Your Zerg build order tactics are crucial to winning the game. Small adjustments in your Zerg build order strategy will have a major effect on your winning or losing of the battle. I’ve outlined a useful guideline as well as two separate specific strategies below that you should attempt. Both of them will be useful when playing against different races, depending on the map and your opponent’s game plan. A great idea with the Zerg is to constantly make sure to scout as you construct your buildings and soldiers. You should vary your build orders depending on what your scouts discover.
The Zerg have to produce workers and combat units from the same resource, which makes it truly vital to pay attention to Zerg macro – carefully plan the use of your production capacities. Protoss or Terran players will generally create worker and combat units simultaneously at the start of the battle, while the Zerg race have the ability to focus entirely on one or the other. The number of Hatcheries you generate and the Larva that come from them eventually become the most important factor for your build.
Zerg Build – Early Battle|Zerg Build Order Strategy – Early to Mid Game
These Zerg builds will get you past the first part of the game in strong position, and can be used vs. any race.
At the beginning, you want to pay attention on your economy, so don’t play around with Extractor tricks. Begin with nine Overlord – it is significantly more effective than 10 Overlord.
At twelve, deploy your first scouting Drone.
13 Spawning pool is much quicker (about five seconds) than 14 Spawning pool, which makes a big difference vs. 6 pools or proxy gates.
This also means you are 5 seconds faster on zergling speed or a baneling nest.
14 Overlord – Save larva
6 Zerglings. It is critical to create these quickly to defend yourself against minor attacks your opponent may throw at you, and you can also win quickly if they can get into the enemy headquarters.
Drones – stop mining Vespine gas after 100
When you have 20-22 food, start to generate your first Hatchery and Overlord.
When your initial larva injection is done, begin mining gas again with your drones.
Except for smaller maps against a Terran, you almost always want to set up a second base early so you can make more Larva. A single Hatchery is just not enough. When you build the second Hatchery, your resource generation will really improve.
Zerg Build Orders – Fast Drones
A final Zerg build I have had a lot of success with is to make it a priority to get ten Drones as soon as you can.
You want to focus on accumulating 200 Minerals. After getting to 10 Drones, the next step is to produce an Overlord, and then an additional 3 Drones.
Create a Spawning Pool immediately after you collect 200 Minerals. The Spawning Pool is a major target your enemy will go for, so be sure to place it in a place that’s difficult to get to. Place three Drones in your Extractor as you wait for the Spawning Pool to finish. Continue making additional Drones until the Spawning Pool is ready. Get your Queen out the second the Spawning Pool is done. Then create some extra Drones as well as some ‘lings.
Store one hundred Vespine gas and then upgrade the Spawning Pool with Metabolic Boost.
To protect your base, build a Baneling Nest as well as some Banelings. Banelings are supreme defensive troops that can defend against attackers while protecting your base and Spawning Pool.
Eric has been addicted to SC2 since the early beta release in Feb 2010. He is a top ranked Diamond League player thanks to his use of the Diamond Gamer In Game Addon and Shokz Guide.