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"The Hive is the focal point of the Swarm, the pinnacle of the species' millennia-spanning evolution. For zerg units, the Hive is home...and nothing says "home" like bubbling lava and black volcanic rock."
Char SC2 Art1

A hive on Char

The hive is the primary structure of the zerg[1] and unlocks the final stages of their evolution.

Overview[]

Hive SCR Rend1

The "Char hive"

Protected by a dense exoskeleton and granted full access to the Overmind's pool of knowledge, the hive continues to provide the same functionality that it has since it was a hatchery (birthing larvae, maintaining creep, and digesting minerals/gas). Once the hive is present, the being commanding it has the potential to unleash the full fury of the zerg.[2] The genetic model for a hive is extremely complex, and would be indecipherable by any terran scientist.[3] When under attack, hives can harden their hull with bony protrusions, allowing it to shrug off weaker strikes.[4]

During the Great War and Brood War, the Zerg Swarm could deploy a "Char hive." This hive glowed by the perpetual heat it generated, and while it was not so hot that melee attackers would be damaged, the drones and larvae within it were able to take advantage of the warmth it provided on the colder planets of the Koprulu sector.[5]

Game Structure[]

StarCraft[]

Researched Abilities[]

Many zerg ground units may burrow, rendering themselves invisible but incapable of moving or attacking.

Allows most zerg land units--all but the massive ultralisk and primitive broodling--to burrow into the ground, rendering them immobile and unable to attack, but also safe from enemy fire unless the enemy has a detector nearby. Applies to: Drone, zergling, hydralisk, defiler, infested terran

Usage
Hotkey U
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey B
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 80seconds
VentraSacs Icon SC1
Ventral Sacs

Allows overlords to transport units.

Usage
Hotkey V
Acquisition
Purchased from Lair/Hive
Hotkey V
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 160seconds

Researched Upgrades[]

Antennae SC1 Upgrd1
Antennae
Acquisition
Purchased from Lair OR Hive
Hotkey A
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 133seconds
PneumaCarapace Icon SC1
Pneumatized Carapace
Acquisition
Purchased from
Hotkey P
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 133seconds

Development[]

In some builds of the StarCraft beta, the hive was a name given to the structure that would become the queen's nest.[6]

StarCraft II[]

The hive reappears in StarCraft II. The hive can set two rally points, one ("Y") for most units and one ("G") for drones. The queen does not get a rally point.

Each individual egg can be separately rallied; this overrides rally points set for the hive.[7]

Researched Abilities[]

Many zerg ground units may burrow, becoming invisible and revealed primarily by detectors, and may not move or attack while burrowed.

Exceptions include:

  • Roach, which may move while burrowed
  • Lurker, which may attack while burrowed
  • Infestor, which may move while burrowed
  • Baneling, which can detonate while burrowed.

Some units can unburrow via autocast, causing them to emerge and attack when an enemy moves into range.

The ability is not smartcast.

Usage
Hotkey R
Cost 2 seconds to burrow, 1 second to unburrow seconds
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey B
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 71seconds
Required Lair (WoL)
Hatchery (HotS/LotV)
ve
VentralSacs SC2 Game1
Ventral Sacs

The overlord can transport units.

This upgrade is removed in Legacy of the Void. Overlords must now be upgraded individually.

Acquisition
Purchased from Lair/Hive
Hotkey E
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 130seconds
ve

Researched Upgrades[]

PneumutizedCarapace SC2 Game1
Pneumatized Carapace

Increase speed of the overlord from 0.902 to 2.63, overlords with Ventral Sacs from 1.099 to 2.83, and the overseer 2.62 to 4.73.

Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery (with at least 1 other lair or hive)/Lair/Hive
Hotkey P
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 43seconds
ve

Queen Abilities[]

SpawnLarvae SC2 Icon1
Spawn Larva

Queens can target a hatchery/lair/hive, causing it to eventually spawn four larvae. These join any already-present larvae. The larva-producing structure will not naturally produce any more larvae until the total falls below three. The larva count for any given hatchery/lair/hive cannot exceed nineteen, no matter how many times spawn larva is cast.

In Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm, four larvae are spawned. In Legacy of the Void, three larvae are spawned,[8] and multiple casts can be queued on a single base.[9]

Usage
Hotkey V
Cost 25 Energy 29 seconds
Cooldown 1.8 seconds
ve

Co-op Missions[]

Kerrigan, Zagara and Abathur use the hive as the tier 3 or final upgrade of their hatchery. It retains the previous functions of the lair to create larvae, generate creep to cover the nearby area, and finally train queens. Kerrigan and Zagara can create regular queens after morphing a spawning pool. Abathur's hive can initially create swarm queens instead of regular queens, and can be upgraded to create two swarm queens simultaneously.

Note that while Abathur retains the standard Infestation Pit pre-requisite, Kerrigan and Zagara are free to morph the hive immediately after the lair finishes. If there is sufficient gas to do so, this allows those two commanders to access the higher tier units or upgrades quicker than would normally be expected.

Dehaka use the primal hive as a primary structure which can breed primal drones, remotely create extractors on vespene gas geysers, evolve attack and carapace on primal zerg units, and it can be uprooted to move and also attack.

Stetmann use the mecha hive variant, which can build mecha larvas and generate an Egonergy field.

Kerrigan Upgrades[]

PneumutizedCarapace SC2 Game1
Pneumatized Carapace

Increase speed of the overlord from 0.59 to 3.38 and the overseer from 1.88 to 3.38.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey P
Cost 50 Minerals 50 Vespene gas 60seconds
Mastery: -1 Minerals -1 ZergVespene SC2 Game1 -1.2seconds per Expeditious Evolutions mastery point. Down to a maximum 20 Minerals 20 ZergVespene SC2 Game1 24seconds
ve
VentralSacs SC2 Game1
Ventral Sacs

Allows overlords to transport units.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey E
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 60seconds
Mastery: -2 Minerals -2 ZergVespene SC2 Game1 -1.2seconds per Expeditious Evolutions mastery point. Down to a maximum 40 Minerals 40 ZergVespene SC2 Game1 24seconds
Required Lair/Hive
ve

Zagara Upgrades[]

PneumutizedCarapace SC2 Game1
Pneumatized Carapace

Increase speed of the overlord from 0.59 to 3.38 and the overseer from 1.88 to 3.38.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey P
Cost 50 Minerals 50 Vespene gas 60seconds
ve
VentralSacs SC2 Game1
Ventral Sacs

Allows overlords to transport units.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey E
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 60seconds
Required Lair/Hive
ve

Abathur Upgrades[]

PneumutizedCarapace SC2 Game1
Pneumatized Carapace

Increase speed of the overlord from 0.59 to 3.38 and the overseer from 1.88 to 3.38.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey P
Cost 50 Minerals 50 Vespene gas 60seconds
Mastery: -1.2seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 24seconds
ve
VentralSacs SC2 Game1
Ventral Sacs

Allows overlords to transport units.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Hatchery/Lair/Hive
Hotkey E
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 60seconds
Mastery: -1.2seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 24seconds
Required Lair/Hive
ve
IncubationChamber SC2 Icon1
Incubation Chamber

Allows hatcheries, lairs, and hives to mutate two swarm queens at once.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Abathur Level 6
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey I
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 60seconds
Mastery: -1.2seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 24seconds
Required Lair/Hive
ve

Development[]

The hive for StarCraft II was based off the lair in StarCraft, in order to make it look more 'evil.' There were also plans to change the middle maw portion more gradually as it evolved from a hatchery, but there wasn't enough time to do so.[10]

Images[]

References[]

  1. Overview: Zerg, accessed on 2011-01-13
  2. Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
  3. Mesta, Gabriel (July 1, 2001). StarCraft: Shadow of the Xel'Naga. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04149-5.
  4. Todd, Hugh. "“Lens of the Void”." (April 25, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Lens of the Void Accessed 2013-04-26.
  5. 2017-08-03, Spotlight: Pre-Purchase Rewards. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-08-05
  6. 2011-05-03, Blizzard Archive. "Blizzarchive.com", accessed on 2018-07-03
  7. "for zerg is it the same that the hatchery sets the rally, or can you rally for each individual egg?"

    You can do both. You can set a rally for your hatchery, but can then override it with manual orders per egg as well. Also don't forget, you can set a worker rally point for your hatchery, as well as a unit rally point. Karune, Rancid_death75. Another rally question for Kaurne! Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2009-02-18.
  8. 2015-09-03, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- September 3, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-09
  9. 2015-09-17, Legacy of the Void Beta Balance Update -- September 17, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-09-30
  10. 2010-2011, Starcraft 2: Zerg Main. Deviantart, accessed on 2011-02-11
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