Void Ray

For the Korean Protoss player, see VoidRay

Void Ray

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Type	Air Unit
Description	Surgical strike craft. Damage output increases the longer it remains on target.
Cost	250 150 60 3
Attributes	Armored, Mechanical
Attack	Ground Attack:     Stage 1: 6(+1) Stage 2: 8(+1) Ground DPS:     Stage 1: 10(+1.7) Stage 2: 13.3(+1.7) Air Attack:     Stage 1: 6(+1) Stage 2: 8(+1) Air DPS:     Stage 1: 10(+1.7) Stage 2: 13.3(+1.7) Bonus:     Stage 1: +4 vs Armored Stage 2: +8(+1) vs Armored +20% vs Massive Bonus DPS:     Stage 1: +6.7 vs Armored Stage 2: +13.3(+1.7) vs Armored +20% vs Massive Range:     6 Cooldown:     0.6 s
Defense	150 100 0 (+1)
Hotkey	V
Sight	10
Speed	2.25
Strong Against	Corruptor Battlecruiser Carrier
Weak Against	Viking Phoenix Mutalisk

Description

The Void Ray is an airborne siege cannon for the Protoss that is built at the Stargate. As the Void Ray continues to fire an uninterrupted beam, it charges up to a more powerful state, dealing more damage. When this state is reached, the Void Ray's damage increases from 6 (+4 vs. armored) to 8 (+8 vs. armored). This ability, along with a 20% bonus against massive targets, makes the Void Ray extremely powerful against larger armored units and as a building destroyer.

Other

• Once the Void Ray's beam is activated within its 6 range, there's an additional leeway of 2 if the target moves away.
• The Void Ray can shoot while moving. It attacks anything within range in a 40° angle in front of it. While moving however, targets are chosen based on target priority so it may not necessarily continue to shoot a target it was previously ordered to attack.
• Against all massive targets, the damage of the Void Ray is increased by 20%.

Abilities

Prismatic Beams

Increases the damage of the Void Ray the longer its attack animation occurs.

Competitive Usage

General

Due to their relatively low number of hit points, Void Rays have limited usefulness in the early game if anticipated by the enemy. Against Protoss, Stalkers can deal with Void Rays easily, especially if the Void Rays remain uncharged. Against Terran, sufficient numbers of Marines (especially with Stimpack), or properly controlled Vikings, can deal with Void Rays. Zerg players can build additional Queens until they are able to morph sufficient numbers of Hydralisks or Mutalisks.

In all these situations, Void Rays can still be used as a threat, forcing the production of anti-air units and keeping the opposing player inside of his or her base.

Vs. Protoss

• Generally, PvP is the matchup where Void Rays are least commonly seen. Stalkers can defend decently against them since they become available to the Protoss very early in the game. This and the fact that they can be warped in anywhere provided Warpgates have been researched makes Void Ray openings very risky in this matchup.
• Void Rays can be rushed (especially on maps with short air distances like Scrap Station) to harass the opponent before he can get a good number of stalkers to defend against the void rays
• Void Rays are an effective counter to PvP builds that heavily incorporate Immortal and Colossus usage. Neither unit has anti-air capabilities, and both are armoured. Void Rays deal bonus damage to these units including the double bonus of armored and massive for the Colossus and deplete the Immortal shields quickly with their 0.6 attack speed. Any supporting Stalkers or Sentries can quickly fall to a focused Zealot attack. As such, a Void/Zealot build is viable against the Robo builds seen in PvP, provided the player can focus down the Colossi first, giving his Zealots a chance to mop up.

Vs. Terran

• Void Rays are a popular counter to Marauder- and/or Siege Tank-focused openings, due to their lack of any anti-air capabilities as well as exploiting the Void Ray's enormous bonus against armored units when fully charged.
• Void Rays do not come with a native armor value, making it quite susceptible to Marines. However, since they outrange Marines (with a range of 6 compared to 5), they can be used for early game harassment by baiting Marines over to a cliff and potentially forcing stims.
• Although a Void Ray can defeat two Vikings despite their own bonus against armored units, they can kite the Void Ray with their superior range.
• Versus Siege Tank/Thor-heavy Mech style, Void Rays have found their way into the late game of PvT since a purely Gateway army can get obliterated by a large army of Siege Tanks and Immortals aren't nearly as strong after the Tanks reach a certain number.
• Void Rays can fight Battlecruisers for their cost but only if either Yamato Cannon has not been researched or High Templar are used to feedback all of the energy out of the Battlecruisers. Otherwise the Yamato Cannon will kill a Void Ray immediately from full health.
• Players like MC have popularized the use of Void Rays against a Terran wall-in, as using its vision combined with abusing the range of it and stalkers nearby allows them to fire upon supply depots and barracks.

Vs. Zerg

• Queens can defeat Void Rays for cost in a one for one situation, even more-so with the help of transfusions, but fast Void Ray openings leaving your queens heavily outnumbered can be devastating if they are not scouted. They are especially deadly in combination with a Phoenix' Graviton Beam, which leaves the Queen unable to fight back.
• Void Rays are an effective counter against heavy Roach builds. Void Rays, when fully charged, are able to destroy a Roach army very quickly, thus forcing the Zerg to retreat. Void Rays are also effective in destroying the Zerg Hatchery if the Zerg does not transition into Hydralisks or produce additional Queens in time.
• Void Rays are frequently seen in this match-up used in conjunction with Collossi, as they can help protect the Collossi from Corruptors, and often force the Zerg to make Hydralisks, which Collossi are very effective against.

Stats

A critical mass of ten fully charged Void Rays has a DPS of 133.33 and 266.66, against non-armored and armored targets respectively. This can kill most buildings in a few seconds (e.g., a Hatchery in less than 5 seconds) and destroy a small base in less than 30 seconds.

Charging

Because fully charged Void Rays have a much higher damage output than Void Rays in the first phase of their attack, it occurred to players very early that being able to enter a battle while already in full charge would provide a significant advantage. Several ways have been used to achieve this:

• Attacking one's own buildings: By far the most commonly used technique by high-level players, this is also the most technically challenging. It requires at least two Void Rays which are charged on one of the players own buildings. Subsequently, in order for them not to lose their charge while traveling to the opponent's base, they are hotkeyed separately and are ordered to attack each other periodically (before the 5 second window elapses) for a very brief moment before continuing to travel.
• Sacrificing a Phoenix: This is a technique that has been used by some notable players in the past and is pretty straight forward: You build one Phoenix after the initial Void Ray(s), fly them all together to the edge of the opponent's base and proceed to kill the Phoenix with the Void Rays.
• Using a Hallucination: Perhaps the least used technique since not only the research cost of the spell in addition to that of a Sentry is higher than the cost of a Phoenix but it also delays the attack.
• Destructible Rocks: The easiest and least detrimental method, but also the most limited because destructible rocks or debris are not always present in close proximity to an opponent's base. If they are though, they are an extremely strong armored structure that can allow several Void Rays to fully charge up without destroying the rocks first.
• Add-ons: Tech Labs and Reactors are frequently targeted first for two reasons; they provide a structure against which the Void Ray can charge up its prismatic beam, and destroying these add-ons also limits the opponent's production capabilities. Thus when players enter the opponent's base they typically target add-ons of buildings that can produce units dangerous to the Void Ray. These typically encompass the Reactors on Starports and Barracks, due to the effectiveness of Vikings and Marines.
• Gas buildings: When using a couple of Void Rays to make a surprise attack on probes early in the game, one might want to first attack gas buildings in order to charge the Void Rays and deal a quick blow on the economy of the opponent. Because charged Void Rays are much more effective, they can easily defend against single units hastily sent by the opponent in defense, such Marine pairs or single Stalkers.

Gallery

Normal Void Ray attack animation.

Charged Void Ray attack animation.

Quotes

Quotes
Built	Selected	Annoyed	Move	Attack	Under Attack
Prismatic core online. Per'dac Curall.	Phase crystals charged. This vessel shall avenge. Zak Naku'athal. We are at full power. Channel the light of Aiur.	All paths are seen through the prism of fate. Our wills are aligned through the holy Khala. Conflict must not be seen through the lens of desperation. Infinity burns around us. There is no greater void than the one between your ears... I am also null. Always bet on void.	Calibrating void lenses. It shall be done. Ik'kuda Anai. Kaz Arashar. Annihilation commencing. Un'de Koor Huroc. Systems at full. Processed.	Lock beams and incinerate. Prismatic beams aligning. Pera'dac Aganesia. For Aiur. Fire at will, commander. Coordinating attack. Synchronizing.	Prismatic core failing we require assistance!

Void Ray's quotes (video and sound) - Youtube video.

Patch Changes

Patch 8 beta (version 0.10.0.14803)
Void Ray Changed to only have 2 damage levels instead of 3. Still takes the same amount of time to fully charge. Base damage changed from 2 (+4 armored) to 5. Powered-up damage changed from 8 (+16 armored) to 10 (+15 armored). Armor value decreased from 1 to 0. Cost increased from 200/150 to 250/150.

Patch 13 beta (version 0.15.0.15449)
Void Ray Range decreased from 7 to 6.

Patch 1.1.2
Damage level 1 increased from 5 to 6 (+4 armored). Damage level 2 decreased from 10 (+15 armored) to 8 (+8 armored). Flux Vanes speed upgrade bonus decreased from 1.125 to 0.703

Patch 1.2.0
Flux Vanes upgrade removed. Damage vs massive units increased by 20%.