Units

Hellion

The Hellion is a high-speed raider built around a lightweight four-wheel chassis. Hellions are capable of causing damage disproportionate to their size, particularly against enemy infantry, thanks to their heavy Infernal Flame Throwers. Additionally, their remarkable acceleration allows for improvisational tactics in the field. Some Hellion drivers will deliberately outrun their enemies only to turn and attack when they have reached maximum range. The low cost, exceptional agility, and devastating firepower of these vehicles have made them extremely popular with mercenary companies.
Unit Statistics

3D Model

Basic information

Race: Terran
Life: 90
Armor: 0 (3)
Movement: Very Fast
Cargo Size: 2
Attributes: Light - Mechanical

Production

Producer: Factory
Hotkey: E
Cost: 100 -
Supply: 2
Build time: 30

Combat

Upgrades:
Weapon:

Driver’s Handbook

  • Light vehicle that can attack ground targets.
  • Its mounted flamethrower damages all units in a straight line.
  • Good against large concentrations of light units, excellent after upgrade.
  • Great for hit-and-run operations, especially against melee units and worker lines.
  • Their speed makes them great scouts.
  • Requires good control and positioning to maximize effectiveness.
  • Against ranged units, get in close; against melee, kite.

Tech Lab Upgrades

  • Infernal Pre-Igniter: Increases damage dealt against light units by +10.

Countermeasures

VS Terran
  • Block your choke point, don’t clump your units, and don’t let Hellions surround them.
  • Marauders, being armored, take less damage from Hellions, and also slow them down once concussive shells have been researched.
  • Build a few Siege Tanks and Hellions of your own.
  • Banshees work well, too.
VS Zerg
  • Block your choke point with Roaches or Queens to prevent Hellion raids.
  • Place a few Spine Crawlers along your mineral line.
  • If you have Hydralisks, spread them out and research Grooved Spines, remember not to clump them up.
  • Mutalisks can attack Hellions with impunity.
VS Protoss
  • Block your choke point with Stalkers or the Sentry’s Force Field ability to prevent Hellion raids.
  • Build a few Photon Cannons along your mineral line.
  • Air units can attack Hellions with impunity.
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Comments (34)

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Rade #583
Rade
25/03/2012
Strong against only 2 units? This better be fixed in HoTS with the whole Combat Hellion transformation.
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NEXUS #168
NEXUS
12/03/2012
I think the Infernal Pre-Igniter upgrade should again increase damage dealt against light units by +10 the nerf to that upgrade was way to big. one of the reasons I wrote this is because now they can't 2 shot workers.
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Kembo #786
Kembo
15/01/2012
pls make a research that increases helion range!
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CROlav #999
CROlav
13/06/2011
well theye would be more usefull when the gonna hawe +1 range then theye gonna be strong againts marines
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LeCock #780
LeCock
07/05/2011
I think they should have bonus to bio instead of light. Every bio is sensitive to fire after all...
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Moip #133
Moip
09/10/2011
@Cockroach: that would mean they would deal bonus damage to all zerg units, even their buildings, ultralisks, roaches....

it would be OP and inba since they could counter any zerg round unit, but nothing else, that isn't strategy.
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Dukie #960
Dukie
27/04/2011
Too bad this unit has its almost only role as Zergling BBQ...
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BenjyBoyBros #656
BenjyBoyBros
17/02/2011
Hellion the new firebat and vulture (2 in 1)
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Moip #133
Moip
06/02/2011
helion+marauder=overkill, but a single void ray or mutalisk can kill the lot of them xD
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Spiderweb #794
Spiderweb
28/12/2010
the only thing these things do better is that they got splash, i think that everyone would agree with me that vultures are better
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Mihai #507
Mihai
22/01/2011
@SilentX: nope.
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NEXUS #168
NEXUS
12/03/2012
@Spiderweb: because vultures do 20 concussive damage(look at the SC1 site to understand) their average damage is 12(rounded up),where as hellions do 11 average damage, but hellions do splash damage and vultures don't.
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IronStathis #928
IronStathis
10/12/2010
Daylight's burning!!

A combo of Vulture and Firebat.Awesome! If it kept the Spider Mines,it would be overkill.
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bioz #125
bioz
28/11/2010
Drop 4 of these babies with igniter and watch mineral lines evaporate before he even has time to react.
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SirHobbit #717
SirHobbit
26/10/2010
hellons are so fun to use!!!
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Novastrider #826
Novastrider
11/09/2010
Extremely fun in Team games when facing Zerg. First attack with air, so they switch to Hydralisk. Then switch to Hellions and watch them buuuurrrrn.
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theJ #493
theJ
21/09/2010
@Novastrider: Except hydras OWN hellions -.-
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Azap #204
Azap
08/11/2010
@theJ: Not really. Hydralisks are Light units. Hellions beat the crap out of them, especially if Infernal Pre-Igniter is researched.
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Moip #133
Moip
06/02/2011
@Azap: with out pre-igniter, a hydra can kill one helion, but when they both mass, and get upgrades, helion does win.
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kanmoreti #982
kanmoreti
30/08/2010
I don't like this unit. They should have improved the old vultures.
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Naja #505
Naja
07/09/2010
@kanmoreti: well this units lacks something and its "firing in movements"
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Fummy #793
Fummy
22/08/2010
Haven't seen much of these in League matches, there not very tough to kill
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theJ #493
theJ
22/08/2010
@Fummy: I'd say that's the problem. They're not gonna do a whole lot in a battleline (unless you're facing mass Zerglings), and the one thing they're good at (harrassing) is shared by Reapers, Vikings, Banshees, Ravens and probably a whole lot more which I'm too lazy to think of right now. What's the advantage of using Hellions that none of those can do better?
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Rasofe #144
Rasofe
05/10/2010
@theJ: Hellions have killing splash type. In pure practice (not so much in theory) they are a good counter to early banelings (lets say you know your enemy plans to tech to mutas, but also has some lings and banes ready. You could easily mass marines and whipe out your enemy early, but one or two hellions make things easier). Hellions should however be able to fire while moving - they have a really stupid attack speed, they themselves are slower than many fast units (it is sooo annoying to see speedlings outrun them) and they are really weak. It would really make sense to at least make them faster, or let them shoot while moving. But zerg are considered UP already.
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ColinFreedom #723
ColinFreedom
19/08/2010
These guys get a raw deal on their campaign mission, where firebats are better for defence and reapers are better on attack.
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BoViking #721
BoViking
08/08/2010
Hellions and Reapers share the same purpose, they kill workers and infantry. One difference is their travel method, the hellion is faster but the reaper jumps on cliffs. Another difference is that hellions damages multiple units at the same time but fires slowly, while the reaper damages single targets fast.

The reaper does damage way more against buildings, but the hellion is better for defending your army or base against large waves of zerglings/zealots. I'd say both are equally very balanced, it's all a matter of what suits the situation. If the enemy hasn't walled in, hellions can just roll in and do terrible terrible damage. Reapers can be more sneaky though and just jump on the cliffs to the workers.
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Maćko #824
Maćko
06/08/2010
A large group of Hellions can be really devastating. Just put them in the right place in the right time.
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Elinor #245
Elinor
24/08/2010
@Maćko: I'm still new to the game but definitly thinking the same. I'll try a couple of tactics and keep discussing the unit. It's a fascinating unit that seems less powerfull than others when you're using them in the first few games. Usually I employ them as collectors for recources in the game. Maybe the key is also in upgrading them as fast as possible and then jump into the battle devastating the recourse gathering of the enemy. We'll see...
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SirHobbit #717
SirHobbit
26/10/2010
@Maćko: just what i would say
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nephthys #339
nephthys
18/04/2011
@Maćko: Whenever I use helions in mass I loose, they are only good for harras and never have more than 4 on the battle field
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Econael #922
Econael
06/08/2010
I've seen a pro get 9 kills on worker units with a single hellion before it went down, sweet
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Amarok #944
Amarok
31/07/2010
yeah, good for rushing and better than the Reaper for overall battle tactics. The reaper are soul-destroying against workers and are easier to get, but Hellions wreak havoc against those mentioned enemies (zerglings, for instance). Only problem against workers is that you're typically forced through bottlenecks on the way, whereas Reapers can jump hills.
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Bikerushownz #685
Bikerushownz
30/07/2010
best unit for rushing
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SirHobbit #717
SirHobbit
26/10/2010
@theright: yep