The Ultralisk

it's cleave damage was reduced to 33% by the way, according to team liquid

 

Yeah, The Ultra really got burned.

 

...ok, so they've completely removed its ability to deal with massed small units. ugh. did they completely screw over the ultra just because they felt like the zerg needed more anti-armor units?

 

That seems to be it.
Banelings already fulfilled the role of killing small clumped units.
Ultras did it, just not as good or cost effectively.

When I look at it like that, it's not such a bad idea, and would agree that a +damage to armor unit is going to be helpful. I just don't like how they didn't rework it, making it lackluster at its new role as well.

 

It's role is to counter splash damage. If you are getting wrecked by hunter seeker missles or psi storm, then ultralisks are the answer. Also, I imagine that it would be extremely useful in ZvZ now, effective against nearly every zerg ground unit.

 

it's not just lackluster, it's bordering on nonsense. unless they completely replace the unit, the ultra is always going to be a large, front-line melee unit. there's no getting around that unless you completely change it- make it ranged, like a zerg Thor or something.

with that in mind, making it anti-armor is completely contradictory. melee units are supposed to sit at the front of the army, and massive units should be taking hits. you're supposed to be fighting zealots, and zerglings. the only front-line armored unit i can think of is the roach.

if you need an anti-armor unit, it needs to have range to hit the armored units at the back, or a smaller size or speed to get to the units at the back. ultras will need to chew through tons of melee units just to reach the stalkers, immortals, seige tanks, and thors to make use of its damage bonus.

 

they really should reduce the ultra model a bit and give it a speed buff, same goes with the hydra, buff ultra damage to 25+25 100% cleave 600 life, now that makes sense

 

Or, you could take your ultralisks and attack from the back. Zerg is supposed to be the best at flanking yeah?

 

of course. Massive units are the fastest and most mobile units in the game, right? like those flanking thors that everyone uses.

you're telling me the ultra is only going to be useful if you already have the tactical advantage. wow. fail unit is fail.

 

most battles occur at chokes, ultras cant move while burrowed, so that makes your ultra-backstab-battle-theory least likely to happen

 

Ultras are super fast.

They also won't be noticed making their way around the side of their army, or magically walking up the cliff to get past the choke, making them super useful for killing all those armored units in the back after the rest of your very cut back army from making expensive *** Ultras didn't get slaughtered.

Notice the sarcasm?

 

What the ultra needs to compensate is somekind of armor upgrade that is immune to anybonus damage against it allowing it to stay intact with its 450 hp which is still respectable compared to brood war, plus the bonus to armored units damage type will be negated if he has some sort of carapace upgrade.

Adamantium carapace LOL

 

I think thats a good idea. 100% cleave would make the ultra more viable too.

 

i still don't understand why they took away the 100% cleave. so, armored units are generally large... so less of them are going to get hit by splash anyways. now the splash also does far less damage.

why give the ultra splash at all?

 

ask blizz, they are fkin up zerg real bad anyway

 

Yea and they took out lurkers, which may have not had a role, but they could have made them the new spine crawlers, (think about that blizz)

and the Ultra really has no place in the zerg army, it gets countered way to easily buy cheap units and its so late in the game not to mention the cost of getting one plus upgrades that make them useful. and at that point in the game I could see mass lings/banes being 90% more effecttive at killing the enemy then mass ultras (which taking supply cost and overall cost of the unit into consiperation its less cost effective the lings, banelings +upgrades.)

 

Ultras are juggernauts now but still hardly accessible.

 

In BW, I always found Ultras just got in the way when I just wanted my hydras and lings to move in. I'd much rather have Lurkers than Ultras. You can do some awesome drops and great ground defense with Lurkers. Lurkers have saved me hundreds of times early game when I was getting stormed by lings or zealots.

A better base defense than spine crawlers I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gYwawXrWAY