The Zergling. One of the units most identified with StarCraft, and an obvious choice to carry on to the sequel.

The infamous Zergling is one of the core Zerg units. It’s the first offensive unit a Zerg player can build, yet still stays in play and has uses throughout the entire game. This is partly because of the many upgrades the Zerg evolution tree offers them, which eventually transform the Zerglings into unstoppable killing machines.

The StarCraft 2 Zergling will likely fulfill a similar role.

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Lets examine what we know about the Zerglings of StarCraft 2, so far:

The Zerglings are small, extremely fast melee units which are best used by swarming enemies in masses.

They quickly surround the enemy units, attacking from all directions and preventing retreat.

Their attack is fast and vicious. A large enough group of Zerglings can quickly take down the shielded Protoss Zealots and Stalkers without suffering many losses.

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The burrow ability is still available to the Zerglings. In the original StarCraft 2 gameplay video, we can see large amounts of them hiding on the battlefield, waiting for the right opportunity to surface and attack.

The Zergling is also the first unit that has been shown in conjunction with the Nydus Worm – a new Zerg transportation method which appears to be able to deliver 15 Zerglings at a time.

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While the Zerglings are very effective units for the early game even without upgrades, mid to late game units such as the Colossus or Reaver annihilate these fragile units with ease. The Zerglings are small and have few hit points, which makes splash damage dealing weapons very deadly to them.

Fortunately for Zerg players, the Zerglings of StarCraft 2 are getting an upgrade, in the Zerg spirit of evolving. The Zerg player can command the Zerglings to encase themselves in a protective carapace while on the field, and…

After a short period of time in their cocoons, they emerge as Banelings.

The Banelings have only one purpose: Suicide. They rush up to the designated enemy and explode, releasing corrosive acids, effectively dealing damage to multiple targets.

Banelings appear to be relatively cheap, expandable, kamikaze units – similar to the scourge Zerg flying unit in StarCraft, yet a bit more versatile in combat. Banelings’ damage to primary targets appears to be in the rage of 29-48, plus sizable splash damage, which is especially useful when attacking groups.

*Scourge – The original suicidal unit

* Baneling’s distant cousin – the Infested Terran. This StarCraft unit is extremely fast, and powerful enough to take down entire buildings in just one hit.

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The Zerglings of StarCraft 2 have gone through another distinctive evolution: they now have wings.
The new Zerglings hop forward while flapping their wings to move around. Perhaps this hints at another upgrade, which will allow the Zerglings greater mobility, or perhaps even grant them flight?

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