The Zerg are an alien race in the StarCraft universe. They are similar in appearance and behavior to the Tyranids of Warhammer 40,0001 History
The Zerg were created by the mysterious and ancient race of the Xel'Naga in an experiment after they abandoned the Protoss, but rebelled against their creators and absorbed them. They are a purely biological race (using no machinery) that uses genetic modifications to create new subspecies: every time they conquer a planet, they add their victims' genes to their genetic pool.
When the Xel'Naga created the Zerg, they embued them with the purity of essence, in contrast to the Protoss' purity of form. Fearful of the chaotic in-fighting that had enveloped the Protoss, the Xel'Naga created the Overmind, an enormous brain-like entity, to bring order to the Zerg. When the Zerg destroyed the Xel'Naga fleet above their homeworld Zeras, they retrieved records of the Xel'Naga experiments with the Protoss. They then devoted their energies to seeking out the Protoss in the hope of absorbing them into the Swarm, uniting purity of form and of essence, thereby creating a perfect being.
All Zerg are directly subject to the will of the Overmind; it is a biological impossibility for them to oppose its directives. Only Cerebrates (smaller brains) have some intelligence, and control a different army (called brood), using Overlords to directly control the warriors/workers. The lesser Zerg minions are wholly dependent upon the Cerebrates and the Overlords for order. Should a Cerebrate die, his brood will run amok and attack each other. In the context of a multiplayer match, when an Overlord dies, a Zerg player loses control points, and must grow more overlords to replace the loss. Without these control points, additional zerg units cannot be built. Even Zerg buildings are living organisms, and aren't built but grown. They act as would internal organs, the Zerg's Hive Cluster being the body.
Note: Zerg's broods are named after Norse mythological monsters ( Jormungand, Garm, Surtur, etc.).
2 Main gameplay attributes
- Low cost per unit produced.
- Low unit power.
- Low supply consumption per unit
- The Zerg units (and buildings) automatically heal over time. All Zerg ground units can be healed by allied Terran medics ( Brood War only). Also, most of the land units have the unique "burrow" ability; this is a very effective way to set up an ambush. Burrowed units can only be harmed by some types of damage (ie Psi Storm) but cannot attack, move or cast spells. The only exception is the Lurker, which can only attack when burrowed. Burrowed units can only be attacked or damaged by splash damageSplash damage also known as radius damage or area of effect (AoE), is a term used in several types of games, most notably in first-person shooter and real-time strategy computer games, to refer to indirect damage done in the area surrounding a point of we, or by direct attack when targed if the unit is revealed by detectors
- Least efficient building method, extreme building restrictions. Zerg structures can only be built on the Creep. The Creep is formed by either an hatchery (Zerg's main structure) or by a Creep Colony. (note: on some StarCraft maps the restriction is nearly eliminated.) Certain buildings must be 'upgraded' to attain higher technologyTechnology ( Gr. tau;εχνολογια < τεχνη "craftsmanship" + λογος "word, reckoning" + the suffix ια) has more than one definition. level.
Three spellFor spelling in linguistics, see orthography. For spells in magical and religious practices, see magic (paranormal). For spells in a game context, particularly in fantasy role-playing games, see magic (game).s in particular stand out:
- "consume", a Defiler spell. It destroys a targeted unit of your own armyAn army comprises all of a nation's land-based military forces or a specific large military force. Military land forces An army is a military organization. The word army can refer to any armed force, or more specifically a force primarily designed for lan and partly restores the energy (50 magic points regardless of the consumed unit) (required to cast spells) of the caster. Because of the very low unit cost, the Defilers can recharge instantly almost for free. Other races must wait for the energy to replenish over time.
- "spawn broodling", a QueenThis article treats the generic title monarch . For the origins of the word king and its English use, see Germanic king. For other meanings of the word, see Monarch (disambiguation A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. The word derives from Greek spell. It destroys the targeted organicOrganic has several meanings and related topics. Its original meaning is "Part of or derived from living matter". It can be related to, or derived from living organisms: organic matter. It can mean, relating to, or affecting a bodily organ: an organic dis unit almost instantly and creates small, very low-health units called Broodlings that are used mainly for scouting or heckling purposes. Typically used to destroy deployed Terran Siege TankM1A1 Abrams tank is a typical modern main battle tank. The turret is low-profile, well-integrated into the overall shape of the vehicle. A tank is a tracked and armoured combat vehicle ( armoured fighting vehicle), designed primarily to destroy enemy grous.
- "plague", a Defiler spell. It reduces the affected unit's HP by 200 hit points or down to 1 hit point, whichever comes first. It is very useful against grand fleets of Battle-Cruisers and Carriers, or against Terran or Protoss bases.
