Lurker (StarCraft II)/Development



The lurker reappeared in StarCraft II, created from a hydralisk morph, but as of February 2010 and the release of the StarCraft II beta, is no longer in the game. Not long before this, internal testing had found that the lurker had been underutilized by players.

The lurker appeared at a higher tier than in the original game.

Some units get a hold fire command, however, as of March 2009 the lurker did not have this ability.

Lurker attacks were able to devastate groups of infantry. In addition, they could act as siege units, out-ranging conventional stationary defenses.

The lurker was removed because its role was taken up by the roach (which can move while burrowed) and banelings (which deal splash damage),

Its role was also supplanted by the infestor.

In terms of design, the lurker's form in StarCraft II was originally based on its appearance in StarCraft: Ghost. However, when the development team started their initial renditions, the lurker reverted back to a design more in sync with its form in StarCraft: Brood War. The design was established and a portrait model was generated, then the lurker was modified once again to match the portrait artwork more accurately. The final rendition made the lurker regain more similarities to the hydralisk while adopting the newer design elements established over the years. During development, some of its appearance was altered due to similarities from the roach.

Lines found in Galaxy Map Editor indicate that lurkers were going to appear in the campaign of Wings of Liberty.