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Death from Above is the second-last mission of Heart of the Swarm.

Background[]

The Terran Dominion activated a potent anti-zerg psionic weapon, the psi destroyer, which took advantage of the zerg hive mind to destroy them. However, the primal zerg, which lacked this hive mind, were unaffected.

The psi destroyer was powered by several power links. Destroying a link would temporarily depower the psi destroyer, and destroying them all would shut it down.

Sarah Kerrigan dispatched Dehaka and his primal zerg pack to destroy the power links. Whenever a link was destroyed and the psi destroyer depowered, Kerrigan's own zerg would do as much damage to the Dominion forces as possible.

Eventually, the psi destroyer was destroyed.[1]

Walkthrough[]

In this mission, the psi destroyer will emit an energy wave that will damage any zerg in it over time, eventually killing it. This affects both creatures and structures. Only primal zerg, namely Dehaka and his pack, can survive as they do not have a hive mind connection. The player begins in control of Dehaka, and uses him to destroy a power link for the psi destroyer, temporarily weakening it. However, over time the psi destroyer's range will increase back to its original radius. Over the course of the mission, Dehaka will spawn on more platforms to destroy more power links, until the psi destroyer is permanently shut down. Dehaka will also acquire a new ability to aid in clearing the area. If the player takes too long to destroy the power links, the psi destroyer's radius will increase until the player's base is destroyed. Once the third power link is destroyed, Dehaka and his pack arrive in the player's base to help with the rest of the mission.

In control of Kerrigan and a base now, the player should cause as much damage as they can before the psi destroyer powers back up. There is a Dominion base southeast of the player's that should be cleared out first and seized as an expansion. From there the player should build up their forces and attack the Dominion as much as they can, then retreat when the psi destroyer reactivates. Infestors are helpful to take control of battlecruisers and thors that constitute the final defense. As long as the player is careful to keep their unit away from the field until Dehaka disables the power link, the mission is not overly difficult. The mission is won once the psi destroyer is destroyed.

To earn the achievement for destroying the psi destroyer before the third power link is disabled, the player should take the mentioned expansion immediately when they get control, then move out in force to clear out the northern area before the destroyer reactivates. While Dehaka and his pack will arrive at the second power link, the player can let them idle there and focus on expanding and upgrading their forces. When the second link is destroyed, the player can move in and rush the destroyer. It is recommended to have several hatcheries to quickly rebuild their army as they fall to keep on the pressure. It is also advised to attempt earning the achievement on a lower difficulty setting, as on Hard and Brutal difficulties the power field expands faster, giving the player less time to build up their forces before they need to destroy the second power link.

An important note is that all primal zerg are immune to the psi destroyer, not just Dehaka and his pack. The player can use this to their advantage by giving Kerrigan the drop pods ability, letting her summon a mass of primal zerg to attack.

For the achievement "Missing Link," a force of air units like mutalisks and brood lords can flank the psi destroyer from the exposed air sides, only having to deal with the primary defenses around it. Spend the first cycle claiming the expansion to the southeast and building a large air force, then spend the second cycle on the attack. Note that units in the central base can still be constructed during Dehaka's phase, so don't destroy the second power link until a sufficient force is constructed.

Videos[]

Achievements[]

DeathFromAbove SC2-HotS Icon Death From Above
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Complete the “Death From Above” mission in the Heart of the Swarm campaign.

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TerranUptheSky SC2-HotS Icon Terran Up the Sky
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Destroy 20 enemy structures before the 2nd Psi Destroyer field activation in the “Death From Above” mission.

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ApexPredator SC2-HotS Icon Apex Predator
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Don’t let Dehaka die while destroying a Power Link in the “Death From Above” mission on Normal difficulty.

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Missing Link SC2-HotS Icon Missing Link
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Complete the "Death From Above" mission before destroying the final power link on Hard difficulty.

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Heart10 SC2AchiveImage Primal Power
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Destroy the third Power Link in the "Death From Above" mission in less than 18 minutes on Normal difficulty.

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Notes[]

Cut lines for the mission indicate that Echo would have played a role in the mission.[2] Initially, Prometheus Company and Outback Hunters would attack Kerrigan's hive cluster, and the field would only retract in bursts instead of all the way. Bridges would be extended to open up new routes and new bases. Emperor Arcturus Mengsk would more liberally use nuclear missiles against Kerrigan, with banter between Kerrigan and Mengsk regarding them. A bonus objective would allow Kerrigan to infest the engineers working in the ducts of the psi destroyers, which are immune to the destroyer's effects.[3]

References[]

  1. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Heart of the Swarm, Death From Above (in English). 2013-03-12.
  2. 2014-08-20, Unused HoTS Story Elements. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2014-08-29
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). March 12, 2013
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