The Reapers have one of the most interesting abilities out of all the units in Starcraft 2 – Cliffjumping. This allows the Reaper to jump up and down cliffs, giving it a significant advantage in battle as it can outrun opponents and go to places other units cannot reach.
On every map that you are using Reapers, cliffjumping should be exploited to its maximum. If a map has many small ledges then you should be positioning your Reapers on those ledges, allowing them to fire at any units that pass underneath them. Possibly the most interesting use of the Cliffjumping ability is to be able to strike at your opponents base undetected. If a base is surrounded by cliffs, you can use your Reapers to get behind an opponents base, allowing you to strike at workers and any buildings nearby. A Reaper rush in the early game phase is a very common tactic as if done right can win you the match.
For all the strengths of the Reaper, it does have some weaknesses. Firstly it has a very low healthpool of 50hp and so any sustained attack on a reaper will kill it. In Mid to late games you need to be careful with any Reapers you are building as they can be taken out very easily by the higher tier enemy units.
Secondly they cannot attack air units so any air assault against them will prove fatal.
- The Reapers have a bonus damage against structures so make sure you use them to attack buildings as well. A group of Reapers can take down structures very quickly.
- The Reaper is built from the barracks which has an attached Tech Lab. They only cost 50 Minerals and 50 Vespene Gas to build and so are relatively cheap to build. This allows you to perform an early game rush with them if you can build them quick enough.
- The Reaper has one upgrade that can be purchased for them – Nitro Packs. This upgrade increases the Reapers movement speed and makes them much more dangerous for quick attacks against enemy workers and structures. If you know you are going to be using a lot of Reapers in a match, make sure you research this upgrade.
That’s it for the rundown on the Terran Reaper. If you would like some more information on the Terran Units then please take a look at my Terran Unit Guide.
