Always check when SH have glowing eggs on their backs. It means that they can create tons of Locust at any second from player's order or just with autocast. It's especially important when Locusts have lifetime upgrade. If it was researched, there will be no 10-second window between death of Locusts and spawn of new ones.





Swarm Host eggs will start glow 2 seconds before Locusts will be created. Then 1-2 more seconds those Eggs will "jump" from backs of SHs to ground, so in result you have 3-4 ingame seconds to react quickly and retreat with your forces, if Locusts were spawned near you forces.





to react quickly and retreat with your forces, if Locusts were spawned near you forces. Swarm Hosts are not Siege Tanks of the Swarm. Races are different. Same rule may be accepted to each unit, including Swarm Hosts. They need different way of unit controlling, which is absolutely not similar to Siege Tank control.

As I said, Swarm Hosts require different style of unit controlling. You can't leave them in place and rely on their Locusts.





As I said, Swarm Hosts require different style of unit controlling. You can't leave them in place and rely on their Locusts. Swarm Hosts will support you only if you will support them. No matter how many Swarm Hosts you have, it's very easy to kill them: bring air, blink into defenceless SHs, drop something or just outdamage Locusts and kill Swarm Hosts. With only Swarm Hosts you can not win, never. Here is a good demostration of this .





No matter how many Swarm Hosts you have, it's very easy to kill them: bring air, blink into defenceless SHs, drop something or just outdamage Locusts and kill Swarm Hosts. With only Swarm Hosts you can not win, never. Here is a . Sometimes you can try to release Locusts less often and just walk more with Swarm Hosts themselfs. Why? Because speed of Swarm Hosts is always slighty higher than speed of Locusts, off creep and on creep. Lets compare:



- Swarm Host speed off creep - 2.25 , Locust speed off creep - 1.88

- Swarm Host speed on creep - 2.95 , Locust speed on creep - 2.65





- Swarm Host speed off creep - , Locust speed off creep - - Swarm Host speed on creep - , Locust speed on creep - So to slighty increase your mobility, you can "transport" Locusts in your Swarm Hosts rather than sending them to enemy from big distances and then walk with Swarm Hosts nearby.





There may be situations when Locusts can deal ZERO damage to enemy. For example enemy got many AOE-weaponry, like Colossies, Siege Tanks, Widow Mines or just always healable Marines & Marauders. As I said above, SHs will support you only if you will support them. Add Zerglings & Banelings and you can break any Siege line: Zerglings tanking damage, Locusts getting some time to reach enemy tanks and deal some damage, or vice-versa - Locusts tanking damage and Zerglings on enormous speed will be able to reach enemy tanks.

Locust's weapon range is 3. If you will control your army a bit, you can fight with enemy with melee units and Locusts, staying at back side. Or with Hydralisks/Roaches, leaving Locusts at the front side. Try to use Burrow or Hold mode to optimize Locust and army movement. More about it you can read below in this article.







Turn off auto-spawn and wait untill all Swarm Hosts will be ready to spawn locusts.



Tip. You can toggle autocast via hotkeys too, not only by right-clicking on icon . Hold ALT and press hotkey of ability that you want to toggle. For example Locust spawn ability is on Z, then press ALT+Z and you will turn off auto-cast for Locust spawn. Press again to turn on auto-cast again.





Tip. . Hold ALT and press hotkey of ability that you want to toggle. For example Locust spawn ability is on Z, then press ALT+Z and you will turn off auto-cast for Locust spawn. Press again to turn on auto-cast again. Burrow newly arrived Swarm Hosts 2-3 seconds before already burrowed ones will spawn Locusts. You can understand when to burrow newly arrived SHs by looking at glowing eggs on already burrowed Swarm Hosts.





Easiest way to sync Locust spawn from all Swarm Host is just unburrow all of them, wait untill every SH will be ready to spawn Locusts and then burrow all them.





Because Terran can slowly move half of his Siege Tanks under defence of other deployed tanks, Terrans can slowly come closer to Swarm Hosts. Try to make 2 waves of Locusts spawn or make a constant Locust spawn without big time rooms for Terran, allowing him to relocate his Siege Tanks. It can make every Locust wave weaker, but at same time Terran have more risk to lose undeployed Siege Tanks.

































2 Base Swarm Host contain (vs. Protoss)

4 Queens



at least 4 Drones



all of your Swarm Hosts



Try to make drops while Swarm Hosts pressuring enemy base with Locusts. Probably enemy will react to Locusts, rather than to your drop, because Locusts can constantly damage him, while drop may be one-timed. Video



In this game Zerg did good drop with Overlords and at same time attacked enemy base with some Swarm Hosts.



Zerg did good drop with Overlords and at same time attacked enemy base with some Swarm Hosts. Here Zerg with mass Nyduses, Queens and Swarm Hosts destroys three (!) enemy bases in some minutes! This game may be a very good demonstration of how Zergs are better at basetrading than other races.



Zerg with mass Nyduses, Queens and Swarm Hosts destroys in some minutes! This game may be a very good demonstration of how Zergs are better at basetrading than other races. This match demonstrates why you should never leave your Swarm Hosts alone and support them. If Zerg added some Banelings or other AOE stuff, he would be able to hold mass-Marines and Hellbats.



demonstrates why you should never leave your Swarm Hosts alone and support them. If Zerg added some Banelings or other AOE stuff, he would be able to hold mass-Marines and Hellbats. Swarm Host Ovie-Drops sometimes may be a very strong and dangerous. In this thread Chrono shows how it can distract enemy. Drop SH, release Locusts, enemy coming here to fight with drop, but SH were evacuated with Overlords. Do it at difference places while attacking at the front side. Believe me, it may be very stressfull and irritating.

























First, enemy will know that you started make Mutalisks, and he will waste a lot minerals on placing anti-air turrets on every base. But you will not play Mutalisks heavily, just 5-10 of them.





Second, it can force Protoss opponent to make Stargate and Phoenixes, when you're switching into heavy ground forces, like Queens-SH, or Hydra-SH.















Corruptor DPS - 7.4 (10.6 vs Massive)



Queen AA-DPS - 9



Hydralisk DPS - 14.5



Spore Crawler DPS - 17.4

Pool First



Hatchery at natural



2 Queens total



~3:45-4:00 1 gas @ 3:45-4:00, 2 workers



1st 100 gas: Lair



~5:45 take all gases, full saturation



next 100 gas: Overlord Speed



Ling Speed (can be skipped)



saturate 2 bases, at least 20 drones at the natural



Infestation Pit when Lair finishes



Locust Upgrade



Swarm Hosts





What tech paths to choose in midgame so that you're properly set up for late game?



How to defend against a variety of standard attacks with those tech paths?



How to crush the Protoss late game with viper swarm host?



Why the swarm host, viper, corrupter composition is so strong?



How to get to that fantastic late game without dying?



How to embarrass the Zerg race by playing like a passive butthead?









Extremely highly recommend you to watch

He tries to use Swarm Hosts and experiment with them all the time he streams.



Here is also YouTube channel

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnqjHQb9I2w739jkdTFvxVFgJqWeTgMo8





Check the latest recorded broadcasts from Stephano. He's one of the best at Swarm Host controlling right now

http://www.twitch.tv/egstephano









Extremely highly recommend you to watch Rekatan's stream and past broadcasts He tries to use Swarm Hosts and experiment with them all the time he streams.Here is also YouTube channelCheck the latest recorded broadcasts from Stephano. He's one of the best at Swarm Host controlling right now

You should be active, don't stay at one place for a long time.



Don't leave them in one spot unless you know you can safely. If you see him moving up throw down a wave of Locusts and run back with Swarn Hosts.



Don't use only Swarm Hosts. Get a good support for them so they will support you too. Add Zerglings and Corruptors against Stalkers and Colossies. Use Vipers to fight better against Terran mech.



Try to make transitions with Swarm Hosts. With using Infestation Pit you're one step away from Hive technologies which are Vipers, Ultralisks and Brood Lords.



Use mass Changeling drops to block enemy movement temporary. Sometimes it can help your Locusts.







Some more videos with nice Swarm Host demonstration and general tips on these videos you can find below:



Hydra Host versus Terran Some more videos with nice Swarm Host demonstration and general tips on these videos you can find below:

Probably one of highest DPS which Zerg can reach - Hydralisks and Locusts. They have lower health amount, but on other side - half of army is renewable again and again, so this meatshield with Locusts can cover Hydralisks greatly.



Hydralisks can snipe Vikings (vs Vipers) and Medivacs (which healing bio)



Some hydralisks at base can snipe Medivacs and drops very quickly with spores. Plus Hydras are enoughly fast to follow Medivac-drops and enoughly DPSy to snipe them and dropped Marines



Nydus Worm at each base fully compensates immobility of Swarm Hosts. With nyduses you can fight with drops even with swarm hosts or other slow units except zerglings





Always relocate them, get more queens as healers and anti-observer snipers. Queens have biggest anti-air weapon range of all zerg units (7 AA-range for Queens against 6 for Hydras and 6 for Corruptors).





(7 AA-range for Queens against 6 for Hydras and 6 for Corruptors). If you see danger, like Protoss killed your locusts too fast, or trying to catch you with Blink stalkers, then you can retreat via Nydus Worm and heal it with queens to make Worm live a bit longer untill you retreat with all your Swarm Hosts



0:35:00 and till the end of game



+ Show Spoiler +







Swarm Wars

Fungals can stun any strong combination of units, including hydralisk-roach, which can do nothing against incoming locust waves. Fungals also allows you to hold enemy units untill you get new wave of Locusts.



Spine Crawlers and Spores can heavily defend Swarm Hosts from speedling / speedroach / muta runbys



spread Swarm Hosts so they can't be easily revealed with single fungal



try to make small amount of mutas or corruptors to snipe overseers. SH+Corruptor is as strong, as in ZvP



in long SH vs SH battles in ZvZ use Abduct on enemy Swarm Hosts. It will allow your Locusts to snipe enemy Swarm Hosts. Remember that Abduct unburrows enemy unit.



Abduct enemy Infestors and Overseers into your Spines and Spores, so you will pay energy for killing important enemy units



Try to use small amount of banes (4 and more) to open path for your Locusts to enemy Swarm Hosts, especially abducted ones.



Watch game from ~ 1:19:00



+ Show Spoiler +







Post here in comments nice videos, VODs, stream broadcasts and replays with Swarm Hosts usage

and lets descuss how to use them or how to fight against them.