Broodling (StarCraft II)

The broodling is a StarCraft II unit.

Game Unit
Broodlings are temporary units, lasting only six seconds. They are created when zerg structures that are not spine crawlers or spore crawlers are destroyed. The greater the health of the structure, the more broodlings spawn. Broodlings can also be spawned from the attacks of brood lords, which will do an initial burst of damage upon impact followed by the broodling landing near the target.

Heart of the Swarm
In the Heart of the Swarm campaign, when Kerrigan reaches a certain level, she gains the ability to infect enemies she attacks with broodling spores. Enemy units killed quickly enough after being damaged by Kerrigan's attacks or abilities spawn two broodlings.

Legacy of the Void
In the Legacy of the Void campaign, queens retain the spawn broodling ability from their StarCraft incarnation, but do not use it. The ability will destroy a target non-heroic ground unit and spawn two broodlings.

Co-op Missions
Broodlings are available to all zerg commanders in Co-op Missions and will spawn from destroyed structures.

Alexei Stukov can use the infestation global ability to spawn broodlings from a target allied or enemy structure for a time. The Aggressive Incubation upgrade will double the number of broodlings spawned from these structures. Stukov can also upgrade his infested marines, infested colonists and infested troopers to spawn broodlings upon death. Stukov's brood queens also have the spawn broodling ability.

In the mutator "Alien Incubation," broodlings will spawn out of enemy corpses upon death, higher health units spawning more broodlings. These broodlings do not have a timed life and will move toward the bases of the players if there is no target around.

Development
The broodling used to be known as the mantaling.