What does creep affect?
I'm fairly new to the game and am trying to get better as Zerg. From watching some replays of higher level players, I often see Zerg players spreading creep like crazy as fast as they can.
My question is, what exactly are the things that creep affects?
I know that Zerg units walk faster on creep, but are there other benefits?
Things like:
- non-Zerg walk slower
- Faster health regeneration for Zerg
- Damage bonusses for Zerg
So can anyone shed some light?
Just Zerg movement.
Zerg (ground) units move about 30% faster on creep (notable exceptions being: Queen, Hydralisk and Drones).
Additionally Zerg can build on creep and non-Zerg structures cannot be built on creep. You can actually use an Overlord to spread creep at a number of expansions to slow down your opponent's expansion rate. Zerg structures off creep will slowly lose life and eventually die.
The following units/buildings can produce creep:
- Hatchery
- Creep Tumor (built from the Queen and other Creep Tumors)
- Overlord (Overseers Cannot, additionally this is temporary)
- Nydus Worm (the Worm, not the Network)
Creep will evaporate if left without a production source near by. Its important to note that creep evaporates from the edge inward. As a result, if you remove creep production in an area that is not covered by, but is surrounded by, creep production, the creep will not evaporate.
Since people asked the following units are affected by creep in different ways:
- Queen: 170%
- Hydralisk: 50%
- Drone: 0%
The one other affect of creep I know (beyond tzene's answer) is that Zerg buildings will lose health and eventually die if they are off creep. For example if a Hatchery is destroyed, the creep will start to disappear, and eventually other buildings there will die.
I believe Spine Crawlers and Spore Crawlers lose health when they are uprooted if they are not on creep as well.
The buildings that can be built off creep and survive without it are Hatcheries and Nydus Worm exits (which both generate creep) and Vespene Extractors.
Your units move faster on creep. Additionally, buildings placed off of creep will die. Moving faster is a huge advantage, and is absolutely worth covering anywhere you need to move units quickly with creep for.
Other races can not place buildings on creep.