Zerg Build Order | Strategy Guide | Learners Guide | Starcraft 2

[Messi]

This is a compilation list of multiple different Zerg Build orders for Starcraft 2 : Wings of Liberty. I will continually update this to have the latest and greatest builds.


Updated - 4-12-10

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Moderate rush :

I'm still working on what to do after but this rush almost always happens before the opponent has any units (includes travel time to opponents base)

9 Pool
3 Drones
Extractor
Drone
Overlord
Zerglings
Queen

Gets lings 1-5 seconds slower but gives a better income due to that extra drone and extractor


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It's a 6 pool 4 queen canal tech/rush (honestly, I'm not sure whether to call it a tech or a rush. I attack around 7:00 minutes in, but after having teched to tier 2).

That's my first success with the strategy, the missing piece for quite some time was the banelings. It works GREAT on terran, decent on protoss, and really well against zerg but I have a different cheese for zerg v zerg.

Curious? Go check it out.

Here's a loss I had while using it. If I had better micro it'd probably work better:

http://www.sc2rc.com/index.php/replay/show/628

After watching that actually there were many mistakes made there. First of all I shoulda just teched to mutas once I saw all those gaeways. This strategy's adaptive enough that if you expand then your queens arn't a total waste of cash. I also forgot to build the nydus canal there for a while.

The build order is:

6 Pool
5 Drone
6 Drone
7 Drone
8 Queen
10 Drone (extractor trick)
11 Overlord (you want this as close to the queens half way built mark as possible)
13 Queen (basically as soon as overlord is complete, the timing should work out so it's at most 4 seconds after)
14 Drone
15 Drone
16 Drone
18 Queen (soon as that last queen is done start building this one)
18 Gas
17 Drone

And then lair once the 3rd queen is built. Get an overlord and then another gas with 2 guys on it (I find 3 to be unnecessary for the second gas in this build) while the hatchery is upgrading. Then get the nydus, and then baneling nest as soon as you can after that. Also some zerglings while upgrading hatchery.

Note that I don't spawn larva every chance I get. There are two reasons for this:

1. I'm not the best player
2. The queens need their energy for transfusion.


The principles it works on is this:

1. The Queen is a defensive unit because she is very slow off of creep.
2. Queens fight best in groups of 2 or more for transfusion.
3. Nydus Canal negates most of the problem with the Queen's speed.
4. Say what you want about this strategy, it's rush proof. It eats the regular 6pool for breakfast, and often conquers rushes without losing a single unit. That doesn't mean that it's invincible against any sort of reasonable army. But it is rush proof.
5. As I said earlier, this strategy is flexible, I guess in many ways it's not a cheese, it's just risky and unorthodox, but it's not an all in.


Source : Cpthammer.moist


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My build order is usually:

Drone - To cap (10/10)
Overlord
Drone
Drone
Spawning pool
Queen
Extractor
Roach Warren
Lair

So far it's been going well for me, moved up about 30 ranks in the last few hours. (Gold, 37th from 76th)

Source: Eyelessone.mdkp


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15 Hatch
Pool
Take two main gas
Lair
Spire
Take two nat gas

Then all mutalisks, because the first maps were kind of island maps i figured mutas would give me the best mobility, and it worked pretty nicely. Just watching HotBid's Hydrarush build.


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14 Pool
14 Gas
18 Queen
20: Queen pops, should have enough gas to tech to lair
22: Take second gas
27: Lair should finish, build hydra den
Get grooved spine when hydra den is done

Make lots of hydras and some lings


I'll watch more games of him I suppose.

Some notes:

-Constantly build drones, use larva injection, keep queen alive at all costs
-When you get harassed early on and are in danger of losing your queen, keeping it behind mineral line is a pretty good idea
-A spine crawler building or two can be added somewhere there in that build.
-Going queen before hatch is typically a good idea. He's been doing just fine going off 1 hatch.


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(A really standard build order)

14 Pool -> 14 Gas(3 workers) -> 16 Queen -> 18 Overlord -> 18 Speedling upgrade or roach warren -> 21-25 pump units or die.

Its not perfect but it should help you..


In 1v1 you could make more drones and expand early.
In 2v2 get a spine crawler in there, somewhere.


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Roach rush:

10 Overlord
13 Spawning Pool
15 Gas

Not sure of number but the second pool pops make Queen and Roach Warren and up to you to make a couple lings or more Drones to 18/18 and make an Overlord the second you get 100 min. Once Queen pops due here ability for 4 more larva and just pump Roaches and upgrade to Lair depending on how it's going and then upgrade Burrow. I also usually will throw in a 2nd gas once the initial 3-4 Roaches are out and 2 Drones on the second gas is more than enough fro Roach spam at the start.

Decent overall build as long as it's not some super early rush is:

10 Overlord
15 Hatchery at expansion
14 Spawning Pool
13 Gas

From there it's up to you to go fast Lair to tech to Hydras or Mutas and then make Queen after or make a Queen and pump mass lings and some drones and then upgrade Lair and get Metabolic Boost for lings at the Spawning Pool. From here you can go Banelings and speed lings or go from speed lings into Hydra or Muta. Depending on gas needs you will make a 2nd gas quickly or if you are over whelming with lings/banelings then get it when you feel comfortable.
Obviously how you proceed with any build is situational. Just a couple of the builds I use. Hope it helps.

1v1 ZvZ it seems that a Roach into Hydra build with lings to support is the best option that I've seen normally. Against Protoss you can take advantage of their air to air inferiority early game with Mutas, but don't get over ran by Zealots/ground units early. Against Terran a speed ling/baneling early into Hydras has worked best for me. Watch out for early Void Rays and Banshees!! Again everything is situational. :P

Source : Kindread.kamikaze


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(I am 2v2 gold / 2v2 Platinum zerg player here is my build order)

9 Overlord
13 Pool
16 Extractor
16 Overlord
Make queen immediately when spawning pool finishes
Make roach warden immediately when you get 150 minerals,
Make two zerglings send to xel'naga towers
Grab second extractor
Make more drones
As soon as you get 100 gas, make lair
Make roaches
etc....

Your Xel'naga towers will provide you with a warning in case the enemy rushes. If you see a rush skip lair and make roaches.

Source : Staradmiral.destroyer


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10 - Overlord
10 - Spawning Pool
13 - Extractor (when finished move three drones)
12 - 6 Zerglings (rush)
12 - Queen
13 - Overlord

From there it depends on what happens with the rush. I might pump my economy and/or go for an expansion. If the first rush is successful but not crippling I'll use the mass larvae to make a much larger second wave. Sometimes I'll do a quick tech to lair.

In all cases though I go to roaches and hydras and ignore lings after the early rushing. I am doing moderately well (I'm not a very high APM player). Got silver 3rd division after my first 10 games of 1v1.

I find that if I use the queen's larvae ability all the time, I don't really need to waste the resources on extra hatcheries. Also, I try to reach Hive tech quickly since I can give my roaches the improved regen upgrade, and I have found that it makes them much more effective. The extra range on the hydralisks is also incredibly nice. Haven't really found myself using the burrow-move much with the roaches. Maybe I'll get into that with some higher level play

Source : Zalasz.warillithid


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Alright so my build order is like this:

Get to 10 drones
Overlord
3 more drones
Spawning pool
Extractor
Drones till 14
Queen
Roach Warren
Overlord
Roaches/Drones

I never have a problem getting rushed because generally I am rushing before they are and if they do rush me then I am able to stop it with roaches.


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[BSOS]

all of these BO's are good for getting started, I really suggest new players to play around with a very basic build order like this:

14 pool
16 extractor
16 queen

then do whatever you want.
It's a very loose build order and it gets you started with a pretty good economy and opens well against most builds.