The Zerg Swarm - Units and Structures

Hive

Once you've constructed a Queen's Nest, you have the option to mutate your Lair into a Hive. The Hive is a remarkably tough structure that enables the construction of the top-level Zerg facilities and, through those, the most powerful Zerg breeds. The death-dealing Zerg Guardian bombers and Ultralisk heavy assault warriors become available only after you upgrade to a Hive, as does the fiendish and dangerous Defiler. Further, a Hive is required before you can set up a Nydus Canal, which lets you transport ground forces between your bases almost instantaneously. The mutation from a Lair is costly, as are the construction options made available thereafter, so you must not feel obliged to commit to the transformation until you have a large surplus of resources. Your Drones may continue to bring harvested resources to your Hive-in-progress as it forms.

Hit Points	2,500
Time to Build	120
Cost	200m 150g (plus Lair)
Requires	Queen's Nest
Special Options	Control provided: 1   Evolve Burrow 100m 100g Time 80   Mutate to Hive 200m 150g Time 120 Requires Queen's Nest   Ventral Sacs 200m 200g time 200   Antennae 150m 150g Time 133   Pneumatized Carapace 150m 150g Time 133

While you need a Hive to produce high-level structures like the Ultralisk Cavern, once those are set up, the corresponding Zerg breeds may be hatched from any Larva. Thus, you need only one Hive, while expansion bases may operate soundly from Hatcheries. A Hive still supports a maximum of three Larva at any one time.

Next: Extractor