Ultralisk

"Let’s begin with the hulking monstrosity on the ground. Armed to the teeth (quite literally) with Kaiser Blades, this guy can sweep a Viking aside like it’s a twig in its path. I’ve seen them kill a score of marines with a single blow, and charge with such ferocity that they’ll even demolish one of those notorious Protoss Force Fields. I’m talking, of course, about the Ultralisk, and now we know everything there is to know about them."

- Radio Liberty

The ultralisk is a zerg heavy ground unit.

Overview
"If you've never seen an ultralisk...it's bigger than a goddamn tank, and louder, and faster. Tall as four marines in full armor, and long enough that in the jungle you can be fighting the front end before you can even see the back of it coming out of the bush. It's got two pairs of scythes attached where wings might be on a dragon. They're called kaiser blades; I don't know why, but I've seen what they can do. They sweep through marine battle armor like it's tinfoil. You can unload a C-14 at an ultralisk until the barrel melts, and you'll only make it mad. Correction: madder. They're already mad. Ultralisks get out of bed mad and hungry. When they're done slashing you to bits, they stomp on the pieces of you before you're all the way dead."

- Sergeant Norwood Doakes

Ultralisks are the most powerful ground strain the Swarm possesses and their DNA is the "final viable code" utilized by larvae. Living battering rams, ultralisks serve as the backbone of the Swarm, and serve as its siegebreaker.

Physiology
"But by far the biggest baddass of them all...is the aptly named ultralisk."

- Jim Raynor

Attacks
Ultralisks attack using large, bone-like scythes which protrude from their backs. Known as "kaiser blades", these scythes are nearly indestructible. Possessing monomolecular edges, these scythes are able to tear through most substances with ease. The density, bevel, and edges of these organic weapons are honed at the genetic level. By 2500 at least some ultralisks sported four kaiser blades as opposed to the usual two. By the Second Great War, four blades were the standard.

The ultralisk's size in of itself is also a weapon&mdash;they can charge with enough ferocity to even destroy protoss force fields.

Defenses
Ultralisks possess an exceptionally thick carapace. Dominion scientists suspect that the larva's highly resistant carapace served as a template for enhancements to the creature. Preliminary tests on the carapace itself proved that the diamond-shaped, chitinous scales of the creature were combined with foreign compounds and organic tissue multiple times, resulting in very light plates with an unmatched level of hardness. A gene also exists within the ultralisk's genetic code that exists with the sole purpose of growing heavily armored copies of the beast’s primary organs in random locations of its body. The brontolith's immune system was improved on for the ultralisk, allowing it to thrive in the most toxic and inhospitable environments the galaxy has to offer.

By the, prolonged exposure to vespene gas had resulted in an enhancement to the ultralisks' physical capabilities, among which was the evolution of a more hardened exoskeletal shell and the ability to carry out anabolic synthesis, alterations being made to the glands that produce endorphins and adrenal fluids. By the Second Great War, the strain had received substantial additions to its internal structure&mdash;a complex sensory system, an auxiliary nervous system, and specialized muscle fibers that expand or contract in reaction to stimuli. Through this, an ultralisk can maintain speed even with its hind legs severed.

History
Ultralisks evolved from the docile brontolith; a creature that the ultralisk now bears little resemblance to. The brontoliths' genetic code was dissected, rebuilt and repurposed multiple times. Each phase of the process served to eliminate less desirable traits, as well as augment the creature’s ability to withstand severe punishment. This included the creature's supurb immune system. As a finishing touch to the ultralisk, the Swarm added the gene that would replace the creature's organs.

When terrans first encountered ultralisks on the battlefield, they observed that the creatures seemed to suffer balanace issues, and were easily toppled by artillery fire or loss of limbs. By the Second Great War, "unstoppable" ultralisks had been observed. The additions to their internal structure were revealed, but the data offerred very little in the way of finding a counter to the creature.

Ultralisks have been submitted to countless genetic experiments. Ultralisks have been studied by terrans to a significant extent, Avernus Station and the Castanar space platform serving as examples.

Other Information
The ultralisk is 20 meters long and 5 meters tall.

StarCraft

 * For StarCraft gameplay information see: Ultralisk (StarCraft).

StarCraft: Ghost
Ultralisks appeared in StarCraft: Ghost

StarCraft II

 * For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Ultralisk (StarCraft II).

Heroes of the Storm
Kerrigan can summon an Ultralisk in Heroes of the Storm.

Variant Strains

 * Blade Guardian
 * Brutalisk
 * Hunterling
 * Gigalisk (cut content)
 * Magnathar (cut content)
 * Noxious
 * Omegalisk
 * Primal ultralisk
 * Pygalisk
 * Stank
 * Torrasque
 * Zergrinch Juggernaut

Individuals

 * The Great One
 * Ultimaton
 * Wise Old Torrasque

Trivia
The ultralisk is often nicknamed "ultra" in online culture (most notably among Korean players).

An ultralisk skull can be spotted in the background of the first act of Diablo III, in the Ancient Pyre, an area that sometimes appear within the Southern Highlands.

A kaiser blade is a hooked steel blade at the end of a (usually wooden) handle.