Guardian
the zerg artillery flier
The guardian was the anti-ground aspect of the zerg mutalisk, a long range artillery flier converted from an existing mutalisk. In numbers it could lay waste to a base and ground force, but it had no defense against enemy aircraft.
The guardian was the anti-ground aspect of the zerg mutalisk, a long range artillery flier that the Swarm produced by converting an existing mutalisk into a heavier, bombarding form. Where the mutalisk was a fast and flexible attacker, the guardian was slow, heavy, and dedicated to striking targets on the ground from a great distance.
Origin and role#
The guardian was not bred from a larva directly but converted from an existing mutalisk, the Swarm's standard flying attacker. In undergoing this transformation, the mutalisk traded speed and air-to-air capability for the power to strike ground targets from far beyond the reach of most defensive weapons. The guardian's attack out-ranged almost all ground-to-air armaments, and a large flight of them could quickly reduce an enemy base and its ground forces to ruin, acting as a heavy bomber wing for the Swarm.
Limitations#
The guardian's specialization came at a cost. It had no defense whatsoever against enemy aircraft, which left it dependent on escorts such as ordinary mutalisks or devourers to screen it from threats above. Its slow speed compounded the problem: a guardian caught moving was vulnerable to ground-to-air fire, and its sluggishness made it an easy target for area-of-effect attacks and long range anti-air units. The guardian therefore performed best in coordinated flights, advancing under protection to bombard from a fixed standoff distance rather than maneuvering on its own.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a zerg guardian?
- The guardian was the anti-ground aspect of the zerg mutalisk, a long range artillery flier produced by converting an existing mutalisk into a heavier, bombarding form. Where the mutalisk was a fast and flexible attacker, the guardian was slow, heavy, and dedicated to striking targets on the ground from a great distance.
- How is a guardian created?
- The guardian was not bred from a larva directly but converted from an existing mutalisk, the Swarm's standard flying attacker. In the transformation, the mutalisk traded speed and air-to-air capability for the power to strike ground targets from far beyond the reach of most defensive weapons.
- What is the guardian good at?
- The guardian's attack out-ranged almost all ground-to-air weapons, and a large flight of them could quickly reduce an enemy base and its ground forces to ruin, acting as a heavy bomber wing for the Swarm.
- What are the guardian's weaknesses?
- The guardian had no defense whatsoever against enemy aircraft, leaving it dependent on escorts such as mutalisks or devourers. Its slow speed left it vulnerable while moving, making it an easy target for ground-to-air fire, area-of-effect attacks, and long range anti-air units, so it performed best in coordinated flights bombarding from a fixed standoff distance.
Gallery
Images via StarCraft Wiki
Sources
- WikiGuardian — StarCraft Wiki entry
- WikiMutalisk — StarCraft Wiki entry
- WikiDevourer — StarCraft Wiki entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Related entries
Devourer
The devourer was the anti-air aspect of the zerg mutalisk, slower than its parent strain but more resilient. Its attack flung corrosive acid spores that clung to enemy aircraft, weakening their armor and slowing their fire.
Mutalisk
The mutalisk was the primary airborne strain of the zerg, evolved from the mantis screamer and able to travel through atmosphere and deep space alike. Communicating by scent and attacking with parasitic glaive wurms, mutalisks wheeled across the skies in vast numbers over zerg nests and forces.
Zerg
The zerg are a ravenous collective of biologically advanced aliens who evolve by assimilating the essence of other species in pursuit of genetic perfection. Created by Amon's xel'naga on Zerus and bound to the Overmind, they grew into one of the three dominant powers of the galaxy.
Kerrigan's Swarm: the Zerg Swarm under the Queen of Blades
Kerrigan's Swarm was the faction of the Zerg Swarm led by Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, formed when the death of the Overmind split the leaderless zerg and Kerrigan seized control of the broods she would command through the Brood War, the Second Great War, and the war against Amon.
Drone
The drone was the zerg worker strain, gathering resources and morphing its own body into the living structures of the Swarm. A single drone, descended from one surviving larva, could seed an entire reborn zerg colony.
Larva
The larva was the base zerg unit from which all other strains and structures were born. Carrying the genetic code of the entire Swarm in its DNA, a single larva could pupate into any breed the hive required, and the first zerg the terrans ever encountered.
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