WCS![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QIN0H.png)
It's a guide+discussion thread. Everyone can argue here, post facts and discuss with others about Vipers. I've just gave a discussion theme with some initial known facts and ideas about Vipers
Vipers - new Zerg casters, that are available from Larva on Hive, gives some new strategies and adds some dynamic into old Zerg gameplay. I want to write a small guide with listing some knowing for me facts and some ideas, how to use abilities and when it's more or less effective.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/j6Ojh.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/GfwL8.png)
Probably nothing special or unique. Viper just consumes 200 HP from any building and getting 50 energy during 20 seconds. So it's a 2.5 energy/10 HP per second. Cause Viper's mineral cost is low (only 100 minerals), it's not really true. They're taking HP from buildings that cost minerals too, and why it's better to consume Extractor or Evolution Chamber, but never consume Spine/Spore Crawler, I'll write below. But first some stats about Zerg buildings, that costs only minerals.
Note. You can't consume buildings, that are in building process.
Bronze note. You can't consume enemy Zerg buildings.
Extractor
* can be built anywhere on any Vespene geyser
* Fastest building time - 30 seconds
* HP count - 500 (enought for 2,5 consumes)
* Full cost - 75 minerals (25 + Drone)
* If too far from base, you can't heal with queens. Or send queen too, but it's not effective
Evolution Chamber
* can be built anywhere on creep
* building time - 35seconds
* HP count - 750 (enought for 3,75 consumes)
* Full cost - 125 minerals (75 + Drone)
* Can be healed with queens, because mostly on home base nearby queens
Hatchery
* can be built anywhere
* building time - 100 seconds
* HP count - 1500 (enought for 7,5 consumes)
* Full cost - 350 minerals (300 + Drone)
Spore Crawler
* can be built only on creep
* building time - 30
* HP count - 400
* Full cost - 125 (75 + drone)
* can be Consumed while uprooted
Spine Crawler
* can be built only on creep
* building time - 50
* HP count - 300
* Full cost - 150 (100 + drone)
* can be Consumed while uprooted
What to consume first?
The most efficient building in terms of cost and HP is Extractor. For 225 minerals (75*3) you can get 1500 HP, like from Hatchery. But it requires 3 drones instead one, but at same time it can be built everywhere on Geysers and very quickly - just 30 seconds.
Second candidate to Consume is Evolution Chamber - it can be consumed, it has a lot of HP - 750, and cheap too. For 250 minerals (125 * 2), including 2 drones lost, you can get exactly same amount of HP (1500), like hatchery.
The worst candidate to Consume is Spine Crawler. It's very expensive and has low amount of HP per cost. Well, I've placed above all mineral buildings in order, what to Consume first. Extractors are the best, and Spine Crawlers are the worst.
Try to consume as many buildings at time, as you can. Like one building per Viper. Because average health regeneration will be higher, than regeneration of one building.
Under term "Average regeneration" I mean summarized regeneration of 2+ buildings. Two and more Zerg buildings will regenerate slowly more HP, than one at same time. If you consume one building with many Vipers, that building will regenerate always at same speed which is slow. Try to consume more buildings at same time and you will have more regenerating buildings, more than one.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vrfk4.jpg)
In other word, try to consume as many buildings, as many Vipers you have. Also try to consume buildings that are maxed at health, so later they will regenerate too!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/8FSEX.png)
- Cost - 100 energy
- Turns all ranged units into Melee in 2.5 radius (same as Fungal Growth)
- Works vs defensive structures too, like Planetary Fortress, Spine/Spore Crawlers, Rocket Launchers and Photon cannons. Instead Melee it decreases radius of defensive buildings to 1, so those buildings still can atack units, that are very close, like Zerglings around PF.
- Does not blinds Bunker
- Blinding cloud does not prevents from using spells and abilities
- Blinding cloud not works vs air
- Blinding cloud also lowers radius of Ultralisk atack from 1 to Melee. It can be used to make them glitching more when they're trying to reach their target
- Blinding cloud totally shutdowns Siege Tanks
- For now, blinding cloud still works under Phase Field (Oracle's ability)
- Blinding Cloud is also effective with a big number of Zerglings. They can block enemy movement and don't allow to enemy to leave Blinding Cloud. This combo with lings+cloud is also good on ramp, and adding Ultralisk burrow charge can make this scenario more deadly to enemy, because ultralisk can easily burrow charge into enemy masses on the ramp and deal a lot damage, because half of enemy units are blinded and can't atack ultralisk. Demonstration of ling+cloud+ultralisk combo you can see on 2nd video below
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/YJXDJ.png)
Blinding cloud significantly increases effectiveness of Swarm Hosts against tanks. Probably, scenario unfolds at 180 degrees. Without blinding cloud, Siege Tanks fully counter Swarm Host locust waves without any damage. But with Blinding Cloud locusts can reach Siege lines and destroy them with some waves. Well, Abduct is less effective in this scenario, but it's good too. Lets look at Abduct ability.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Iv5m8.png)
- Cost - 75 energy
- You can not Abduct Larva. Also you can't abduct units if you have unpassable terrain under viper.
- Abduct can be used on your units, that opens some gameplay features like saving some units or transporting them over cliff.
- Ultralisks can be Abducted too. So if someone thinks that Frenzy effect prevents from Abducting - they're wrong
- Mothership and M-Core can be abducted too
- If you Abduct burrowed units, they become unburrowed. Probably this is a reason, why Vipers officially considered good versus Swarm Hosts
- When using Shift for multiple commands, like Abduct and then move back, here are an interesting moment. Viper starts move back during Abduct process, but Abducted unit will be pulled to a location, where Viper started to Abduct. In result, if use Shift-Abduct-move command, Viper will move away from Abducted target for a ~3-4 cells.
- You can not abduct uprooted Spine/Spore crawlers
Targets for Abduct
- Abduct Ultralisk over cliff. You can "transport" your units via Abduct and pull them to higher ground. It's a new Zerg answer to cliff-jumping Reapers and Colossies
- Abduct enemy units to your baneling field.
- Abduct enemy units closer to your Locusts to save time and allow for Locusts to kill more
- Abduct your Drone and some units to island, like on Metropolis.
- Abduct enemy Immortals and Sentries to kill them faster and/or eliminate mass force fields
- Abduct enemy drop that is flying away
- Abduct enemy drop away from your base to get some time untill your forces come to defend base against drop
- Abduct enemy Vikings to kill them quickly
- Abduct enemy Oracle that quickly flying away
- Abduct your Queen to high/low ground to place creep tumor under Overlord. Not need for Ovie-transport upgrade!
- Abduct your Drone to high/low ground to start build proxy-Spines or Hatchery. Nit much viable at Hive-tech
- Abduct away enemy SCV that is building something
- Abduct your overlord to save it from ground aa units
- Crazy idea. Abduct your overlord with transport upgrade but without speed upgrade.
