History Characters / StarcraftZerg

** ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' took some ideas from the Undead faction of ''VideoGame/WarCraft'' by upgrading Creep into an additional resource much like Blight. Creep doesn't increase HealingFactor like Blight but it ''does'' increase movement speed just like the Death Knight hero can. Also, as in the ''VideoGame/WarCraft'' series, the Zerg technology level is in three distinctive tiers based upon how upgraded one of your Town Hall structures is, and technological capabilities are largely dependent upon building the coresponding tech structures.

* LegacyCharacter: Their tech tree format bears many similarities to ''[[VideoGame/WarCraft Warcraft II]]'' tech tree style. They have a Town Hall/Keep/Castle structure in the form of their Hatchery/Lair/Hive respectively that determines which technology tier they're at, their main attacker is a melee unit who has a "Knight" counterpart (Zergling and Ultralisk respectively) except their knights are support rather than complete improvements. They can optionally tech up to an "archer" unit by unlocking Hydralisks, unlock a powerful flier(s) at their Hive level, and have dedicated supporting spell casters similar in principle to Magi or Death Knights.

* AchillesHeel: They're able to swiftly and cost efficiently eliminate air and most targets are not able to shoot them down in time. However, in sufficient numbers, Protoss Corsairs or Terran Valkyries can neutralize them with SplashDamage before they can reach their targets. Terran Battlecruiser fleets are also problematic with their Laser Batteries capable of a OneHitKill on single Scourges. Thus, as cost effective as they are, care must be taken to avoid draining you gas account and being unable to afford other Crucial zerg units, a situation that can crop up when fighting Terran Battlecruisers.

* AchillesHeel: They're able to swiftly and cost efficiently eliminate air and most targets are not able to shoot them down in time. However, in sufficient numbers, Protoss Corsairs or Terran Valkyries can neutralize them with SplashDamage before they can reach their targets. Terran Battlecruiser fleets are also problematic with their Laser Batteries capable of a OneHitKill on single Scourges.

* AntiAir: They're biological anti-ship cruise missiles and you do NOT want them hitting your ships.

* [[HappinessInSlavery Happiness in Infestation]]/NotBrainwashed: ''Gargantis Proximae''--the species from which the overlord's genetic code was assimilated--willingly summoned the Zerg swarm in the face of starvation. There are some hints that they are still sapient and the few remaining ''Gargantis'' most certainly are.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The envenomed spines that Hydralisks launch do not actually poison or intoxicate biological units in gameplay. Oddly, Hydralisks were originally AntiArmor specialists.

* MightyGlacier: They don't move that quickly until you get their speed upgrade, and they attack slowly and have low range. However, their attack packs a decent punch and they're surprisingly tanky for Tier 1 Zerg units, with 145 HP and 1 armor. Appropriately, one of their primary uses is to act as damage sponges to distract enemies from shooting at your GlassCannons and SquishyWizards.

* ShoutOut: To the tarrasque from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', traditionally considered the single most powerful creature in the game. Ultralisks look very similar in design to the tarrasque and like teh tarrasque, its inspiration has ridiculously powerful regeneration abilities, to the point where it can ''regenerate from death'' without any assistance.

* {{Nerf}}: Zig-zagged; the Hydralisk became a Tier 2 unit in ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'', making them significantly more costly (from 75 minerals, 25 vespene and 1 supply in the first game, to 100 minerals, 50 vespene and 2 supply, alongside the added Lair pre-requisite to be able to make a Hydralisk Den). However, their range is increased from a maximum of 5 to 6 and it doesn't require an upgrade and they now deal 12 damage before upgrades and target armor reductions instead of 10 but deal normal damage to ''all'' targets, making them much more suitable for countering Mutalisks.

** In various cutscenes, their glassy durability is demonstrated by them being easily wounded by Marine rifles and quickly dispatched by multiple heroes; even General Warfield demonstrates that one can be killed by being ''punched'' to death from his PowerArmor. On the flip side, Hydralisk projectiles are very damaging to an exposed or an armor-suited human body and even the Protoss Fenix is severely wounded by a Hydralisk when he is caught off guard by his psi blades malfunctioning. Abathur notes in ''Heart of the Swarm'''s campaign how frail the Hydralisk’s carapace is and has devised a specification -- that you may select from between missions -- which reinforces their bodies (adding 80 + 20 hitpoints).

* YouWillBeAssimilated: Their Infest Command Center ability, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

* YourSizeMayVary: the Ultralisks seen in the ''Heart of the Swarm'' opening cinematic is large enough to stomp over ''Siege tanks'' and ignore their shots. Whereas in the ''Legacy of the Void'' opening cinematic, one is small enough for an Archon to grapple with it.

* GiantMook: One of the largest Zerg ever seen. The titanic monster from the ''Heart of the Swarm'' intro cinematic that is usually considered to be an Ultralisk might actually be an Omegalisk instead. It's large enough to destroy Siege Tanks by stepping on them, a feat its in-game model could pull off as well if the devs had given it such an ability.
* KingMook: To the Ultralisk. The Omegalisk is actually based on scrapped Ultralisk designs that had them much bigger, and in-game is represented by a scaled-up Ultralisk model.
* LightningBruiser: They're beefed up Ultralisks with more HP and power and no loss of speed for it.

* UnitsNotToScale: It is gigantic and definitely one of the biggest units you'll see in the campaign, but in ''Heart of the Swarm'' cutscenes a Leviathan acts as Kerrigan's base of operations, and is so massive that the Hyperion ''battlecruiser'' looks tiny, but even the Spear of Adun dwarfs it. In the lore they are described as ''moon-sized''.

* LivingStructureMonster: Their "structures" are actually sessile or semi-sessile monsters. In ''II,'' certain Infested buildings can unfold like a hermit crab, walk to a new location, and dig in.

* NoCureForEvil: {{Subverted}}, the Zerg have a natural HealingFactor but it's too slow to be practical for fully healing badly hurt Zerg aside from frail CannonFodder like Zerglings and Scourge. ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' added the Transfusion ability to the new ground-only Queen but it's not as efficient as Terran Medivacs' healing and intended for healing priority targets. The "Evil" attribute becomes subverted as well in the sequel, as the reformed Primal Kerrigan leads the swarm against Mengsk's palace on Korhal to allow the Meek Valerian Mengsk to take his throne and give the Dominion a brighter outlook, then take The Swarm to battle Amon's thralls and supporters.

* SimpleYetAwesome: In the sequel, a critical part of Zerg gameplay is creep spreading; it takes time to build it up over the course of a game, and requires some extra energy and attention from your Queens. In exchange, creep allows you map vision to a degree Terrans and Protoss can only dream of, grants a movement speed to all your ground units, and denies your opponent the ability to build on it. The result of this is that its impossible for the opponent to attack the Zerg without them knowing about it and they can quickly get into position to intercept the attackers.

* TheUnintelligible: With the exception of Infested Terrans and, in the sequel, some major characters, all Zerg units only speak in growls, snarls and grunts.

* {{Nerf}}: Zigzagged. The Spine Crawler deals less maximum damage than the retired Sunken Colony, causing 25 + 5 vs Armored instead of the Sunken's 20 + 20 vs Large. The effect of this is that the Spine Crawler is less effective against the heaviest units. Also, like all Zerg structures in ''II'' they will eventually die if removed from creep, unlike in the ''Brood War'' rules where creep merely allowed building space. In return, Spine Crawlers can now uproot and move to a new location, preferably on creep, can morph directly from Drones, and only cost 150 minerals maximum instead of 175.
* StoneWall: They are a very tough anti-ground structure, with 300 [=HP=] and 2 armor points, but are better suited to tanking damage than dealing it efficiently while the actual Zerg army responds to the invaders. They do deal bonus damage to armored targets, however. It's downplayed though as they have the same hitpoints as a Protoss Photon Cannon in ''II'' but extra armor which is less effective against heavy-hitting units.

* TrueSight: They can detect burrowed and cloaked units in the first game. In ''II'', they need to morph into Overseers to do so.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: The Zergling upgrades into either the Raptor or the Swarmling in ''[=StarCraft=] II''. Raptors leap up cliffs and jump at prey at short distances to quickly close in, while Swarmlings produce three from an egg rather than two and mutate instantly.

* MetamorphosisMonster: They can mutate into [[ActionBomb Banelings]] in ''[=StarCraft=] II''.
* PowerGivesYouWings: In the sequel, they sprout locust-like wings upon completion of [[SprintShoes Metabolic Boost]]. The Raptor strain from ''Heart of the Swarm'' also gives the Zergling wings, as well as the ability to jump towards enemies, and leap up cliffs.

* WingsDoNothing: For obvious reasons their wings in the sequel don't actually let the Zergling fly. Averted in ''Heart of the Swarm'''s campaign; the wings are exclusive to the Raptor, who leap up cliffs and jump at enemy units.

* JackOfAllStats: In the original game, Hydralisks have all-around decent HP, damage and movement speed, effective upgrades, and usable cost. In the sequel, they aren't much better in durability, but deal full damage to all manner of targets minus armor points, in exchange for higher tech requirements, doubled supply costs, and additional resource costs.

** In the second game, the new damage system means that they no longer have damage penalties against any unit (and their damage was increased by 2) and their HP was slightly increased. On the other hand, they are now Tier 2 units, meaning their HP and (lack of) base armor makes them very frail for their tech requirements and cost.

* {{Nerf}}: Zig-zagged; the Hydralisk became a Tier 2 unit in the second game, making them significantly more costly (from 75 minerals, 25 vespene and 1 supply in the first game, to 100 minerals, 50 vespene and 2 supply, alongside the added Lair pre-requisite to be able to make a Hydralisk Den). However, their range is increased from a maximum of 5 to 6 and it doesn't require an upgrade and they now deal 12 damage before upgrades and target armor reductions instead of 10 but deal normal damage to ''all'' targets, making them much more suitable for countering Mutalisks.
* OrnamentalWeapon: Their claws, which, despite being thoroughly displayed in cutscenes, are rendered useless in the original game: They always use their ranged attack. In the sequel, Hydralisks use them in melee combat as a purely cosmetic attack [[note]]Well, besides being unaffected by Point Defense Drones.[[/note]] with the same effective damage and upgrades as their ranged attack.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: The in-game sprite has centipede legs, whereas the cutscene model is snake-like and lacks them. They lost them in the sequel, being replaced by more spikes.

* OneHitKill: Or at least one volley. In II, Scourge Nests are activated in order to take down the Gorgon Battlecruisers with a swarm of these (so huge they take no damage from regular units).

* ArmorPiercingAttack: Plague, when cast on Protoss units and Buildings, bypasses Shields. It is particularly devastating to them as they have no way to recover their lost HP in the original game (and they need either special Campaign or ''Co-op Mode'' abilities, or a Terran ally to recover HP in ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'').

** In the sequel, they got to deal splash damage, along with an HP buff and an ability to make them immune to enemy attacks that would stun them, along with the ability to burrow.

* EliteMook: They're basically the Zerg's ground-based answer to the Battlecruiser and Carrier, and in ''II'' in a similar weight class to the Protoss Colossus and Terran Thor, priced exactly the same. Abathur calls it "ultimate expression of Swarm evolution".

* GiantMook: A cutscene in ''Heart of the Swarm'' shows them stomping ''siege tanks''.
* HerdHittingAttack: They deal SplashDamage when attacking in ''[=StarCraft=] II''.
* TheJuggernaut: In the sequel. Trying to hold out an Ultralisk with several weak units like in the first game? SplashDamage would like to have a word with you. Stunning it? Mind Control? Snaring? NoSell. The only way to neutralize an Ultralisk is to kill it. Oh, you're playing the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign? Meet the Torrasque strain, the Ultralisk that just got killed is getting back up!

* LightningBruiser: As befits the name, they hit hard and take a lot of damage, yet still move quite quickly. In Brood War, they are given a speed upgrade making them about as fast as zerglings, in Heart of the Swarm, they are given a burrow charge ability to quickly close in on enemies.

* SplashDamage: In the sequel.
* StealthyColossus: In the first game, the Ultralisk was the only Zerg ground unit that couldn't burrow. In the sequel, not only can it burrow like the other units (as can its building-sized KingMook counterpart the Omegalisk), it even has an attack where it burrows when a short distance from the enemy and emerges in the enemy's midst.
* YourSizeMayVary: One Ultralisk in the ''Heart of the Swarm'' trailer is large enough to stomp over ''Siege tanks'' and ignore their shots. Another in the ''Legacy of the Void'' one is small enough for an Archon to grapple with it.

* BalanceBuff: The Brood Lord of the sequel is essentially the Guardian with more HP and the ability to {{Spawn Broodling}}s when it attacks. Additionally, the Primal Zerg Guardians fought in ''Heart of the Swarm'' have the ability to attack air units as well.

* HollywoodAcid: Similar to the Guardian, the acid does immediate damage, but also leaves an "acid spores" debuff like the acid is weakening the integrity of the unit hull/carapace and is making them more vulnerable to damage. This is akin to real corrosion such as water rusting-out iron over time only it's temporary. In ''Co-op Missions'', the Devourer's acid spores effect was replaced with an autocast ability, Corrosive Acid, that reduces enemies' armor and attack rate and can stack up to three times.

* SplashDamage: A curious variation, while in Brood War the Terrans and Protoss got the Valkyrie and Corsair to add this to their fleets, the Mutalisk already did Splash Damage, but it wasn't that strong. Solution: the Devourer itself doesn't do splash damage, but when it attacks the target and nearby units are splashed with acid spores that cause them to take additional damage and attack slower, the Mutalisk is powered up. Their spores can also reveal cloaked units hit with the splash, letting them serve as alternatives to Overlords for detection. ''Co-op Missions'' changes Devourers to get actual splash damage from an upgrade.

Have a Queen infect a Command Center and this is the result, a Zerg-controlled Terran that will sacrifice his life for the Overmind. In ''[=StarCraft=] II'' multiplayer, they are instead spawned by Infestors.

* ActionBomb: A very dangerous one at 500 damage.

* CuttingTheKnot: Their one appearance in the original campaign has them acting as what amounts to living land mines in an installation level -- mines that will one-shot any of your troops they see. Fortunately it's a Protoss level, and the Infested Terrans can't tell the difference between a Zealot and a hallucination of one created by Tassadar.

** Original Flavour infested terrans are '''Boomer''' subtypes, and they hit like nukes.[[note]]That's NotHyperbole: at 500 damage, they do indeed deal as much damage as a Terran nuke.[[/note]]

* EyeScream: In the sequel, they have two tentacles that seem to emerge from their eye sockets.
* FastballSpecial: Infested Siege Tanks in II launch them instead of artillery shells.

** Likewise in the sequel. They are weaker than fully-upgraded Marines (But still effective if in enough numbers and with Neural Parasite support) and they are '''very''' slow at moving across the battlefield.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Their response to being twisted into horrific parodies of themselves (at least, going by their StopPokingMe lines in II)? Call in sick with a touch of the flu.

* TookALevelInBadass: In II, ANY Terran building or unit can be infested. However, only Stukov can use the infested version in non-campaign play.

* ZombieGait: Only move half as fast as regular Marines.

* PraetorianGuard: They're Kerrigan's guardians in both the original game and sequel, accompanying her in almost all their depictions and defending her base from enemies. In ''Co-op Mode'', they're given to Zagara as a summon instead.

** ''Starcraft II'' took some ideas from the Undead faction of ''VideoGame/WarCraft'' by upgrading Creep into an additional resource much like Blight. Creep doesn't increase HealingFactor like Blight but it ''does'' increase movement speed just like the Death Knight hero can. Also, as in the ''VideoGame/WarCraft'' series, the Zerg technology level is in three distinctive tiers based upon how upgraded one of your Town Hall structures is, and technological capabilities are largely dependent upon building the coresponding tech structures.

* UnstableGeneticCode: The Zerg have this trait, along with a hyperactive metabolism that can rapidly replace most of a particular creature's body. Background details in ''{{VideoGame/Starcraft II|WingsOfLiberty}}'' explain that a Zerg organism is essentially composed entirely of highly mutable stem cells of two types: "Type A" that experience rapid mutations, and "Type B" that hunt them down and destroy them. The surviving Type A cells go on to create the next generation of Type B, leading to evolution at a cellular level that quickly spreads through the entire organism. Combined with their psychic HiveMind, this leads to the rapid "mutations" that serve zerg forces as in-game upgrades and unit production. Then there's the Primal Zerg introduced in ''Heart of the Swarm'', who are the Zerg who never left their homeworld of Zerus and are not part of the Hive Mind; their cells are just as mutable, but they mutate by fighting, killing, and devouring each other, with the winners [[CannibalismSuperpower absorbing desirable traits from their prey]].

* XenoNucleicAcid: The Zerg famously have the ability to [[NoBiochemicalBarriers bypass biochemical barriers]] and [[TheAssimilator steal genetic material from their prey]], allowing them to rapidly evolve. Their alpha amino acids are said to have unique "R groups" that allow damaged cells to fuse with protein to repair themselves, and "survival of the fittest, nature red in tooth and claw" is apparently imprinted into them on the genetic level.

An anti-ground structure that went through two iterations. The main improvement made by the introduction of the Spine Crawler was the ability to uproot and move to a new location. However, as with all Zerg structures in ''Starcraft II'', they require creep to survive or they will eventually die from hitpoint loss. On the flip side, they can uproot and move to a new location as the battlefield conditions change.

* [[HappinessInSlavery Happiness in Infestation]]/NotBrainwashed: ''Gargantis Proximae''--the species from which the overlord's genetic code was assimilated--willingly summoned the Zerg swarm in the face of starvation. There are some hints that they are still sapient, and the few remaining ''Gargantis'' most certainly are.

* PowerFloats: They're with the Queen as the only Zerg with psionic skills, they use them to help fly.
* PowerGlows: In the sequel.

* UnitsNotToScale: Eight Zerglings fit inside? Well comparing the Zergling model to the Overlord, passable. Four Hydralisks? Maybe if they cram in. Two Ultralisks? Yup, this trope must be in effect. Most of these are a bit more excusable when you look at the Field Manual, which shows that [[https://i.imgur.com/MAuV8hs.jpg Overlords are massive]] and probably ''could'' fit two Ultralisks in them, and many more than eight Zerglings and four Hydralisks.

* ArmorPiercingAttack: In ''Co-op Mode'' missions, Kerrigan and Zagara have an exclusive Zergling upgrade that lets their attacks reduce the target's armor to 0.

* PoisonousPerson: Well, for a given value of "person", being little more than an AttackAnimal. Their spines are poisoned, and in one ''Co-op Mode'' mission, Abathur cooks up Noxious Hydralisks, who have the Ultra's BreathWeapon.

** Their hit-and-run tactics makes them deadly in the hands of a skilled player, and a fleet of Mutalisks can level an enemy base, but in a straight-up fight they're likely to get killed since like most Zerg they aren't very durable, and against larger armies they'll likely be shredded unless backed up by more durable units.
** Interestingly, they are ''not'' this case in the first game thanks to damage types: Most air units are considered "Large" by the game, and as a result most AntiAir attacks are considered "Explosive", which deal full damage to them, but have their damage halved against "Small" units... and Mutalisks happen to be the only attacking "Small" air unit (Apart from the Scourge). While units that could deal full damage to Mutalisks (Marines, Archons, Scourge and other Mutalisks being the most notable) make short work of them, only a handful of such units exist. While Valkyries or Corsairs deal explosive damage, a well-supported squadron will still be a hindrance to a cluster of Mutalisks with their SplashDamage.

* JustDesserts: Mutalisk wings are served at terran truck stops, and are somewhere between ribs and chicken wings in terms of presentation.

* MetamorphosisMonster: The basis of a full 75% of Zerg air power is derived from these guys; they can mutate into Guardians or Devourers, specialized ground and air attackers respectively. Ironically, as of ''Legacy of the Void'' they're among the few basic Zerg units in multiplayer that ''can't'' mutate into anything due to their mutated forms being shelved, though the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign lets them evolve into Brood Lords or Vipers depending on the strain you pick. In Co-op Missions, Kerrigan's Mutalisks can morph into Brood Lords, while Abathur's get back the ability to become Devourers and Guardians, or if they collect enough Biomass, [[KingMook Leviathans]].
* PinballProjectile: Does 9 damage to the first target, 3 to the second and 1 to the third. The ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign ups this to 9-5-3, with an upgrade that gives three more bounces (dealing 3, then 1, then 1).
* SplashDamage: And a campaign upgrade in ''Heart of the Swarm'' lets them hit even more enemies with it.

The Zerg flying spellcaster, she supports the swarm with various delibitating abilities.

* TheBusCameBack: In ''Co-op Model
* CrazyEnoughToWork: Using Parasite on critters. Since the AI never targets them (and, with enough luck, the human player may not be aware of them), they work as invincible scouts.

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In the lore the Queen was always like the ''Starcraft II'' Queen, overseeing the base and helping the development of the swarm from behind the front lines. This original Queen was a support and harassment caster unit.
* OneHitKill: Spawn Broodling instantly kills any non-robotic, non-psionic ground unit. Only Archons, Dark Archons, Probes and Reavers cannot be targeted by Spawn Broodling, making the spell more versatile that it could seem at first.

* YouWillBeAssimilated: Their Infest Command Center ability, which does exactly what you'd think.

* AntiStructure: in ''Legacy of the Void'' the Corruptor swaps out Corruption for [[HollywoodAcid Caustic Spray]], a channeled ability that deals increasing damage over time (7 damage per second for the initial 4.3 seconds and then increasing to ''35'') to an enemy structure. When you see a swarm of Corruptors heading for your Hatchery/Nexus/Command Center, it's probably a good idea to call in the AntiAir. In ''Co-op Missions'', Amon's Corruptors have ''both'' abilities.

* LostTechnology: As of ''Heart of the Swarm'', it's stated that the genetic information needed to make Corruptors became lost after the events of ''Wings of Liberty''. As a result, the only way to get Brood Lords was evolve your Mutaliks to transform into them instead. Weirdly enough, Kerrigan's forces have them in the first mission of the ''Whispers of Oblivion'' short campaign and zerg broods possessed by Amon in ''Co-op Missions'' still have corruptors.

* StarfishAliens: Unlike most other Zerg strains, which can be identified from their source species or else resemble a traditional animal, Corruptors have no known source species and barely resemble anything. At most, they resemble an inside-out squid, and even that's a stretch.

* ArmorPiercingAttack: Plague, when cast on Protoss units and Buildings, bypasses Shields. It is particularly devastating to them as they have no way to recover their lost HP in the first game (and they need either special Campaign or Co-op abilities, or a Terran ally to recover HP in the second game).

* TheBusCameBack: The Devourer returns as an unit exclusive to Abathur in Co-Op mode in Starcraft II.

** They become less of a liability in ''Co-op Missions'' for Abathur. Even with no air units to shoot, they can still provide support by splashing Corrosive Acid on enemy ground forces, and most destructible mission objectives are targeted as both air and ground units (meaning Devourers can hit them). And, of course, scouting whether the enemy is coming at you with an air or ground composition means you can easily decide whether or not to use them in the first place.
* ExtraEyes: While they only had two eyes in the original game, Starcraft II Devourers have ''eight''.

* AwesomeButImpractical: As described under GlassCannon below, they're too fragile to be of any real use, and that's assuming you can even infest a Command Center to use them in the first place, which requires inflicting considerable damage to it, but not destroy, and then send a queen to infest it, which costs time and resources.
* BalanceBuff: They're ''far'' more useful in ''Starcraft II'' and not just because they're spawned by a MookMaker this time around. They're basically buffed up Marines with higher damage and HP. Their major flaws are their timed life and low speed, both of which are forgiveable if you use them properly.

* BorrowingFromTheSisterSeries: In ''Starcraft I'', they're functionally like ''[[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} Warcraft II]]'' Dwarven Demolition Squads and Goblin Sappers, due to their function as suicide units that inflict colossal damage.

* DrivenToSuicide: In ''II'', if you look closely when their timer runs out, you see them put their guns to their heads and blow out their own brains (literally; it can be seen tumbling free of the corpse).

* AscendedExtra: In the base game it was just another of one of many generic hero units that took part in the ''Enslavers'' mini-campaign. ''Brood War'' saw it worked into normal missions, and then ''Heart of the Swarm'' made it an Ultralisk upgrade.

* BadassNormal: Short of the DummiedOut Tassadar/Zeratul Archon and boss units with modified stats, it's the most powerful unit in the entire base game. Depending on some variables, it can take on Kerrigan and probably Zeratul in a one-on-one fight. This is despite having no psionic powers or special abilities. It's just got really high stats.

* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: The strain's trademark trait is that the Torrasque reincarnates upon death. In the two missions where you face one, they're reincarnated by their Cerebrate when killed and a few minutes later will be back for more, and in ''Heart of the Swarm'' they spontaneously generate a cocoon around their corpses on death and rapidly regenerate tissue to revive.

* TheJuggernaut: It already had one of the best armor ratings in the game at 4 in the base game, but with ''Brood War'' it got the Ultralisk's armor upgrade for an extra 2. That's a total of 6 ''base'' armor, 9 when fully upgraded. At that level of power most units won't even faze it, and the few that can get to enjoy whittling down its monstrous 800 HP which, as with all Zerg, regenerates.

* LightningBruiser: 800 HP, a 50 damage attack, and base 6 armor. It moves fast, hits hard, and takes a lot of firepower to bring it down.

* ShoutOut: To the tarrasque from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', traditionally considered the single most powerful creature in the game. Ultralisks look very similar in design to the tarrasque, and like tarrasque, its inspiration has ridiculously powerful regeneration abilities, to the point where it can ''regenerate from death'' without any assistance.

The elite strains of the Hydralisk, they are the finest creations of Daggoth and are only used a handful of times. They return in a couple missions in ''Starcraft II'', though harder to notice without their unique coloring as in the original game.

* PraetorianGuard: They're Kerrigan's guardians in both the original game and sequel, accompanying her in almost all their depictions and defending her base from enemies. In ''Co-op Missions'', they're given to Zagara as a summon instead.

* ArmorPiercingAttack: In co-op missions, Kerrigan and Zagara have an exclusive Zergling upgrade that lets their attacks reduce the target's armor to 0.

** The Swarm Queen from the ''Heart of the Swarm'''s campaign and Co-op mode are much more suited for this role than the regular Queen, as it's much faster off creep, Spawn Creep Tumor costs no energy, has Transfusion as an auto-cast ability and lacks the ability to have hatcheries spawn additional larvae. This makes Swarm Queens far more involved as support units in an army, rather than staying behind to increase unit production.

* PoisonousPerson: Well, for a given value of "person", being little more than an AttackAnimal. Their spines are poisoned, and in one co-op mission, Abathur cooks up Noxious Hydralisks, who have the Ultra's BreathWeapon.

* BoobyTrap: The detonation can be triggered manually ''whilst burrowed''.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign they can upgrade into Hunters or Splitterlings. The Hunter jumps over cliffs and leaps at targets to explode, while the Splitterling splits into two smaller, weaker Banelings when it dies. They also evolve out of zerglings, as mentioned above.

* HidingInPlainSight: strategically, this is their main defense. Send in a wave of banes by itself and they'll just get shot as they try to go in: they aren't that fast, they lose 5 HP when mutating from Zerglings, and they're [[SicklyGreenGlow neon green]]. But if you hide them in a ZergRush of lings, roaches and other distractions to keep the opponent busy, their impact can be devastating.

* {{Nerf}}: Compared to the campaign versions, Banelings in ''Legacy of the Void'' multiplayer deal significantly less damage to everything except Light units.

An aptly-named tier-one-point-five ranged attacker, they spew acid to attack and get a major boost to RegeneratingHealth whilst burrowed. They can also move while burrowed.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: The Zerg campaign allows Roaches to be permanently upgraded into Corpsers or Vile Roaches.

* HollywoodAcid: Their acid can eat away at anything, including zerg carapace, Terra neosteel, and Protoss plating.

* TurnsRed: In ''Heart of the Swarm'' one of their campaign upgrades grants them +3 to armor when at 50% health.

* InterfaceScrew: In ''Heart of the Swarm'' their Changelings inflict an unfortunate case of this on the opponent, because they're not selectable. So if you order your troops to walk around and you see one that's following but can't be selected or added to a control group, you know it's a Changeling.

* OneHitPointWonder: While Changelings actually have 5 hit points, the effect is the same - they die in one hit to anything, including workers.

* CompositeCharacter: The multiplayer and ''Co-op'' Lurker combines the campaign Lurker's area damage with the Impaler's anti-armor property.

* TheBusCameBack: In the Co-Op mode in ''Legacy of the Void'', Stukov can deploy these, under the name "Brood Queen".

** This is reflected in the single-player campaigns by having a great deal of missions against the Zerg being simply holding out against never-ending waves of them. In the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign, several characters reveal that this isn't actually tactic, it's simply [[WeHaveReserves how the Zerg think]]. Losing millions at a time means nothing if your numbers are almost infinite and any battle where even one Zerg survives is one where the entire Swarm can grow back. The ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign doesn't even have a "units lost" counter unlike the other two, since you're expected to drown the enemy in bodies and take correspondingly hefty losses.

* OneSteveLimit: While the two remain simply "Queen" in certain game modes and in the lore, the ground-based Queens are called "Swarm Queens" and the flying Queens are "Brood Queens". This became necessary in ''Legacy of the Void'' when the flying Queen was added into enemy unit compositions in the ''Legacy of the Void'''s campaign and ''Co-op Mode''.

** In various cutscenes, their glassy durability is demonstrated by them being easily wounded by Marine rifles and quickly dispatched by multiple heroes; even General Warfield demonstrates that one can be killed by being ''punched'' to death from his PowerArmor. On the flip side, Hydralisk projectiles are very damaging to an exposed or an armor-suited human body and even the Protoss Fenix is severely wounded by a Hydralisk when he is caught off guard by his psiblades malfunctioning. Abathur notes in ''Heart of the Swarm'''s campaign how frail the Hydralisk’s carapace is and has devised a specification -- that you may select from between missions -- which reinforces their bodies (adding 80 + 20 hitpoints).

* MetamorphosisMonster: They can mutate into Lurkers in ''Brood War'', the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign, and ''Legacy of the Void''. They can alternatively evolve into Impalers in the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In the campaign they can upgrade into Hunters or Splitterlings. The Hunter jumps over cliffs and leaps at targets to explode, while the Splitterling splits into two smaller, weaker Banelings when it dies. They also evolve out of zerglings, as mentioned above.

** This is reflected in the single-player campaigns by having a great deal of missions against the Zerg being simply holding out against never-ending waves of them. In the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign, several characters reveal that this isn't actually tactic, it's simply [[WeHaveReserves how the Zerg think]]. Losing millions at a time means nothing if your numbers are almost infinite and any battle where even one Zerg survives is one where the entire Swarm can grow back. The campaign doesn't even have a "units lost" counter unlike the other two, since you're expected to drown the enemy in bodies and take correspondingly hefty losses.

* WingsDoNothing: For obvious reasons their wings in the sequel don't actually let the Zergling fly. Averted in ''Heart of the Swarm's'' campaign; the wings are exclusive to the Raptor, who leap up cliffs and jump at enemy units.

* BalanceBuff: In the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign, the Swarm Queen mutates almost twice as fast as the usual Queen, moves much faster off Creep, and their Transfusion ability is auto-cast, though it heals much less HP. The short of it, rather than a SquishyWizard base supporter, the Swarm Queen is more a combination Hydralisk and Medic, and a potent supporter for armies on the frontlines.

** The Swarm Queen from the campaign and Co-op mode are much more suited for this role than the regular Queen, as it's much faster off creep, Spawn Creep Tumor costs no energy, has Transfusion as an auto-cast ability and lacks the ability to have hatcheries spawn additional larvae. This makes Swarm Queens far more involved as support units in an army, rather than staying behind to increase unit production.

* OneSteveLimit: While the two remain simply "Queen" in certain game modes and in the lore, the ground-based Queens are called "Swarm Queens" and the flying Queens are "Brood Queens". This became necessary in ''Legacy of the Void'' when the flying Queen was added into enemy unit compositions in the campaign and ''Co-op Mode''.

* SquishyWizard: Always a target of opportunity because Queens have a high cost and huge build time, especially in the early game, and they aren't all that durable and make huge targets.

** In the second game, the new damage system means they no longer have damage penalties against any unit (and their damage was increased by 2) and their HP was slightly increased. On the other hand, they are now Tier 2 units, meaning their HP and (lack of) base armor make them very frail for their tech requirements and cost.
** In various cutscenes, their glassy durability is demonstrated by them being easily wounded by Marine rifles, and quickly dispatched by multiple heros; even General Warfield demonstrates that one can be killed by being ''punched'' to death from his PowerArmor. On the flip side, Hydralisk projectiles are very damaging to an exposed or an armor-suited human body, and even the Protoss Fenix is severely wounded by a Hydralisk when he is caught off guard by his psiblades malfunctioning. Abathur notes in the ''Heart of the Swarm'' campaign how frail the Hydralisks' carapace is and has devised a specification -- that you may select from between missions -- which reinforces their bodies (adding 80 + 20 hitpoints).

* {{Nerf}}: Zig-zagged; the Hydralisk became a Tier 2 unit in the second game, making them significantly more costly (from 75 minerals, 25 vespene and 1 supply in the first game, to 100 minerals, 50 vespene and 2 supply, alongside the added Lair pre-requisite to be able to make a Hydralisk Den). However, their range increased from maximum-5 to 6 and it doesn't require an upgrade, and they now deal 12 damage before upgrades and target armor reductions instead of 10 but deal normal damage to ''all'' targets, making them much more suitable for countering Mutalisks.

* SnakePeople: The typcial handed arms are replaced with scythes in this case, but they resemble this profile. Their envenomed balistic spines increse the snake connections further.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In ''Heart of the Swarm''’s campaign, players can permanently upgrade a Zerg unit into one of two advanced forms in the single-player campaign, either form emphasizing different aspects of the base strain; usually one has higher damage potential or a cool new special ability, or it's spamming capabilities are enhanced.

** This is reflected in the single-player campaigns by having a great deal of missions against the Zerg being simply holding out against never-ending waves of them. In the Heart of the Swarm campaign, several characters reveal that this isn't actually tactic, it's simply [[WeHaveReserves how the Zerg think]]. Losing millions at a time means nothing if your numbers are almost infinite, and any battle where even one Zerg survives is one where the entire Swarm can grow back. The campaign doesn't even have a "units lost" counter unlike the other two, since you're expected to drown the enemy in bodies and take correspondingly hefty losses.

* WeaksauceWeakness: In ''Wings of Liberty'', Donny Vermillion claims they are allergic to lemon juice. At first, this seems like more propaganda, but the zerg evolution master [[EvilutionaryBiologist Abathur]] confirms this in ''Heart of the Swarm''.