Mutalisk's attack

[phazonjunkie]

What the hell is it exactly? I mean, OFFICIALLY?

I ask this because there appears to be some discrepancy between lore, gameplay and cinematics. In game, it's called a 'glaive wurm', basically some organic shuriken it expels from it's mouth which ricochets off several enemies.
But for some reason, the cinematics always depict mutalisks as either launching gobs of hot bioluminescent goo, or (in the case of the final Protoss cinematic in SC vanilla) a highly corrosive spray.

I know it's a REALLY minor issue to be nit-picking, and I apologize if it's already been brought up before, but it's something that's always been in the back of my mind, like an itchy spot on my back I could never quite reach.

[Pandonetho]

They've changed it. It used to be an acidic spray, as explained in the very old manual, they already made it like that in the cinematics but then they changed the attack to a Glaive Wurm after, the cinematics of course didn't change though.

[ArcherofAiur]

[incoming made up lore explaintion]

The glave worm is a flying parasite that grows in a mutalisk and stores up huge energy reserves. When released it rapidly metabolizes these reserves to fly at supersonic speeds. It will slice through several ground units before depleting its energy and dying.

[Pandonetho]

Uh, there's already a lore explanation for the Glaive Wurm, it's a symbiote of some sort that explodes upon contact bouncing from target to target until it disintegrates.

[spychi]

Glave wurm* not worm

[phazonjunkie]

They've changed it. It used to be an acidic spray, as explained in the very old manual, they already made it like that in the cinematics but then they changed the attack to a Glaive Wurm after, the cinematics of course didn't change though.

I see....any particular reason for the change or just balancing issues?

[Pandonetho]

They probably just wanted something different or cooler.

[Kacaier]

As Pandonetho states, it's there for the interesting mechanic. It's a chain attack spread, rather than a singular or pure splash attack.

However, I'm sure anytime Blizzard depicts them out-of-game, I bet they'll just shoot the "hot, bio-luminescent goo." Keeping it as such in-game would make the Mutalisk lose spread damage. But for gameplay purposes, no one really gives a hoot.

[Kimera757]

I heard the original attack was unbalanced. I guess it had some special ability.

[Sheliek]

Didn't the queen originally have glaive wurms as an attack?