Spore crawler

Spore Crawler
Structure
Race	Zerg
Affiliation	Zerg Swarm Amon Brood Feral zerg
Role	Anti-air defensive structure
Armament	Seeker Spores
Properties
Sight	11
Detection range	11
Production
Minerals	75
Build time	30 12 (at Abathur full Structure Morph Mastery) (Co-op)
Evolves from	Drone
Requires	Spawning Pool
Hotkey	A
Movement
Speed	1.4 (Versus) 1 (Co-op)
Acceleration	1000
Lateral acceleration	46.0625
Deceleration	0
Creepmultiplier	2.5
Protection
Hit points	400
Armor	1
Type	Biological Structure
Armor type	Armored
Seeker Spores
Damage	15 (+30 vs biological) (Versus) 15 (Co-op Missions)
Targets	Air
Cooldown	0.61 (Versus) 0.86 (Co-op)
Range	7
Meta
Targetpriority	19
Kill score	250
Productionscore	50

"Spore crawlers can detect my presence! I should stun them with my Void Prison."

- Zeratul^(src)

The Spore crawler is a mobile zerg anti-air defensive structure. It was evolved as a replacement for the spore colony, in use by 2501. Its properties were well known to terrans at the time.

Terran research of this strain inspired the creation of the shrike turret.

Game Unit

A spore crawler attacking

Spore crawlers can move, but can only plant themselves on creep. Their mobility is significantly reduced when they are not on creep, however.

Abilities

Detector

This unit or structure can detect cloaked, burrowed, duplicated and hallucination enemies.

v • e

Root/Uproot

Crawlers can uproot themselves from the creep and move about, but can only plant themselves back onto the creep. They move much more quickly on the creep than off it.

Usage
Hotkey R Cost 1 (uproot), 4 (root)

v • e

Strategies

Players will want to spread creep onto the map to create more space for their crawlers. Their mobility allows players to simply relocate the crawlers depending on the situation, and as such, they could build them in lesser numbers without weakening the defenses. Like the spine crawler, spore crawlers slowly die if rooted in ground not covered with creep. They can, however, survive indefinitely without creep so long as they are uprooted.

Development

The following section contains information from a previous version of StarCraft II which is no longer valid.

Early render of the spore crawler

The concept of mobile defenses in StarCraft II began with the phase cannons, but was transferred to spine and spore crawlers when the phase cannon proved to be unbalanced in testing. Prior to this, crawlers were stationary structures. They underwent a visual re-design late in the game's development cycle.

Crawlers used to lose armor and hit points while uprooted.

Variants

• Mecha spore crawler (terran replicant)

References

Zerg Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e

Versus units and structures Terrestrial units Larva Drone Zergling Baneling Roach Ravager (LotV) Hydralisk Lurker (LotV) Infestor Ultralisk Queen Swarm host (HotS) Aerospace units Overlord Overseer Mutalisk Brood lord Corruptor Viper (HotS) Spawned units Broodling Changeling Infested terran Locust (HotS) Basic buildings Hatchery Creep tumor Extractor Evolution chamber Spawning pool Baneling nest Roach warren Automated defenses Spine crawler Spore crawler Advanced buildings Lair Hive Infestation pit Spire Greater spire Hydralisk den Lurker den Nydus network Nydus worm Ultralisk cavern Transition units Baneling cocoon Broodmother cocoon Brood lord cocoon Egg Impaler cocoon Infested swarm egg Lurker cocoon Overseer cocoon Ravager cocoon Ultralisk chrysalis Others Creep Campaign and Co-op Missions units and structures Terrestrial units Aberration Blightbringer Brutalisk Defiler Impaler cocoon Infested colonist Infested diamondback Infested marine Infested trooper Infested medic Infested SCV Infested siege tank Omegalisk Pygalisk Pygalisk cocoon Swarmling Volatile infested Aeropsace units Guardian Leviathan Sac Scourge Swarm guardian Infested banshee Infested liberator Buildings Impaler den Infested terran buildings Infested command center Toxic nest Virophage Automated defenses Bile launcher Impaler colony Scourge cannon Spore cannon Sunken colony Infested bunker Infested missile turret Variant units Zergling Strains Raptor Swarmling Baneling Strains Hunter Splitter Baneling spawn Roach Strains Corpser Roachling Vile Queen Strains Aiur queen Broodmother Swarm queen Hydralisk Strains Hunter Killer Impaler Lurker Ultralisk Strains Noxious Stank Torrasque Swarm host Strains Carrion Creeper Locust Strains Flying locust Mutalisk Strains Brood lord Viper Guardian Strains Swarm guardian Canceled Zerg Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e Scrapped Removed Units Behemoth chrysalis Bone wasp Cobra Dracolisk Fiend Fury Gigalisk Gorgeling Huge queen Incubus Infested protoss Klurken Large queen Larval queen Leech Lilev coccoon Magnasaur Magnathar Mantalisk Mantis Miasmalisk Morphalisk Nihilisk Primalisk Prowler Scavenger Siegeling Spore host Swarm Swarm guardian Swarm larva Terrorling Trichinella Removed Buildings Broodling nest Creep colony Creep tower Infested protoss buildings Nydus destroyer Nydus warren Shrieker Spore colony Swarm clutch Swarm infestation Underfiend