Gystt
the revitalized hive world of Zagara
Gystt was a world purified by the protoss and long thought irreparable, until Overqueen Zagara restored it to life using the adostra. It became the site of the One-Day War and, afterward, Zagara's hive world.
Gystt was a planet under the control of the Zerg Swarm and the site of a planetary revitalization effort that restored life to a world the protoss had purified. It became the flashpoint for the One-Day War and afterward the hive world of Overqueen Zagara. (StarCraft: Evolution; StarCraft II: Shadow Wars)
A world purified and revived#
Gystt was a planet of prairies, broad scrubland, and green and purple forests, with marshes, rivers, and a major continent flanked by two subcontinents and a chain of islands. Shortly after the purification of Chau Sara, Gystt was purified by the protoss. The purification was so thorough that the world was thought irreparable, and in 2503 the protoss set up satellites in orbit to monitor the remains for any zerg activity. (StarCraft: Evolution)
Years after the End War, Overqueen Zagara sent a force to test the adostra, zerg-created creatures carrying xel'naga essence. The force disabled the satellites and, under the supervision of Abathur, began to revitalize the planet. The restored plantlife was able to exude nutrients and serve as a substitute for creep. Abathur, however, rejected Zagara's effort to meld the zerg with the xel'naga and her motions toward peace, and secretly created the chitha to seize control of zerg broods, lure the Daelaam and Terran Dominion to Gystt, and start a war among the three races. (StarCraft: Evolution)
The One-Day War#
After the Daelaam noticed their probes had been sabotaged, they sent a protoss fleet under Hierarch Artanis to purge the suspected zerg influence. Zagara, meanwhile, had reached out to Emperor Valerian Mengsk for aid. When the two leaders arrived, she extended a hand of peace, offering to revitalize worlds lost to war as she had Gystt. Skeptical, Artanis and Valerian sent down a survey team while negotiations continued. (StarCraft: Evolution)
The survey team was tricked by Abathur's chitha into exploring a cave containing adostra, which they destroyed, bringing negotiations to a halt. Zagara revealed that the adostra could not be reproduced and that their loss would mean war. A second force under the Daelaam and Dominion was likewise tricked into using a disruptor to destroy a second cave. Only through the quick thinking of the original survey team was the third and final cave saved. After Abathur's plot was exposed, the chitha destroyed, and the adostra secured, the Dominion, Daelaam, and Swarm began to negotiate how best to use the adostra to aid the sector. The final resting chamber of the adostra was guarded by both the Swarm and a Dominion force known as the Zerg Compliance Ground Force Unit. (StarCraft: Evolution)
Zagara's hive world#
After the conflict, Gystt became Zagara's hive world, the seat from which the Overqueen would often operate. (StarCraft II: Shadow Wars)
Frequently asked questions
- What is Gystt in StarCraft?
- Gystt was a planet of prairies, scrubland, and green and purple forests under the control of the Zerg Swarm. It was the site of a planetary revitalization effort that restored life to a world the protoss had purified, and it later became the hive world of Overqueen Zagara.
- Why did the protoss purify Gystt?
- Shortly after the purification of Chau Sara, the protoss purified Gystt. The purification was so thorough that the world was thought irreparable, and in 2503 the protoss set up satellites in orbit to monitor the remains for any zerg activity.
- How was Gystt revitalized?
- Years after the End War, Overqueen Zagara sent a force to test the adostra, zerg-created creatures carrying xel'naga essence. The force disabled the protoss satellites and, under Abathur's supervision, revitalized the planet, with the restored plantlife exuding nutrients that served as a substitute for creep.
- What was the One-Day War on Gystt?
- The One-Day War was a conflict Abathur engineered by secretly creating the chitha to seize control of zerg broods and lure the Daelaam and Terran Dominion to Gystt. The survey teams of the three factions destroyed two caves of adostra before Abathur's plot was exposed and the final cave was saved, after which the Dominion, Daelaam, and Swarm began negotiating how to use the adostra.
- What happened to Gystt after the One-Day War?
- After the conflict, Gystt became Zagara's hive world, the seat from which the Overqueen would often operate. The final resting chamber of the adostra was guarded by both the Swarm and a Dominion force known as the Zerg Compliance Ground Force Unit.
Gallery

Images via StarCraft Wiki
Sources
- BookStarCraft: Evolution, Timothy Zahn, 2016
- ComicStarCraft II: Shadow Wars, Valerie Watrous, Blizzard Entertainment, 2018
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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