April Discussion of the Month Topic: The Zerg Baneling

This month's discussion topic of the month has been announced for
April. This month we'll be talking specifically about the Zerg
Baneling, it's strengths, weaknesses, and our feeling regarding the
unit. A few changes have been made so make sure to read the full
release before formulating your opinion.

As always we will be
including discussion points regarding this unit in our monthly report
to Blizzard. So keep your ideas flowing as it's our job to make sure
your voices are heard!

Let's hope for a great discussion this month.

 

Last month was all about the Zerg. For the
first time members of the Community and the press had the privilege to
test StarCraft II's third race. You could read a lot about the
different units and buildings, see movies and screenshots, hear about
the gameplay experiences. This month's discussion topic will be about
one of the new Zerg units: The Baneling, the mutation of one of the
most popular Zerg units, of the Zergling. The Baneling has undergone
quite a few changes in the past couple of weeks and we'd like to hear
your feedback!




Information on the new Baneling:




Now

190 damage per Baneling (40+150 to building)

Increased splash range (100% damage taken throughout range)

Can be well positioned to hit multiple buildings

Larger & Movement Speed Slower (possible to defend with focus fire)

Counters Zealots, Zerglings, base Marines (not upgraded) -More Narrow window of use



Before

Fast and small- Unable to defend against (focus fire)

Countered virtually all ground units



Questions for fans:

How do you like the new Baneling?

What possibilites do you see for using the
Baneling, what strategies could be viable with the Baneling against the
different races?

What are the pros/cons for this new Baneling?



Additional feedback you might have



To find out more about the Zerg you can also check out the coverage of the Zerg Press tour on the StarCraft II Community page (http://eu.starcraft2.com/community.xml).


Each StarCraft II fansite will be featuring different types of
questions, so be sure to also visit those sites. All of this feedback
will be compiled and sent to the dev team.



Please structure feedback as follows:




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Were looking forward to seeing great discussions on the new Zerg Baneling!

 

It's nice to know that it is slower than it originally was. As you stated, before it was too fast and hard to kill defore reaching it's target.

As of now, it's a suicider used to take out early tier units like the zealot, as well as being much more effective than the infested marine in sc1.

Even though I play zerg, I like that it's no longer the ultimate anti-ground weapon for the zerg, as lorewise, no zerg strand should be powerful enough to wipe out a single army by itself.

Also, I like it's splash damage. 190 and 100% to all enemies in the blast range? sweet
I wonder how effective a baneling/hydra combo will be. hydra for ranged combat while the banelings role in for the kill.

 

I like everything about it except for its movement animation because there's no way any animal would do somersaults. Make it a lumbering fat Zergling, not a rolling jawbreaker.

 

Wtf. Man all these new changes are kinda weak. "More Narrow window of use" says it all.
Its gonna be chess with spells soon.
I also don't like the fact the Zerg basically have a Protoss unit. Zerg are supposed to function in numbers, not 190 damage killing a Zealot 1:1 for 25 minerals.
Increased splash damage is ok, but the damage seems so imbalanced. Also giving a unit a narrow window of usage is the worst thing you could do IMO, its like saying Zealots can only kill Marines and Zerglings. No dynamics what-so-ever.
All the first units are balanced in ways where they counter eachother being:
Zealots are slow build but the strongest. Slow build means more HP and attack damage. They counter the ranged and speedy Zerglings/Marines with raw power.
Marines are cheap, fast build, massable with moderatly low damage. They counter the strong Zealots with numbers and micro.
Zerglings are fast attackers which are built fast and 6 at a time meaning they counter the Zealot with more numbers and micro.

Now we have a Baneling in the picture you get a killing machine for 25 minerals, sound fair to you?
The only way I'd accept the large damage is if they were very slow meaning you'd want to bring the Zerglings in close first, then mutate into Banelings as they can't chase down units.
Also makes you want to ambush with these things which sounds like a better option instead of sending hordes of these things to randomly waste armies and bases.
Its pretty much a stronger but slower scarab.

 

190 damage per Baneling (40+150 to building)

Wouldn't that mean it only does the full 190 damage to buildings only and 40 to everything else?

 

Yup. Only does 40 damage to units.

 

yeah i agree with baal, i think its 40 dmg to units and 190 to buildings.

 

OHHH In that case its fine.
Although I agree with Kuvasz on the animation. From day one I hated the fact they rolled. They should be lathargic runners. Rolling isn't a practical way to locate and destroy something.

 

I dunno. Ever since I first saw the Baneling in the first Starcraft 2 gameplay demo I've fallen in love with the little bowling ball of doom.

 

Rolling is kinda awkward. It would look better if they walked on their short little legs instead.

 

The thing about the speed is that they'll end up being tag-along units... like Reavers, that you pretty much have to transport. Units that are slower than others are sometimes frustrating to deal with- never mind their speed when they close on an enemy. The only redeeming factor to it is that they can be morphed from the much faster Zergling, so building them on the battlefield will at least be somewhat practical.

Doing a bonus against buildings is reasonable in my opinion. Structures have much more HP/cost than units.

 

With the huge damage bonus I think they'll be amazing base raiders. Transporting them via a Nydus Worm to an enemy base to weaken them up for a direct assault.

And the banelings can't be that slow. In the Korean vids they were fast enough to catch up to Zealots. Definitely faster than a Reaver, and more useful.

 

But the point of the update for this discussion was to tell us that they are slower than we had previously seen them, but we don't know how much slower.

 

Even if they are slower, they wouls still be pretty sick at taking out zlots, lings and those things. Its actually much better in my opinion now that it's worse (i kno that doesnt make sense, but just trust me)

 

its nice that they slowed this unit down... i see it this way, the old baneling could wipe anyones base without even trying. blizzard did the right thing. This baneling before could roll up to you and blow up very fast... to fast to even react. and i would father use banelings as a first up offence cause there damage is instant insted of having the unit attack normaly. Instant dmg like the baneling will leave holes in ur base in no time very quickly. with there speed reduced atlast theres a chance to see ur death coming.

 

well,



When the unit was first unveiled i cringed (not another "moblie mine" i thought) because i have seen this unit somewhere at some point in time with some game and i feel that this is not of my sole accord.



>>>>> Why is it rigged? <<<<<

Rigged is more of the icing, its kind of a no-brainer - burrowing and ambushes aside.... Its just that the baneling needs a bit of a tweak.


>>>>> now, what on earth could the tweak be? <<<<<<<<<

Well, banelings would be supper cool if they werent just a ground version of the scourge.

I thought that if banelings worked in a chain reaction it might be a little cooler, that is, they will explode if attacked, making a huge minefield rupture.

that, or causing each proceding baneling to do a damage multiplier... the the second does twice the first, the third does twice the second, ext....


just to add a little spice i guess

 

40 dmg for units.. okay..
But 190 to buildings? wow..
Since they're early tier units.. that means Zerg are MUCh more effective with Rushing .. That's good, because it fits zerg!.. Imagine noobs not being able to whip up a good defense quick enough to defend against banelings slowly rolling in to kill their CC/Nexus.. that's cool

I think the rolling is fine.. Altho it is kind of a far-fetched evolution from the zergling. I would agree that a more zling looking baneling'd be even better, but the rolling's fine too.

As for strategies, banelings can be used for early rush, and mid rushes to defeat turtlers!. A few banelings can probably kill phase cannons ezily if they were supported by Hydras or Mutalisks... later rushes would probably require guardians.

 

I can see absolutely no reason why would people whine about Baneling.

Its still very effective in early game against zealots and that kind of crap.
They can still burrow and surprise other army.
They are not unstopabble as they used to be, which is good.
They are useful in numbers (100% splash) which fits the zerg.
They are useful in late game beacause of the 200 dmg on buildings.
And the animation is fine, I like some originality I dont require for every single zerg unit to have legs and walk around to make it impossible for players to distinguish the units.

Please tell me one proper reason why is the new change unreasonable?

 

I think the new baneling is really suiting the Zerg. For the first, the Zerg is much more based around traps and sneakyness (burrow), and therefore the higher dmg, lower speed suits its fine. Because when you can burrow, there is no need to run after them is there?
I also like its bonus against buildings. Now Zerg atleast has 2 ways to win against defenses, gaurdians and banelings.

 

come to think of it. zerg dont have a unit that can take buildings out easyer. but as i think about it this unit is now more anti building insted of anti men. This unit still has a astrong perpose because zerg dont have any other building killers like the terrans or protoss. (tanks & nukes & BC yamato & warprays & escort carriers) zerg do need a building puncher. But still atleast banelings wont be overpowered with speed now. If they would of keept the baneling as it was i woulld over use them simple cause instant dmg is better then pogressive, and what makes the baneling even better is that it dose no dmg to ur units so haveing 12 lings and 12 b-lings would just be too annoying.

Also i read the reports about the few people who did get to play the new star craft2 so far. As they said u upgrade zerglings 2 times and get roaches and thats the new zerg rush. I could see this plan being to powerful with the old banelings simple because ur base defence would get wiped if the roaches come in first at a tank for the banelings to run by and clear the defence or army and then zerglings do the clean up. This would not be fair at all. i'm glad blizzard is testing this game and cleaning up the messes in this game so much.

Good job blizzard!