Starcraft Races: Zerg

Starcraft Zerg Units

GLORY TO THE SWARM!!!! Welcome to the Classic Starcraft Zerg Units Section. Here are the details of the various Zerg strains, and some tips to avoid or promote infestation!

The Zerg faction relies on staggering numbers of relatively cheap units to overwhelm and grind down their foes. They are the quickest to amass a significant fighting force, and can replace losses extremely quickly. Their biggest weakness is their defence - a Zerg must constantly attack and pressure their enemies, since their structures and bases are notoriously difficult to defend against prolonged assaults.

Zerg Unit Details

Zerglings - The base zerg attack unit. Once fully upgraded, they become real terrors. They are also valued for the speed with which large numbers of them can be mustered. The zerg rush is justifiably feared by players of all skills. They are real powers very early and very late in the game, especially against terrans. With the support of defilers, zerglings are miniature terran eaters. These horrors can also be used to spy - bury them in all the expansions, or any place you want to keep an eye on.

Protoss Counters - Zealots + photon cannons.
Zerg Counters - Zerglings + sunken colonies.
Terran Counters - Marines + bunker, firebats, vultures.
Overlords - The zerg version of shuttles, farms, and observers. These guys are absolutely great to have around. What other race has mobile farms or 100 mineral shuttles? However, be cautious, especially later in the game, a clever opponent may begin targeting your overlords with scourges, corsairs or valkeries. Never move any kind of attack force without overlords, zerg units die quickly enough without being victimized by cloaked units . To protect them, spread your overlords about your base - it makes nuking you a REAL treat - and leaves you less open to corsair pillaging.

Protoss Counters - Any ranged attack unit.
Zerg Counters - Any ranged attack unit.
Terran Counters - Any ranged attack unit.
Hydalisks- The zerg's base unit, a zerg player has no excuse for not building these deadly beasts. They are powerful ranged attackers, and are not only small, but cheap, fast, and most of all, deadly. Use them in huge drops, or brutal ground assaults. Due to the numbers of hydralisks a player can mass in mid game, they can be used to grind a protoss or terran player into the ground unless they have heavy weapons. 12 hydras at home also make a mean worker defense.

Protoss Counters: Templar, reavers.
Zerg Counters: Zerglings + hydralisks.
Terran Counters: Medics + marines, tanks.
Drone - Base zerg harvester, they sport the fastest attack of the workers, but don't use them to fight unless you are hard pressed. However, against a rookie opponent, they can be used in a "colony" rush, where you quickly build several colonies very near a victim's workers. Don't forget the burrow ability, it can be used to spare your workers in the event of a fast worker raid.

Protoss Counters - Any attack unit.
Zerg Counters - Any attack unit.
Terran Counters - Any attack unit.
Mutalisks - Individually, these units are like marines - sucky in all regards. But, due to their bouncing projectiles and stacking, large numbers of mutas become exceedingly deadly. Groups of 24 or more mutalisks are excellent against stationary ground defenses like missile turrets and photon cannons, as well as fighters like wraiths and scouts. Even hydralisks can be overpowered for the cost, due largely to the mutas small size. (As a small unit, many attacks do minimal damage to it). Beware of spell castors however, as one well placed area effect spell can slay your entire air force. Try pulling fast workers raids with 6 mutas, you will often be able to overpower whatever meager air defense your enemy has at that point. Fear corsairs or valkeries, they will chew through your mutas like a roto-rooter though a sewer clog.

Protoss Counters: Templar, corsairs, carriers.
Zerg Counters: Mass hydralisks, scourges.
Terran Counters: Medics and marines, valkeries, battlecruisers.
Queens - Often these units are neglected by a zerg player, and considering their abilities, it is perplexing as to why. Their parasite is absolutely crucial to zerg recon, and ensnare is a great way to gum up an attack, or better yet, a retreat. Broodling is the only real zerg answer to templar, and it is also a great way to punish terrans for making tanks. Also, handle nuking ghosts with flair, make them die "aliens" style. Queens are a great way to kill expensive ground units. In ways, they are an "anti" spell castor.

Protoss Counters - Dark acron, any air attackers.
Zerg Counters - Scourges, any air attackers.
Terran Counters - Science vessels, any air attackers.
Scourges - Against small fleets of ships, scourges are a pain in whatever the protoss call a backside. They are a cheap, fast, and cruel way to really maim an air force. Against concentrated groups of capital ships, scourges loose most of their effectiveness however, so support units are critical to occupy the big vessels guns. Use them to kill flying spell castors, as well as to rape an opponents overlord flock. Don't even waist them against battle cruisers, you'll spend more gas on scourges than your opponent did making the wretched bc - their are better ways till kill battle crappers.......

Protoss Counters - Hallucinations, arbiters.
Zerg Counters - Spore colonies, hydralisks, scourges.
Terran Counters - Battle cruisers, marines.
Devourers - This creature is a support unit designed to kill capital ships. Devourers mince carriers and can hold their own against battle cruisers if supported by other units. They have a powerful and debilitating attack, but it is extremely slow, so beware of scouts, mutas, or wraiths. Their spore damage adds up fast, making units like mutalisks far more dangerous than normal. Devourers can also take a real mean beatn', so don't be afraid to let them get punished, they are second only to the battle cruiser in terms of the sheer punishment they can survive.

Protoss Counters - Templar, cannons, scouts, dragoons.
Zerg Counters - Scourges, hydralisks, spore colonies.
Terran Counters - Mass marines, medics and marines, goliaths, bunkers, missile turrets.
Guardians - These "things" are the zerg's version of tanks and reavers. They are made to inflict massive damage on ground units from afar, but unlike their terran and zerg counterparts, they can fly. Even heavily defended targets will suffer extensive damage from a guardian assault. Also, as their name implies, they are great defensive units - leave a few at home for a nasty shock to any ground attacker.

Protoss Counters - Carriers, scouts, corsairs, templar.
Zerg Counters - Scourges, devourers, mutalisks, defilers.
Terran Counters - Battle cruisers, valkeries, wraiths, science vessels, goliaths (On level ground).
Ultralisks - These monsters are big. Really big - and they cost tons of minerals. Uhh, beyond that, they are not so incredibly useful. They are so large that attacking with them is difficult, especially against chokes or tightly packed bases. They are useful when combined with dark swarm against terrans, but beyond this limited utility, they are the zerg version of a battle cruiser - impressive to look at, but really easy to take out.

Protoss Counters - Zealots, dragoons, acron, any air.
Zerg Counters - Zerglings, hydralisks, any air.
Terran Counters - Tanks, closely packed buildings, any air.
Defilers - Defilers are truly nasty units, and they have the ability to inflict heinous damage on an opponent's base or army. One defiler can effectively wreak a protoss fleet, and dark swarm is the bane of terran units. Also, the consume ability allows a defiler to effectively recharge it's power in seconds, ready to cover more ground units on the fly. Dark swarm with care - you don't want to inadvertently cover your opponet's units in an advantageous way.....

Protoss Counters - Any attack unit.
Zerg Counters - Any attack unit.
Terran Counters - Any attack unit.
Lurkers - These beauties are made to kill terrans. Of all the units introduced in the expansion pack, the lurker has probably had the most impact. They inflict terrible carnage on unsupported infantry, and are the only cost effective way for a zerg to stop medics and marines. However, once an enemy gets mobile cloak detection, your lurkers may find themselves the victims of heavy artillery. Try to get these units burrowed near an opponent's workers for some real mayhem. Be very leery of medics - a blind lurker is not very useful.

Protoss Counters - Dragoons, any air.
Zerg Counters - Hydralisks, ultralisks, any air.
Terran Counters - Siege tanks, spider mines, medics, any air.
Infested Terran - Its alot of work to get these guys. But, if you can nail them down, prepare to have fun. Those of you familiar with goblin sappers will LOVE these cute little bundles of destruction. Try dropping three of them in an opponent's workers and see how many you can splat at once. At 500 damage per infested unit, you can take down anything in a few hits. They are great bunker mashers, or anything else for that matter. For the truly sadistic, try combining them with defilers.....

Protoss Counters - DON'T LET A ZERG GET THEM.
Zerg Counters - DON'T LET A ZERG GET THEM.
Terran Counters - DON'T LET A ZERG GET THEM.

Unit Master Table


Unit
Size		 Units
Min
Gas		 Armor HP Ground
Attack		 Air
Attack		 Cool Range Attack Mod Sight Notes Build
Time
Broodling S 0 0 0 0 30 4 0 15 1 1 5 B 0
Defiler M 2 50 150 1 80 0 0   0 0 10 B,SA 50
Drone S 1 50 0 0 40 5 0 22 1 0 7 B,W 20
Egg L 0 0 0 10 200 0 0   0 0 4   0
Guardian L 2 150 200 2 150 20 0 30 8 2 11 B 40
Hydralisk M 1 75 25 0 80 10e 10e 15 4/5 upg. 1 6 B 28
Infested Terran S 1 100 50 0 60 500es 0   1 0 5 B 40
Larva S 0 0 0 10 25 0 0   0 0 4   0
Mutalisk S 2 100 100 0 120 9 9 30 3 1 7 B 40
Overlord L 0 100 0 0 200 0 0   0 0 9/11 upg. D,B,T 40
Queen M 2 100 150 0 120 0 0   0 0 10 B,SA 50
Scourge S 0.5 12 38 0 25 0 110   1 0 5 B 30
Ultralisk L 6 200 200 1/3 upg. 400 20 0 15 1 3 7 B 60
Zergling S 0.5 25 0 0 35 5 0 8/6 upg. 1 1 5 B 28
Devourer L 2 250 150 2 250 0 25e 100 6 2 10 B 40
Lurker M 2 125 125 1 125 20s 0 37 6 2 8 B 40

Unit Master Table Key

Unit Details:
Cool - The time between the ending of the attack and the beginning of another.
Attack Mod - The Damage modifier for each level of upgrade.
Gnd - Ground attack for units with split Air/Ground Weapon Systems
Air - Air attack for units with split Air/Ground Weapon Systems
Upg - Stat change after getting an upgrade

Attacks:
E - Explosive Attack (50% to Small Units, 75% to Medium Units, full damage to Large Units).
C - Concussive/Plasma damage Attack (50% to Medium Units 25% to Large Units).
S - Splash damage, which affects all units in the blast area.

Notes:
B - Indicates Biological unit
D - Unit can Detect Cloaked/Burrowed units
SA - Unit has one or more Special Abilities (is a spell-caster)
T - Transport
W - Worker