Zerglings are limited to fighting at close range, and they are weak and very easily killed. However, their cost and quick production rate lets the Zerg commander easily hatch great armies. And in vast numbers, Zerglings can quickly eliminate any ground enemy or structure that stands in their way. The 12 selectable unit constraint may be overcome. Designate Zerglings by the dozen by defining groups with Ctrl #. Once you have several groups, send them forth into battle by selecting the groups, selecting the Attack function with A, then clicking on a point past the enemy presence. The Zerglings will charge toward the point you specified and spread themselves out, attacking anything that stands in their way. Never order a big group of Zerglings to attack a specific enemy, as only a few can surround it, while the rest idly wait their turn.

They will suit you well in preemptive enemy base attacks early in a battle and likewise make great scouts because of their speed and low cost. Zerglings can burrow, so you would be wise to burrow a few at strategic points around the battlefield to help spot enemies en route to attack your base or expand their own territory.

Zerglings will not fare well against an opponent whose defenses have been established. If you wish to use Zerglings in the middle or toward the conclusion of a battle, you must develop the Metabolic Boost to increase their movement speed and Adrenal Glands to increase their rate of attack. Both enhancements are available at the Spawning Pool. Zerglings benefit tremendously from weapons upgrades evolved at the Evolution Chamber; when so many Zerglings are attacking quickly and all at once, those extra points of damage add up fast.

Your assumption may be that Zerglings work best on the front lines, but this is not the case. Because they can inflict damage quickly, but are easily killed, Zerglings are best sent forth once an enemy is already occupied with your stronger units. They are particularly useful in base sieges; once ten or so manage to surround an enemy structure, that structure will momentarily be reduced to a heap of rubble. Zerglings are by nature very vulnerable to flying assailants, so don't hesitate to burrow them should they come under fire unexpectedly.

You would be wise always to hatch some Zerglings no matter whom you are facing to take advantage of their aptitude toward stealth and reconnaissance. Whether or not you should rely on them in battle depends on how small a battlefield you have to work with and how many resources you have available.

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