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GameSpot's Guide to Starcraft

Zerg Units

Drone

Overview
Although the Drone must be sacrificed for any Zerg structure to be built, its innate healing powers, its ability to burrow underground, and its role as gatherer all make the creature highly reliable under military conditions.

How It Has Changed
The Drone itself remains identical. However, because Sunken Colonies are now much more powerful and less expensive, your ability to defend your supply line, especially early in a battle, has significantly increased.

Drone

Recommended Uses
Construction and resource-gathering. Early scouting. Territorial expansion.

Further Detail
It tends to be wise to burrow your Drones if they are attacked unexpectedly. Because Drones cost one unit of control, but structures do not, you can cheat your control limit early in a battle: Once you reach your control limit, have two Drones begin to morph themselves into a Creep Colony and an Extractor, your two least expensive structures. Your control will decrease by two, allowing you to morph two more Larva into Drones. Now cancel both the Creep Colony and Extractor, and use those Drones to keep mining minerals. In the end, you will exceed your control limit by two Drones, giving you an edge over the opponent in early production (although you'll still need an Overlord very soon). This tactic, made popular by season III tournament finalist :+:jolly:+:, is useful if you wish to build a second Hatchery early on to get a big head start in resources, at the cost of early defenses. Building a second Hatchery early is always risky, but rewarding if successful.

hit points (size)	40 (small)
build time	20
vision	7
cost (minerals / vespene gas / control)	50 / 0 / 1
damage (type) / bonus	5 (normal) / +0
attack range / cooldown	1 / 22
armor / bonus	0 / +1

View the table legend

Next: The Zerg Units, continued
 

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