Overlord

"Overlords provide control for your minions. As your forces grow in number, you must hatch more Overlords to control them."

- Daggoth

The Overlord is a Zerg flyer that provides control for lesser minions.

Overview
Overlords were evolved from the Gargantis proximae, a species of giant space-faring and semi-intelligent creatures. Once assimilated they were used to help Cerebrates control and coordinate their Broods and scout using their enhanced senses. Advanced strains may carry other Zerg within hollows in their hides. Despite resembling the Portuguese man-o-war of Earth, they are fairly docile creatures that in addition to their leadership dutues, tend to young larvae and transport other Zerg across the depths of space by carrying them within their shelled bodies.

Overlords fly using helium-filled gas sacs combined with a weak telekinetic psi-ability for lift and motive power.

StarCraft
The overlord is a versatile zerg flyer that provides control, detection and air transportation once upgraded. It is slower than other transport units even with Pneumatized Carapace.

Abilities

 * Ventral Sacs
 * Cost: 200 200
 * Upgraded at: Lair/Hive
 * Allows Overlords to transport units.

Upgrades

 * Flyer Carapace
 * Antennae
 * Cost: 150 150
 * Upgraded at: Lair/Hive
 * Increases Overlord sight range to 11.
 * Pneumatized Carapace
 * Cost: 150 150
 * Upgraded at: Lair/Hive
 * Increases Overlord movement speed.

StarCraft: Ghost
Overlords make an appearance in StarCraft: Ghost. Some have been locked into tanks or subjected to cybernetic surgery. The latter are known as Brain Spectres.

StarCraft II
The Overlord has made an appearance in StarCraft II. It functions in a manner similar to its StarCraft I predecessor (a flying Control-producing unit).

Overlords have lost their transport  and detection abilities.

Overlords can evolve into Overseers which act as detectors.

The reason for the changes and the split between the Overlord and Overseer in terms of detection was that the Zerg "were somewhat 'detectorific'" in StarCraft I.

The main zerg racial icon is the Overlord portrait.

Abilities

 * Excrete Creep
 * The Overlord can create a small patch of creep through an activated ability, the radius steadily expanding over 15 seconds to a range slightly larger than a pylon's power radius. The Overlord must remain stationary. An overlord requires a lair to use this ability. The creep recedes in 30 seconds.
 * A Zerg player will typically have many Overlords, and so can create creep over much of the map. A few Overlords can create enough Creep to cover a screen area.
 * Nydus Worms need Creep in order to expel units. Overlords can be used to deposit Creep in or near enemy bases, allowing Nydus Worms to emerge and expel attacking units.


 * Overseer Morph
 * Main article: Overseer


 * Ability Cost: 50 50  17 seconds
 * The Overlord can morph into an Overseer, which becomes a detector.

Development
Overlords used to have a slime ability, but that has been removed from the latest build.


 * Slime (also known as "Corrupt Minerals")
 * The Overlord could drop a non-attacking slime creature, temporarily disabling resource nodes and watch towers. The minerals can be covered as they're being harvested, enabling raids which slow down an enemy's economy. The creature must be killed before the minerals can be accessed.

This ability took some time to "cast" and had a small cooldown timer.

Special Overlord Strains

 * Brain Spectre
 * Mastermind Overlord
 * Yggdrasill