StarCraft 2 Screenshots: Zerg
Today I played as the Zerg on the Desert Oasis map. There are some surprising changes to the Zerg from the original StarCraft. For example, Zerg players no longer build Creep Colonies to expand the creep field. Now Queen units (which are the only Zerg unit not bred from larva) spawn Creep Tumors, which spread the creep field. The old defensive structures which used to be an evolution of Creep Colonies are now built on their own. Queens also have the ability to temporarily speed up a Hatchery’s production of larvae and to heal Zerg units and structures. The Guardian unit has been replaced by the Brood Lord, which behaves similarly but has the added feature of using Broodlings as ammunition. Any target attacked by the Brood Lord takes a large amount of initial damage as well as secondary damage from the Broodling units that spawn from the attack.
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- The beginning
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- A close-up of the hatchery and larva
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- Spawning a new hatchery
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- Overlord close-up
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- Overlords can morph into beholders. No, wait, overseers.
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- Overseers are detectors and can spawn changelings, which can mimic enemy units for espionage purposes.
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- A pack of zerglings.
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- The same zerglings, burrowed.
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- A close-up of the zerg Queen unit. Queens can spawn creep tumors which create creep. Zerg players no longer build creep colonies.
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- Zerg Queen with Creep Tumor (center left)
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- Each creep tumor can spawn one new creep tumor within a short range. Creep fields can be expanded in this way.
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- Spore Crawlers and Sunken Crawlers are the zerg defensive structures. In SC2 they no longer generate creep.
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- On the other hand, Spore and Sunken Crawlers can now unburrow themselves and move around. They can only attack while burrowed.
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- Overlords have the ability to generate creep while hovering.
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- Here, an Overlord generates a small patch of creep while a Queen plants a Creep Tumor to start a new creep field.
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- A close-up of the SC2 Ultralisks. They are very large and very powerful units. I like them much more than the Brood War versions.
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- An Overlord provides transport and creep for a Drone to build a Nydus Network node just outside of my opponent’s scanner range.
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- An Ultralisk wreaks havoc on some Terran structures.
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- The Zerg Tech Tree. Tech Trees for all the races are available in game.
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- A Nydus Network structure can spawn Nydus Worms on any creep. Nydus Worms generate their own creep to keep themselves and nearby structures alive. I was able to transport 30 units at once through the Nydus Network.
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- This is the new Infestor unit. It behaves a bit like the old Defiler. It can siphon life from a unit into its energy pool and slow enemy ground units.
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- The Infestor and the Roach units can move while burrowed.
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- Zerglings can morph into Banelings, which are suicide units. They behave like a ground version of SC1′s Scourge unit (which has so far not made an appearance in SC2)
February 21st, 2010 at 20:01
I’ve seen a lot of tactics focusing on destroying Queens whenever you attack a Zerg base. Are they really that important to a Zerg defense?
The new creep generating mechanics are pretty neat – I can see elite players moving around the map pretty much at will with enough Nydus/Overlord fiddling.
February 21st, 2010 at 20:16
I think they definitely could be, especially if your opponent is good at micro. Their attack is not very powerful but their ability to increase your unit production rate and rapid heal for both units and structures could easily turn a battle.