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The Zerg Swarm - Units and Structures
Creep Colony
Aside from a Hatchery and an Extractor, every Zerg structure - including the Creep Colony itself - must be built over the fleshy organic blanket called the Creep. Creep spreads outward from a Hatchery over a fairly wide radius, but only so far. To extend the borders of their domain, the Zerg must set up Creep Colonies on the outskirts of the Creep. Creep Colonies then proceed to extend the borders of the thick, purple stuff outward beyond the Hatchery's limited radius to an equivalent margin.
| Hit Points | 400 | | Time to Build | 20 | | Cost | 75m 0g | | Requires | Hatchery | | Special Options | Mutate into Spore Colony Requires Evolution Chamber
Mutate into Sunken Colony Requires Spawning Pool
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Creep Colonies are defenseless, but for a small price they may morph into either a Sunken Colony that attacks any nearby enemy units with a subterranean tentacle or a Spore Colony that assaults aerial assailants with deadly spores. Because of their defensive potential, you may wish to build several Creep Colonies in close proximity if you seek to protect a key area.
Sunken Colony
After you build a Spawning Pool, you may upgrade a Creep Colony into a Sunken Colony, which roots itself deep within the Creep and assaults any incoming ground enemies with a barbed tentacle that lashes out and strikes fiercely from underground. The Subterranean Tentacle inflicts substantial damage with each strike, but its very slow rate of attack makes it an ineffective defense against large groups of enemy units who can easily swarm the Sunken Colony and destroy it in spite of its durability. The Subterranean Tentacle has a considerably long range and attacks from just beyond the border of the Creep generated from the host Creep Colony. Nevertheless, certain units like Terran Siege Tanks in siege mode may strike the Sunken Colony from out of range. Likewise, the Sunken Colony is completely vulnerable to flying units, and unlike its Spore Colony cousin, it cannot detect cloaked enemies.
| Hit Points | 400 | | Time to Build | 40 | |
Cost | 75m 0g | | Requires | Spawning Pool | | Special Options | Subterranean Tentacle, 30 damage
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While it often proves helpful to set up a few Sunken Colonies to help defend your base if only to discourage an all-out assault, these expensive structures are entirely ineffective without support from Zerg units.
Spore Colony
You can elect to morph a Creep Colony into a Spore Colony for a small price after you set up an Evolution Chamber. A Spore Colony fires acidic spores at a rapid rate against any enemy aerial units that venture into its substantial attack radius. Though Seeker Spores inflict little damage with each hit, the Colony attacks quickly enough so that any flying unit that hesitates under its continuous fire will be severely damaged or destroyed. And while the Spore Colony is less powerful than the Terran Missile Turret and Protoss Photon Cannon, it is a much hardier structure and can withstand twice as much damage.
| Hit Points | 400 | | Time to Build | 40 | | Cost | 50m 0g (plus Creep Colony) | | Requires | Evolution Chamber | | Special Options | Detector
Seeker Spores, 15 damage |
Spore Colonies also contain sensors that reveal any cloaked enemy forces in their immediate vicinity, much like Zerg Overlords. They serve as a useful deterrent against enemy air power (especially cloaked Terran Wraiths), but work best in conjunction with plenty of Zerg Hydralisks, who provide potent support fire to help bring down any offending aircraft.
Next: Advanced Zerg Structures 
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