Does This Mutation Make Me Look Fat? Let's Play Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

[Traab]

Brood lord. I love the long range damage and chaos they can cause. You NEED air to air units to get rid of them because they will stay far out of range of your turrets and marine squads and swamp you with little broodlings. Its amazing how fast the damage ramps up after the first few broodling volleys. The turrets are down in seconds, leaving them a gap to exploit and surviving broodlings to sprint further in to cause more mischief. As for the current mission, yeah they do attack, just not frequently. Especially once you take out the first base plus assorted groups of them early on. If they did oh boy would that be brutal to work around.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Spoiler: Update 13: In Which Everything Goes Down The Drain

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He didn't seem too upset at least, resigned at worst, so the reporter in me overrode my common sense to continue.

[…]

“Wait, so you're immortal and can't be poisoned? And that's a problem?”

“Alcohol, you stupid girl. Instantly absorbed and metabolized. I am a Russian who cannot enjoy vodka! Even in HELL they still let you drink!!!”

He was shouting by the end, and I backed as far away as I could get. Note to self. Never, ever, ever mention Mr. Raynor's old liquor stash hidden in the shuttle

This part was fun.

[The Glyphstone]

I wrote the entire scene around that last line, so I'm glad it landed properly. And it is, in fact, canon that Stukov misses being able to drink vodka as it happens.

[Keltest]

Spoiler: Update 13: In Which Everything Goes Down The Drain

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March 11, 2506:

Zagara had two Banelings waiting this time, burrowed right at the bottom of the ramp – I could see the round scar tissue where the Leviathan had healed wounds in its hangar floor. The joke was on her, though, as I let myself out through the emergency hatch and went around the trap instead.

Sarah wasn't in the command chamber, out massing her swarms for the elevator ride down, but I did find the infested guy Stukov. The name had rung a bell when Sarah had introduced him, so I'd done some research back in the shuttle – hooray for being back in range of a Dominion datanet. The man looked a lot different now than when he was human, though he did still insist on wearing his vice-admiral's hat for some reason. He didn't say anything when I wandered in, just stared at me with those weird flaming eyes until I broke the silence.



“So....what's it like being infested? I've never talked to anyone who knew firsthand.”

Wow. Smooth opening, me. Of all the ways to start a conversation, you decide to make it about his deformity, or disease, or whatever you want to call it. The wet, raspy choking cough I got as a response freaked me out until I realized it was him laughing. Then it freaked me out more.



“What is it like? It is agony, woman. I am a work of art, hand-crafted by a mad genius that time has abandoned. Zerg biomatter interwoven with what remains of my human flesh and bone, fused past the point of knowing where one ends and the other begins. Trapped in a constant cycle of renewal as the Zerg half devours and rebuilds, healing the injuries it creates. I am being eaten alive every day of existence, and I am also the one doing the eating.”

There but for the grace of Kerrigan go I, it seems. All she gave me was a Zerg homing beacon, more or less. He didn't seem too upset at least, resigned at worst, so the reporter in me overrode my common sense to continue.



“Surely there's something good about it? It can't be all bad.”

More wet laughter, like he was trying to cough up a lung or three. For all I knew, he was.



“Ah, to have the optimism of youth. The infestation makes me stronger and tougher, all the better to endure the tortures I was subjected to. It regenerates even the most terrible of wounds, no matter what is missing or removed for study. Even the fading cells of age are given youthful replacements, and worst of all, I am utterly immune to poisons of any kind, no matter the potency.”



“Wait, so you're immortal and can't be poisoned? And that's a problem?”



“Alcohol, you stupid girl. Instantly absorbed and metabolized. I am a Russian who cannot enjoy vodka! Even in HELL they still let you drink!!!”

He was shouting by the end, and I backed as far away as I could get. Note to self. Never, ever, ever mention Mr. Raynor's old liquor stash hidden in the shuttle. This guy might kill you for it, just in case. In either case, he left after that to go join Sarah as they took the elevator down into the secret labs.



I'd have thought they would set up a stronger defense at the base of the lift, but there were only a handful of guards and the Swarm's vanguard overran them easily. Something was still very wrong, though. I got a glimpse of one soldier's face before a Zergling ate it; he was staring blankly like he'd been hypnotized, and I could have sworn his eyes were glowing red.



But the hive cluster had barely been put in place for her invasion when Sarah...buckled, reeling like someone had rabbit-punched her in the back of the head.



A hybrid had woken up from its stasis cell, and by the looks of it, was trying its hardest to melt her brain. The handful of guards that had been protecting it were an appetizer at best.



Stukov took over building up the cluster's defenses and troops, while Kerrigan rushed out with what she'd brought down in the lift to fight this hybrid. I'd never seen one in person, only in the visions from that Protoss memory crystal and the footage off Mr. Raynor's helmet camera, but it was unmistakably the same sort of creature. Not Zerg or Protoss, but somehow horribly a fusion of the best parts from each. But Sarah proved very quickly why it had been smart to try and snipe her with a psychic attack; face-to-face she tore that weirdly beautiful monster to shreds.



Almost immediately, another hybrid climbed out of its own cell, renewing the attack. That minute or two of rest had made all the difference to her luckily, and Stukov had been no slouch bullying the hive into a suitable backup escort.



This hybrid was a little stronger than the first, but not enough to make a difference as Sarah rolled over it with her psychic crunchy blasts and exploding baneling waves.



While waiting for the next hybrid to show itself, Sarah went and cleaned out the nearest base of troopers. They weren't using those minerals anyways.



They were, however, guarding a Brutalisk inside a containment cell, part of some horrible experiment or another. Sarah promptly set it free and took control.



When the nearby hybrid emerged for its turn at fighting her, she now had a Brutalisk leading the charge. The beast was all but invincible, shrugging off the hybrid's attacks while the rest of the swarm chewed it apart.



Deeper into the labs, Sarah found a second Brutalisk and freed it like the first. Now she had two for a vanguard.



That proved very useful when the fourth hybrid demonstrated a new ability, knocking back everything around it with telekinesis. Everything except the Brutalisks, which were just too massive to shove as far.



The fifth didn't fare any better, even as it started throwing around psionic lightning storms. Those MVP brutalisks were so big that they blocked the entire storm, keeping any of the squishier Zerg from walking into it by accident.



Sarah didn't wait for the next one, but hammered her way through its guards and broke the cell open herself. The hybrid came out to defend itself, but it must have been disoriented from waking up early because it barely put up a fight at all. Or maybe that was the dozens of angry Zerg swarming all over it.



The last two hybrids emerged side-by-side, ready to fight together. Rather than just charge in, Sarah got sneaky this time. She turned a bunch of her hydralisks into impalers, setting them to lie in wait while she baited the two hybrids into an ambush.



Did I say two hybrids? I meant six hybrids, apparently – they cloned themselves with some sort of psychic ability, making the fight almost close to fair.



Almost wasn't good enough, luckily. They couldn't handle a pair of brutalisks in the face while being swarmed by roaches and stabbed from below by giant spike tentacles. With the last of the hybrids dead, Sarah pulled back to rest again and fully infest the lab for any sign of where the guy in charge had fled to.

Me, I went back to catch up on the news, since these weird hypnotized soldiers had a fully functional comms link they apparently never used. But when I tried to pull up UNN, the channel slot was an empty static tone, like the entire station had gone offline. That didn't sit right at all, even my instincts got twitchy when the Dominion's oldest network just disappeared in the space of a month. One of the smaller news channels was showing a re-run of General Warfield's state funeral, after he had...tragically died in a freak training accident on Char? A little frantic now, I started flipping through other feeds. No one was saying a word about the second battle of Char, let alone that it had fallen back to the Zerg. Somehow, the Dominion had covered the entire thing up, and I wasn't sure who to be more worried about – all those wounded soldiers Sarah had spared only for the Emperor to make them disappear...or Kate, who seemed to have disappeared right along with them...

Not a great update, largely for being repetitive. Nothing really happens except the activity loop of Hybrid Spawn-Hybrid Dead. The Terrans don't even attack you at all, it seems, just sitting and waiting for the hybrids to win or die. But at least we have a VOTE to cast.

Mutalisk Evolution:
1) Brood Lord - heavy assault flier
2) Viper - utility/support flier



In co-op news, I've clawed my way to level 10 with Swann, so hooray for Tech Reactors. Still haven't gotten to play the Trains, Rifts, or Miner maps at all. But I am forced to be curious - does anything special happen if you are playing Stettman on the Mist Opportunities map, where Stettman is also the map announcer?

Yes. You play as Gary instead.

[The Glyphstone]

Somehow, Stetmann proves to disappoint me yet again. I was expecting some sort of dialogue where he schizophrenicly argues with himself, at least.

[Keltest]

As far as getting the new maps played, i dont work tomorrow (yay) so if youre around, theres a decent chance we can get to try them out. Swann is a grand time on pretty much all of them.

[The Glyphstone]

I got Rifts and Oblivion today, as it happens, pugging down on Normal. So I'm down to only Miner Evacuation as an unplayed map.

(Also, vote :) )

[Keltest]

Oh, right. uhhh, Brood Lords, because Brood Lords.

[Techwarrior]

In the vein of "we already have siege units" I'm going to have to vote Vipers.

Edit: the Stukov stuff was definitely a pretty good highlight.

[Tvtyrant]

Broodlords, as Glyphstone has already indicated his preference for them and not wanting to micro vipers.

[The Glyphstone]

Just because I'm not used to them doesn't mean you guys can't make me adapt. If I'm going to survive in co op I need to build my micro anyways.

[Techwarrior]

Just because I'm not used to them doesn't mean you guys can't make me adapt. If I'm going to survive in co op I need to build my micro anyways.

This, plus Glyph saying they hadn't used them before makes me really want to give them Vipers.

[Psyren]

Somehow, Stetmann proves to disappoint me yet again. I was expecting some sort of dialogue where he schizophrenicly argues with himself, at least.

I mean, that's more or less what he's doing by talking to "Gary" anyway

In addition to Stetmann on Mist Opportunities you also get special dialogue for:

Alarak on Chain of Ascension
Vorazun on Scythe of Amon

Ones you probably should have gotten special dialogue for if Blizzard was less lazy:

Fenix on Malwarfare
Nova on Cradle of Death
Mengsk on Part & Parcel
Raynor on The Vermillion Problem
Zeratul on Lock and Load

[noob]

I mean, that's more or less what he's doing by talking to "Gary" anyway

In addition to Stetmann on Mist Opportunities you also get special dialogue for:

Alarak on Chain of Ascension
Vorazun on Scythe of Amon

Ones you probably should have gotten special dialogue for if Blizzard was less lazy:

Fenix on Malwarfare
Nova on Cradle of Death
Mengsk on Part & Parcel
Raynor on The Vermillion Problem
Zeratul on Lock and Load

Wait you can have 3 Alarak?(set up a group, have the two players pick alarak and play in chain of ascension)
So I wonder: who is cloning Alaraks?

[Keltest]

Wait you can have 3 Alarak?(set up a group, have the two players pick alarak and play in chain of ascension)
So I wonder: who is cloning Alaraks?

No. Two players cannot be the same commander, and the NPC on Chain of Ascension is Ji'Nara, Alarak's immediate underling.

[noob]

No. Two players cannot be the same commander, and the NPC on Chain of Ascension is Ji'Nara, Alarak's immediate underling.

So they disabled the trick when two players are in a group and can then pick the same commander and not be automatically matched with other kinds of commander due to launching a group game?

[Keltest]

So they disabled the trick when two players are in a group and can then pick the same commander and not be automatically matched with other kinds of commander due to launching a group game?

That was never a thing that im aware of. The only way to get two of the same commander was with a matchmaking bug when queueing up with random partners.

[Psyren]

So they disabled the trick when two players are in a group and can then pick the same commander and not be automatically matched with other kinds of commander due to launching a group game?

Yeah I've never heard of or saw this in years of co-op. Keltest is correct.

[Thomas Cardew]

Just because I'm not used to them doesn't mean you guys can't make me adapt. If I'm going to survive in co op I need to build my micro anyways.

Eh. Over rated, I wouldn't bother to learn Vipers for co-op. Only 1 commander, Abathur, has them; and they're less useful against the AI. What makes them so punishing against players is how hard it is to split out the single unit that has AOE damage spell on it and pulling a couple key units out of the enemy ball. The AI doesn't have any problems splitting and you generally fight them at an overwhelming advantage so abduct is less useful. Broodlords are better against the AI since (1) it sucks at focusing them down and (2) it will happily waste its attention and damage on the broodlings as the closer target.

[The_Snark]

In co-op the blinding cloud is the most useful Viper ability by a long shot, in my experience: it slows and prevents attacks in a decent radius, and the AI is terrible at dealing with it. But I'd still agree that you don't really need to bother with them - Abathur is one of my two favorite commanders, and I rarely bother to build them, they're late-game units and in the late game Abathur's deathball is absurdly strong already. (Also worth noting, I'm pretty sure the co-op version of the viper has stronger abilities than the regular one - Abduct gets a brief stun, the cloud gets a slow, etc.)

I will add yet another vote for Brood Lords. They're fun, and since you didn't go with corpser roaches they fill a niche you don't have yet (generating disposable minions to soak up AI attacks).

[Psyren]

So I finally got off my duff and unlocked P3 Alarak and... what the heck were Blizzard thinking?? You literally don't need any other units but the mothership + destroyers, maybe a couple of havocs for detection but that's it. You don't even need any of his buildings! This thing is nuts! I actually wanted to leave Alarak home because the only time my flying deathball would even lose a unit is when Alarak got focus-fired and he decided to snack on one. I'm not complaining but... why??

[Winthur]

Eh. Over rated, I wouldn't bother to learn Vipers for co-op. Only 1 commander, Abathur, has them; and they're less useful against the AI. What makes them so punishing against players is how hard it is to split out the single unit that has AOE damage spell on it and pulling a couple key units out of the enemy ball. The AI doesn't have any problems splitting and you generally fight them at an overwhelming advantage so abduct is less useful. Broodlords are better against the AI since (1) it sucks at focusing them down and (2) it will happily waste its attention and damage on the broodlings as the closer target.

Abathur's Disabling Cloud and Abduct on Viper are one of his strongest tricks and the best, if micro-intensive, way to deal with powerful waves and certain mutators (you are advised to use Vipers to deal with Heroes from the Storm and Propagators). That said, Vipers aren't really overrated in co-op because Abathur can win regular brutal missions with purely a-move comps like mass Mutalisks or Swarm Hosts, so people don't make them as a rule.

In contrast, the only commanders that have Brood Lords in co-op are Kerrigan and Stetmann (sort of) and neither uses them for their bread and butter comp because they are extremely slow, expensive, and other units fill its role better (for Kerrigan, ranged anti-ground specialist works better with Lurker, and Ultralisks work better as tanks, and for BCLs, you are better off with the Roach/Hydra or Infestor compositions). As mentioned before, however, campaign maps are generally much smaller and a siege playstyle with overwhelming amounts of Brood Lords works well in the HotS campaign... just like everything else, since every option is valid.

So I finally got off my duff and unlocked P3 Alarak and... what the heck were Blizzard thinking??

well, at least the prestige system added a bunch more interesting contenders for the speedrunning community Try Fenix P2 if you haven't already, you can solo maps by just SENDING IN ANOTHER KALDALIS

[Keltest]

So I finally got off my duff and unlocked P3 Alarak and... what the heck were Blizzard thinking?? You literally don't need any other units but the mothership + destroyers, maybe a couple of havocs for detection but that's it. You don't even need any of his buildings! This thing is nuts! I actually wanted to leave Alarak home because the only time my flying deathball would even lose a unit is when Alarak got focus-fired and he decided to snack on one. I'm not complaining but... why??

That. They were literally thinking "Alarak needs a proper death fleet."

[Psyren]

well, at least the prestige system added a bunch more interesting contenders for the speedrunning community Try Fenix P2 if you haven't already, you can solo maps by just SENDING IN ANOTHER KALDALIS

I haven't yet but rereading it, I'd like to. I only have p0 and p1 maxed for him currently, so many others were ahead on the list. I also want to finish Zagara p2 and p3.

On that topic who is everyone's favorite prestige? Lag issues aside, I'd have to go with Stetmann p2 as my overall favorite now that I know some decent builds for him. Nova p1 is a close second and Karax p3 is third. I can make use of all three on both offensive and defensive maps on Brutal+, but they all still require a bit more effort from me than Tychus or Zeratul.

That. They were literally thinking "Alarak needs a proper death fleet."

Oh I'm down with the concept - but with no cap to the destroyers, their cheap cost and instant warp-in replacements, you have no reason to ever build anything else. They're only slightly more expensive than his basic stalkers, and their long range + chain lightning attack... did I mention they can also mass teleport?

I would have put a few more downsides in there is all I'm saying

[The Glyphstone]

Looks like Brood Lords are overwhelmingly favored. The micro thing was more in general terms, but I guess learning to micro Vipers won't help me with learning to micro, say, Science Vessels.

Random thoughts though. Does the Diffusion mutator affect turrets/structures? Can any Terran commander besides Raynor make use of Swanns tech reactors? And are MechaBattleCarrierLords as useless as they are cool sounding?

[Psyren]

Random thoughts though. Does the Diffusion mutator affect turrets/structures? Can any Terran commander besides Raynor make use of Swanns tech reactors? And are MechaBattleCarrierLords as useless as they are cool sounding?

1) I believe it's only units but not sure. I haven't gotten that one on a defense map yet.

2) Yes! But they really only benefit Raynor. (Nova doesn't queue up units, Tychus doesn't use traditional terran buildings at all, and Mengsk doesn't use tech labs.)

3) They're not useless at all, but to get the most out of them you need the Locusceptors upgrade, and you'll need to recharge their Egonergy every so often. They also can't hit air, so you'll want a small contingent of Corruptors flying with them (or maybe some of the rocket Hydras.) The big problem is how expensive and late-game they are, but that's why Stetmann's p2 is so good - p2 Super Gary can basically carry you AND your ally through early and mid-game while you focus exclusively on building up to BCLs.

[The Glyphstone]

What about H+H? I know most guides I've seen saying Swann slowing his ramp even further by building extra TRs is bad play, but I still like to know options.

[Keltest]

What about H+H? I know most guides I've seen saying Swann slowing his ramp even further by building extra TRs is bad play, but I still like to know options.

H&H only have one building with a tech lab, their starport, and it cant lift off. The tooltip goes so far as to point out that the tech lab (a special tech lab called Han's tech lab) is physically welded to the starport, incredibly thoroughly.

[The Glyphstone]

Alrighty then. Was curious because I pugged with a Raynor the other day but he couldn't figure out how to attach to the reactor I built for him. Then again, he also ran the entire game on a single OC and was building air mech (P3?)

[Keltest]

Alrighty then. Was curious because I pugged with a Raynor the other day but he couldn't figure out how to attach to the reactor I built for him. Then again, he also ran the entire game on a single OC and was building air mech (P3?)

More likely he just came from the campaign for the first time and went "wow, battlecruisers! big ships with lasers!"

Not that you need a lot of OCs with cattlebruisers, but you should at least make 2.