As many StarCraft players will know by now, the Legacy of the Void expansion has been announced and the conclusion of the StarCraft II trilogy is almost upon us. Of course, with a new expansion, multiplayer changes are inevitable.
Blizzard have already outlined their initial proposals for each race. However, these are all subject to change at Blizzard's discretion. We will, of course, be sure to keep you apprised with as up-to-date information as possible. As these are all brand new changes for Legacy of the Void, let's break all three races down unit-by-unit.
Following on from Heart of the Swarm, it's time to talk Zerg.
First up we have a new Zerg unit: the Ravager. You may be thinking it looks a lot like a Roach. This is because it evolves from the Roach. It has the standard Roach attack, but comes with a new active ability known as Corrosive Bile.
This new ability is most effective against stationary targets, as after a brief delay it launches an artillery shot of high-damage bile at a selected area within the Ravager's range (6).
That's not all though, as the Corrosive Bile can also be used to destroy Protoss Forcefields. Making PvZ games more micro-intensive than ever. The one catch is the enemy can avoid attacks by using the incredibly complex micro method called: moving their units in any direction.
It's time to go back to the future, if you were/are a StarCraft: Brood War player, as the Lurker has returned. For the the young who don't know, the Lurker evolves from Hydralisk, and is known for dealing huge amounts of splash damage – and Legacy of the Void will be no exception.
The Lurker will be able to out-range all static base defence structures, but they can only deal splash damage in a delayed straight line attack. As well as only being able to attack while burrowed.
Enemies will have to rely on single unit micro, or flanking, to defeat them.
There are also some changes coming to existing units in the Zerg hive. Starting with the Corruptor.
Only one simple change; a new ability named Caustic Spray. Which allows Corruptors to attack ground units and structures.
Each individual attack's damage will increase over time, ideal for structures, making it near unstoppable if not taken out in a timely manner. The issue is against mobile units, as every time it is forced to restart an attack on a unit the damage counter resets.
How about the Swarm Host? The Locusts are now stronger, but aren't able to spawn in as quickly. Not only that, but Swarm Hosts will be able to spawn Locusts while on the move, rather than having to burrow. Is that not enough for you? Well the Locusts can even be upgraded to have the ability to fly. That last sentence just made every Protoss player reading this develop a nervous twitch.
Blizzard have made a very specific point to stress the frequency of the Locust spawning has been dropped so significantly, it will remain a balanced unit. A tremendous buff for Swarm Hosts, and Zerg in general.
Infestors are getting a tasty sounding buff, with the addition of a new active ability called Aggressive Mutation.
Granting a flat damage buff to any friendly unit in the targeted area.
No limit has been mentioned by Blizzard, but it is confirmed to affect all Zerg units on the battlefield. Thus it's fair to presume it covers air and ground units. From Zerglings to Brood Lords. Furthering adding to the Infestor's effectiveness as a complementary unit within the Zerg army, and making Zergling run bys even more deadly.
Last, but certainly not least, there's the Nydus Worm. The most significant change is the ability to spawn multiple Nydus Worms simultaneously across the map. By the looks of things, there's currently no limit on the number available as long as the player has the resources available.
Plus, as an added buff, the Nydus Worm now cannot be damaged while it is emerging. Meaning not only are more full-frontal assaults possible, but combined with the new multiple Nydus Worm option it's an incredibly viable tactic for late game attacks. Anybody who has seen the movie 'Tremors' knows how deadly this could get.
That's all on the table for now. Those are all the proposed changes currently for the Zerg race in Legacy of the Void's multiplayer. Again, these are all subject to change whenever Blizzard feels to urge, but at the time of posting these are all accurate. We'll be sure to keep you as up-to-date as possible with any future changes here on Gfinity.
If you're interested in checking out the multiplayer changes to the Protoss or Terran race, then simply click the images below: