Hydralisk

The hydralisk is the zerg basic front-line creature, forming the backbone of their onslaughts with its resistant carapace and ranged spine attack.

Overview
The hydralisk is a zerg evolution of the slothien. While slothiens were peaceful herbivores, the hydralisk is noted as being one of the most fierce and sadistic of the zerg strains. The average hydralisk is 5.4m long (just over 17-1/2 feet long) and weighs 390 kg (860 pounds). Since hydralisks move relatively slowly over open terrain, it is common for hydralisks to burrow and await their prey to enter killing range before attacking, destroying their enemies in a deadly crossfire. Despite their relatively sluggish nature, hydralisks can climb vertical surfaces and continued evolution of the strain through muscular augmentation has resulted in faster hydralisks.

Hydralisks have established themselves in terran culture to a notable extent. Sometimes colloquially called "hydras," hydralisk skulls have been mounted akin to trophies in Joeyray's Bar and on an ore loader on Sorona. The Annual Hydralisk Derby has also become an established event.

Attacks
Hydralisks may attack directly with scythe-like arms or, more commonly, strike from a distance with volleys of armor-piercing spines. Hundreds of spines are stored in the upper carapace plates and covered by flaps. The flaps fold back before the spines fire, a process which gives a few seconds warning to an impending volley.

The hydralisk has 4,000 muscles, compared to a terran's 629, and a portion of these may be used to launch the spines with enough force to penetrate 2 cm. of neosteel. The spines were evolved from the slothien's defensive urticating (stinging) hairs; they may be "grooved" for increased range and are slightly poisonous.

History
The hydralisk is descended from the slothien, a peaceful caterpillar-like creature.

The first recorded encounter between terrans and hydralisks was aboard a cargo vessel. The hydralisk was recorded by the derelict ship's security cameras. Current terran tactics for dealing with the creatures stress the need for siege tank support.

Prior to the beginning of the Brood War, hydralisks gained the ability to mutate into lurkers.

StarCraft
Hydralisks have a single ranged attack, unlike in the cinematic where they may melee attack. They are the only zerg ground unit able to hit air targets, making them one of the most important zerg units in the whole game. Hydralisk dens are required to spawn them from larvae.

Hydralisks are cheap enough to be mass produced in a short period of time. Although hydralisks can deal huge damage in large groups, there are numerous counters; terrans benefit from large numbers of s, and s paired with medics. Protoss can effectively counter mass hydralisks with reavers with ground support and high templar using Psionic Storm. In competitive StarCraft, hydralisks are most often used against the protoss race (e.g. the 3 hatch hydra opening) because it is an effective counter to many protoss units despite the easy counters against them. This is especially true if the zerg player is skilled at micromanaging his hydralisks. Against terrans, hydralisks do not see much usage because professional players are too skilled with their marines, medics and siege tanks which are also natural counters to the hydralisk. In zerg vs zerg competitive play, hydralisks are virtually unseen as are most zerg units because the game is usually dominated by zerglings and mutalisks.

StarCraft: Ghost


Hydralisks are featured as a player unit in StarCraft: Ghost, in addition to acting as enemies. Hydralisks maintain their StarCraft abilities but also gain a powerful claw attack. Their poison quills attack interferes with terran vision. They move more slowly than zerglings.

In Invasion mode, transforming a zergling into a hydralisk costs one point.

StarCraft II
Hydralisks are featured in StarCraft II.

Hydralisks have a melee attack as well, but it does the same damage as the ranged attack.

Strategies
Hydralisks counter mutalisks. A combination of roaches and hydralisks can defeat a combo of zerglings and mutalisks.

As per their ability to attack air units en masse, hydralisks can excel against void rays, given the starship's weakness to mass units.

Development
Hydralisks have constantly moved in tier from 1.5 to 2 and back over the development of StarCraft II. In April 2009 the hydralisk has been moved back to tier 1.5, as part of an effort to prevent zerg vs zerg matches devolving into roach vs roach battles. In May 2009 they were moved back up to tier 2. As of June 2009 they were moved back to tier 1.5.

Through the lurker den, hydralisks could receive muscular augments:

Other Appearances

 * Main article: Hydralisk (Warcraft III)

A hydralisk unit is available in the World Editor of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Special Hydralisk Strains and Characters

 * Frayne the Feral
 * Hunter Killer
 * Specimen 16G
 * Zergrinch Warg

Images

 * See: the image gallery.