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Overview
The Zerg were created by the mysterious Xel'Naga race after their first creation, the Protoss, rebelled against them. So afterward, the Zerg started to assimilate other species into their "Swarm", and eventually rebelled against the Xel'Naga as well, supposedly eradicating their former masters. The Zerg are unique in the Starcraft universe in that they use no traditional technology whatsoever. Instead, they are masters of genetic manipulation, the most advanced biological lifeforms ever seen. Their skin and claws are just as powerful as Terran and Protoss armour and weapon technologies. Because of their intention to consume all life, they are the most feared and hated race in the Starcraft universe.
History
The Zerg were the second race to be created by the Xel'naga, after the Protoss had broken free and rebelled against the same. The Zerg were given a collective consciousness, meaning that all Zerg are essentially part of the same organism, with the Overmind serving as the brain. The Overmind could not be controlled however; gaining its own sentience and its own agenda, and the Xel'naga's dream to create the perfect lifeform ended with them being killed by their creations. After discovering their "sibling race", the Zerg clashed regularly with the Protoss, seeking to assimilate them and gaining their psionic abilities, of which the Zerg had none. The situation was further complicated when the Zerg discovered the Terrans, hidden away in the Korpulu sector. Eventually however, the Zerg managed to assimilate psionic abilities into their ranks. Not through the Protoss, but through one Sarah Kerrigan, a Terran ghost agent who was left behind on Tarsonis after her commanding officer, Arcturus Mengsk used a psi emitter to lure the Zerg there and destroy the Confederacy of man. The Overmind infested Kerrigan, turning her will towards the goals of the Zerg, in order to slowly gain control of the Koprulu sector until they find out the location of Aiur, the Protoss home world. Though the Zerg are successful in taking the planet, a Protoss templar named Tassadar and a Terran soldier named Jim Raynor attack the Overmind, and Tassadar sacrifices himself to destroy it, leaving the Zerg mindless and wild, roaming the surface of Aiur and attacking anything in their sight. Kerrigan herself soon stepped up to take control of the Zerg swarms, in effect becoming the new Overmind. As the self-styled "Queen of Blades", Kerrigan now has a vast army of nightmarish creatures at her beck and call.
The larvae, essentially enlarged forms of the original Zerg insects, contain the DNA of all of the Zerg breeds. They are able to evolve into any of the Zerg broods. They are produced by Hatcheries, and in Starcraft II, by Queens as well.
Drones are the most essential unit in the Zerg swarm. They not only mine for Minerals and Vespene gas, but also transform into the "buildings" that compose a Zerg base. The main downside to Drones, as shared with Terran SCVs and Protoss Probes, is that they have incredibly limited attack capabilities, making them vulnerable to almost any attack. On the plus side, they can burrow into the ground to escape attackers.
The most numerous of the Zerg units. Two hatch from each larvae but they only take up one population space. These are used by the Zerg to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers. They can also increase their speed once researched at at the spawning pool.
One of the most famous Zerg breeds. They are able to shoot bone spikes at such velocities that they can penetrate Neosteel armour. They can attack both air and ground units making them a very important factor in the Zerg swarm. Their downside is that they aren't particularly fast, though their speed can be upgraded.
In the Brood War expansion pack, Hydralisks gained the ability to evolve into Lurkers. While they are completely defenseless on the ground, when burrowed, they are able to shoot super dense spikes through the soil that impale anyone or anything found near that area on the surface. As such, they're perfect for defence, and are often used as "mobile turrets" to push the front line of a battle forward.
One of the most useful Zerg units. While how they communicate with the Zerg or how they survive the vacuum of space is unknown, they do care for the larvae and transport other units within their bodies. They can also detect cloaked and or burrowed units. In Starcraft II, they now have the ability to create creep for producing buildings.
It's the most basic Zerg flying unit. It is able to shoot a small parasite known as a Glave Wurm out of its mouth at enemy targets that fly from one unit to another while disintegrating explosively. It is able to stand up to the other races flying vehicles quite well.
Scourge are flying suicide bombers that explode when in contact with another flying unit. They, like Zerglings, can be hatched two at a time from a single larvae. Because they are cheap to produce and incredibly strong (four or five can take down a mighty Terran battlecruiser), they make a very efficient counter to aeriel units.
The Queens in Starcraft and Starcraft II are completely different units. In the original Starcraft, the Queen has no attacks but it does have special abilities. It is able to ensnare an area, making any unit caught in the area to reduce its speed and revealing any hidden units. They are also able to attach a parasite to an enemy unit, allowing the Zerg player to see everything that unit sees. They are also able to infest a Terran command center, once damaged into the red zone, transferring control of it to the Zerg player and allowing them to build infested Terran units. Finally, they are able to infect a biological unit so that it will instantly die, and two Broodlings will expel from the corpse. In Starcraft II, the Queen is a massive defensive unit, which is capable of producing Larvae, increasing the speed at which the Zerg player can create units. It is able to pop up anywhere that there is creep. Its claw attack, capable of causing massive damage, is a force to be reckoned with.
They are created when an original Starcraft Queen infects an enemy unit. They have a limited life span although their existence means an enemy unit died to give birth to them. They are not powerful attackers, weaker in every way than even the Zerglings, but a handful of Broodlings can be a good distraction in a battle. Starcraft II Queens no longer have the Spawn Broodlings ability, and it is unknown whether Broodlings will appear at all.
These units are the people in the Command Center when it was infested by a Zerg Queen. Now they live soley to obey the will of the Swarm. They are suicide bombers who explode when coming into contact with another ground unit or another building. They are capable of burrowing in order to set up ambushes. Because of the difficulty inherant in obtaining them, and the suicidal nature of the units, infested Terrans cause more damage per attack than any other unit in all of Starcraft. It appears that in Starcraft II, instead of being suicide units, Infested Terrans will use the rifles they were given in their previous lives as marines.
They are the most sinister of the Zerg breeds. They produce various viruses and poisonous chemicals. They often have other Zerg escorting them so that they can devour them to produce these chemicals faster. Defilers have the ability to produce a plague that affects nearby units until their HP is 1, rendering them vulnerable to, well, everything. They also have the ability to emit a dark swarm cloud that allows units inside of it protection from ranged weaponry.
Guardian
A flying unit that can only attack ground units. It is an evolved form of the Mutalisk. It's considerably slower than the Mutalisk but has an incredibly long attack range and, as its name suggests, a small group of them can defend an area from ground units with ease.
The other alternate form that a Mutalisk can evolve into, added in the Starcraft: Brood War expansion pack. Devourers are air units that can only attack other air units, spewing a highly corrosive acid that can melt through almost anything. Their acid also effects units around the one that it was targeting, literal "splash damage". The acid slowly lowers the HP of the unit.
These are the most physically powerful units in the Zerg swarm. They are massive walking tanks, tearing enemy ground units asunder with their massive blade-like tusks with ease. Their biggest weakness is that they have no ranged attack or any defense against air units.
New Zerg Units in Starcraft II
These are an optional evolved form of Zerglings. They trade in their razor-sharp claws for large chemical sacs that transform them into suicide bombers. They are absolutely deadly to ground units when used in large numbers, and can burrow to prepare the perfect ambush. They hold much the same tactical usage as infested Terrans from the original game, though Banelings are far easier to obtain, and as such, cause much less damage with their explosions.
Roaches aren't particularly strong or fast, but they are feared for their signature ability to regenerate health incredibly quickly, even by Zerg standards. One-on-one, a Terran Marine cannot cause damage faster than a Roach can regenerate from it. They are a cheap and low-tech unit that can only attack ground units. Especially in large groups, Roaches are almost impossible to kill without powerful concentrated attacks.
A savage, animalistic alien Swarm that seeks out other species in the universe, intending to absorb the useful and exterminate the unworthy.
Overview
The Zerg were created by the mysterious Xel'Naga race after their first creation, the Protoss, rebelled against them. So afterward, the Zerg started to assimilate other species into their "Swarm", and eventually rebelled against the Xel'Naga as well, supposedly eradicating their former masters. The Zerg are unique in the Starcraft universe in that they use no traditional technology whatsoever. Instead, they are masters of genetic manipulation, the most advanced biological lifeforms ever seen. Their skin and claws are just as powerful as Terran and Protoss armour and weapon technologies. Because of their intention to consume all life, they are the most feared and hated race in the Starcraft universe.History
The Zerg were the second race to be created by the Xel'naga, after the Protoss had broken free and rebelled against the same. The Zerg were given a collective consciousness, meaning that all Zerg are essentially part of the same organism, with the Overmind serving as the brain. The Overmind could not be controlled however; gaining its own sentience and its own agenda, and the Xel'naga's dream to create the perfect lifeform ended with them being killed by their creations. After discovering their "sibling race", the Zerg clashed regularly with the Protoss, seeking to assimilate them and gaining their psionic abilities, of which the Zerg had none. The situation was further complicated when the Zerg discovered the Terrans, hidden away in the Korpulu sector. Eventually however, the Zerg managed to assimilate psionic abilities into their ranks. Not through the Protoss, but through one Sarah Kerrigan, a Terran ghost agent who was left behind on Tarsonis after her commanding officer, Arcturus Mengsk used a psi emitter to lure the Zerg there and destroy the Confederacy of man. The Overmind infested Kerrigan, turning her will towards the goals of the Zerg, in order to slowly gain control of the Koprulu sector until they find out the location of Aiur, the Protoss home world. Though the Zerg are successful in taking the planet, a Protoss templar named Tassadar and a Terran soldier named Jim Raynor attack the Overmind, and Tassadar sacrifices himself to destroy it, leaving the Zerg mindless and wild, roaming the surface of Aiur and attacking anything in their sight. Kerrigan herself soon stepped up to take control of the Zerg swarms, in effect becoming the new Overmind. As the self-styled "Queen of Blades", Kerrigan now has a vast army of nightmarish creatures at her beck and call.Zerg Units
Larvae
caption
The larvae, essentially enlarged forms of the original Zerg insects, contain the DNA of all of the Zerg breeds. They are able to evolve into any of the Zerg broods. They are produced by Hatcheries, and in Starcraft II, by Queens as well.
caption
Drone
Drone Screenshot
Zergling
Zergling concept art
Hydralisk
A Hydralisk made a cameo appearance in the game Warcraft 3
Lurker
Lurker CGI concept art
Overlord
Overlord in Starcraft II
Mutalisk
Mutalisk concept art from the cancelled game Starcraft: Ghost
Scourge
Scourge screenshot
Queen
The new and improved Queen in Starcraft II
Broodling
Broodling profile screenshot
Infested Terran
Infested Terran concept art
Defiler
Defiler screenshot
Guardian
The Guardian in Starcraft II
Devourer
Devourer concept art
Ultralisk
The Ultralisk in Starcraft II
New Zerg Units in Starcraft II
Baneling
Baneling concept art
Roach
The Roach
Zerg games
Edit
| Name | Platforms | Developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Starcraft Ghost |
PS2, XBOX, GC | Blizzard Entertainment, Swingin' Ape Studios, Nihilistic Software |
|
|
Retribution: Authorized Add-On for StarCraft |
PC | Stardock Corporation |
|
|
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm |
MAC, PC | Blizzard Entertainment |
|
|
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty |
MAC, PC | Blizzard Entertainment |
|
|
StarCraft 64 released on June 13, 2000 |
N64 | Blizzard Entertainment |
|
|
StarCraft: Battle Chest released on Dec. 31, 1999 |
PC | Blizzard Entertainment |
|
|
StarCraft: Brood War released on Nov. 30, 1998 |
PC, MAC | Blizzard Entertainment, Saffire Corporation |
|
|
Insurrection: Campaigns for StarCraft released on July 31, 1998 |
PC | Aztech New Media |
|
|
StarCraft released on March 31, 1998 |
PC, MAC | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Concept Name: | Zerg |
| Appears in: | 10 games |
| First appearance: | StarCraft |
| Aliases |
