Neosteel
the durable terran construction alloy
Neosteel was an exceptionally durable material used by the terrans for everything from battlecruiser hulls and CMC armor to bunkers and personal weapons. Its manufacture required catalytic elements, and to be "like neosteel" was a terran idiom for great strength of will.
Neosteel was an exceptionally durable material used by the terrans of the Koprulu sector. It served as a foundational construction alloy for a vast range of terran technology, from the hulls of battlecruisers to personal armor and weaponry, and its strength was woven so deeply into terran culture that to be "like neosteel" became an idiom for great strength of will. (StarCraft; StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade; StarCraft: I, Mengsk)
Uses and production#
Neosteel formed part of the armor of battlecruisers and of CMC powered combat suits, and was thinly interwoven into jumpsuits to provide protection. It was used in bunkers, thors, goliaths, the interiors of drop pods, certain starships, Perdition turrets, hellions and hellbats, the C-10 rifle, widow mines, the fuselage of Ravens, the warhound, the treads of Crucio siege tanks, and in reinforcement bars and security doors. The material's reach across terran engineering made it one of the defining substances of the terran war machine. (StarCraft; StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade; In the Blood; StarCraft: Speed of Darkness; StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres; StarCraft Field Manual; StarCraft II official site (unit pages); StarCraft: I, Mengsk)
Neosteel required catalytic elements to manufacture. The richest known source of these elements was New Folsom, though the much safer Sara system was used for the same purpose. The alloy's reputation for toughness passed into general terran language, where to be "like neosteel" meant to possess great strength of will. (Koprulu Sector Systems: New Folsom; StarCraft: I, Mengsk)
Dominion research#
During the reign of Emperor Valerian Mengsk, considerable research went into improving neosteel construction processes. This work produced better liberators and thors and was used extensively by the Dominion Special Forces. Later advances in neosteel design came through study of xel'naga constructs recovered by the Dominion Special Forces, extending the material's development beyond its original terran metallurgy. (StarCraft II War Chest)
Frequently asked questions
- What is neosteel in StarCraft?
- Neosteel was an exceptionally durable material used by the terrans of the Koprulu sector. It served as a foundational construction alloy across a wide range of terran technology, from battlecruiser hulls to personal armor and weapons.
- What was neosteel used for?
- Neosteel formed part of the armor of battlecruisers and CMC powered combat suits, and was thinly interwoven into jumpsuits for protection. It was also used in bunkers, thors, goliaths, drop pod interiors, Perdition turrets, hellions and hellbats, the C-10 rifle, widow mines, Raven fuselages, the warhound, Crucio siege tank treads, and reinforcement bars and security doors.
- How was neosteel made?
- Neosteel required catalytic elements to manufacture. The richest known source of these elements was New Folsom, though the much safer Sara system was also used for the same purpose.
- What did it mean to be "like neosteel"?
- The alloy's reputation for toughness passed into general terran language, where to be "like neosteel" meant to possess great strength of will.
- How did the Dominion improve neosteel?
- During the reign of Emperor Valerian Mengsk, considerable research went into improving neosteel construction processes, producing better liberators and thors used extensively by the Dominion Special Forces. Later advances came through study of xel'naga constructs recovered by the Dominion Special Forces.
Sources
- GameStarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment, 1998
- GameStarCraft II War Chest, Blizzard Entertainment, Collections skin descriptions, 2016
- WebStarCraft II official site (unit pages), Blizzard Entertainment, 2007 to 2014
- WebKoprulu Sector Systems: New Folsom, Blizzard Entertainment, StarCraft II website, 2010
- WebIn the Blood, Matt Burns, Blizzard Entertainment short story, 2013
- BookStarCraft: Liberty's Crusade, Jeff Grubb, Pocket Star, 2001
- BookStarCraft: Speed of Darkness, Tracy Hickman, Pocket Star, 2002
- BookStarCraft: I, Mengsk, Graham McNeill, Pocket Star, 2008
- BookStarCraft: Ghost: Spectres, Nate Kenyon, Pocket Star, 2011
- BookStarCraft Field Manual, Rick Barba, Insight Editions, 2015
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Battlecruiser
The battlecruiser was the terran sector's capital ship, a heavily armed and armored warship dating back to the early Confederacy that served as both a general-purpose combatant and a fleet command vessel.
CMC Powered Combat Suit
The CMC Powered Combat Suit was the standard armored exoskeleton of terran infantry across the Koprulu sector, an enclosed hardskin worn by marines and firebats of the Confederacy, the Terran Dominion, and the Kel-Morian Combine. Its successive models defined the appearance and survivability of the human foot soldier from the Guild Wars through the End War.
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.
Sara system
The Sara system was a star system in the Koprulu sector, unusual for holding two habitable planets, Mar Sara and Chau Sara. It was a Confederate frontier holding whose worlds became the first targets of the protoss purification that opened the Great War.
Terran
The terrans are the descendants of a failed 23rd century colony mission from Earth, a young and highly factionalized species with latent psionic potential. Despite endless wars among themselves and with their alien neighbors, they stand as one of the three dominant species of the galaxy.
Valerian Mengsk: the archaeologist emperor
Arcturus' secret heir allied with Jim Raynor to deinfest Kerrigan, broke with his father over her fate, and took the Dominion throne on his death.
Mentioned in4 entries
Behemoth-class battlecruiser
The Behemoth-class was the most common terran battlecruiser of the Great War, an improvement over the Leviathan-class that could travel through warp space, operate in atmosphere, and land on planets. It was the class of the famed Hyperion and remained in service well into the Second Great War.
Factory: armored heart of terran vehicle production
The factory was the automated terran structure that served as the primary production center for ground vehicles, structures, and ammunition. Behind walls of reinforced neosteel it housed elite vehicle crews in first class quarters, assembled war machines with interior cranes, and could lift off on ventral thrusters to follow the front wherever it moved.
Moirai-class battlecruiser: exclusive capital ship of the Dominion Special Forces
The Moirai-class battlecruiser was a terran capital ship developed exclusively for the Dominion Special Forces during the reign of Valerian Mengsk. An upgrade over its predecessors, it emerged from a lengthy research and testing period and demanded a specially engineered fusion core with quadruple the standard power output.
Sara system
The Sara system was a star system in the Koprulu sector, unusual for holding two habitable planets, Mar Sara and Chau Sara. It was a Confederate frontier holding whose worlds became the first targets of the protoss purification that opened the Great War.
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