Archangel

The Archangel is a large Viking variant.

Overview

The Archangel featured improved ground attack capabilities over the Viking. In addition to chaingun cannon, it carried ground-to-ground missiles, and blades were mounted under the cannon. The Archangel could strike ground targets in aerial mode with bombs. The force from landing was also hazardous.^[1]

During the Second Great War, an Archangel deployed against Umojan Protectorate Research Station EB-103 on XT39323 during as part of the Dominion's efforts to kill the now human Sarah Kerrigan. The vehicle obstructed the evacuation of the station by holding the shuttle bay. After a prolonged battle, Kerrigan destroyed it.^[1]

	This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.

During the End War, Moebius Corps came into possession of an Archangel, and dispatched it to Char to aid Amon's forces in besieging Alabama Kowalski's fortress on the planet. Kowalski wanted the Archangel for herself, and tasked the allied forces aiding in her defense to destroy it so she could salvage and rebuild it after the battle.^[2] During a battle in a Moebius Corps research station, General Carolina Davis captured an experimental Archangel called the Balius aided allied commanders in destroying experimental Moebius hybrids in the facility.^[3]

Game Unit

StarCraft II

Heart of the Swarm

The Archangel appears as a boss of sorts at the end of "Back in the Saddle". It has four attacks.

In ground mode, it fires cannon and has a missile barrage. A barrage is marked before hand by a cluster of red ground markers.

In air mode, the Archangel strafes in straight lines. Strafing runs are marked before hand by red lines. Drop pods landing three marines each accompany strafing runs. It creates a shockwave causing AOE damage when it lands.

Co-op Missions

The Archangel reappears in the Co-op Mission "Void Thrashing" as a bonus objective. It transforms and flies across the map after taking enough damage, and when left alone begins rapidly regenerating health. It is still vulnerable while in assault mode, and can be shot down with anti-air units as it transforms to escape.

An Archangel named the Balius helps players on the "Part and Parcel" map, and players must gather scrap from around the map in order to reactivate it. The Balius will then attack a nearby Moebius hybrid, and help the players kill it. Even if the Balius is destroyed, it will just go back to spawn and need to be rebuilt again.^[4]

An archangel is a possible gift that can be gained by players during the "Gift Exchange" mutator.^[5]

Development

During development the Archangel was known as the Viking Titan. The Archangel's rank "Dominion Titan" may be a nod to this. The remodel of the ship was made as a homage to the transforming mechs that first inspired the design of the viking.^[6]

Heroes of the Storm

	The following section contains information from Heroes of the Storm and is not canon to StarCraft continuity

Archangels appear as the boss mercenary on the Braxis Holdout map of Heroes of the Storm. It starts off as an infested unit, but a natural one will fly in after the infested version is defeated. The Archangel makes its way down a lane, unleashing missile barrages and areas of fire with its cannons.^[7]

Variants

• Balius

Known Pilots

• General Carolina Davis
• Cal

Trivia

• An archangel is an angel who oversaw the lowest rung of Angel Hierarchy within Abrahamic religions.
• The "TF" symbol is a nod to StarCraft II game designer Tim Feldman who prototyped all the abilities the Archangel uses in "Back in the Saddle".^[6]

References