The Reckoning | StarCraft: Brood War (Zerg #9)
Somewhere on the planet Char.
Six hours later.
BRIEFING
Duran: My Queen, with the Overmind and its cerebrates destroyed, all of the Zerg in this sector have reverted to your direct control. The remnants of the UED fleet have fled the planet, but I have no idea how many functional ships they still possess.
We have finished relocating your primary hive clusters to this orbital platform. However, we do have a problem. Somehow, Zeratul and his brethren were able to bypass our defenses and steal their Matriarch away from us.
Kerrigan: Damn Zeratul! He is a formidable adversary. Where have they run to, Duran?
Duran: Our scouts report that they have regrouped with a number of Protoss survivors on the surface of Char. The Matriarch is being held within a stasis cell, leading me to suspect that the Protoss will attempt to take her home to Shakuras.
Kerrigan: Heh. They still believe that she can be saved from my influence… Zeratul will be very disappointed to learn that Raszagal is beyond redemption. How much time before their fleet is ready to debark for Shakuras?
Duran: They will be capable of dimensional recall within thirty minutes, my Queen.
Kerrigan: That may be all the time we need. Cerebrate, mobilize all of my broods and send them to the surface of Char. I want you to bring both the Matriarch and Zeratul to me alive. Terminate the remaining Protoss with extreme predudice.
OBJECTIVES
- Destroy the Protoss base within 30 minutes.
- Recover the Matriarch and Zeratul.
RESOURCES
You start with 8 Drones, 5 Hydralisks, 8 Zerglings, 1 Ultralisk, 2 Lurkers, 2 Guardians, and 5 Overlords.
Buildings: 1 Hive, 1 Hatchery, Extractor, Spawning Pool, Hydralisk Den, 2 Evolution Chambers, Ultralisk Cavern, Queen’s Nest, Defiler Mound, Greater Spire, 3 Sunken Colony, and 4 Spore Colony.
300 Minerals – 200 Vespene Gas – 29/42 Supplies.
STRATEGY
NOTE: This mission starts with a 30:00 minutes countdown. If you complete this mission in 25:00 minutes or less, you activate the unlocking of a secret mission titled DARK ORIGIN.
Send the 8 Drones to harvest minerals from different nodes each.
Build 2 Drones.
Select the Spawning Pool. Evolve Metabolic Boost (M) for faster Zergling movement.
Burrow your 2 Lurkers.
Send 3 Drones to harvest Vespene Gas.
Build 10 Drones.
Select the Defiler Mound. Evolve Consume (C).
Build a Drone.
Select the Spawning Pool. Evolve Adrenal Glands.
Build 3 Drones.
Build 2 Overlords.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings.
Build a second Evolution Chamber.
Build a Drone.
Build a Defiler.
Build an egg of Zerglings.
Build a Ultralisk.
Build 2 egg of Zerglings.
Set the Defiler to consume 2 Zerglings to increase its energy.
Build 2 Drones.
Build a Hatchery between the Hive and the Hatchery.
Build a fourth Hatchery above the Greater Spire.
Send all your Zerglings, the Ultralisk, the 2 Guardians, and the Defiler to attack the Terran base to the south. First, send your Guardian to kill this Siege Tank.
Now send the Ultralisks to attack the Bunker, drawing fire. Command the Defiler to cast Dark Swarm on the Bunker, and send the Zerglings to destroy the Bunker.
Build 3 eggs of Zerglings.
If necessary, consume a Zergling or two to cast another Dark Swarm on the next Bunker.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings.
Select the Evolution Chamber. Upgrade Melee Attacks (M) Level 1.
Send the newest Zerglings to assist your Ultralisks at the Terran base.
Select the Evolution Chamber. Upgrade Missile Attacks (A) Level 1.
Build an egg of Zerglings.
Send the newest Zerglings to assist your Ultralisks at the Terran base.
Consume more Zerglings if needed to cast Dark Swarm. Protect your Ultralisks and Zerglings.
Build 4 Drones.
Select the Ultralisk Cavern. Evolve Chitinous Plating to improve Ultralisk armor.
Build a Hatchery at south expansion.
Send any new Zerglings to assist your Ultralisks.
Build 4 Drones.
Build 5 Overlords.
WARNING: COMPLETELY IGNORE THE UED BASE (NORTH). IF YOU ENGAGE, YOU WONT BE ABLE TO FINISH THIS MISSION BEFORE THE COUNTDOWN REACHES 5:00.
Select the Hydralisk Den. Evolve Muscular Augments for faster Hydralisk movement.
Select all Hatcheries and Rally them above the Hatchery at the south expansion.
Build 8 eggs of Zerglings.
Unburrow the 2 Lurkers and move them to the south expansion. Burrow them above the Hatchery.
Build 5 eggs of Zerglings.
Build 7 Drones.
Select 12 Drones from the main base and command them to harvest minerals at the south expansion. Delect (shift+click) a drone. Harvest another mineral node. Deselect (shift+click) a drone. Harvest another mineral node. Rinse and repeat until all 12 have been assigned a different node.
Build an Extractor on the Vespene Geyser at south expansion.
Select the Ultralisk Cavern. Evolve Anabolic Synthesis.
Build 2 Sunken Colony above the Hatchery at south expansion.
Build 2 Sunken Colony far to the east of the other ones — the Terran base (north) likes to send Marines and Firebats along the cliff to use the south expansion’s ramp to attack main base. For some reason the AI skips the fact you have a base right there.
Build a Drone at south expansion.
Select the Defiler Mound. Evolve Plague.
(7:28) Terran attack main base’s Sunken Colony from the northeast.
Select the Hydralisk Den. Evolve Grooved Spines to increase Hydralisk attack range.
Build 2 Spore Colony above the Hatchery at south expansion.
Build 2 Drones at south expansion.
Send 2 Drones to harvest Vespene Gas at south expansion.
At main base, select 3 Drones and build 2 Sunken Colony and 1 Spore Colony near the northmost Sunken Colony.
Build 9 eggs of Zerglings.
Build 2 Drones at south expansion.
Select an Evolution Chamber. Upgrade Melee Attacks (M) Level 2.
Select an Evolution Chamber. Upgrade Carapace (C) Level 2.
Select an Evolution Chamber. Upgrade Missile Attacks (A) Level 2.
Build 12 Hydralisks at main base.
Build 3 Hydralisks at south expansion.
Build 4 Hydralisks at main base.
Build 2 Hydralisks at main base.
Rally all your Hydralisks and Zerglings to this location (see the mini-map).
Build a Defiler at main base. Send it to the Rally location.
Build 2 Overlords.
Build a Defiler.
Build an Overlord.
Cast Dark Swarm over this Photon Cannon and attack with all your Zerglings and Hydralisks. That Dark Archon might try to cast Feedback at your Defiler.
Select the Hive. Evolve Pneumatized Carapace (P) for faster Overlord movement.
Build 12 Hydralisks at main base.
Build 2 Ultralisks at south expansion.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Build a Defiler.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings.
Build 2 Overlords at south expansion.
Build 4 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Build a Hydralisk at south expansion.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Build a Hydralisk at main base.
Build a Hydralisk at south expansion.
Build an egg of Zerglings at main base.
Build 3 Overlords at main base.
Build an egg of Zerglings at main base.
Continue to Rally all your Hydralisks, Zerglings and Defilers here.
Select the Defilers and Consume Zerglings until they reach 200/200 energy.
Send Overlords to the Rally point — but careful they don’t path into a Photon Cannon at the Protoss base.
Build 3 eggs of Zerglings.
Select the Hive. Evolve Ventral Sacs for Overlord transportation.
Move the Hydralisks and Zerglings closer to the protoss base. Cast Plague on the Scouts, and lure them into the Hydralisks — don’t stop the Defiler from running in case the Dark Archon comes to cast Feedback.
NOTE: The Dark Archon can easily kill 2-3 Defilers with Feedback. Feedback only costs 50 energy.
Consume Zerglings as needed to keep 200/200 Defiler energy.
Send the entire army into the Protoss base.
Build 5 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Build 3 eggs of Zerglings at south expansion.
The protoss base has Reavers, High Templars (with Psi Storm) and Dragoons. Set the Defiler to cast Dark Swarm and destroy them with your Hydralisks and Zerglings.
Build a Hydralisk at south expansion.
Build 6 Hydralisks at main base.
Build 3 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Continue to destroy the Protoss base — focus on Photon cannons, and Pylons, when there are no other Protoss units. Then all buildings.
Build 8 Hydralisks at main base.
Build 2 eggs of Zerglings at south expansion.
Build 3 eggs of Zerglings at main base.
Build 2 Hydralisks.
Rally any new unit to assist destroying the Protoss base.
Build 3 Hydralisks at main base.
Continue that pace of production.
Select the Evolution Chambers and upgrade to Level 3.
Once the Protoss base is destroyed, load hydralisks and zerglings inside Overlords and unload them at the Protoss Stasis Cell to destroy the photon cannons and pylons.
(Mission Complete)
STRATEGY #2
Do the exact thing as Strategy #1 up to the point where you build the south expansion + Sunken colony defenses. Then switch to Strategy #2 below:
Build 24 Mutalisks.
Mutate 12 Mutalisks into Guardians. Select them and keybind by pressing SHIFT + 1.
Mutate 12 Mutalisks into Devourers. Select them and keybind by pressing SHIFT + 2.
Destroy the 2 Photon cannons at the Protoss Stasis Cell with your Guardians.
Then attack the Probes with the Guardians and defend the Guardians with the Devourers focusing all the Devourers (Press the 2 key) on the attacker: Corsair, Scouts, and/or Carrier.
Once all air units, Templars, or Dragoons are killed, you can focus on destroying the Photon Cannons and Pylons EXCLUSIVELY.
Once all Pylons are destroyed, destroy the remaining buildings and protoss units.
(Mission Complete)
The camera view is focused on a Protoss Shuttle.
The Shuttle unloads Zeratul near the Protoss Stasis Cell.
3 Overlords approach and unload Kerrigan and 3 Ultralisks.
Zeratul: Damn you, Kerrigan, for what I must do!
Raszagal: Thank you, Zeratul… You have freed me from her vile control at last. You have always served me with honor… Thus I must ask you… to watch over my tribe… Into your hands I give the future.
Kerrigan: (Gasp) I can hardly believe this! You’ve killed your own Matriarch!
Zeratul: Better that I killed her, than let her live as your slave, Kerrigan.
Kerrigan: Well, I have misjudged you, warrior. You are worthy, indeed. You are free to go.
Zeratul: What?
Kerrigan: I said, you are free to go. I’ve already taken your honor. I’ll let you live, because I know that from now on, your every waking moment will be torture. You’ll never be able to forgive yourself for what I’ve forced you to do. And that, Zeratul, is a better revenge than I could have ever dreamed of.
Zeratul: You will regret this decision, Kerrigan. We shall meet again.
(Zeratul is recalled by a unseen Arbiter)
NOTE: If you completed the mission before the countdown timer hits 5:00, you unlock the secret mission: DARK ORIGIN.
BONUS LEVEL ACTIVATED!
FACTIONS
- Zerg Swarm
- Ara Tribe (Protoss Warband)
- UED Remnants
- Sargas Tribe (Protoss Warband)
Episode 1: Rebel Yell (TERRAN CAMPAIGN)
Episode 2: Overmind (ZERG CAMPAIGN)
Episode 3: The Fall (PROTOSS CAMPAIGN)
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