Hydralisk

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The Hydralisk, a fictional creature which derives its name from its serpentine body (a blend of hydra and basilisk), is a Zerg breed in Blizzard Entertainment's real-time strategy game, StarCraft. They are a modified form of the Slothien, a genus assimilated into the Zerg Swarm, and are approximately 18 feet long; when "standing" they can reach over eight feet in height. They can move faster than a Terran.

In StarCraft's cinematics, the Hydralisk uses its scythe-like front arms to attack and assist movement, but they are rather vestigial in actual gameplay. In-game, the hydralisk is a ranged ground soldier of the Zerg race, attacking with projectile needle spines fired from underneath its head plates, capable of piercing two centimeters of neosteel. According to these spines are slightly poisonous. With a Hydralisk Den and prerequisite Spawning Pool, it is produceable in any Zerg Hatchery structure.

Game unit

Hydralisks are known as the single most versatile unit in the game, able to do a wide variety of jobs effectively. Hydralisks have a high rate-of-fire and deal explosive damage, making them more effective against large units such as Protoss Dragoons. They are the only Zerg ground units capable of striking airborne units.

Producing Hydralisks requires a Hydralisk Den, a structure that contains the Hydralisk strain for the Zerg race. Hydralisks are produced from Larvae, however, which are in turn produced by Hatcheries, Lairs and Hives.

The Hydralisk Den contains the following upgrades - Grooved Spines (adds to Hydralisk spine range), Muscular Augments (adds to Hydralisk movement speed) and, in , Lurker Aspect (allows the Hydralisk to become a Lurker).

Hunter Killers

Hunter Killers are a special, more powerful Hydralisk variant. Compared to regular Hydralisks, they are tougher and deal more damage. They are occasionally available in the single-player missions.

Originally created and used exclusively by Daggoth of the Tiamat Brood, they protected Infested Kerrigan after her rebirth. Daggoth sacrificed a number of Hunter Killers on the Amerigo to delay attacking Terrans.

During the , Daggoth was a rival to Kerrigan. However, Hunter Killers fell under Kerrigan's control on multiple occasions.

Lurkers

Lurkers are a breed of Zerg which can attack from underneath the ground.

By the time of the , the Zerg had bred the Lurker from the Hydralisk. The Lurker burrows into the ground and attacks enemies above with a wave of subterranean spikes. The spikes do line splash damage and are particularly effective against infantry. Unlike other Zerg units, the Lurker can only attack while burrowed. Burrowing does not need to be researched for the Lurker to burrow. If the Lurker is above ground, they gain mobility, but become defenseless.

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A Hydralisk unit is available as an easter egg in the single player campaign of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. In the second night elves mission, "Daughters of the Moon", the Hydralisk is hidden in the forest north of the final undead camp. To get to it, use the ballistas to blast down the trees.

In WarCraft III, the Hydralisk's attack can clearly be seen - it opens shoulder plates to fire its spines at the enemy (as opposed to firing them from the groove in its lower jaw).

References

1. [Hydralisk spines]
2. [StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment]
3. [Battle.net StarCraft Compendium]
4. Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
5. Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.

StarCraft
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