Spawn Larva

[e][h]Spawn Larva

Spell Information

Caster(s):

Queen

Cost:

 25

Hotkey:

V

Range:

1

Cooldown:

1.8 s

Duration:

29 s (Queen)

Researched from:

No research needed

Spawn Larva (also known as Inject) is a spell cast by the Queen that increases the amount of Larva at a Hatchery, Lair, or Hive. The Queen injects 3 Larva eggs into a Hatchery (or Lair or Hive), which after 29 seconds, spawn into 3 Larvae. The Larvae are then ready to be morphed into units at the targeted Hatchery.

A Hatchery can only spawn from one set of Larva eggs at a time. Casting Spawn Larva on a Hatchery that is already spawning larva will add the Larva eggs into a queue. The Hatchery will automatically begin spawning Larva from the queue when the previous spawn completes.

Use

Spawn Larva is the most powerful ability at the Queen's disposal. At every possible chance, the Queen's energy should be used to spawn additional Larva at a particular Hatchery. One Queen will recover enough energy to constantly spawn Larva at one Hatchery. This ability increases the ability of Zerg to produce any type of unit. As a general rule of thumb, each base the Zerg obtains can support one Hatchery with a Queen and its Spawn Larva ability.

When opening with Zerglings it is especially important to be using Spawn Larva at every available opportunity. The low cost of Zerglings and Drones means Larvae are used up very quickly. Missing even a single Spawn Larva while building primarily Zerglings and Drones can result in a stiff halt in production.

A Hatchery with fewer than 3 Larva will naturally spawn one Larva per 11 seconds. To maximize Larva production, it is important to quickly use the Larva spawned via Spawn Larva, so that it does not suppress the natural spawning process.

This spell can also be used on allied Hatcheries. For example, on team maps with close starting positions, one zerg can pursue Lair tech right after the Spawning Pool, while his team mate transfers a Queen (after casting spawn larva on her "home") over. This is usually followed by a Vespene donation as soon as e.g. Mutalisks become available.

Techniques

There are several methods for injecting Larvae across all your Hatcheries, try them all and find the one which suits your personal taste, or create your own.

Backspace Method

How-to:

• Assign all Queens to one hotkey
• Hit the hotkey for all Queens
• Hit V
• While holding down (right-side) shift alternate between:

• Hit Backspace to center your next base on the screen.
• Click center of screen.

Pros:

• If you have as many Queens as you do Hatcheries, using this technique can Spawn Larva at 5 Hatcheries in less than a second.
• You don't need more than one control group.

Cons:

• It can be difficult to master.
• You have to change your current view .
• You have to move your hand from the left side of the keyboard.

Tip: You can change the hotkey for cycling through your bases from Backspace to something that is easier to reach. Some people use Space

55v Method

How-to:

• Assign each Queen you control to a different hotkey. (5 through 9, for instance)
• Hit 5 and 5 again to center the screen on your first Queen
• Inject Larva
• Repeat for 6 through 9

Pros:

• It's easy to do.
• Having a separate hotkey for each Queen can be useful for base defense or laying down Creep Tumors

Cons:

• You have to change your current view.
• You may have to move your hand from the left side of the keyboard if you have many bases and queens.
• You need a lot of control groups.
• It can be difficult to do when having more than 4-5 Hatcheries / Lairs / Hives.

Individual Hatchery Method

This method is used by most Korean pros.

How-to:

• Assign each Hatchery to its own hotkey
• Double-tap the hotkey for a hatchery to jump to it
• Manually select Queen and inject
• Repeat for other Hatcheries

Pros:

• Allows you to monitor the progress of injects easily because you can go through the control groups to see how far the injection is from completion, therefore it's easier not to miss injects even when your hatcheries are not synchronized
• Having each Hatchery on its own hotkey has various advantages such as being able to easily produce units at a Hatchery that's getting attacked for shorter reinforcement paths or setting separate rally points for Hatcheries

Cons:

• Takes a long time.
• Takes up many control groups.

Tip: You should still use an extra control group for all your Hatcheries for easier production.

Minimap Method

How-to:

• Assign all Queens to one hotkey.
• Hit the hotkey for all Queens
• Hit V and left click on the minimap over each Hatchery you wish to inject.
• Queens will inject the Hatcheries closest to themselves so don't worry about them running halfway across the map to inject.

Pros:

• You don't need to change your current view.
• You don't need too many control groups.
• You don't need to take your hand off the left side of the keyboard.

Cons:

• Takes some time.
• You can easily misclick on the minimap.

The Core Method

How-to:

• Install and learn The Core, a custom keybinding system that is radically different from the default hotkeys.
• Assign all Queens to one hotkey.
• Assign a camera view to each Hatchery (for up to 6 Hatchery locations).
• Select the all Queens control group, which will be a shift keypress. Continue holding shift throughout the rest of the procedure.
• Tap the key for Spawn Larva.
• For each Hatchery that has a Queen, tap the key for its camera view and click the hatchery.

Pros:

• As fast as backspace method.
• Provides the ability to visit Hatcheries in whatever order and combination is appropriate according to where your Queens are.
• You don't need more than one control group.
• Habitual use of base cameras is also useful for defense, construction, and Drone management.
• The command is fast and comfortable and does not move your hand from its resting position.

Cons:

• The Core is a completely different keybinding system, and requires extensive effort over weeks to master.
• You have to change your current view.
• While this base cam method can be used without The Core, the motion is awkward, slower, and requires moving the hand from its resting position.

Notes

• Backspace method explained: [1]
• The Core explained: [2]

Patch Changes

Patch 9 (version 0.11.0.15097)
Spawn Larva has been changed from R to V.