Infestor

The infestor is a zerg unit which appears in StarCraft II.

Overview
Evolved from the borbu matriarch, and in use by the zerg by 2503, infestors are one of the more insidious new additions to the Swarm.

Infestors are carried by sturdy legs that secrete a corrosive substance that softens the soil and allows them to burrow in the blink of an eye. Unlike most zerg strains, infestors have the ability to move while burrowed. Writhing sensory tentacles that extend from the infestor's jaw serve as a secondary, albeit more powerful, set of eyes and ears by means of thousands of microscopic growths that function as biological trancievers. Further Dominion research on the subject has been slow and fruitless.

Offensive Abilities
Infestors are used to support hydralisks and roaches on the battlefield.

Hardened plates of assimilated mold and fungus offer infestors protection from enemy fire and would-be predators. This armor also functions as a weapon, as the infestor can turn the inner layer of its carapace into a viscous fluid that breaks down matter in seconds and immobilizes anything it comes in contact with. This can be spewed over enemy targets with dire effects.

Infestors are known to ingest infested marines to use as terror weapons on the battlefield, carrying them to a combat zone. The marines are stored in thick flesh cavities until the infestor regurgitates them to face their former compatriots, or anything else that might pose a threat to the Swarm.

Perhaps the infestor’s most dangerous feature is the neural parasite, a symbiotic creature living within infestors that, when spat, attaches to an enemy and controls its mind for a short period of time. This is inserted through a parasitic stinger, a flexible appendage that is capable of boring through both natural and organic plating. The parasite then is then inserted directly into the target's central nervous system. The amorphous, multi-mouthed parasite cannot survive for long within a foreign body, but whatever horrific deeds the host carries out while under the influence of the Swarm will leave everlasting scars. Seeing the immense potential of this parasite, the Queen of Blades carried out incubation of new strains capable of living longer outside of their host.

Game Unit
Infestors are strong against s, s, and immortals, but are weak against s, s, and.

The infestor is a ground support unit which is capable of moving while burrowed. The infestor does not have a standard attack. The infestor's abilities are largely geared towards enemy harassment, since it can spawn infested terrans even while burrowed; if snuck behind enemy lines, one can cause havoc among workers. It can also temporarily take control of a single enemy unit with its Neural Parasite ability.

When an infestor moves, it leaves behind a trail of slime. When burrowed, visible cracks on the surface can be seen by its controlling player.

Legacy of the Void
In early versions of Legacy of the Void infestors gained the Aggressive Mutation ability. This grants a flat damage bonus to allied units, making it especially effective when used on s and other cheap units with a low cooldown. This ability was removed in the final version of the game. In patch 3.8, infestors gained the ability to use neural parasite and fungal growth while burrowed.

Development


Blizzard devised a new infestor model over the course of development. StarCraft II beta files label(ed) this old incarnation as a swarm host.

Heart of the Swarm Campaign
In the campaign, the infestor's Neural Parasite is permanent and doesn't need to be channeled, and the infestor has the Consume ability from the viper. They cannot create infested terrans. These are instead generated through plot-based mechanics (the virophage).

Special Infestor Strains

 * Choker