Hunter Killer

"Cerebrate, take these, the deadliest of my minions. They shall aid you in your search."

- Daggoth sends Hunter Killers to aid Kerrigan

Hunter Killers are a special hydralisk strain. They are the most (in)famous of all zerg specialist strains.

Hunter Killers are also sold at Crazy Bob's Bazaar. They are slightly less resilient than their Swarm counterparts, but are otherwise just as deadly.

History
Originally created and used exclusively by Daggoth of the Tiamat Brood, Hunter Killers protected Kerrigan's chrysalis. Daggoth sent a pair of Hunter Killers to escort Kerrigan when she invaded the Amerigo.

The Brood War
During the Brood War, The dark archon Ulrezaj intended to use Hunter Killers in his attack on Shakuras. Using a technique to combine Dark Templar and zerg energy to create false, warped khaydarin crystals, he would control and summon hydralisks and zerglings from his base on Char and, using genetic stations on a space platform over Shakuras transform them into enhanced zerg with the false crystals. The technique rendered the Hunter Killers immune to the effects of the xel'naga temple.

The plot was foiled by heroes dispatched by Zeratul's forces.

Although Daggoth was a rival to Kerrigan during the conflict, Hunter Killers fell under her control on at least a few occasions. They were used to retake control of hives under attack by renegade zerg and through a psi emitter, Kerrigan gained control of a few on Braxis.

Second Great War
During the Second Great War, Hunter Killers escorted Kerrigan during the zerg invasion of Tyrador VIII, and the terran invasion of Char.

StarCraft
Hunter Killers are essentially double-powered hydralisks, doing double damage and enjoying double the hit points, as well as having all hydralisk upgrades by default. They are usually tinted red in campaign missions. Unlike the Devouring One and other specialized units, the Hunter Killer received a custom portrait. They cannot be produced.

Hunter Killers also appear in a few scenario maps, specifically in StarCraft Fortress, as reinforcements in Bunker Command II and appear in Twilight Struggle. The yellow brood defeats each cerebrate with four of them.

StarCraft II


Hunter Killers appear during the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty campaign. They are slightly larger than hydralisks and have improved statistics. Other than that, the two are indistinguishable.

Unlike in the original game, Hunter Killers do not receive a custom portrait.

Known Hunter Killers

 * Vaevictis