Edit: oups wrong place, can a admin put this in the Starcraft strategy section thx Defiler is a important Zerg spellcaster. In fact, the zerg’s offence relives on large army to rush a base. Because their units are weak in general, zerg player MUST use defiler in order to balance their low attack and hit points. In this guide I will explain defiler strategy in a PvP (1player vs, 1player) that I’ve seen in starcraft tournaments . What is a defiler? Defilers are zerg spellcasters look like a scorpion that can be bought for 50 minerals and 150 gas when the player get the 3rd level of technology (the Hive). The defiler is mostly a ground support unit. Abilities: Dark Swarm: Defiler’s main ability that don’t need any research. At the expense of 100 energies, the defiler casts a big orange cloud of small parasites that makes any unit (friend or foe) takes no damage from ranged attack. - Note that melee units (i.e.: zergling) and AoF-area of effect- unite (i.e.: Reaver) can damage units caught in the cloud. Plague: Defiler’s second ability researched at the Defiler Mound for 200 minerals and 200 gas. For 150 energies, the spellcasting unit will launch a bunch of red corrosive spores at the target, anything, include building, caught by the spores will get their hit points reduced over time, for a maximum of 300hp. - Note that Plague don’t kill unit but rather leave them to 1 hp, protoss plasma shield is not affected by plague but their HP will still decrease as normal. Plague can reveal cloaked unit Plague can get removed by terran medic’s restoration ability. - Note also that plague can be cast at a range of 9 and can be cast on the ground (do not need to taget) Consume: Defiler’s third ability researchable for 100 mineral and 100 gas at Defiler Mound. This is a passive ability which make the defiler able to eat other zerg of the same army (brood) to recover some energy. - Note that Defiler can consume Burrowed unit, flying unit (don’t know how). It cannot consume lava, enemy unit, any terran or protoss unit. - Note also the ability restore 50 energies for whatever unit consumed and there is NO bigger restore for eating a ultralisk instead of a zergling. Tactic Against Protoss: Early game: Player can use hydralisk+Lurker+defiler to rush the protoss, is you did it fast a protoss player will just have his obi (observer) ready to counter your lurker so there is no reaver or carrier. Casts dark swarm on your hydralisk to protected them from dragoon and burrow lurker in the smoke too to counter his zealots, always bring a overlord and try to kill his obi as fast as possible. When attacking his photon canon defense, casts dark swarm on the canons them send in your zergling. - Note: watch for psy storms can kill your army pretty fast if you don’t move them out. Stasis web are the ultimat counter for the dark swarm, so retreat your troupe, wait the web is down then attack him, since you can consume zergling to recover your energy faster, rinse and repeat until you win. if he dare to bring his corsairs in, don’t hesitate to plague his corsair and watch how your enemy will get pissed. Late game: So he resisted to your rush, don’t worry you can still win. By that time you should have a lot of hatcheries. Keep attacking his secondary mines by dropping 2 lurkers behind his mineral. At this time, -If you did a lot of damage to him at early game, he will choose to go carrier+corsairs. So upgrade the attack of your hydralisk and plague his carriers as soon as you get the chance. Carriers take a lot of supplies, so don’t worry about his ground army. Cast dark swarm on your hydralisk and focus the fire on one carrier at a time. - If you didn’t kill or heavily damaged his main army in the early game, the protoss may chose to go with a mash up of his remain troupe with reaver (usually 2 reavers in a dropship). For zerg player we can counter this by using mass zergling + ultralisk + defiler, try to surround him and cover that area with dark swarm, and also try to intercept his dropship with scourges. Watch out for his dark archon, as he can repel your defiler , maelstrom+psy storm combo is deadly on zerg so kill his HT and dark archon as fast as possible. Don’t foget to bring overlord to spot his dark templars Tactic against Terrain: The only Terran melee unit is the firebat so focus on melee unit like ultralisk, zergling used with dark swarm, remember the tank can hits units in dark swarm. The ultralsik's worse enemy is not siege tank but stimed marines, so make sure your ultralisk are not exposed to their fire. - Use plague on the science vessel in early game to get advantages in your hydralisk lurker rush. -Note: Terran player will try to often use irradiate on your troupe, if your defiler get irradiated, it’s gone so cast all you can before it die. Tactic against Zerg: Well, usually useally the zerg vs zerg game are pretty fast, so it not so much tactic, but how you manipulate your units. Basically, the one with the biggest army win. any additions to the tactic are welcome Bonus 700 minerals for a great post
for the dark swarm, well terran got a lot of AoF unit (siege tank, banshee, BC's plasma torpedo, thor'S bombardment) but for the protoss, I have not seen much AoF unit, they gonna get hit hard by zerg
i have known that protoss are the weakest to rushes because they take the longest to build, make ect. lol thats why they usually die first.
well let's say that protoss don't have a lot scout unit, especially in a 1vs.1 again zerg. the first thing zerg does is to fly there overlord at te top of your nexus, and protoss player can just scout with the probe, so zerg player already know what the protoss gonna do and they can prepare a adequate defense. that's why only rush of the protoss is PC rush (photon cannon rush )
One unusual strategy which is not very good is to irradiate all the tanks,vultures and goliaths defending the Terran base. If you focus on pure melee force irradiating all your units and their ultralisk would prove very irritating, because all the Zerglings die quite fast. Of course, that means you have to build bunkers to protect your 'rines. Not very good.
Most pros just Irradiate their own Science Vessels and chase the Zerg around with it. Works like wonders. Also good for destroying an emeny's economy.
