Since each race has accumulated a huge layer of information and lore, we will first discuss each one individually, their current strengths, and then pit them against each other.
Protoss
The long-lived, high-tech humanoid race from the StarCraft universe is fragmented due to traditions and ideological differences. Due to their small numbers, a significant part of their army consists of robotic war machines and cybernetic walkers, where heavily wounded warriors are placed. The race has exceptionally developed psionic potential, allowing them to transform mental energy into destructive attacks.
The name of the race, "Protoss," translates as "Firstborn": the ancient Xel'Naga race endowed them with purity of form and considered them the first successful creation in the current cycle. After the creators' departure, an Age of Strife followed the era of prosperity — a period of bloody wars between tribes. The conflict ended when the philosopher Khas united his kin through a telepathic link, creating the Khala — a religious-philosophical doctrine that strictly distributed social castes.
Some of the Firstborn rejected the Khala, fearing the loss of individuality. After a series of conflicts, the renegades left their homeworld of Aiur and settled on the shadowy planet of Shakuras, calling themselves Nerazim, or Dark Templar. Those who remained on their homeworld preserved the destructive artifacts of the past, vowing to protect the world. In this state, the faction approached the beginning of the First Galactic War.
StarCraft I
The Protoss could have been the dominant force throughout all three campaigns. But the High Executor Tassadar decided otherwise:
- For the sake of saving a handful of Terrans, Tassadar stopped burning Zerg-infested planets.
- Tassadar advised his kin to destroy Zerg cerebrates, which would help secure victory. But he did not mention that only Dark Templar could truly kill them.
- To end the internecine strife, Tassadar surrendered to already defeated enemies. After this, the internecine strife continued with renewed vigor.
Throughout the game, the Protoss lost strength in internecine warfare, lost to the Zerg and Terrans, or achieved minor victories. Only at the end did they manage to unite in the war against the Overmind – the powerful and cruel lord of the Zerg. Tassadar's sacrifice helped destroy the monster forever, which somewhat justifies him.
In the Brood War expansion, the Protoss lost Aiur. The survivors were sheltered by their kin from Shakuras. The united race had a chance to regroup and take revenge on their offenders. But their leaders suddenly became foolish, which allowed Kerrigan to deceive them and defeat them in the final battle. Ironically, the most adequate turned out to be Judge Aldaris – a stubborn dogmatist who found the strength to change. But Kerrigan did not let him save the situation.
StarCraft II
In the first two campaigns, the Protoss appeared rarely. In Wings of Liberty, Protoss temples had to be plundered. Later it turned out that those Protoss were evil (Tal'darim), but at the time of WoL's release, what was happening seemed insane.
In Legacy of the Void, Hierarch Artanis once again made the faction a formidable force capable of burning entire planets. Under his command, the avatar of the evil god Amon was destroyed, and the Golden Armada, corrupted by him, was liberated.
Expensive and Durable Protoss Troops
At the head of the army is the "Spear of Adun" — a great ark capable of accommodating the entire Protoss civilization. The spaceship's armament allows it to confidently fight in space and support ground troops. Upgrades allow it to attack enemies with lasers, put them in stasis, or teleport allies.
The entire army is expensive, hard-hitting, and very resilient. The armor of warriors and machines is strong, and in addition, they are protected by plasma shields. With advanced teleportation technology, the Protoss are able to move entire armies and attack from the most unexpected directions.
In space and air, the Protoss dominate thanks to their fleet. Spaceships are capable of destroying enemy concentrations or temporarily neutralizing them with technology. In the past, "Arbiters" made Protoss troops invisible. They were replaced by more powerful and expensive "Motherships." By the beginning of StarCraft II, the Protoss had transformed their fleet into a powerful "Golden Armada." Alas, it was subjugated by Amon and nearly destroyed its own creators.
Mixed troops are used on the ground. The Khalai are at the forefront of the attack, supported by machines such as "Sentinels" and "Colossi." From the shadows, the Nerazim attack enemies — relatively frail but very mobile fighters.
"High Templar" distract enemies with illusions and unleash psionic storms upon them. They can merge into "Archons" — powerful psionic constructs.
"Dark Templar" merge into "Dark Archons," who drive enemies insane and subjugate them to their will. Usually, only two templars can merge, but once, seven ancient, powerful, and quarrelsome Dark Templar merged into a Dark Archon named Ulrezaj, who became the equivalent of the Devil for the StarCraft universe.
Eldar
The Eldar are an ancient, dying race of space elves from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. They compensate for their lack of manpower with supreme skill, the use of psychoactive constructs with soul stones of fallen ancestors, and subtle strategic manipulation of other civilizations.
Millions of years before the familiar fortieth millennium, the War in Heaven erupted — an event so massive that the Horus Heresy seems like a minor squabble in comparison.
In a deadly battle, the Eldar (space elves) and Orks (aggressive mushrooms) clashed with the Necrons (magical iron skeletons). The Necrons used incomprehensibly advanced technology, while the Eldar learned to transform the Warp (a psychic dimension) into wraithbone — crystallized psychoactive Immaterium matter. However, the Orks didn't care — they assembled weapons from any junk and adapted faster than their opponents could imagine.
After their victory, the Eldar ruled the galaxy unchallenged, but centuries of hedonism led to the Fall and the birth of the fourth Chaos god — Slaanesh. The catastrophe destroyed the core of the empire and consumed the souls of most of the race. The survivors split into isolated factions:
- Asuryani: inhabitants of colossal fleet-ships — Craftworlds, who adopted the strict discipline of the Paths.
- Drukhari: Dark Eldar, who took refuge in the dark city of Commorragh within the Webway and nourished their fading souls with the suffering of others.
- Exodites: colonists of Maiden Worlds, who chose an ascetic lifestyle in harmony with nature.
- Harlequins: followers of the Laughing God Cegorach, who guard the secrets of the Black Library and move between factions.
Eldar in Games and Series
In video games, the Asuryani most often act as a third force, pursuing goals that are unclear to humans. In addition to the classic turn-based strategy Rites of War, the faction is widely represented in the Dawn of War series, where Eldar combat aspects, including Striking Scorpions and Howling Banshees, demonstrate their signature tactics of ambushes and swift raids.
In other games, the Eldar are part of a large-scale conflict that can be led to victory. In Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, you have to deal with survivors from the Craftworld "Crudarach." If you want hardcore, you should help the survivors who are actively destroying themselves throughout the game.
The true power of the Eldar is excellently conveyed in the animated series "The Exodite." In it, an Eldar named Kelset saw disguised T'au (space communists) and punished them for their arrogance. And towards the end, an Eldar titan elegantly defeated an Imperium titan.
Agile and Powerful Eldar Troops
Survival against all odds has hardened the Eldar. Craftworlds are inhabited by millions of residents who will defend their home at the first call. The fleet consists of powerful and maneuverable ships, whose techno-sorcery helps deceive the minds and technology of the enemy.
Ground forces deliver devastating and lightning-fast attacks on the enemy and disappear as quickly as they appeared. Combat walkers are controlled by the souls of Eldar ancestors, whose experience and will to survive make them more dangerous than ordinary machines. Grav-tanks perform the role of heavy equipment. Bases and troops are protected by holofields and support batteries, which are used for defense and offense.
The core of the army consists of Aspect Warriors — specialists who have honed a specific combat style for centuries. These warriors are capable of confronting even Space Marines.
"Webway Gates" allow for rapid troop deployment, and camouflage technologies hide positions from enemy attention. If necessary, the Eldar can instantly pack up camp and retreat to a safe place.
Advanced Eldar weaponry allows them to shoot through time and space, tearing enemies apart from the outside and inside. Particularly powerful cannons devastate the battlefield with destructive volleys.
Due to Slaanesh's curse, psykers cannot fully utilize their abilities. But even with limitations, they are capable of manipulating time, predicting future events, protecting allies, and destroying enemies.
And now that we've covered each faction, it's time to figure out who exactly we'll be pitting against each other on our imaginary battlefield.
Who will fight?
A series of defeats and hard-won victories has reduced the already modest Protoss population. Thanks to Artanis, the Protoss remained a significant faction, but after the events of StarCraft II, they will not be able to withstand two or more Craftworlds. Therefore, their opponent will be the Eldar of one average Craftworld.
This time, unique legendary leaders will not participate in the war. If Artanis and Fenix were thrown into battle against Eldrad Ulthran and Prince Yriel, the duel would devolve into an endless argument about whose plot armor is stronger.
War of Might and Cunning
A Craftworld will not yield in power to the "Spear of Adun," but the Eldar will not risk their home. They will conduct several raids on the Protoss fleet, destroying stray ships. This maneuver will allow Eldar forces to descend onto Protoss-controlled planets.
The Protoss will dispatch strike teams to counter the threat. The teams' power will be sufficient to suppress resistance, and the "Spear of Adun" will destroy any detected enemy concentrations.
The Eldar can destroy Protoss units, but first they will have to deal with the cursed shields. Breaking them requires a lot of firepower, and if the Eldar are detected during the accumulation process, they are finished. All hope rests on the seers and their ability to see the future — they will have to work harder than usual.
In a clash between ordinary psykers and High Templar, the psykers will win. The Templar's power is great, but psykers know more ways to destroy an enemy. However, if the Templar decide to merge into Archons, the psykers will have big and very angry problems.
Both factions will have difficulties destroying enemy bases. Eldar bases are well hidden, and in times of danger, they are evacuated into the Webway. Protoss bases are well protected — destroying them will require significant forces comparable in power to the Protoss fleet or the "Spear of Adun."
The cat-and-mouse game will be long — with constant teleportation and maneuvering on the terrain. The Eldar will have to frequently and flawlessly destroy enemy forces to force the Protoss to surrender. The Protoss do not need to destroy many Eldar to win — they value the lives of their kin too much, but first, they will have to find the cursed pointy-ears.
If the Eldar Called for Help
Previous clashes were "clean" — without the involvement of other races. But the Eldar are famous for their love of pitting other races against their enemies. If allowed, they would unleash an Ork "WAAAGH!!!" or an Imperial fleet on the Protoss. The unfortunate humanoids would have to constantly fight back, while the pointy-ears would laugh at the spectacle.
And even if the Protoss were allowed to ask for help from the Terrans or Zerg, it would change nothing — they would be drawn into an eternal war where the winners would be the Eldar and Orks, who would only rejoice in a fight with a new enemy.
And What is the Outcome?
When pitting the races of StarCraft and Warhammer 40,000 against each other, we did not try to dryly calculate their characteristics. It is more interesting to analyze the features of their history, culture, and way of thinking. And based on this, imagine how they would behave in a war with a new, yet similar enemy.
Pitting the Eldar and Protoss against each other was the most interesting. Both factions are simultaneously fragile and powerful — it's easy to give one an advantage over the other. We had to find a balance so that the war wouldn't end right after it began.
The Protoss rely on unbreakable resilience, heavy armor, and destructive psionic energy, while the Eldar rely on absolute maneuverability, foresight, and cunning traps. In a one-on-one duel without external forces, it is difficult to determine a favorite, but this very equality makes their confrontation a classic of sci-fi versus.
Author's Note
The great conflict of two universes ends with the Eldar and Protoss. At first, it seemed that the much more developed Warhammer 40,000 universe would leave StarCraft no chance, but this turned out not to be the case. Even with the given handicap, the StarCraft races still proved themselves worthy — especially considering the weakening after Kerrigan's machinations. This is a testament to the fact that the craftsmen from old Blizzard could create interesting and well-thought-out universes that continue to captivate decades later.