Zerg Builds, Add your knowlege here.

[Astrix]

So i have been pretty hooked on playing Zerg. My game plan is almost always the same though. I usually go for the 2nd expansion, and have start the queen larva MASS. and just pump out as many hydralisks as i can.
The only problem here is that I am very open to early rushes, minus the few zerglings i manage to pump out at the beggining. So far though its been a very good way to win games..

Any more builds or advice anyone?

[Shaggar]

move zerg for great justice

[Blue]

All I can say is to, like all zerg players know, move quick and clean because like in the battle reports if you let your enemy live long enough, he will come and destroy you. However in a 2v2 match it can be the other way around because your partner can defend while you do all the "dirty work". It all depends on what the circumstance is so good luck out there.

[Colour]

I've been having good luck massing zerglings and then heading straight to air. Which air specifically depends on what my enemies/allies are doing, of course. The only downside is I'm not learning the other units.

[Rylin]

Massing roaches is also fun with a few tech upgrades

If you ever get to use Brood Lords, oh boy.. those things are awesome. ;)

[Eliyah]

So i have been pretty hooked on playing Zerg. My game plan is almost always the same though. I usually go for the 2nd expansion, and have start the queen larva MASS. and just pump out as many hydralisks as i can.
The only problem here is that I am very open to early rushes, minus the few zerglings i manage to pump out at the beggining. So far though its been a very good way to win games..

Any more builds or advice anyone?

Yea this is a strong point of the zerg. They can cheaply expand. I usually go for 2nd xpand also with 1-2 creepers to help lings defend if i get attacked or 2v1. From there you can go mutas and hit economy or hydras and swarm their bases. Don't forget to get a 3rd and maybe 4th hatchery to keep pumping units bc 2 hatcheries is not enough larva even with queen imo.

[Tzenes]

Lots and lots of banelings.

No, I'm not joking.

Get your first 6 zerglings out and harass, build 12 more while you get your baneling tech up.
Get 12 banelings

roll face

win!

[Macdonwald]

Massing roaches is also fun with a few tech upgrades

If you ever get to use Brood Lords, oh boy.. those things are awesome. ;)

I second that. Roaches are fun to play with if your opponent doesn't have detectors - they heal faster when burrowed, and can be upgraded to move when burrowed. Great for harassment.

Brood Lords are just amazing. They pretty much devastate everything on the ground - the attack itself does a fair amount of damage, and it spawns two broodlings to continue the destruction.

[Astrix]

Yea this is a strong point of the zerg. They can cheaply expand. I usually go for 2nd xpand also with 1-2 creepers to help lings defend if i get attacked or 2v1. From there you can go mutas and hit economy or hydras and swarm their bases. Don't forget to get a 3rd and maybe 4th hatchery to keep pumping units bc 2 hatcheries is not enough larva even with queen imo.


I like that idea about using Mutas for the economy harassment, but would you use this in a 2v2? or use this more towards 1v1 style gameplay?

[Zalasz]

So far, my exact build order has been...

10 - Overlord
10 - Spawning Pool
13 - Extractor (when finished move three drones)
12 - 6 Zerglings (rush)
12 - Queen
13 - Overlord

From there it depends on what happens with the rush. I might pump my economy and/or go for an expansion. If the first rush is successful but not crippling I'll use the mass larvae to make a much larger second wave. Sometimes I'll do a quick tech to lair.

In all cases though I go to roaches and hydras and ignore lings after the early rushing. I am doing moderately well (I'm not a very high APM player). Got silver 3rd division after my first 10 games of 1v1.

I find that if I use the queen's larvae ability all the time, I don't really need to waste the resources on extra hatcheries. Also, I try to reach Hive tech quickly since I can give my roaches the improved regen upgrade, and I have found that it makes them much more effective. The extra range on the hydralisks is also incredibly nice. Haven't really found myself using the burrow-move much with the roaches. Maybe I'll get into that with some higher level play.

[Superliminal]

I've made it into the platinum league(somehow, I dont think I'm that good but I'll take it ya know) in 1v1 as well as with 2 different 2v2 teams. I've tried different things, but I always come back to find myself massing roaches in the midgame. The exception is against a marauder terran or a protoss going nearly all stalkers, against which I use a lot of zerglings with roach support.

Also, not really related to build order, I've been tinkering with a baneling/Admiral Ackbar (It's a trap!) strategy with good results. Basically if you have a large army incoming to a base or expansion, make a line of banelings down their incoming path and burrow them. Unburrow as the army passes right over them, it's like landmines. Players who don't take detectors with them are in for a world of hurt that's relatively cheap for the zerg player.

Hope some of this somewhat helps someone somewhere! =)

[Wingless]

Ive been going lings > mutas and banelings in between sometimes. I feel you need banelings for a terran opponent unless they completely skip marines somehow. Once I get mutas up push for 3rd hatchery and 3rd queen and thats usually the game no one has been able to protect their mineral lines enough against that.

My problem is Im not producing lings fast enough will anyone who has been able to protect their early game against zealot rushes and things please post exact build orders? I tend to keep pumping into my economy more then I should after the spawning pool is up.

[Deviant]

@Astrix: The games of 2v2 I've played where I've told my partner I'm going for mutalisks have turned out very well in our favour. I'm able to harass mineral workers and even handicap entire bases/expansions while my ally goes for the heavy hitters or just mass something that compliments mutalisks. The speed is also helpful for defending ally bases.

In 1v1 I'm having less luck with massed mutalisks and find they're better just to have a small group and not invest too much into them unless the situation demands it.

[Neberus]

someone tested the nydus worms they are amazing, i used them in a blind spot of the principal enemy base and "teleported" all my army* in they back door and killed all

*zergling+roach+hydralisk

! has someone used the banelings as mine?

[Wingless]

Ive done the nydas thing and used mutas to cover it untill units could be let out. Take out a tower or whatever small building is in a corner of the base then pop the worm and dump.

[Wingless]

So my build so far is 10 lings then overlord and then sunken. > more drones maybe start getting gas.

When do you guys start building lings or the ground defense tower? I tend to stick with drones too long and get attacked while Im still a bit weak.

[Thelustii]

So far a build that has worked pretty well for me is rushing with roaches and lings while i tech up to hyras and ultralisks. So far i have not lost a game when i've gotten ultras and hydras out together. I usually lose to a zealot rush or just a tier 1 rush in general, though that might be due to a lack of base defense. Now mind you in in silver league so it might not be as effective against higher ranked players.

[Astrix]

Great strategies! I will take all into account, as roaches decimated my 6 zealot rush, and they were able to overcome my terran ally in a 2v2. however i think in 1v1 i still outproduce roaches in speed so i usually can get the jump of them as toss.

[Capo]

9 overlord
12 pool
13 gas
15 roach warren
15 queen
17 overlord
18 - 3 roaches
(4 larva from queen spawn)
21 - 4 roaches
rush with 7 roaches at this point has a very high success rate.
25 overlord
then roaches till 34 and expand.

You MUST inject larva the moment they spawn. In 2v2 My toss partner chrono boosts my hatch to build my queen faster and then to hatch larva faster, this helps a lot and you can keep your average unspent down at like 50 all the way to 34 food (16 roaches).

[Epokh]

For Zerg, I tend to shoot for a very fast ling rush.

9 - Pool
8 - Drone
9 - Overlord
Pool Complete, 3 ling eggs
6 Lings hatch and attack, while the lings are out I set up drones to 11, a Queen and my Roach Warren
Tech to Burrow and Tunneling Claws for Roaches and follow up the ling rush with a roach attack ASAP if the lings didn't do the job.

Granted, I've found the rush doesn't work as well versus Terran in games where they wall the entrance (Lost Temple and Metalopolis mostly). I've had more success with it versus Protoss if they're not prepared for it - meaning they only have one pylon. Take out the pylon and it's a pretty big slowdown for unit production since the gateway/s are not unpowered which sets up the follow up attack quite nicely.

All in all, I went 5/5 in my placement matches but that included all my games where I was figuring everything out and using random races (3 of the 5 wins were with Zerg, most of the losses were with Protoss, I just could not get them down as quickly as Zerg or Terran).

[Joshsuth]

Basically the idea is mass amounts of units, but don't put all of your eggs in one basket. A dozen zerglings here, and a dozen roaches there is typically better than 40 zerglings. Find a mix of three units that work well together and have an effective cost, and you'll be able to roll over those masses of zealots or marines or roaches no problem.

[Epokh]

Lings (of either type), some Roaches and some Hydras to handle air seems to work very well. Just sneak the Roaches in from behind so they move their defenses out of the way then bust in the front door with Hydras and Lings (or Mutas and Lings if you're feeling old school).

I don't know about everyone else, but I really miss Lurkers. They were my bread and butter.

[Redscare]

10pool Roaches into Hydras:

9 overlord
10 pool
9 Extractor 3 drones
8 drones
@100% pool queen
Roach Warren
2nd extractor

after this you can start massing roaches, be sure ro begin upgrading ranged attack and carapace, use the roaches to wall off your ramp until you have a lair, hydralisk den, and a second evo chamber, the expand to your natural and start massing hydras. If you get scouted before the roaches can wall off your expansion or your overlord sees the enemy going air, make yourself a couple spore colonies. As soon as Carapace 2 is about halfway through, make your infestation pit and your hive tech, keep massing hydras and then push out when 3 attack 3 carapace starts evolving, push out, setting your hatercies rallies to the enemy base and continuing to drip feed hydras into your swarm. Make sure to focus fire down air or anything with splash damage.

10pool Roaches into Mutas

I use this if I scout that the enemy is doing something like massing zerglings, zealots or roaches. It is the same as above but without using the evo chamber to upgrade and getting spire up when youd get the hydra den up. Instead of pushing out when 3/3 is upgrading, I mass mutas til air carapace 1 finishes then push out focusing on harassing their economy while sending the roaches I made earlier to their gates.

[Andrew]

I'm a fan of building lings with an early expansion, continuing to build more lings while you tech up to early mutas and a few hydras. Then just using the mutas to at the very least, disrupt their mineral farming, if not kill them outright if they have no air defense.

The only time this hasn't resulted in a victory in 1v1 is vs another zerg who rushed roaches. In several 2v2 matches it has been enough to single handily win while my teammate was either turtling or getting dominated.

[Hulkbot]

Whilst messing with Brood Lords I decided I really really really love them and I've been trying to figure out how to float the enemy long enough to tech up to BL the very fastest. I can't seem to get to them before 9 or 10 mins and by that time I'm sure to get attacked and slowed significantly if not beaten.

Is there a practical and safe way to guarantee a Brood Lord tech up? They obliterate bases and ground units like nothing I've seen.

[Thestig]

I know a really good one but won't tell as a lot of people will start using it. :)

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/6633/screenshot001mu.jpg 10 wins 3 losses so far.

[Hulkbot]

perhaps I can friend you ingame and we can discuss, I do understand secrets but you wouldn't have to fear me as I'm like 50th in Bronze 'cuz I haven't been playing like I want.

[Deviant]

Whilst messing with Brood Lords I decided I really really really love them and I've been trying to figure out how to float the enemy long enough to tech up to BL the very fastest. I can't seem to get to them before 9 or 10 mins and by that time I'm sure to get attacked and slowed significantly if not beaten.

Is there a practical and safe way to guarantee a Brood Lord tech up? They obliterate bases and ground units like nothing I've seen.

Easiest bet is probably amass a ling army to prevent them from expanding and harass their workers. You'll definitely need to expand quickly so you can be bringing in optimal levels of gas, and I doubt minerals will be a problem.

The hardest part of this will most likely be keeping your enemy contained. By the time you have brood lords they will probably have a sizeable army or t3 units too. And they don't have to think about the second hatch process as you will.

[Hulkbot]

Yeah it's a real pickle... I was thinking the best bet I'd have by that point is Hydras/BroodLords sortof like the Hydra/Crab combo I used to use back in the Guardian days. Ah Guardians. Wish Brood Lords had their range.

I can see some interesting things happening with Hydra/Infestor/Brood Lord whilst spamming the slow goop attack. Keep infestors buried otherwise and simply move them with the army. Brood lords can sweep groups from the side (like if Hydras are coming in from 12, bring brood lords in from 9 or 3 after units have fanned out).

[Lightning]

ive had some fun with late rush with upgraded mass lings (faster speed/attack/damage)

just a black swarm of them rapes all :)

[Misty]

For Zerg, I tend to shoot for a very fast ling rush.

9 - Pool
8 - Drone
9 - Overlord
Pool Complete, 3 ling eggs
6 Lings hatch and attack, while the lings are out I set up drones to 11, a Queen and my Roach Warren
Tech to Burrow and Tunneling Claws for Roaches and follow up the ling rush with a roach attack ASAP if the lings didn't do the job.

Granted, I've found the rush doesn't work as well versus Terran in games where they wall the entrance (Lost Temple and Metalopolis mostly). I've had more success with it versus Protoss if they're not prepared for it - meaning they only have one pylon. Take out the pylon and it's a pretty big slowdown for unit production since the gateway/s are not unpowered which sets up the follow up attack quite nicely.

All in all, I went 5/5 in my placement matches but that included all my games where I was figuring everything out and using random races (3 of the 5 wins were with Zerg, most of the losses were with Protoss, I just could not get them down as quickly as Zerg or Terran).

This is my exact build. I won every game except a 2v2 with this. The zergling rush is usually to scout, kill workers, or if my opponent is slow I can destroy everything. If they wall in I get banelings as fast as I can. Glad to know somebody else out there uses this :)

Do you have any tips on mid-late game? That seems to be my downfall at the moment.

[Velvethero]

How many drones do you guys usually go for? I've been having difficulty knowing when to stop producing drones. I'm mostly talking about drones on minerals.

[Hulkbot]

How many drones do you guys usually go for? I've been having difficulty knowing when to stop producing drones. I'm mostly talking about drones on minerals.

from what i've seen, ideally you do not stop.

however I think 30 gatherers per base including minerals and gas should be good from the replays i've watched.

[Misty]

from what i've seen, ideally you do not stop.

however I think 30 gatherers per base including minerals and gas should be good from the replays i've watched.

Agreed. By the end of the rounds I played yesterday I had at least more than 20.