=============================================================================== Starcraft(PC) Zerg Strategy Guide Written by ChaosDemon(chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca) Version 1.0 Last revised August 17th, 2002 Latest revisions of this guide may always be located at GameFAQs: http://www.gamefaqs.com =============================================================================== =----------------= =Legal Disclaimer= =----------------= This document was _originally_ typed up in Vancouver B.C., Canada and posted by GameFAQs(http://www.gamefaqs.com). Copyright 2002 Tony J. Tso. All rights reserved. Nothing that appears in this document may be reproduced in whole or in part without the expressed written (or typed up) consent of Tony J. Tso, copyright owner. By even opening this text file, you instantly agree to obey this disclaimer. You may not use this document with/on any kind of printing device(s). If you wish to host this document on your website/ magazine/ please drop me a line at: chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca, or AIM me at ChaosDemon007, OR MSN me with the address chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca. This FAQ may NOT be sold for profit(s). However, if you want to sell this guide _for_ me (meaning I get all the profits) that is allowed. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the guide! The following sites have permission to post all my FAQs: GameFAQs(http://www.gamefaqs.com) Neoseeker(http://www.neoseeker.com) - If you find this FAQ any where else, please contact me ASAP. =-----------------= =Table of Contents= =-----------------= I.......Introduction II.......Version History III.......Zerg Buildings IV.......Zerg Units V.......Basic Strategy(Battlet.net) VI.......Advanced Strategy(Battle.net) VII.......Contacting VIII......Credits/Sources =============================================================================== I. Introduction =============================================================================== Welcome to my Zerg Strategy guide for Starcraft. In the following file, you'll find strategy, a build list, and lots of other stuff, too. I've played with Zerg for a while now, and I'm willing to share some info. I have on my prefered race. So, let's get on with the show. =============================================================================== II. Version History =============================================================================== =----------= =2002-08-17= =----------= * First submission rejected. * I removed all strategies from the Zerg unit list and added them to the strategy part. =----------= =2002-08-16= =----------= * Added all Strategies that I could * Going to send into CJayC. Hopefully, this is the initial release. =----------= =2002-08-15= =----------= * Added all Zerg units' info. * Finished basic strategy section. To begin work on Advanced strategy. * Added How to stop mass Carriers section. =----------= =2002-08-02= =----------= * Inserted format. I'm going to begin the work on the stuff. * Added some info. on the buildings. * More info. on buildings. * Completed buildings info.. =============================================================================== III. Zerg Buildings =============================================================================== Hatchery -------- HP: 1250 Cost: 300 Minerals Armor: 1 Time to build: 2 minutes (120 seconds) Evolution: Lair Use: Spawn units Ability: Gives you 1 supply All right, use this building to spawn your units. Seeing that this is the only building that does that, you'll need serveral of them. On a good day, you should have around seven or eight. Don't go over board, though, or you'll have some trouble spawning units due to their cost. Creep Colony ------------ HP: 400 Cost: 75 Minerals Armor: 0 Time to build: 20 seconds Evolution: Sunken Colony & Spore Colony Use: Expands the Creep Ability: Nothing This building is stage one for a Sunken or a Spore, by building this, though, will expand the Creep by a whole lot. Extractor --------- HP: 750 Cost: 50 Minerals Armor: 1 Time to build: 40 seconds Evolution: None Use: Source of Gas (No, it's not what you think) The Extractor is where your Drones collect Vesphene Gas. Find a Vesphene a Geyser for your Drone to mutate on. Each Geyser holds 40 000 Gas. Exolution Chamber ----------------- HP: 750 Cost: 75 Minerals Armor: 1 Time to build: 40 seconds Evolution: None Use: Upgrade the attack and armor of your units. You should build two of these so you can evolve armor and attack at the same time. It's important that you upgrade your weapons and defense, because with them, you'd be pretty feeble against say, upgraded 'Toss and Terran. Spawning Pool ------------- HP: 750 Cost: 200 Minerals Armor: 1 Time to build: 1 minute 20 seconds (80 seconds) Evolution: None Use: Upgrade your Zerglings Ability: Allows you to spawn Zerglings Allows you to evolve Creep Colony to Sunken Colony By building this, you'll be able to spawn Zerglings and evolve a Sunken Colony from a Spore Colony. It's important to build this quickly. Sunken Colony ------------- HP: 400 Cost: 50 Minerals; Evolve from Creep Colony Armor: 0 Time to build: 20 seconds Ground Attack: 40 Air Attack: None Use: Your defense against Ground Units Ability: Nothing You should fill your choke point with these things to protect your base against the ground strikes from your enemies. Here's a basic formation: UUUU U: Sunken Colony |U U| Choke point---> |U U| |U U| Just remember that this is a VERY basic formation, and there are many better and advanced formations. If you have some of them, send 'em in. Spore Colony ------------ HP: 400 Cost: 50 Minerals; Evolve from Creep Colony Armor: 0 Time to build: 20 seconds Evolution: None Use: Defense against Air Ability: Detector Ground Attack: None Air Attack: 15 Have the Spore Colony protect the edge of your base to protect you from the enemy air units, or at least just tell you they're coming. You can also use this as a Detector, so don't just fill the edge of your base with them, put them in random locations within your base for detecting. \P P P P/ H: Main Hatchery \P H P/ P: Spore Colony \P P P P/ Hyrdalisk Den ------------- HP: 850 Cost: 100 Minerals, 50 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 40 seconds Evolution: None Use: Allows you to spawn Hyrdalisks Ability: Upgrade Hyrdalisk Speed and Attack Range Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None You should build around one or two of these, however you see fit. You can build two to upgrade faster, or you can let the upgrades do one by one, as the time isn't that long. Lair ---- HP: 1800 Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 1 minute, 40 seconds (100 seconds) Evolution: Evolved from Hatchery Use: Spawn units Ability: * Upgrade Overlord Speed, Overlord Carrying Ability, and Overlord Sight Range. * Gives access to Spire and Queen's Nest * Allows you to upgrade your weapons and armor to level 2 Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None You can evolve three Hatcheries to evolve quicker if you wish, but that seems like a waste of Minerals and Gas. But, the upgrades take some time, so maybe it's a consideration. (I don't upgrade three Hatcheries). Spire ----- HP: 600 Cost: 200 Minerals, 150 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 2 minutes (120 seconds) Evolution: Greater Spire Use: Allows you to spawn Mutalisks and Scourges Ability: Upgrade Air unit armor and attack. Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None It's crucial that you build two of these, yes, they're expensive, but it's worth it in the long run. You can upgrade twice as fast, so don't hesitate, build two. Queen's Nest ------------ HP: 850 Cost: 150 Minerals, 100 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 1 minute/60 seconds Evolution: None Use: Allows you to spawn Queen Ability: Allows you to upgrade Queen Spawn Broodlings ability Allows you to upgrade Queen Parasite Ability Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None I usaully just build one Queen's Nest and that's it. Why? Well, when building several duplicates of one building, you should always think this first: "Will I use this often?" and the answer is... "no." Hive ---- HP: 2500 Cost: 200 Minerals, 150 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 2 minutes/120 seconds Evolution: Evolved from Lair Use: Spawn units Ability: Allows you to upgrade Weapons and Armor to Level 3 Allows you to upgrade your Spire to Greater Spire Gives access to the Ultralisk Cavern Gives access to Nydus Canal Gives access to Defiler Mound Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None The Zerg building with the highest amount of HP. This is necessary in all Zerg bases, but all you need is one. As soon as your Lair is done upgrading, you'll get access to many Advanced Structures: Greater Spire, Ultralisk Cavern, Nydus Canal, and Defiler Mound. Greater Spire ------------- HP: 600 Cost: 250 Minerals, 150 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 120 seconds Evolution: Evolved from Spire Use: Allows you to evolve your Mutalisk into Guardian and Devourer Aspects. Ability: Upgrade your flyer weapons Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None Upgrade ONE Spire when you can to unlock the powerful Guardian and the almost-powerful Devouerer. Ultalisk Cavern --------------- HP: 600 Cost: 150 Minerals, 200 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 1 minute 20 seconds/80 seconds Evolution: None Use: Allows you to spawn Ultralisks Ability: Improve your Ultralisks Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None The Ultralisk Cavern allows you to spawn the powerful Ultralisks. You don't need more than one of these, they're just too expensive. I don't recommend using Ultralisks, anyway. More info. on these mammoths later. Nydus Canal ----------- HP: 250 Cost: 150 Minerals Armor: 1 Time to build: 40 seconds Evolution: None Use: Allows you to teleport from one Canal to another. Ability: None Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None Anyway, for this to function properly, you'll need to build two of these. When you're playing against fellow Zerg players, you may build on thier Creep, making the Nydus Canal easier to use. If we were playing Broodwar, I'd like to combine the Canal with Lurkers, but since we don't have those babies, you'll have to stick with Hyrdalisks or Ultralisks. One more thing, you should use this on the enemy's Nexus/Hive/Command Center. Here's a good way to do use the Nydus Canal: Defiler Mound ------------- HP: 850 Cost: 100 Minerals, 100 Gas Armor: 1 Time to build: 1 minute/60 seconds Evolution: None Use: Allows you to spawn Defilers Ability: Evolve Defiler abilities such as Dark Swarm and Plague. Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None Nothing special about this building, it just gives access to the Defiler. =============================================================================== Zerg Units =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ground Units =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Drone ----- HP: 40 Cost: 50 Minerals Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: 5 (Spines) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: None Upgrades: Armor (Maximum of 3) You can't upgrade a Drone's Attack, but you can its Armor. You can upgrade its Carapace at the Evolution Chamber. Each Armor upgrade will add 1 to the Drone's Armor. The Drone is the peon of the Hive, you'll need several of them. You use the Drone's to mutate into the buildings you want. The catch -- you lose your Drone, as it has to form itself into the, say, Hatchery. Zergling -------- HP: 35 Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1/2 Ground Attack: 5 (Claws) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Spawning Pool Upgrades: Armor + Attack (Maximum of 3) Speed Upgrade Attack rate upgrade (roughly twice as fast) The Zergling is relatively weak, one Sieged-tank can wipe out a whole lot of them with one shot. The greatest advantage of the Zergling is, they consume only 1/2 Food, you can build up to 400 of them. If you see anyone who really enjoys using Dragoons, or other units that deal Explosive damage, the Zergling with Attack rate upgrade will mope them up pretty easily. There are such things out there called a Zergling rush, and for this to suceed, you'll have to hit them hard and fast. Here's the build order: Hyrdalisk --------- HP: 80 Cost: 75 Minerals, 25 Gas Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: 10 (Needle Spines) Air Attack: 10 (Needle Spines) Building(s) Required: Spawning Pool, Hyrdalisk Den Upgrades: Speed Upgrade Attack range upgrade You can upgrade your Speed and Attack Range at the Hydralisk Den, if you're going to attack with these fellas, those two upgrades are a must. You can also improve their Attack and Armor at the Evolution Chamber, each level the attack and armor will go up by 1. --- Basic Info --- The Hyrdalisks are probably the most formidable attackers for the Zerg, they can attack both air and ground, they're cheap and fast to build, and hell, they kick serious arse! The Hyrdalisks can stand up to even the powerful Carrier, which is like W A Y farther up in the tech tree. --- Advanced Info --- Well, I mentioned before that the Hyrdalisks can stand up to the power of a Carrier. And here's why: A Hyrdalisk under DARK SWARM (a Defiler ability )is untouched by ranged-attacks, meaning other Hyrdalisks won't be able to touch you, either. And let's see... what ELSE has a ranged attack? You guessed it, the Carrier. So, if you encouter anyone who uses mass Carriers, counter with your very beloved Defilers and Hyrdalisks. There's more info. on this Dark Swarm + Hyrdalisks combo later on in the text. Ultralisk --------- HP: 400 Cost: 200 Minerals, 200 Gas Armor: 1 Supply Consumed: 4 Ground Attack: 20 (Kaiser Blades) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Lair, Queen's Nest, Hive, Ultralisk Cavern Upgrades: Speed Upgrade ??? ??? You can upgrade its speed, and two other things. You can also upgrade its attack and armor, both at the Evolution Chamber. By each upgrade, your attack and armor goes up by one point. That gives you a maximum of 4 Armor (1+3), and 23 Attack (20+3). I may be wrong about its vital statistics, please correct me via e-mail. Well, the Ultralisk is the most expensive unit for the Zerg, and it may or may not be worth it. First off, they have the most HP out of all the Zerg Attackers, so that's a huge bonus to tear down the opponent's defenses like Photons. Usaully, I send in the Ultralisk to draw attention away from my other attackers. These guys are very expensive, and they can not respond to air fire, and also another downfall: a Stim-Packed Marine can get at least six shots in before the Ultralisk makes a dispose of it. And of course, the Marines are a lot less expensive and faster to build. Suming this up, the Ultralisk is the most thick-skinned unit in the game, and it can draw fire away from your Hyrdalisks and such attackers. I rarely use these guys, and I recommend the same for you. Defiler ------- HP: 80 Cost: 50 Minerals, 150 Gas Armor: 1 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: None Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Lair, Queen's Nest, Hive, Defiler Mound Upgrades: Dark Swarm Plague Special Abilities: Dark Swarm, Plague The Defiler has no normal attack, but it has two awesome abilities. You can upgrade its Carapace at the Evolution Chamber and by each upgrade, the Armor goes up by one, giving you the maximum Armor of 4 (1+3). As mentioned above, the Defiler can not attack anyone, but it has two special abilities: Dark Swarm and Plague, both evolved at the Defiler Mound. The Dark Swarm: You can use this little doozy to protect your units from ranged attacks for 1 minute, or 60 seconds. A ranged attack is an attack where the opposing unit has to fire at you from a distance. This is a good idea when going up against Dragoon and the like, as they require shooting. Use this on your Hyrdalisks to get the most out of them. The Plague: You can ruduce a unit's HP to 1 by Plaguing them. Each second will roughly subtract 3 HP from them. You should use this on an opponent's important unit, like an Arbiter or a Carrier. --- Basic Info --- When going to assault a base, it's a good idea to keep your Defiler in the back lines. If you see that the battle is not going your way, try to Plague a couple of units in the front lines of your opponent's army. If even THAT doesn't work, Dark Swarm the whole friggin' base and move your guys into the cloud. --- Advanced Info --- Defiler can usaully turn the tide of a battle with one cloud to destroy your opponent's vision. Remember, Defilers have special abilities, so, use them! They're there for a reason folks, just remember that. Broodling --------- HP: 30 Cost: Use Queen to Spawn an opposing unit Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: 5 (Toxic Spores) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: All the Queen's buildings Upgrades: Attack and Carapace The Broodling's starting attack is 5, and the armor 0. You can upgrade them both at an Evolution Chamber (Melee and Carapace). --- Basic Info --- To get the Broodling, you must reserach the Spawn Broodling ability for your Queen. Then, you must use your Queen and Spawn an opposing unit. Once you've done that, the unit will turn into a Broodling, and it will work for the Hive. --- Advanced Info --- This will help you out a lot when you're planning to take out your opponent for good. What's better than turning the opponent's defenses against themselves? Nothing. So, when you goto strike the opposing base, use your Queen to spawn various units that are focused on attacking your other units. Once you've done that, send the Broodlings after the building. It's best to turn ground-to-ground units to Broodlings, as they can't do anything to stop the Queen. Infested Terran --------------- HP: 60 Cost: 100 Minerals, 50 Gas Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: 500 (Suicide) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Infested Command Center Upgrades: None To get this fancy face fellow, you must send your Queen to Infest a Command Center when it is in its RED stage, or badly burning. Pulling this off may be a little difficult, but if you manage to do this it'll give you a great advantage. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Aerial Units =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mutalisk -------- HP: 120 Cost: 100 Minerals, 100 Gas Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1 Ground Attack: 9 (Glurve Worm) Air Attack: 9 (Glurve Worm) Building(s) Required: Lair, Spire Upgrades: Attack and Armor The Mutalisk is the basic air unit, it is also the baby stage of the Guardian and Devourer Aspects. Anyway, its starting Armor is 0, and Attack 6, you can upgrade both of them at the Spire or Greater Spire, making the maximum Armor 3 (0+3), and Attack 12 (9+3). --- Basic Info --- The Mutalisk and the Hyrdalisk are the only units for the Zerg that's been blessed with the ability to attack both air and ground. The Mutalisk is the fastest unit fo the Zerg, so take advantage of that. Use it to scout for bases, use it for hit-and-run attacks on the slower units like Dragoons, do a lot of things with them. --- Advanced Info --- I like to use a Mutalisk to look for bases before I attack, because they are so fast. You should team up the Mutalisk with the Guardian and Devourer aspects, as chances are the enemy will send some sort of air-assault unit at your Guaridans and Devourer Aspects. But, if you manage to Spore that opposing unit, the Mutalisk can hurt them pretty badly. Scourge -------- HP: 25 Cost: 25 Minerals, 75 Gas Armor: 0 Supply Consumed: 1/2 Ground Attack: 125 (Suicide) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Lair, Spire Upgrades: Attack and Armor Special Abilities: None You can upgrade the Armor at the Spire, making the maximum Armor 3 (0+3) --- Basic Info --- The Scourge is not built for taking fire from other units, because it only has 25 HP, remember this. Another interesting thing about this is the supply it consumes, it only takes 1/2 food to make this, meaning you can spawn six in three eggs, twelve on six eggs, twenty-four on twelve eggs, etc, etc. To me, that is the greatest advantage of the Scourge, it's cheap, fast to build, and you can take out a lot of air units high up in the tech tree such as Valkyries, Battlecruisers, and Carriers with a couple. --- Advanced Info --- Scourges should never be sent in alone to attack the air units of a base. Why? Well, a Spore Colony takes it out with two shots, a Photon with two shots, and a Missle Turret also two shots. You catching on? Anyway, to use this little scrapper effectively send in some Zerglings and Hyrdalisks through the choke point to distract the forces, then send in some Scourges as well. If you're facing Zerg, go and target the Overlords with these, using two per Ovie; if Protoss, target an expensive unit like Scouts or Carriers; against Terran, go after the Battlecruisers or Science Vessels. Also, try to use your ground force on the units you're targeting with your Scourges. Guardian -------- HP: 150 Cost: 50 Minerals, 100 Gas; Evolve from Mutalisk Armor: 2 Supply Consumed: 2 Ground Attack: 20 (Acid Spore) Air Attack: None Building(s) Required: Lair, Queen's Nest, Hive, Spire, Greater Spire Upgrades: Attack and Armor Special Abilities: None The Guardian starts off with 2 Armor, which is a huge bonus for any unit, and its attack is 20. You can upgrade both of these at a Spire or Greater Spire, making the maximum armor 5 (2+3), and attack 23 (20+3). --- Basic Info --- The Guardian has the longest range in the game, weighing in a 12 matrixes. However, this guy can't fly very fast; its speed is only greater than the lowly un-upgraded Overlord. Use this Guardian to assault just about any ground unit in the game, the only ground unit that really stands a chance against the Guardian is the Terran Goliath. --- Advanced Info --- You can use the Guardian for quite a couple of things: protecting your base against ground units; attacking ground units, pick off building defenses or using the little something I call the "Guardian Strike" And just incase any of you are wondering whether this a rip off of the Terran Tank Push or not, it is. Devourer -------- HP: 160 Cost: 100 Minerals, 50 Gas; Evolve from Mutalisk Armor: 2 Supply Consumed: 2 Ground Attack: None Air Attack: 25 (Acid) Building(s) Required: Lair, Queen's Nest, Hive, Spire, Greater Spire Upgrades: Attack and Armor Special Abilities: None You can upgrade its attack and armor at the Spire or Greater Spire. --- Basic Info --- The basic anti-air unit for the Zerg. This nice little unit should never be left alone in a battle to the death. If you manage to Spore an enemy air unit, and then send in the Mutalisk to take shots at it, you will bring it down pretty quickly. --- Advanced Info --- Here is another weapon to counter the higher tech units (although the Devourer is pretty high in its own right), Carriers and Battlecruisers. However, Devourers alone probably won't do the job for you, so combine them with Hyrdalisks and Mutalisks. Once you manage to Spore an air unit, you will lower the level of its armor, making shots hurt more. So, send in the Mutalisks and Hyrdalisks once you've spored an opposing unit. =============================================================================== Basic Strategy (Battle.net) =============================================================================== The secrets to getting a lot of resources ----------------------------------------- Well, have lots of Drones to gather! That's really all you have to do in order to get minerals and gas. Usaully having around twenty or thirty workers to gather minerals and gas is good. The second secret: Expanding. In the base you start in, you'll have some patches to gather in. But what happens when it runs out? You're screwed, right? Well, if all the mineral patches are taken, you'll have to fight for them, that's why it's a good idea to expand early. In my opinion, what the best unit is ------------------------------------ Well, I would have to say the Hyrdalisk, simply because it's cheap, fast to spawn, and it can attack both air and ground units. Its attack is pretty good, too (10). A lot of people would say the best unit for the Zerg is the Guardian, although it is very powerful, it moves very slowly and it can not respond to air attacks, making it very vulnerable. That's why I say the Hyrdalisk is the best unit for the Zerg, because it is so cheap, it can respond to both air and ground, and you can create many of them quickly. How to be sucessful (the basic idea) ------------------------------------ Here's a list of basic things that should be done when being the Zerg. How to become sucessful ----------------------- * Have lots of Drones * Expand * Build several Drones quickly * Have a lot of Hatcheries * Get your buildings up quickly * Attack the enemy first - These are just the very basic things you should do, later on in this text, I will give more in-depth info. on how to win. Quanity of Buildings -------------------- NOTE: These are only estimations. They are meant to give you a BASIC idea on them. Hatchery: 8-12 Sunken Colony: 7 Spore Colony: 10+ Evolution Chamber: 2-3 Spawning Pool: 1 Extractor: Depends on number of Vespene Geysers available. Lair: 1-3 Hyrdalisk Den: 1-2 Spire: 2 Queen's Nest: 1-3 Greater Spire: 1 Ultralisk Cavern: 1-3 Defiler Mound: 1-2 =============================================================================== Advanced Strategy (Battle.net) =============================================================================== How to stop mass (or many) Carriers ----------------------------------- Many Protoss players on money maps (Hell, a lot of players are doing this regardless), will choose to do this, because they believe: mass Carriers = Instant Win. Well, you can easily prove them wrong using the trusty Zerg race. Firstly, build a team of Hyrdalisks, and I mean build many of them, but make sure not to fill all your food with them. While you're spawning these Hyrdalisks, select around 6-8 larvae and turn them into Defilers. While you're spawning research the Consume ability for the Defiler. Also, you might want to build 12-24 Zerglings for Consuming. Once the Defilers and your team of Hyrdalisks are hatched, it's best for you to let the Defiler fully charge its Energy. But, if you get attacked by Carriers while the Defilers are charging, Consume some Zerglings and then use Dark Swarm. you might want to Hotkey your Defilers, too. All right, you're ready to assault the Carriers. Make your Zerglings follow the Defilers while letting the Hyrdalisks lead the way. As soon as you engage the Carriers, (if you hotkeyed the Defilers), hit the number of your first Defiler, and use Dark Swarm on your Hyrdalisks. It's best to use it on the group of Hyrdalisks in the front. Continue to use the same Defiler to Dark Swarm your Hyrdalisks, once you've run of Energy for that Defiler, Consume a nearby Zergling. Repeat the process until this Defiler is out of energy and there are no more Zerglings, once this is the case, swtich to the next Defiler and continue. Keep doing this and the Carriers will eventually be taken down. Here's a strategy when you are under attack by Carriers. Double click on a larvae to highlight 12 of them, then choose the Scourges. They'll be hatched pretty quickly, and once they do send all twenty-four of them after the Carriers. If you're lucky, they will be all clustered together, letting the splash damage of the Scourges destroy all of them. How to stop a fleet (or mass) [of] Battlecruisers ------------------------------------------------- First, read all the info. listed above. Once you've done that, here's more strategy. From my experience many players will use back-up for their Battlecruisers, like maybe sending Valkyries or cloaked Wraiths with them. You may use the Dark Swarm strategy if you wish, but for 'Cruisers I like using the good ol' Scourges. So, have some Hyrdalisks with some Devourers to create a diversion (many players will think your Hyrdalisks + Devourers is the main force, but in this little strat., the Scourges are). While they're attacking, create an army of Scourges and send most (or all) of them at the Battlecruisers that are squished together. If you manage to bring down about 1/2 or 3/4 of them, your Hyrdalisks and Devourers should take care of the rest. How to stop a mass of Dragoons ------------------------------ This isn't very common these days, but if you get hit with them unexpectedly, it's always good to know how to counter. First of all, it is important to evolve every special and/or unit enchancing ability so you'll be ready for all possible threats. With that said, you'll have to learn a bit about the enemy. The Dragoons do Explosive damage, meaning they will only do half damage on smaller units like, say, Zerglings and Hyrdalisks. So, if you see a team of Dragoons coming your way, use the Zerglings' attack rate increase + Faster Zergling Movement and launch those little kitties at the Goons! If you went for a full mass which will only cost you 10,000 minerals (this is considered less, trust me), you will have 400 Zerglings to work with, which will be more than enough to disable the enemy 200 Dragoons. The beauty about the Zerglings is they're just so cheap, meaning you can just rebuild and rebuild while you're fighting, while the opponent can just watch as their Goons slowly (well, not "slowly", but rather quickly), get erased from the map. How to stop "THE" Siege Tank + Goliath/Wraith Combo --------------------------------------------------- This combo is very effective in all means, and very deadly, too. Why is that? Well, while the tanks in Siege Mode tear apart your buildings, the Goliaths and/or Wraiths will cover the air for it. Ingenius isn't it? Quite. And I've lost numerous times to this, but that all stops here and now, as the Uncle Chaos will come through for you. Normally, the main strategy would be dropping units right infront of the tanks and tear them apart. But, that wouldn't work because the Goliaths and/or Wraiths will take those Ovies before it'd reach its target. Well, it's time to break out the big idea, Zerglings and Ultralisks. The Wraiths will attack your forces, yes, but they shoot rather slowly, and they won't do a lot of damage. So, upgrade everything availabe to the Ultralisks and Zerglings, and then send them in. Keep the Zerglings in the back of your Ultralisks, use your Ultralisks to target the Goliaths while the Zerglings disable tanks one by one. As soon as the tanks are done, the Wraiths will be rather vulnerable to Hyrdalisks. **NOTE** Zerglings alone may do the job for you (like full mass of them), but I've included the Ultralisks because the units, as in the AI, will target the them right away, giving you time to move right up to the tanks and pick them apart. -- The summary of the last two strategies is to use the Zerglings against any unit that does Explosive damage, keep this in mind. How should a strong Zerg base look like (IMO) --------------------------------------------- \PP MM MM MM MM PP/ KEY \PP PP/ --- \PP II PP/ MM: Mineral Patches \PP PP/ PP: Spore Colony \PP HH HH HH HH PP/ HH: Hatchery \PP HH HH HH HH PP/ UU: Sunken Colony \PPHH HH HH HHPP/ II: Hive \ HH / |UU UU| |UU UU| |UU UU| |UU UU| |UU UU| -- Okay, well, I didn't include any other buildings, as those don't matter, just remember to place them deep in your base. How to stop the Zealot Rush --------------------------- A Zealot rush is the strongest the game. Although they won't come out as fast as the Zerglings, they are three times as strong. If you think you're going to be rushed early, get some Sunken Colonies up as fast as possible. A good way to place Sunkens is to position them in such a way that two Colonies can attack one target from two different directions. Like this: S H KEY U U --- U U S: Spawning Pool H: Hatchery U: Sunken Colony While you're making Sunken Colonies, continue to spawn units as well, starting with Zerglings and then eventually tech to Mutalisks. You should also try to be an Extractor early so you can upgrade the Zergling's Movement, they will fare more of a chance that way. How to stop the Marine [+ Medic] Rush ------------------------------------- The Marines with Medics in the early game is very effective. So, this is what you do: Firstly, build some Sunken Colonies with the above formation, and build some Zerglings; if you can, try to bring in some Hyrdalisks with Upgraded Speed and Attack Range. Use your Zerglings and target the Medics, it's important to do this so the Marines can't heal themselves. How to stop the Zergling Rush ----------------------------- Well, seeing how you're Zerg, all you have to do is have more Zerglings than the opponent. This won't be very hard because they'll be attacking, and you'll be at your base with a Hatchery. :) =---Some repeated strategies, for those who missed them the first time around---= Zergling Rush Build Order ------------------------- 1. Right from the beginning, instruct your Overlord to scout. Then make all five Drones gather on the _nearest_ Mineral patches 2. As soon as you reach 200, instruct one of your Drones to mutate into a Spawning Pool. Don't bother spawning drones yet. Hotkey your Hatchery (click on it and press Ctrl+1). 3. Right after you've started building that Spawning Pool, click on ONE larva and get a Drone. 4. Before your Pool is done, the Drone will be hatched (it take 20 seconds for Drones to hatch and 80 for the pool), instruct this Drone to Gather. 5. As soon as your pool is complete hit "1", "s", and "z" to start hatching Zerglings. 6. Take a stab at where the enemy is and tell your six Zerglings to attack where a base may be. If you're lucky, your Overlord may have found a base, if so, attack that one. 7. Right after you've instructed your Zerglings to attack, IMMEDIATLEY repeat the Zergling Spawning process. 8. If your first team of Zerglings have found a base, send your second batch to attack it, too. If that base was a dud, send your first team after another base and the second one to a different location as well. 9. Watch your teams closely, as soon as you lose say, three, do the Zergling Spawning process again. Remember, the key here is to send swarm after swarm of Zerglings after your target, not giving them a chance to rebuild and/or retaliate. In the Zergling rush, it all depends on how fast you build, since these fighters are relatively weak, you have to be fast. Infesting a Command Center -------------------------- 1. Build some Guardians, Hyrdalisks, Scourges, Zerglings, and maybe three Queens. Bring two Overlords along in this strike. 2. Target a Terran Command Center, and once the base is in sight, send your Guardians with Overlords in through the side, and the Hyrdalisks and Zerglings assault the ground. Keep the Queens out of sight, or with the Hyrdalisks and Zerglings if you spot some tanks. Heheh, Spawn every last one of those seiged attackers. 3. Use your Guardians to look for some Missle Turrets near the Command Center you're targeting, and using its range, pick off each of the Turrets one by one. 4. The opponent will probably send some Cloaked-Wraiths after you, that's why you have Overlords. :) Send in your Scourges to take out every single air defense the opponent throws at you. If they have Goliaths, use the Hyrdalisks and Zerglings you have on the ground to take them. 5. It's time to assault the Command Center. Here's what you should do: MMM MMM M: Mineral Patche MMM CC MMM CC: Command Center Q Q H: Hyrdalisk H H H H H H Q: Queen G G G G Z: Zergling ZZZZZ - You should arrange your forces so that NOTHING can come through, have your Hyrdalisks damage the Command Center with the Guardians while the Zerglings focus on attacking any units that come, if you you feel that your Zergling beaten, use your Hyrdalisks and/or Guardians to back them up. Of course, this is only FOCUSING on infesting the Command Center, there should be other attackers attacking other buildings as well to distract the opposition. Guardian Strike --------------- 1. Spawn some about 12 Mutalisks 2. Turn 7 of them into Gurdians and keep 5 of them as Mutalisks. Bring some Overlords along the way too. 3. Try and Upgrade all your Flyer attack and armor. 4. Go and pick a base for a target, you can use this to destroy poorly defended expos. 5. Try not to attack from the choke, rather stay back and slowly start picking of the base's building defenses from the side. 6. If it's a Terran base, expect some Cloaked Wraiths coming your way, this is why you brought those Mutalisks. Continue assaulting the buildings with your Guardians while you use all five of your Mutalisks to fire at the Wraiths. Chances are, they'll be focusing on your Guardians, giving your Mutalisks chances to hit. Make sure you use ALL your Mutalisks to attack one target at a time, having five fully upgraded Mutalisks attacking one target will do 36 Damage per shot, taking down each unit pretty quickly. 7. If you don't want to lose all your units, run away when you lose 3 or 4 of your Guardians. Additionally, you can use this sort of strike to assault the Nexus, Hive or Command Center directly. It's important that you target the peons, take out as many as you can before the reinforcements arive. You should use this push right before you're ready to assault your enemy, as it will set them back a bit, enabling you to strike with their defenses weakened. How to Nydus ------------ 1. Give your Overlord the dropping ability, you should also upgrade its speed, although it's not required. Also, build a Nydus Canal in your base. 2. Load two Drones and fly towards your enemy's base. Also, load about six Hyrdalisks (that's three in each Overlord) 3. When flying, fly along the edges so you may not be picked up as fast. 4. Go behind the Command Center/Nexus/Hive (If it's a Hive, you don't need two Drones.) 5. If you need to, mutate a Hatchery. 6. Unload your Hyrdalisks near the chokepoint (make sure you don't show the Overlords), and assault the enemy. If you have to, play possum for a while, remember, your objective here is to bide enough time for your Hatchery to mutate. 7. Once the Hatchery is done, build a Nydus Canal. 8. Use your own Canal and send in your forces. Target the opponent's peons to slow their production, potentially giving you the advantage. **NOTE** The Nydus Canal should really only be used against opposing Zerg players, as you don't have to build another Hatchery, which will be speed up the porcess greatly. =============================================================================== Contacting =============================================================================== I don't like e-mails, because I always end up with too many. Sure, that doesn't sound like a bad thing, but when you receive dozens and dozens of e-mails asking things that are already written in the FAQ, you get angry pretty quickly. So, when sending an email, please try to follow these guidelines: (The more of them you follow, the better chance of getting a reply!) 1. Please, please, please look through the document before to see if I already answered your question. * ^^^!!! 2. Suggestions are always welcomed. * That's right, if you have suggestions/contributions, send 'em in! 3. Crticisim is welcomed too... * Only constructive criticisim is accepted. And no, "Your FAQ sucks," is not considered "contructive." You should tell me how I can improve my FAQ. 4. Don't ask anything about the walkthrough * If it's not-complete, then chances are I haven't beaten the game yet. So, I won't be able to answer your question. 5. If you send a contribution, you probably won't get a reply back * Yes, I have many emails that need to be read, so consider yourself thanked. If you contribute something, I really, really do appreciate it. chaosdemon007@yahoo.ca =============================================================================== Credits/Sources =============================================================================== Jeff "CJayC" Veasy a.k.a "The Guy who Owns GameFAQs" - For posting this [well written] FAQ. And keeping this great site running after all these years. Thanks. BondsLegacy a.k.a Ryan Kavangh - I looked at his Unit FAQ for some of the costs of the Units and the attacks of some of the units. Thanks. Wind Dragon a.k.a "The Dude who despises all money maps" - He told me about the Dark Swarm strategy with the Defilers. Remember, n00b, mass Carriers owns j00. :P Myself a.k.a Chaos "friggin'" Demon - For being so kind and typing this darned thing up. =============================================================================== Just another FAQ brought to you by... ______________ ____ __ ____/__ /_______ ________________/ _\___________ ________________ _ / __ __ \ __ `/ __ \_ ___/_ / / / _ \_ __ `__ \ __ \_ __ \ / /___ _ / / / /_/ // /_/ /(__ )_ /_/ // __/ / / / / / /_/ / / / / \____/ /_/ /_/\__,_/ \____//____/ /_____/ \___//_/ /_/ /_/\____//_/ /_/ Copyright 2001 Chaos "friggin'" Demon. -EOF-