Lair Tactics
The Lair is the upgraded version of the Zerg Hatchery. It retains all of the previous abilities of the Hatchery such as producing larvae and allows for additional upgrades, units and buildings.
In order to upgrade the Hatchery into a Lair you also require a Spawning Pool to be built beforehand and to be present. The price to upgrade the Hatchery to a Lair is 150 minerals and another one hundred gas.
The Lair has additional health and vision range compared to the Hatchery and is required for the more advanced Zerg units and structures to be created. These units tend to require more gas than the more basic Zerg units. The Lair can see the edge of its own Creep as well.
The Zerg buildings that are unlocked by the creation of the Lair are the Infestation Pit, Hydralisk Den, Spire, and the Nydus Network. The Hydralisk Den is required for producing Hydralisks which are a versatile ranged unit that can attack both air and ground targets with equal effectiveness.
The Infestation Pit is required in order for the Zerg player to produce Infestors. Infestors are great offensive spell casters of the Zerg race that are able to ensnare enemies, spawn Infested Terrans and mind control enemy units once the appropriate ability is researched at the Infestation Pit.
The Spire structure is needed for Zerg air units to be produced and can later be upgraded into a Greater Spire once the Lair is upgraded into a Hive itself. The Spire allows for the Mutalisk and Corruptor to be produced from larvae. The Mutalisk is a versatile air unit that can attack both ground and air targets while the Corruptor is specialized in taking down stronger air units.
The Nydus Network allows the Zerg to almost instantaneously travel from one point of the map to another point. It is very useful for harassing your opponent’s bases although it does take time to setup. The Lair also allows the Overlord to spew creep and to morph into an Overseer for an additional cost.
There are also three upgrades that are enabled that can be researched at either the Lair or a Hatchery structure. The first upgrade is called Burrow which allows certain Zerg units to burrow underground, remaining hidden.
The second upgrade enabled is Pneumatized Carapace which increases the movement speed of both Overseers and Overlords, making them ideal for scouting around the map. It’s an important upgrade if you wish to use the Overlord for transporting units. This brings us to the third upgrade that is enabled which is called Ventral Sacs. This upgrade allows Overlords to transport Zerg units. Overlords could thus be used to help harass enemy bases as well as drop Banelings on enemy forces.
Learning to scout effectively will give you an incredible advantage when deciding on when you should upgrade your Hatchery into a Lair. There are certain things that you want to be looking for such as your opponent’s force deployment. Keep in mind that there is the same chance that someone is scouting your moves also! While this game is different from the original and takes some practice, following these basic rules should help you on your way to becoming a Zerg champion.
