Locusts are short-lived,[1] ferocious, parasitic symbiotes.[2] Powerful for their size,[3] they are spawned from the millions of larvae that inhabit the swarm host's bloodstream. When the swarm host is threatened or engaged in combat, subtle chemical signals instruct the larvae to head for its incubator, where they are evolved into locusts.[1]
Originally,[3] locusts attacked any nearby enemy with volleys of acidic saliva.[2] Since evolving pressurized air glands, locusts can attack aerial targets, and have developed the ability to fly themselves.[3]
Swarm hosts enslaved by the Cerberus Program were enhanced with microfactories that equipped spawned locusts with remote controlled headgear.[4]
Game Unit
Versus
The swarm host creates 2 locusts with a cooldown of 60 seconds. It is not autocast, but can be used whether the swarm host is burrowed or not.[5] Locusts are also able to fly, and must be ordered to land at a targeted area using "Swoop" in order to attack.
Upgrades and Abilities
Flying Locusts
Allows locusts spawned by swarm hosts to fly. Flying locusts can use Swoop to land and attack units.
Locust production inefficient. Will greatly benefit from redundancy removal. Sequences are complex, wasteful. Byproduct of wild, uncontrolled evolution. Simplification of sequences will allow swarm hosts to incubate full-grown locusts at rapid speeds.
Swarm host defense reliant on locust organism. Locust secrets solvent fluids, projectiles towards enemy. Can mutate glands, increase pressure. Will allow projectile to reach incredible height. Attack both ground and aerial targets.
Locusts are available to Abathur in Co-op Missions. They can be spawned via his swarm hosts, and can be upgraded at the infestation pit. In addition, Abathur unlocks an upgrade that gives him and his ally the random chance to spawn locusts from the bodies of dead enemies at Level 13.
Locusts spawned from swarm hosts gain +3% hit points, +1% attack speed and +1% Biotic Leech per stack of Biomass. Can stack up to 100 Biomass.
Essence Hoarder: Locusts can collect an additional 25 Biomass (summary 125).
The Limitless: Locusts can collect an additional 100 Biomass (summary 200), but gain +1.5% hit points, +0.5% attack speed and +0.5% Biotic Leech per stack.
Hit Points: +1.95 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 260 Attack Speed: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.6 Biotic Leech: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 100%
With Essence Hoarder
Effect
Hit Points: +1.95 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 308.75 Attack Speed: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.53 Biotic Leech: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 125%
With The Limitless
Effect
Hit Points: +0.975 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 260 Attack Speed: +0.5% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.6 Biotic Leech: +0.5% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 100%
In early development builds, locusts were named "swarmlings."[6]
Locusts were originally melee units.[7] They had 110 hp, dealt 14 damage, and could be spawned every 24 seconds.[8] By 2012, their stats were altered and they gained a ranged attack which could also target air units.[9]
Balance Patch #1 of the Heart of the Swarm beta decreased their damage from 16 to 14. Balance Patch #2 decreased their attack range from 3 to 2, while Balance Patch #3 reverted this and further decreased their damage from 14 to 12. Patch 2.1.9 increased attack speed from .8 to .6 and added the Flying Locusts upgrade. Locust duration also increased to 25 seconds and the Enduring Locusts upgrade was removed.
Flying Locusts had to be researched at the infestation pit up until the beta version of Legacy of the Void, where locust health was also reduced from 65 to 50.[10] Patch 3.8 increased the range of Swoop from 4 to 6, and reduced weapon damage once more from 12 to 10.
Removed Upgrades
Enduring Locusts
Increases the lifespan of locusts by 10 seconds (to 25 seconds). This upgrade was removed from HotS in the April 2015 update, as the locust's base lifespan was increased to 25 seconds. [11]
