The Nydus Worms - Theories, Conjecture, Guesswork

Will these count against your supply limit?

 

Nydus worms could be the just like nydus canals, you build the exit to an explored area of the map, takes awhile to build (just like the cannal)and it is visible and then when done, it is burrowed and hidden except when it is detected by a detector. In the gameplay movie its probably MULTIPLE nydus worms.

 

All interesting thoughts on the Nydus Worms. In the video you will have noticed they dumped only one wave of units when they came out of the ground. This leads me to believe that they do not work like nydus canals, that would be kinda wierd, how would the units keep entering into the worm? Either it is two headed, head at each end, one that eats the units and the other that spits them out, or, they enter through its butt, which would just be funny.

Another thought is that they are like underground dropships that eat the units, burrow, then travel underground to wherever, not being able to pass through space, under water, lava, toxic pools or whatever. They then unborrow and regurgitate their cargo. I imagine that they can then borrow back underground and continue back to the hive or whatever. The only way to spot them would be to use detectors, which would keep them out of heavily defended bases anyways. I can also see them being able to borrow through any kind of surface, metal platforms, rock, dirt, just think starship troopers at the outpost where the beetle came up through the metal floor of the compound, makes sense that a creature that big would have no trouble tearing through steel and iron. Thats my thoughts anyways.

 

if the worm could move anywhere it wants, people would just attack the workers contantly. with the worm and a few zerglings the workers have no chance of living, even with phase cannons or a few units. Thephase prism on the other hand, can be shot down ( I believe this has been said before) and takes time for units to warp in. I also read somewhere that if the phase prism dies while units are warping in, you lose all those units. If the nylus worm can infact move anywhere, i believe it should take the place of the zerg superunit =P

 

i just thought of something. what if i was just like the canal in the respect that the exit must be built, but its like a burrowed unit while building? that would make it poissible to counter them with detectors, but still have the vesitility to move almost anywhere.

 

Although anything is possible, I find it unlikely.

What you described is closer to the original nydus. If that was the case, you wouldn't need more than one at the same location, and you wouldn't have zerglings come out in limited equal numbers.

I know someone can just throw me a "script" argument on that. But consider this, a nydus that can build an exit anywhere AND is cloaked during the process is overpowered to say the least. It will be easier to find a blind spot not covered by detection than it would be to guard against it, and we're talking about having the Zerg's entire ground army in your base if you couldn't prevent it.

 

i hadnt thought of it that way

 

Wouldn't surprise me if it was some kind of instant zergling delivery system.

Perhaps a bit like the zealot's charge, to prevent zerglings from constantly being hampered by your army? I found that a large amount of zerglings were always quite hateful to manage, and perhaps this is blizz's way of making swarming a bit easier?

It just seems to me that blizz is paying extra attention to unit deployment and the general 'fluidity' of combat (preventing units from constantly getting into each other's way xD).

oh and first post! (juicy minerals)

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

ok to make things even steven with the nydus worm i think...

It should pop up in fog of war but once you have placed it there you cant not move but u can still send units through it.

 

That's the exact same thing as a Nydus Canal, S-Crap. Scrap. Scrapatatap.

It should have a burrow/unburrow but on a cooldown.

 

yeh but nydus can only be built on creep and if it were to borrow yeh i guess cooldown would be a possiblity

but i wish it could kill small units where it would pop up but that would be cheap and thats not how blizzard rolls


Edited out quotes. Please read the forum rules and refrain from quoting unnecessarily.

 

I think the nydus worms would load up the units at their base first, burrow, and have an ability called tunnel or something that takes them to anywhere on the map you can see. The idea of not being able to cross water or space is realistic, but then they would have no use on island maps, not really fair, as the phase prism can warp in whereever. maybe have an animation of them shooting up from the ground and over water/space/lava? just a guess.

 

I think the Nydus worm should be able to pop up anywhere you can walk with your normal units. Can't Zergs breathe in space ? If so, why not underwater.

And yes, your base would be exposed to Zerg's Nydus worm attacks. I don't consider it too powerful since they would be destroyed quite quickly if the base has an average defense. If this would be too overpowered, just lower the health of the worm or raise the costs.

As some one already suggested, The worm would have a Burrow/Unburrow ability, that has a cooldown.

I imagine the worm as a very slow moving ground unit or a structure.

When the worm is loaded with units:

Burrow: Lets you choose a location with your mouse. When you click on the chosen location, the worm will burrow and pop up almost instantly at the chosen location. The worm doesn't undeploy automatically, which makes it useful for scouting and not wasting your loaded units at the same time.

Undeploy: Lets the swarm loose. A button that can be pressed with either mouse 1 or 2. mouse 1 will undeploy the moment you press it. and mouse 2 will activate and deactivate automatic undeploy which lets the worm automatically undeploy itself after you use the burrow ability. That would help when you are handling many worms at the same time.

After the swarm has been set loose and the cooldown finished, just burrow your worm back to your base to get a second wave (assuming you didn't pop up in the middle of enemy photon cannons or Siege tanks.)



10x Nydus worms popping in the middle of your base now that might sound scary, but if you had scouted the enemy base, you would know that they were coming, unless they are always under ground.


IN ADDITION. ( I know this has been suggested, but here is my version. )

Wouldn't it be awsome if the worm has a long cooldown ability, similar to burrow, that allows it to pop up destroying all units on a small area of effect (a size of a mothership maybe.) Notice that this wouldn't destroy structures, maybe just damage them a little bit.

- The ability would be gained trough research.

- Could only be used when the worm is empty.

- has a minimum of 1 minute cooldown.

- Using this ability would reset the cooldown of the Burrow ability, so it wouldn't be possible to pop up and flee immediately. This makes the worm exposed to coming enemy attacks.


Sry for the wall of text :

 

Fast do you think the worm will go?

 

Normal speed worm will go predict I do.

 

...what?
willy you did that on purpose.

 

Ain't I a stinker?

 

That would be rigged wouldn't it be? Like, 5 Nydus Worms pop up near a command center with SCVS mining resources. Suddenly an army of hydralisks have appeared and your SCVS all died. Now an army of hydras is free to attack your base from the inside out...

 

Something tells me that it won't be that simple in real game situations.

But either way, I think the damage upon unburrowing idea is a bit much.  I'm fine with just cloaked ground transport.