Diamondback
Terran Hover Tank
The diamondback was a fast terran hover armored fighting vehicle able to fire on the move. First prototyped by the Confederacy, it was revived by Raynor's Raiders, who used its speed to hunt Dominion trains on Tarsonis.
The diamondback was a terran hover armored fighting vehicle, a fast hover tank whose defining trait was the ability to fire on the move. First prototyped by the Terran Confederacy but never developed into a finished design, it was revived during the Second Great War when Jim Raynor and his Raiders recovered abandoned examples and put them back into service. Its speed and on-the-move firepower made it well suited to mobile actions, and it later saw use by the Terran Dominion and other terran groups. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Origins#
The first diamondback prototypes were produced by the Terran Confederacy during the Great War, but the design never developed beyond that prototype stage. Prior to the Second Great War the Dominion fielded examples against the zerg on Vygoire. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty; Great One)
Revival by the Raiders#
During the Second Great War, Raynor's Raiders found abandoned diamondbacks in the hills of Tarsonis. Chief Engineer Rory Swann uploaded their schematics to the Raiders' factory network, allowing the group to commandeer and produce them. The Raiders used the vehicles to strike at Terran Dominion trains on the planet, a mission for which the diamondback was ideally suited: its ability to fire on the move and its high speed let it run down and engage the trains as they sped along. Swann held a favorable view of the diamondback, in marked contrast to his low opinion of the vulture, which he derided as poorly designed. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty)
Wider service#
Diamondbacks were also used by Mira's Marauders. The Dominion acquired the vehicles as well, employing them to help defend the UNN Studios, Skygeirr Station and the Psi Destroyer, and storing a large number at a cell block in New Folsom Prison. In the co-op missions, set during the End War, Alexei Stukov deployed infested diamondbacks against the forces of Amon, an infested counterpart to the terran original that fired constant streams of bile rather than single shots. (StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty; StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm; StarCraft II co-op missions)
Frequently asked questions
- What is a diamondback in StarCraft?
- The diamondback was a terran hover armored fighting vehicle, a fast hover tank whose defining trait was the ability to fire on the move. First prototyped by the Terran Confederacy but never developed into a finished design, it was revived during the Second Great War when Jim Raynor and his Raiders recovered abandoned examples and put them back into service.
- Who first created the diamondback?
- The first diamondback prototypes were produced by the Terran Confederacy during the Great War, but the design never developed beyond that prototype stage. Prior to the Second Great War the Dominion fielded examples against the zerg on Vygoire, showing the vehicle remained viable even though it had never entered full production.
- How did Raynor's Raiders revive the diamondback?
- Raynor's Raiders found abandoned diamondbacks in the hills of Tarsonis, and Chief Engineer Rory Swann uploaded their schematics to the Raiders' factory network so the group could build and use them. They used the vehicles to strike at Terran Dominion trains on the planet, a mission suited to the diamondback's speed and ability to fire on the move.
- Who else used the diamondback?
- Diamondbacks were used by Mira's Marauders, and the Dominion acquired them as well, employing them to help defend the UNN Studios, Skygeirr Station and the Psi Destroyer and storing a large number at New Folsom Prison. In the co-op missions, set during the End War, Alexei Stukov deployed infested diamondbacks against the forces of Amon, a counterpart that fired constant streams of bile rather than single shots.
Sources
- GameStarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Blizzard Entertainment, 2010
- GameStarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard Entertainment, 2013
- GameStarCraft II co-op missions, Blizzard Entertainment, 2015 onwards
- BookGreat One, Alex Irvine, Blizzard Entertainment short story, 2013
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Vulture
The vulture was a lightly armored terran hover bike built for speed and scouting. Fast, reliable and cheap, it served as cavalry for the Confederacy and later the Dominion, and remained a favorite of pirates and raiders.
Alexei Stukov: murdered, then infested
DuGalle's oldest friend and second in command was killed on his own admiral's orders, after Samir Duran worked on the fleet. The zerg brought him back.
End War: Amon's crusade on the galaxy
The resurrected xel'naga Amon corrupted the Khala and cost the protoss both Aiur and Shakuras. Kerrigan, remade as a xel'naga, killed him in the Void.
Great War: protoss against zerg over Aiur
The Great War was the first open fight between protoss and zerg, with the terrans caught between them. It ended over Aiur with the Overmind destroyed.
Jim Raynor
James Eugene Raynor was a farm boy turned Confederate marine, marshal, and rebel who helped bring down the Terran Confederacy and later fought its successor, the Terran Dominion, becoming one of the few terrans to ally long-term with the protoss.
New Folsom
New Folsom was a deadly, geologically rich planet whose Confederate mine became New Folsom Prison, a high-security penitentiary that held members of the Sons of Korhal and, in one campaign branch, was broken open by Raynor's Raiders.
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