new.. basic protoss strategy

So I'm pretty new to playing SC2 online. I just found this forum a week ago and have been reading a lot of the threads. I was wondering if anyone could give me some basic protoss strategies to start off with. Things like what units to build and when, where to actually put pylons and buildings, how to warp units effectivly, when to us chrono boost, what hot keys to use and what to actually hot key...etc.. hopefully that's not too much to ask for! haha... thanks guys

 

Great questions!

With Protoss you need a balance of units. The Protoss units are all specialized--they dominate units of a particular kind, but they get dominated by other units. You need to balance your forces to maximize your advantages and minimize your liabilities.

As for build orders, there are tons of strategies. I think it goes without saying that your first 50 gas should be spent researching warp gates. After that, you can either go with a robotics build (immortals and colossi), a warp gate build (charge zealots, blink stalkers, high templars with psi, sentries, and possibly DTs), or an air build (void rays or a mix of void rays, phoenixes, and carriers). I usually get immortals, then zealot charge, then templars with psi, then air, then colossi.

Where to put buildings--most people use their buildings to block a choke point. I don't. I am a big fan of keeping all of my buildings close together, near my nexus. That way, I can build 1–2 cannons by my nexus that can protect everything from mutas/banshees/DTs. Once you get warp gates, put pylons anywhere that you would like to warp-in armies--expansions, choke points, your ally's base, your enemy's base, etc.

I only chrono boost my nexus for faster probe production unless I am in a pinch (I scout a stalker rush and I don't have the immortals to hold, or I get DT/banshee rushed and I didn't make an observer, etc.). I also use chrono on upgrades from my forge, zealot charge, and psi storm, just to get these faster.

Hotkeys--there are all kinds of theories for this. I do:

1. Ground units (most of my units). Use <tab> to cycle through and use abilities like psi, force field, etc.
2. Air units, ranged units, or templars--whatever I want quick access to
3. Probe in my main for building
4. Observer for scouting expansions
5. Forge(s)
6. Open
7. stargates
8. Robotics
9. Gateways/warp gates
0. chronos

 

thanks a lot for the help! Do you not need a hotkey for your main base?

anyone else with suggestions?

 

you could also go to youtube and look up the tutorial for specific toss builds. just type in SC2 protoss tutorial and you could get a visual example. also just watching high level players and seeing when they get their units has really helped me out especially with my early game.

 

anyone else?

 

find a strat and stick to it is always a good plan free form playing early game cause you to be behind.

ive been trying a new build vs terran with a very very fast collosus, with range. though the build is very very reliant on haveing exactly the right amount of money at the right time and not building stalkers.

i think the most basic and also hardest for protoss is the mirror match, it is basic as it it simply variations on gates way+ something else. typically i like stalkers with blink, which cause my opponent to get stalkers with imorrtals, which means i get mass zealots with charge (these being some of my favorite units ever if you can get zealots with charge with upgrades, to much mins BUY ZEALOTS in all games).

as for a simple strat go for a fast forge double gate choke (if you need to add cybo) with cannons at you expansion this gives you extra money and works well defensively and is good to start of with. against zerg do this fast, as fast as you can as the timing for one zealots and a cannon and all the building so you have a 1 space choke is just about the time zerglings enter our base.

use sentries these are good force field rocks as does guardian but force field takes some time to get right (i cant do it i typically have to use 2 on a ramp due to panic).

hopefully this helps, and sorry if it is not understandable English IS my first language


also i dont care where i put buildings if im not makeing a choke, typically as close to my min line as possible in begging for builds that require precise timing. as for control grouping you main, yes you will want to do that, i use 4 as per Day(9) which means build probe for me is 4e then 11 takes me back to some of my force (usually the front line) you may also want to hot key a pylon for warpins (which i dont cause i never thought of it till just now)

 

you said "as for a simple strat go for a fast forge double gate choke (if you need to add cybo) with cannons at you expansion this gives you extra money and works well defensively and is good to start of with."
do you put all this at your expansion or the forge and gate at the choke and then just the cannons at your expansion?