the explosion itself, since you would send the Disruptor in, explode, then immediately lift it. Now, it's more of a safety scenario to keep it from being focused down, but I would say that these new changes to the Disruptor are worth losing the previous interaction.
Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
I would say not. I have never enjoyed PvP more than I have now. PvP is one of the match ups that has been in a weird place throughout SC2's history. In WoL, we had the 4 Gate wars. In HotS, while it's more diverse, it is still riddled with several build order issues where one player would have a great advantage over their opponent. This has become less true in LotV, as opening Blink -> Robo, along with the new Photon Overcharge, gives the Protoss player a solid build that doesn't lose to anything outright, and is only really ever behind based on their opponent's ability to out maneuver them or if their opponent expanded faster.
In the long macro game, Blink/Disruptor is exciting to watch and play, with a lot of serious tension, great moments, and rewards the player with superior control, multi-tasking, and map awareness. Forces both sides of the fight to know how to split their units well, out-blink their opponent, and out-maneuver their opponent through Disruptors.
Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
I am pretty happy with the state of the Disruptor. While there can be improvements, if it shipped the way it is now it would be fine with me.
What changes would you make to the disruptor?
If the Disruptor is kept as-is, I would like the bonus damage to Protoss shields to be removed. It makes some PvP scenarios kind of random with the fact that they 1 shot Stalkers, so it gives more counter play and less game-ending engagements if Stalkers are able to survive the hit. If they remove the bonus damage to Shields, Adepts will still die in one shot in their current iteration, which is still good to note.
If Blizzard is willing to make further changes, I would reference what I mentioned earlier: Make the Disruptor a less intense unit. Less damage, less radius, possibly slower, and make the cooldown shorter so that it does more consistent damage if the user has the control and multi-tasking for it.
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I love how it works. However, I think that protoss has numerous options that prevent micro like forcefields, timewarp, and stasis wards that can make the interaction very one sided.
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i dont know why but they make protoss sooo gimmicky... you miss FF you lose.. you miss disruption bomb you lose... your colossus dies you lose..
It just feels like every unit you use is like a hero
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you know you're allowed to use more than 1 disruptor right?
otherwise I guess we could translate your comment as "you make a mistake then there are consequences!"
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Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
Once you have enough of them, it's probably fine. If it is meant to be a unit to hold a timing, I wouldn't rely on it for really quick timings until I had at least four of them.
Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
More defensive against Zerg because on creep Zerg units are too fast. Colossus + disruptor + stalker is better offense against Zerg's ground when talking 200 vs 200. Probably offensive against P after you have 8+ disruptors because if you get them cornered they will not be able to avoid many shots.
Against T I am skeptical the unit is reliable. It will see less and less use against bio IMO, but maybe it will be good to complement colossi to discourage a hit squad of marauders targetting down a colossus, yet vikings/disruptors obviously are immune to that. Yet I see the potential against Bio+liberator since chasing bio away from parked liberators is a huge move, so it depends on if bio+liberator is the defacto build.
In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
See above. And PvP disruptors are obviously very good against ground.
How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
The reaver was one of my favorite units along with high templar and lurkers in BW. The disruptor doesn't look cool like the reaver, but it's starting to be fun in its own way. It feels quite different to me, like very very different. I say go with it as is aside from minor tweaks.
Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
Yes, and this is what makes it fun and relevant.
Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
Friendly.
Can the disruptor be used en masse?
Depends on your definition... I see people answering yes but saying no more than a dozen. If 30 to 40 roaches or stalkers is normal, I don't think you can say a dozen disruptors is massing. It needs a lot of support units and can't hit air, has a slow cooldown, so many disincentives to ever build a huge number.
How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
It's not as good as Prism+immortals midscreen, prism+adept, or prism+zealot harass, but it has some use certainly. I still say using this unit for harass is fairly useless since adepts are better at killing workers for less cost and neither are great at killing buildings, only zealots late game.
Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
It's probably good. More micro is better because you can outplay people. As long as it never turns into a luckfest or something with no counterplay, I like the direction things are going. Would like to withhold judgement until much more time has passed.
Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
Happier than I was months ago for sure. It's more fun than the SC2 lurkers which I mentioned was one of my favorites in BW.
What changes would you make to the disruptor?
Better graphics look, if not the unit, at least the attack.
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the disrupter attack moves WAYY too fast. would like to see speed cut in half
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What if the disruptor's projectile was attackable? How much would it take away in core army fights ? How much would it enable traps to be set up by P? Also, the idea of the free attack with long cooldown seems off, what if it would be something like a scarab?
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Is the cost/reward of getting a huge hit or a big miss with the attack in a good state? Should the recharge time of the attack be tweaked?
I reckon it is OK.
Things that are better than widow mine:
1. No automatic firing
2. Micro in engagement. (enough time)
3. Counter micro in engagement (enough time)
4. Can observe the players micro-ing.
5. Less Spammable.
6. Drop is potentially more interesting. no widow mine style "drop and run".
That being said, the previous design imo feels better to play and play against a bit more strategic.
The miss is actually better than I was expecting, I guess it is because of adept strength that prevents the protoss getting melt by bio.
The hit on the other hand can be a big game changer, but it is not a spammable unit so I think it's still ok.
Does the disruptor work better as an offensive unit, or better as a defensive one?
I reckon it is too good defensively, yes it's expensive but as a zerg it is so hard to engage into a disruptor ball especially if they are playing defensive.
Even offensively it's a bit troublesome to balance, every time you cast a bomb out, the other army must move away, which gives a HUGE timing window for protoss army to do "free' damage.
This is why I prefer the old design as well, they cannot just camp defensively.
In what circumstances should you build a disruptor over a colossus?
I guess it is way better as a unit to come back from behind and maybe until you have good upgrades.
To be honest, I think it will largely depend on build orders.
I can see protoss grabbing disruptor and buy enough time for upgrade advantage to go colossus heavy.
But with the new warp in mechanics and power of warp prism being indirectly buffed, I can see disruptor showing up way more.
How closely should the disruptor mimic the reaver? How much of it should remain unique?
I don't really care if it is an exact copy or not, it just needs to be fun (in SC2 environment).
A good example of a poor unit that simply is terrible in sc2 is carrier, it is boring to watch and play and play against.
The "micro" and "counter micro" are just so basic and hardly any interaction at all.
Does the disruptor promote a fair amount of micro from both sides?
Yes. But like I said, probably a bit too risk free from the protoss side.
Still, it's more fun to watch, play and play against because it is slower and give time to micro.
Should the disruptor do friendly fire damage, or would it be better if it were removed?
I think friendly fire is quite important, but at the same time I can see why not because it just discourage zealots so much.
Can the disruptor be used en masse?
I guess 6 would be the most ideal number.
Mass up is just too pricy.
But I can see why 8 may provide some really cool-ish strategy such as shooting out bombs in turn.
How well does the disruptor and the warp prism synergize?
Does the disruptor control the PvP matchup too much?
Possibly, the invincibility of the bomb maybe is too annoying.
Are you happy with the current state of the disruptor?
I am fine if it is released in its current state. Can it be better? Yes but until I see a better unit, I would say it is good enough at the moment.
It's fun to watch, play and play against.
What changes would you make to the disruptor?
I would revert it back to its old design, and make it a less hit or less unit. Maybe rather than invincibility, I would boost the shield up by X amount.
If they are keeping what it is right now, at least make the unit look different.
Right now it's a ball that shoots a ball shaped bomb, it just looks weird.
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United Kingdom20284 Posts
Might even warrant just removing the Colossus entirely and accepting our new Disruptor reality.
With 1.25x less damage than WOL+HOTS they've probably gone as far as they will with the colossus. May even get buffed a little
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Parting seems to think collossus are good enough to make. In fact he tends to make a few collossus first before disruptors.
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United Kingdom20284 Posts
Good enough to make sometimes but not all that great units now. The dynamic has shifted from a blob of support units protecting colossi to a few colossi instead supporting other units
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EPT
