Mission 8: Countdown

Conditions for winning

• Bring Zeratul and Artanis to the Xel'Naga temple
• Zeratul must survive
• Artanis must survive
• Protect the temple for 10 minutes

Conditions for losing

• All your structures are destroyed
• Artanis dies
• Zeratul dies
• The Temple gets destroyed after Zeratul and Artanis enters

First off, fortify both of your initial bases with Photon Cannon placements, and build up a strike force of 12 Zealots and 12 Dragoons. Send them in a north east direction and take out any Zerg along the way.

Take over a mineral spot there. Build up a force of 6-12 Carriers and with your initial force, wipe the southern map clear of all Zerg, having Dragoons and Corsairs as support. except don't venture too far north. Now, once the map is cleared, take a small force and a Probe to the center island, where the Xel'Naga temple is. After you clear the island of Zerg, start 3 Nexii there and start mining. Surround the island, literally, with a Photon Cannon wall at least 1 Cannon thick in all parts, keeping some extra Cannons around the Temple and the Nexii. Build 12 Corsairs. Have Dragoons and High Templar on standby, and hotkey your Corsairs. Reaver Support on Perimeter areas where drops are possible is optional.

Once Zeratul and Artanis move into the temple, it will trigger massive attacks from the Zerg to your north. Because you've cleared the map of all other Zerg, just concentrate on fighting back the ones that come from the north, northeast, and northweest.

Eventually there will be Guardians attacking, but that's what your Corsairs are for. Replace any Photon Cannons lost with your Probes, and because of the huge amount of resources at your disposal in the center island, the Zerg shouldn't be any big problem due to your Photon Cannon wall. After you've held the Xel'Naga temple for 10 minutes, you've won the Protoss Expansion missions.