¡¡Save a Zerg breed!!

[DemolitionSquid]

DS do you mind to explain your reasons behind this choice?

I can guess them but I'd prefere to read them, actually.

It comes down to 2 things. Between the 3 choices, the Hydra is the most iconic in lore, and the hardest to replace in gameplay.

[Perfecttear]

I agree with blackholexan , the Ultralisk is the only unit that has evolved, been improved, the other two are prety much the same as before. If you look at the Terrans and the Protoss ,almost every old iconic unit that stayed has been improved or drasticaly changed (new abilities, stats, upgrades), but not the hydralisk and the mutalisk.
I don't know why people love the Mutalisk so much, i mean it wasn't really that good of a unit, and it kinda sucked (statswise), it was only usefull when massed on mass. But guess since it was the only thing avaible, people liked it . Could you imagine if we would actually get a new unit, that would be even bether than the mutalisk

[Pandonetho]

Screw iconic units, if they had no qualms about removing the best Zerg unit (the Defiler, possibly one of the best units in the game) then I don't see why the Hydralisk should stay. It's such a boring unit compared to the Ultralisk who can at least burrow and cleave the shit out of things now, as well as headbutt buildings and have 600 HP.

[Josue]

Since "spicing up" the Zerg seems to be the issue, upon short reflection... I would:

Severly change the role and stats of the Mutalisk to make it exciting (maybe even give it a new ability), don't ask me how, since this actually requires some serious thought, but if there's one unit which at the moment could be drastically changed without much consequence/domino effect on the rest of the balance/stats "ecosystem", the Mutalisk seems to be it.

The Hydralisk: keep the model, for one. As for role and stats, I wonder how well would it fit as a primarily GTA unit with a melee only ground attack. This seems to be a direction no one as of yet suggested for it, or at least that no one has discussed in depth.

The Ultralisk seems fine as it is, although if there's a different conept and art for a Zerg super unit that is just as awesome, this is the one unit that could be happily replaced, if only for visual novelty's sake.

I like your style friend! why not make it be like you say? melee for GtG and use a better animation for GtA, or...it could well be:
give it less range than a roach for GtG, if at melee range use melee animation and improve the damn ranged attack animation!

This is, by far, the best idea I've read on a revamped Hydralisk.

This way:
1) Roach and Hydra GtG ranged attack don't overlap
2) Hydra keeps its GtA primary role
3) Melee attacks allow them to "defend" easier against (for example) Zealots and Zergling (furthermore they already implemented a melee attack animation for Hydra, although at now it's only vs building)
4) they could have a bonus vs armored (building too) and an increased range
5) they could be moved to tier 2. Roach would move back to tier 1, where they would be more useful
6) Roach's regeneration would be a good way to protect them
7) Hydra without a ranged GtG attack => more importance to Mutalisk

Edit: I'd suggest Eligor to open a new thread on this topic.

Couldn't agree more.

It comes down to 2 things. Between the 3 choices, the Hydra is the most iconic in lore, and the hardest to replace in gameplay.

True.

Screw iconic units, if they had no qualms about removing the best Zerg unit (the Defiler, possibly one of the best units in the game) then I don't see why the Hydralisk should stay. It's such a boring unit compared to the Ultralisk who can at least burrow and cleave the shit out of things now, as well as headbutt buildings and have 600 HP.

Now I want Eligor to create a thread about revamping Hydralisks.
being iconic is quite a good reason to save them but they should be revamped/overhauled in such a way they are totally awesome!
About Mutalisks and Ultralisks, they're ind 2nd and 3rd place in being "iconic" for me, thus I think Zerg without this three units is not Zerg! Besides, Ultralisk has already been revamped in a good way, I only wonder why they walk like centaurs, they don't run like in SC1

[Pandonetho]

only wonder why they walk like centaurs, they don't run like in SC1

Probably gameplay reasons, if they ran like in SC1 they'd be way overpowered with their current stats and abilities.

[Zero]

Ultralisks are less like centaurs in SC2 than they appeared in SC:Ghost and some of the artworks. They're not the exact same as their original forms, but not ridiculous like the centaur ideas.


I voted Hydralisk. Aside from the Mutalisk, it's the only Zerg generalist. The Zerg, being a race based on low costs and swarms of weaker units, need a reliable ranged unit that can hit ground and air. Mutalisks could likely be replaced with another air unit, perhaps one cheaper and less powerful, but easier to swarm. And the Ultralisk could easily be replaced with another tank.

[DemolitionSquid]

Screw iconic units, if they had no qualms about removing the best Zerg unit (the Defiler, possibly one of the best units in the game) then I don't see why the Hydralisk should stay. It's such a boring unit compared to the Ultralisk who can at least burrow and cleave the shit out of things now, as well as headbutt buildings and have 600 HP.

"Best" is subjective. The Defiler was good at what it did. It was a great Zerg support unit.

But it did not directly support the Zerg. Its spells did. Spells that could easily be transferred and altered to fit on another unit, lest we forget the Infestor had Dark Swarm at one point.

There is a large difference between a spell, and an attack. You create a massable Zerg unit with effective GtG and GtA and it will still be a
Hydralisk regardless of a name change you may give it. You take Dark Swarm off the Defiler and give to the Infestor with two other abilities and its still an Infestor.

This is why I said its difficult to replace the Hydralisk. Because you can remove the Ultra and replace its tanking role with melee Roaches. And you can remove the Mutalisk and not lose AtA and AtG ability because of the Corruptor and Brood Lord. But if you replace the Hydralisk with another GtA focused unit, as has been dictated by Blizzard it still needs to have GtG ability as well. A Hydra into a "Basilisk" is the same change as a Goliath into a Thor.

Could we do it? Yes. Does it serve a purpose? No.

[Hydragoon]

Save a zerg breed... Ride a cowboy.

[Triceron]

Hydralisks are the face of Zerg. Not the Mutalisk, not the Zergling, not even Kerrigan herself. You can't get rid of the Hydra, that's like getting rid of Marines for Terran or the Soul Hunter for Protoss (j/k!)

More and more zerg are looking like Hydras too. Even the Ultra has a very Hydra-esque head in SC2, instead of the weird vaginaface it had in SC1.

[Pandonetho]

And the Wraith was the icon of the game, look where it ended up!