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"It's long enough, trust me."

- A Dominion marine on locust lifespans(src)

The locust is a unit spawned by the swarm host.

Overview

Locusts are short-lived,[1] ferocious, parasitic symbiotes.[2] Powerful for their size,[3] they are spawned from the millions of larvae that inhabit the swarm host's bloodstream. When the swarm host is threatened or engaged in combat, subtle chemical signals instruct the larvae to head for its incubator, where they are evolved into locusts.[1]

Originally,[3] locusts attacked any nearby enemy with volleys of acidic saliva.[2] Since evolving pressurized air glands, locusts can attack aerial targets, and have developed the ability to fly themselves.[3]

Swarm hosts enslaved by the Cerberus Program were enhanced with microfactories that equipped spawned locusts with remote controlled headgear.[4]

Game Unit

Versus

The swarm host creates 2 locusts with a cooldown of 60 seconds. It is not autocast, but can be used whether the swarm host is burrowed or not.[5] Locusts are also able to fly, and must be ordered to land at a targeted area using "Swoop" in order to attack.

Upgrades and Abilities

FlyingLocustIcon
Flying Locusts

Allows locusts spawned by swarm hosts to fly. Flying locusts can use Swoop to land and attack units.

Automatically available in Legacy of the Void.

Acquisition
Purchased from

Infestation pit (HotS)

Already researched (LotV)
Hotkey L
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 160seconds
ve
LeapUrsadon SC2 Icon1
Swoop

Orders flying locust to land at target location, so it may attack enemies.

Usage
Hotkey Z
Cooldown 0 seconds
Acquisition
Purchased from Already available


ve
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey A
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 114seconds
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 136seconds
Required Lair
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 157seconds
Required Hive
ve
  • +1 bonus to armor per level for zerg ground units.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey C
Level 1
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 114seconds
Level 2
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 136seconds
Required Lair
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 157seconds
Required Hive
ve

Heart of the Swarm

In the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm campaign, swarm hosts can be upgraded to produce locusts faster. The carrion strain can produce flying locusts.

Upgrades

SC2 RapidIncubation Icon
Rapid Incubation

Locusts spawn 20% faster.

Locust production inefficient. Will greatly benefit from redundancy removal. Sequences are complex, wasteful. Byproduct of wild, uncontrolled evolution. Simplification of sequences will allow swarm hosts to incubate full-grown locusts at rapid speeds.

Campaign Acquisition
ve
SC2 PressurizedGlands Icon
Pressurized Glands

Locusts can attack both ground and air units.

Swarm host defense reliant on locust organism. Locust secrets solvent fluids, projectiles towards enemy. Can mutate glands, increase pressure. Will allow projectile to reach incredible height. Attack both ground and aerial targets.

Campaign Acquisition
ve

Co-op Missions

Locusts are available to Abathur in Co-op Missions. They can be spawned via his swarm hosts, and can be upgraded at the infestation pit. In addition, Abathur unlocks an upgrade that gives him and his ally the random chance to spawn locusts from the bodies of dead enemies at Level 13.

Dehaka can summon primal locusts from his primal hosts. After the primal host evolves into a creeper host, these locusts become creepers.

Upgrades and Abilities

Abathur
SC2 Abathur AC - Biomass
Biomass Gatherer

Locusts spawned from swarm hosts gain +3% hit points, +1% attack speed and +1% Biotic Leech per stack of Biomass. Can stack up to 100 Biomass.

Essence Hoarder: Locusts can collect an additional 25 Biomass (summary 125).

The Limitless: Locusts can collect an additional 100 Biomass (summary 200), but gain +1.5% hit points, +0.5% attack speed and +0.5% Biotic Leech per stack.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Basic: Initially available.
Biotic Leech: Reach Abathur level 15.
Acquisition
Basic
Effect Hit Points: +1.95 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 260
Attack Speed: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.6
Biotic Leech: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 100%
With Essence Hoarder
Effect Hit Points: +1.95 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 308.75
Attack Speed: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.53
Biotic Leech: +1% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 125%
With The Limitless
Effect Hit Points: +0.975 per Biomass. Up to a maximum 260
Attack Speed: +0.5% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 0.6
Biotic Leech: +0.5% per Biomass. Up to a maximum 100%
ve
SC2 Abathur AC - LocustInjection
Locust Injection

Enemy units have a chance to spawn friendly Locusts upon death.

Usage
Notes

Also apply to enemies killed by Abathur ally.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Reach Abathur level 13.
ve
SC2 PressurizedGlands Icon
Pressurized Glands

Locusts can attack both air and ground units.

Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available
Acquisition
Purchased from Infestation pit
Hotkey P
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 120seconds
Mastery: -2.4seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 48seconds
Required Hive
ve
SC2 ZergMissileWeap
Zerg Missile Attacks

Increases the attack damage of zerg ground ranged units.

(Also affects Broodlings)

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey M
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Mastery: -3.2seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 64seconds
Effect Damage: 11
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 190seconds
Mastery: -3.8seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 76seconds
Required Lair/Hive
Effect Damage: 12
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 220seconds
Mastery: -4.4seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 88seconds
Required Hive
Effect Damage: 13
ve
SC2 ZergGrndCara
Zerg Ground Carapace

Increases the armor of zerg ground units.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Evolution chamber
Hotkey M
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Mastery: -3.2seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 64seconds
Effect Armor: 1
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 190seconds
Mastery: -3.8seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 76seconds
Required Lair/Hive
Effect Armor: 2
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 220seconds
Mastery: -4.4seconds per Structure Morph and Evolution Rate mastery point. Down to a maximum 88seconds
Required Hive
Effect Armor: 3
ve
Dehaka
FlyingPrimalLocustIcon
Flying Primal Locust

Allows primal locusts spawned by primal hosts to fly. Flying primal locusts can use swoop to land and attack.

ve
LeapUrsadon SC2 Icon1
Swoop

Orders the primal locust to land at target location, so it may attack enemies.

ve
PrimalZerg Damage Upg
Primal Attacks

Increases the attack damage of all primal zerg units.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Primal hive
Hotkey A
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Effect Damage

Basic: 11

From Murvar with Primal Contender: 16
Level 2
Cost 150 Minerals 150 Vespene gas 190seconds
Required Glevig's den
Effect Damage

Basic: 12

From Murvar with Primal Contender: 17
Level 3
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 220seconds
Required Murvar's den
Effect Damage

Basic: 13

From Murvar with Primal Contender: 18
ve
PrimalZerg Armor Upg
Primal Carapace

Increases the armor of all primal zerg units.

Usage
Passive
Campaign Acquisition
Unlock Initially available.
Acquisition
Purchased from Primal hive
Hotkey C
Level 1
Cost 100 Minerals 100 Vespene gas 160seconds
Effect Armor: 1
Level 2
Cost 175 Minerals 175 Vespene gas 190seconds
Required Glevig's den
Effect Armor: 2
Level 3
Cost 250 Minerals 250 Vespene gas 220seconds
Required Murvar's den
Effect Armor: 3
ve

Development

In early development builds, locusts were named "swarmlings."[6]

Locusts were originally melee units.[7] They had 110 hp, dealt 14 damage, and could be spawned every 24 seconds.[8] By 2012, their stats were altered and they gained a ranged attack which could also target air units.[9]

Balance Patch #1 of the Heart of the Swarm beta decreased their damage from 16 to 14. Balance Patch #2 decreased their attack range from 3 to 2, while Balance Patch #3 reverted this and further decreased their damage from 14 to 12. Patch 2.1.9 increased attack speed from .8 to .6 and added the Flying Locusts upgrade. Locust duration also increased to 25 seconds and the Enduring Locusts upgrade was removed.

Flying Locusts had to be researched at the infestation pit up until the beta version of Legacy of the Void, where locust health was also reduced from 65 to 50.[10] Patch 3.8 increased the range of Swoop from 4 to 6, and reduced weapon damage once more from 12 to 10.

Removed Upgrades

EnduringLocusts SC2-HotS Icon
Enduring Locusts

Increases the lifespan of locusts by 10 seconds (to 25 seconds). This upgrade was removed from HotS in the April 2015 update, as the locust's base lifespan was increased to 25 seconds. [11]

This upgrade is not present in Legacy of the Void.[12]

Acquisition
Purchased from Infestation pit
Hotkey L
Cost 200 Minerals 200 Vespene gas 120seconds
ve

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes DevLog2
The following section contains information from Heroes of the Storm and is not canon to StarCraft continuity

Locusts appear in Heroes of the Storm, and are naturally spawned from the body of Abathur.[13]

Special Locust Strains

Notes

Locust SC2 Head2

Variant locust portrait

  • A variant locust portrait is available to zerg players via Heart of the Swarm's leveling system. It is unlocked at level 11.

Images

Skins
Portraits

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 2014-12-04, Swarm Host Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-12-06.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Swarm Host, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-01-08.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 2015-09-18, NYCC 2015 – James Waugh’s StarCraft Field Manual Signing Schedule. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-09-23.
  4. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Collections Tab: Skins. October 17, 2016.
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. 2015-04-07. Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- April 9, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2023-10-01.
  6. PhilGonzo DeviantArt. Zerg Swarm Host. DeviantArt. April 20, 2019.
  7. 2011-10-27, BlizzCon 2011: StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm – Units and Abilities. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2011-11-06.
  8. The Rusher. 2011-10-26.​A complete list of all multiplayer HOTS changes/additions, now that Blizzcon is over. Reddit. Accessed 2011-10-29.
  9. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm - Multiplayer Unit Update.
  10. 2015-03-31, StarCraft II Legacy of the Void Beta Release Patch Notes. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2022-11-23.
  11. Blizzard Entertainment. 2015-04-07. Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- April 9, 2015. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-05-11.
  12. 2015-03-31, StarCraft II Legacy of the Void Beta Release Patch Notes. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2015-04-03
  13. Blizzard Entertainment. Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). June 2, 2015.
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