Queen

The Queen is a Zerg support unit.

Overview
The Queen was derived from the Arachnis Brood-Keeper. The Queen does not produce Larvae as its name might suggest, but rather from its ability to spawn other parasitic creatures. Due to its lightly armored body and lack of natural defences, Queens ususally stay near the central hive to watch over maturing Zerg.

On the battlefield, one of the Queen's primary functions is to implant parasites in its enemies. Able to be launched from a distance, a tiny, remora-like parasite attaches itself to the target, 'bonding' with it should the target be organic. The parasite allows higher Zerg strains to see whatever the target sees and at the time of its use in the Koprulu Sector, could not be removed without killing its host. With the arrival of the United Earth Directorate in the Koprulu Sector however and the introduction of nano-conveyed anesthetic and attenuated laser technology to surgery they brought with them, these parasites can now be safely removed. A similar organism known as the Broodling may also be spawned in a similar manner.

It takes time for the Queen to produce these creatures, though the rate of reproduction may be increased through the use of gamete meiosis. In the meantime, the Queen is able to spray its victims with a thick mucus, slowing them down drastically before dissolving. Most feared of the Queen's abilities however, is its ability to produce parasitic bio-toxins. Once released onto a structure (usually a Terran Command Center), these toxins quickly infest the facility, bringing the structure and those inside it under the control of the Zerg. The only safeguard against this ability is that the structure must be in a state of disrepair before the toxins can be deployed.

StarCraft
A Queen has no normal attack and uses its speed to escape danger. The Queen can be an effective nuisance raider using Spawn Broodling and can quickly pay for itself if able to hit high-value units like Siege Tanks and Ultralisks and escape.

Abilities

 * Infest Command Center
 * Starting Ability
 * Range: 0
 * Converts a badly damaged Terran Command Center into an Infested Command Center that produces Infested Terrans. The Queen moves over the building and disappears for a short time while it infests the building.
 * Parasite
 * Starting Ability
 * Energy Cost: 75
 * Range: 12
 * A unit or critter afflicted by parasite will reveal everything it sees to the infecting player, essentially acting as unwilling scouts. Afflicted detectors will also reveal cloaked and burrowed units. Afflicted cloaked or burrowed units will always be visible to the infecting player.
 * Ensnare
 * Research Cost: 100 100
 * Researched at: Queen's Nest
 * Energy Cost: 75
 * Range: 9
 * All units in the targeted area when Ensnare is used will have their movement speed reduced by half. Cloaked units caught in that area will also be revealed.
 * Spawn Broodling
 * Research Cost: 100 100
 * Researched at: Queen's Nest
 * Energy Cost: 150
 * Range: 9
 * Creates two Broodlings from the targeted ground mechanical or organic unit. The target is instantly destroyed in the process. Archons, Dark Archons, Probes, and Reavers may not be targeted. Broodlings last a maximum of 180 seconds.

Upgrades

 * Flyer Carapace
 * Gamete Meiosis
 * Research Cost: 150 150
 * Upgraded at: Queen's Nest
 * Increases Queens' maximum energy by 50.

StarCraft II
The Queen appears in StarCraft II, though is a vastly different unit from its predecessor, first notably now walking on the ground. It functions as a Hive Warden.

Queens have the advanced ability to manipulate their "offspring"; for instance, they engineered the Zergling morph to the Baneling, a breed that can contain its explosive energies until just the right moment.

Game Unit
The Queen is now a ground unit with a powerful melee attack.

Only one Queen can be produced at a time, emerging directly from the Hatchery (meaning it is not morphed from a Larva but walks out of the Hatchery), requiring a Spawning Pool. It is not a super unit or hero unit, however, and requires other units to help defend it against attacks. If the Queen dies, her upgrades are lost.

The Queen evolves over the course of the game, growing in size as it does so. The Lair version is called the Large Queen, while the Hive version is called the Huge Queen.

When the Queen creates a structure, she is not required on-site like an SCV; rather, she builds much the same way a Probe creates Protoss structures.

The Queen has base defense duties, including laying eggs which hatch into suicide attackers.

Queens move slowly when not on the Creep, making "Queen-rushing" difficult.

Abilities

 * Burrow
 * Main article: Burrow
 * Like many other Zerg ground units, the Queen can burrow.


 * Creep Tumor
 * Main article: Creep Tumor
 * Ability Cost: 25
 * The Queen can create a Creep-producing node.
 * The Creep Tumor can transform into a Shrieker.


 * Mutate
 * Ability Cost: 100 100
 * The Queen can mutate into a Large Queen, which in turn, can mutate into a Huge Queen.


 * Regeneration
 * Ability Cost: 50
 * The Queen can enhance the regeneration speed of Zerg structures. This ability heals 100 hit points.


 * Swarm Clutch
 * Main article: Swarm Clutch
 * Ability Cost: 75
 * The Queen lays eggs which spawn when the Hive is attacked; they are capable of attacking air and ground targets and gain a range bonus from Shriekers.



Pre-Brood War

 * Empress Queen
 * Eschutriarch
 * Matriarch
 * Siren

Post-Brood War

 * Large Queen
 * Huge Queen