Ballista (Warcraft II)

Ballista launch steel-tipped bolts to impale all in their path. As they require an awesome amount of force to be placed upon their tremendous bowstrings, these machines of war are reinforced with lumber from the precious Ironwood trees. The Ballista, a product of Human design and Elven craftsmanship, is a symbol of the unity between all those who have allied themselves against the Horde. The Dwarves prove to be another valuable ally, in that they may be employed to design improved missiles which make the Ballista the most devastating weapon of the Alliance.Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Alliance Ground Units, Ballista
==Information==
* Ballistas are siege units with a very powerful, long-ranged attack. They are also slow, vulnerable, cannot hit units adjacent to themselves, and are expensive and time-consuming to produce. They cannot attack flying units.
* They are best used offensively to destroy enemy towers and other buildings, units hiding behind walls, and tightly-packed units in general.
* They can also be used defensively, for example to destroy Ogre Juggernaughts from beyond their range. They are also useful against large groups of attacking troops, and can retaliate against enemy Catapults, and/or "snipe" unsuspecting Death Knights.
* They are effective when used for hit-and-run attacks with Transports - put several Ballistas in a Transport, unload them near an unsuspecting enemy, fire and retreat before he can react. This tactic is particularly effective when the Transport is hidden by a Mage's Invisibility spell.
* A Ballista's hit will damage all units in the adjacent square as well. This "splash" damage is approximately one-quarter the damage of a direct hit.
* They cannot be repaired; all damage done to them is permanent.
==Upgrades==
;Upgrade Ballistas (Damage +15)
:Increases the piercing attack damage of Ballistas by +15.
Research Cost	Researched At	Upgrade Time
1500 	Blacksmith 	250 secs.
:
;Upgrade Ballistas (Damage +15)
:Further increases the piercing attack damage of Ballistas by +15.
:
Research Cost	Researched At	Upgrade Time
4000 	Blacksmith 	250 secs.
==See also==
*Ballista (Warcraft III)
==References==
Category:Ballistae