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"Ultralisk reconstituted. Ultimate expression of Swarm evolution."

The ultralisk remains the heavy assault beast for zerg forces. The ultralisk may now burrow, although it takes longer to burrow than smaller zerg units. It is voiced by Glenn Stafford.

Overview[]

Ultralisks deal splash damage which makes them effective against groups of low HP units, such as terran infantry, zerglings and zealots. They are vulnerable to immortals, siege tanks, tempests, void rays, banshees, cyclones that hit and run on ultralisks, brood lords, and the Steady Targeting ability of ghosts. They are immune to stun and mind control effects. The ultralisk is the only zerg unit that can withstand a nuclear missile strike.

Game Unit[]

Versus[]

Upgrades and Abilities[]

SC2 ChitinousPlating Icon
Chitinous Plating
Acquisition
Purchased from Ultralisk cavern
Hotkey C
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 79seconds
ve
AnabolicSynthesis LotV Game1
Anabolic Synthesis

Increases Ultralisk speed when off creep from 4.13 to 4.96. The Ultralisk on-creep speed will remain the same at 5.37.

Acquisition
Purchased from Ultralisk cavern
Hotkey A
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 42seconds
ve
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey M
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 114seconds
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 136seconds
Required Lair
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 157seconds
Required Hive
ve
  • +1 bonus to armor per level for zerg ground units.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey C
Level 1
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 114seconds
Level 2
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 136seconds
Required Lair
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 157seconds
Required Hive
ve

Many zerg ground units may burrow, becoming invisible and revealed primarily by detectors, and may not move or attack while burrowed.

Exceptions include:

  • Roach, which may move while burrowed
  • Lurker, which may attack while burrowed
  • Infestor, which may move while burrowed
  • Baneling, which can detonate while burrowed.

Some units can unburrow via autocast, causing them to emerge and attack when an enemy moves into range.

The ability is not smartcast.

Usage
Hotkey R
Cost 2 seconds to burrow, 1 second to unburrow seconds
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey B
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 71seconds
Required Lair (WoL)
Hatchery (HotS/LotV)
ve
UltraliskFrenzy SC2 Icon1
Frenzied

Immune to snare, stun, slow and mind control effects.

ve

Wings of Liberty[]

Ultralisks are fast and deal high damage to armored units. Captive ultralisks are featured as a number of destructible doodads. "Piercing the Shroud" has a captive ultralisk: when killed it releases broodlings. A similar unselectable ultralisk is found in a hidden place in "Ghost of a Chance." Though it maintains its frenzied attribute it can still be captured via the hive mind emulator.

Heart of the Swarm[]

In the Heart of the Swarm campaign, ultralisks are unlocked upon playing the mission "Phantoms of the Void." The ultralisk can be evolved into either the Noxious or Torrasque strain after the necessary evolution mission is completed.

It is also significantly less powerful offensively compared to the multiplayer version, doing only 25 damage per attack against its main target and 5 damage to secondary targets.

Upgrades and Abilities[]

Ultralisk SC2-HotS Story1

The ultralisk upgrade screen

SC2 BurrowCharge Icon
Burrow Charge

Ultralisk burrows and charges towards target point. On eruption, knocks enemies back and stuns them for 2 seconds. Can be autocast.

Ultralisk, large muscular surface area. Able to vibrate billions of subdermal muscles, break apart terrain, burrow into ground. Possible to mutate muscular system, amplify vibration resonance. Allow ultralisk to dive into ground, charge enemy. Exploit misconceptions of solid terrain.

Usage
Range 9
Cooldown 10 seconds
Campaign Acquisition
ve
SC2 TissueAssimilation Icon
Tissue Assimilation

Ultralisk recovers 40% of damage inflicted to enemies.

Kaiser blades extremely effective. Monofilament edge tears through materials. Flesh, bone, armor. Significant carnage. Can utilize, turn into asset. Can alter carapace surface. Allow assimilation of usable matter from fluids, wreckage. Will become fuel for immediate tissue regeneration.

Campaign Acquisition
ve
SC2 MonarchBlades Icon
Monarch Blades

Ultralisk deals +20 splash damage.

Significant alteration, monarch blades. Tissues of kaiser blades reconfigured on microscopic scale. New structure prevents momentum loss. Blades cleave multiple enemies with same strength as striking single foe.

Campaign Acquisition
ve
BTN-HotS-Ultralisk-Noxious-Icon
Ultralisk Evolution: Noxious Strain
  • Emits Noxious Cloud that deals 5 damage per second to enemy ground units.
  • Toxic Blast deals 20 damage to enemy ground units and structures.
  • Toxic Blast cooldown: 10 seconds.

Dominion's compound, interesting. Scientists desired to pacify the Swarm, inadvertently create potent toxin. Deadly to any non-zerg entity. Noxious strain bonded permanently to toxins. Emits as poisonous vapor. Capable of channelling toxins and releasing in controlled blasts through vents in carapace.

Campaign Acquisition
ve
BTN-HotS-Ultralisk-Torrasque-Icon
Ultralisk Evolution: Torrasque Strain
  • Enters a Chrysalis when killed. After a short period, is reborn as a new Ultralisk.
  • Rebirth cooldown: 60 seconds.

Assimilation of infectious compound provided key to evolution of torrasque strain. Process requires exorbitant energy. Once, provided by Overmind. Now, energy result of tissues being devoured by compound. Upon death, torrasque strain enters cocoon. Uses energy to resuscitate tissues. Extremely resilient.

Campaign Acquisition
ve

Co-op Missions[]

The ultralisk and ultralisk cavern are exclusive to Kerrigan in Co-op Missions. Additional upgrades for the ultralisk become available when Kerrigan reaches Level 13. Kerrigan's ultralisks automatically upgrade into Torrasque when she reaches Level 14.[1]

Stukov can call down an apocalisk, a massive ultralisk outfitted in thor armor.[2]

Dehaka has the ability to summon primal ultralisks that can evolve into tyrannozors at Level 11.[3]

Stetmann has the ability to construct mecha ultralisks, which are specialized to take out mechanical ground units.[4]

Mengsk can summon temporary enthralled ultralisks at the cost of Imperial Mandate as part of his Dogs of War calldown.[5]

Upgrades and Abilities[]

SC2ZergBurrow
Burrow

Buries the unit underground. Burrowed unit are unable to move or attack, but they cannot be seen without detection.

Usage
Hotkey R
Cost 2 (burrow)seconds
1 (unburrow) seconds
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
ve
UltraliskFrenzy SC2 Icon1
Frenzied

Immune to snare and stun effects.

ve
SC2 ChitinousPlating Icon
Chitinous Plating

Ultralisks gain +2 armor.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Ultralisk cavern
Hotkey C
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 60seconds
ve
SC2 BurrowCharge Icon
Burrow Charge

Ultralisks burrow and quickly move towards target point, stunning enemies for two seconds on eruption. Can be set to autocast.

Usage
Hotkey C
Range 9
Cooldown 10 seconds
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Kerrigan Level 13.
Acquisition
Purchased from Ultralisk cavern
Hotkey B
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 60seconds
ve
SC2 TissueAssimilation Icon
Tissue Assimilation

Ultralisks heal 40% of the damage dealt with their attacks.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Kerrigan Level 13.
Acquisition
Purchased from Ultralisk cavern
Hotkey T
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 60seconds
ve
SC2 ZergMeleeWeap
Zerg Melee Attacks

Increases the attack damage of zerg ground melee units.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey M
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Effect Damage: 38
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 190seconds
Required Lair/Hive
Effect Damage: 41
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 220seconds
Required Hive
Effect Damage: 44
ve
SC2 ZergGrndCara
Zerg Ground Carapace

Increases the armor of zerg ground units.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey M
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Effect Armor: 3 (basic)
5 (with Chitinous Plating)
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 190seconds
Required Lair/Hive
Effect Armor: 4 (basic)
6 (with Chitinous Plating)
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 220seconds
Required Hive
Effect Armor: 5 (basic)
7 (with Chitinous Plating)
ve
SC2 Kerrigan AC - UnlockTorrasque
Ultralisk Evolution: Torrasque

Evolves Kerrigan's ultralisks into the torrasque strain.

Heavy assault beast. Has an area-damage cleave attack. When killed, can be revived after 10 seconds, once every 60 seconds.

Can attack ground units.

Usage
Notes

Replace default skin Icon Zerg Ultralisk to torrasque strain IconTorrasqueStrain

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Kerrigan level 14.
ve

Development[]

Notes[]

A Torrasque skin is available for ultralisks in StarCraft II's multiplayer for players who purchased the digital deluxe or collector's edition of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm.[6]

In the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Campaign first cinematic, the Ultralisks have the same front foot as the back but the in-game model the Ultralisks have spiky front foot instead.

Images[]

Skins
Portraits

References[]

  1. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Kerrigan (in English). 2018.
  2. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Stukov (in English). 2018.
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Dehaka (in English). 2018.
  4. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Stetmann (in English). 2019.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mengsk (in English). 2019.
  6. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Collector's Edition. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). 2016-04-21.
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