Little did Kerrigan’s enemies know this, but at the end of the Second Zerg War, also referred to sometimes as the “Brood War,” Kerrigan’s Zerg had been pushed to their material limits. By the time of the final battle on the space platforms above Char, Kerrigan was quite simply out of time, and out of reinforcements for the immediate future. She won, but in the end barely.
Thus, by the end of the battle, Kerrigan began the consolidation of her forces on Char, and the retreat of her remaining Broods throughout the Koprulu Sector. She realized that such a circumstance must never happen again, that of the head of the Swarm being put in such risk, but the numbers necessary to ensure immediate victory and security in the future would take many years to undertake. In addition, Kerrigan was still strengthening her psionic powers so as to further benefit the Swarm, another task which could be accomplished much easier if she pulled back her forces.
So the Zerg…left. Across the Koprulu Sector, empires and disparate peoples and worlds sighed in relief and began to rebuild, though the leaders of said governments knew full well they would eventually return and planned for such an event. Kerrigan began the expansion of her forces, and the slow strip-mining of all of Char’s resources for the task. She sought to expand the total power of the Swarm, from the couple of dozen Broods that the Overmind had entered the Sector with and a total Zerg population in the high hundreds of billions each, to hundreds of Broods with trillions of individual Zerg each. This would take time and of necessity the resources of an entire world, and also a loosening of the Overmind’s original near-infinite control and the restrictions thereof to the Swarm.
Kerrigan, seeing the rewards as infinitely more worth it than the risks, began removing the genetic blocks on her new Cerebrates regarding certain activities of the Swarm. The Cerebrates became smaller and more self-sufficient, and possessed of very limited movement, though they were still the size of a small trailer and could only move as fast as a Reaver. Most importantly, Kerrigan removed the blocks regarding genetic enhancement of her Broods to their more deadly, evolved forms. Whereas before only Kerrigan could enhance her Broods in this way, now the Broods had more autonomous control, rendering the individual forces of the Swarm infinitely stronger than before.
Zerg: Infantry
Devouring One—The Devouring One is the enhanced version of the Zergling. It possesses Class 1 armor plating, and deals 10 base damage with its numerous razor-sharp claws and teeth (10 cooldown). In numbers Devouring Ones are worse than any Zergling could be. They are meaner and far more aggressive, if that’s at all possible, especially in numbers.
The Devouring One can mutate into a Baneling anytime.
Upgrade: Metabolic Inducers—Devouring One’s movement 2x.
Upgrade: Adrenal Glands—Devouring One’s cooldown halved.
Upgrade: Burrow—unit can burrow underground.
(50 HP)
Baneling—Banelings are swollen sacs of explosives with legs, essentially. Mutated from Devouring Ones and still coated in Class 1 armor, Banelings roll towards their targets at decent speed, impacting the target and then exploding. Deals over 65 explosive damage in one blast, and these things are meant to be used in numbers. Ouch.
Banelings have replaced the need for Infested Terrans, as used during the Zerg Wars.
(75 HP)
Hunter Killer—The Hunter Killer is the backbone of the new and improved Zerg Swarm. Descended from the Hydralisk, Hunter Killers are coated in Class 1 armor plating, and fire explosive spines (15 damage, 15 cooldown) from ridged grooves in their shoulders at hypersonic velocities, speeds high enough to penetrate a 2ft.-thick plate of high-grade industrial Neosteel armor. Their accuracy is uncanny, and can target both air and ground targets with over an 80% chance of a successful strike to aerial targets. They also possess a new formidable melee attack (10 damage, 25 cooldown), though that is not their primary purpose, but is due to their razor-sharp scythe-shaped arms and their newly-enhanced aggressive tendencies.
Hunter Killers can mutate into Lurkers anytime.
Upgrade: Burrow—Unit can burrow underground.
(100 HP)
Unclean One—This is an enhanced Defiler. As such, it possesses the same arsenal of biochemical attacks like Defilers wield, but in addition now possesses a weak lightning range attack (10 damage, 5 range) as well as Class 1 armor plating. Much like a Terran electric eel, Unclean Ones can fire electricity from their claws and appendages at other targets. Useful as a deterrent.
Upgrade(s): Dark Swarm, Plague, and Consume—Same as with SC1 Defilers.
(150 HP)
Vehicles
Lurker—The Lurker is an evolution of the Hunter Killer, and as such is an extremely formidable creature. Created to kill masses of ground units, Lurkers shoulder spines have mutated to more than three times the size and possesses thick Class 2 armor plating. The Lurkers burrow underground and fire volleys of barbed razor-sharp spines (25 splash damage) that can rip through the ground out to several dozen meters (7 range) and skewer anything in its path. Since its evolution during the Zerg Wars, Lurkers have become even nastier, their barbs traveling over 1.5x faster though the ground. Lurkers can evolve the Shrapnel ability, as well, making their attacks even more formidable.
For all of the Lurker’s potent ground attack, it has no defense against air attacks at all.
Upgrade: Shrapnel—When a volley of spines has reached out to the maximum range it can, the spines explode and spray razor-sharp shrapnel everywhere. The shards are large enough they pose a serious threat to ground traffic, as any unit walking over the patch of ground where the shards exploded will start receiving small amounts of damage (5 damage/second while in the patch affected). The shards disintegrate after 2 minutes.
(150 HP)
Nydus Worm—The Nydus Worm is on the few new units created by Kerrigan since the Brood War. Nydus Worms are a variant of Nydus Canals, but instead of a stationary building burrowing, it is a large tube-shaped creature wrapped in Class 2 armor; it can contain over 40 Devouring Ones, or 4 Torrasques, or a combination of both. Nydus Worms are undetectable until they breach the surface of their target, rearing up and then opening its mouth, allowing its passengers out. Once there the Worm is beached, and will stay there until it dies or is killed. It can upgrade the Thorns ability.
Upgrade (Passive): Thorns—The mouth and head of the Nydus Worm are lined with rows of razor-sharp poisonous thorns, causing 20 melee damage to any unit that approaches with 3 radius. Zerg units exiting the mouth are not affected, as the thorns point outward.
(250 HP)
Ultralisk—Ultralisks have remained essentially unchanged from their status as living tanks. They possess Class 2 armor plating and cause 25 damage via one swipe of its two monomolecular-edged tusks. Ultralisks have no air defense, and as such are helpless unless they receive reinforce-ments or Burrow.
Ultralisks can evolve into the Torrasque or Hyperlisk forms at any Hive.
Upgrade: Burrow—This unit can now burrow.
Upgrade: Anabolic Synthesis—Ultralisk movement is increased by 2x. Applies to Torrasques.
Upgrade: Chitinous Plating—Increases Ultralisk armor by 2. Applies to Torrasques.
Upgrade: Trample—40% chance that Ultralisk will crush a random unit. Applies to Torrasques.
(350 HP)
Torrasque—Torrasques are the heavy-assault versions of Ultralisks. Originally only able to be created as an extension of the Cerebrate itself, the Torrasque can now be grown like a normal unit. It is not particularly an “enhanced” version of the Ultralisk, just an incredibly nasty cousin.
Torrasques possess Class 5 armor, the only land unit out of all the factions to do so. It deals over 50 damage with its monomolecular tusks, similar to the Ultralisk’s but much sharper and larger. However, due its slightly increased size it has reached a boundary where it can’t Burrow. All other Ultralisk upgrades apply, though.
(700 HP)
Hyperlisk—Hyperlisks are a bizarre cross-genetic pollination with both Hydralisks and Scourges. Hyperlisks are Ultralisks with Class 2 armor plating that grow super-large monomolecular tusks that are shaped like “boomerangs.” The tusks then break off and are thrown/catapulted into the air at the target. Like Carrier Interceptors, the tusks after inflicting damage (12 damage each, 10 range) come twirling back, and are either repaired if they were damaged by the Hyperlisk’s natural secretions which can act as a fix-it-all glue, or if too damaged they are consumed and new tusks are grown to replace them.
Hyperlisks can attack both air and ground targets. They can evolve the Spew ability, as well.
Upgrade: Spew—Hyperlisks can sneeze this hyper-adhesive glue from their nostrils onto a patch of ground or a group of units. On the ground it stays until units walk over it and get stuck, their weapons work but they can’t move. On units it disables their weapons AND they can’t move, rendering nice snacks for the Zerg passing through. Only works on ground units.
(600 HP)
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I'll post the aerial vehicles in a second post. Not sure what the post limit is.
rotoss
