Overseer

From The StarCraft 2 Wiki

The Overseers are flying Zerg units, mutated from the Overlord breed, which provide control, as well as efficient scouting and detection.

Contents 1 Background 2 Game Unit 2.1 Abilities 2.2 Upgrades 3 Overseer Breeds 4 Development 5 Gallery

Background

StarCraft II Unit [e]
Overseer
Race:	Zerg, Tier 2
Role:	Detector, Controller
Unit Statistics
Size:	Large
Type:	Flying, Biological
Speed:	Normal
Transport Slots:	N/A
Hit Points:	200
Plasma Shields:	N/A
Energy Points:	N/A
Offence
Armament:	N/A
Ground Attack:	N/A
Air Attack:	N/A
Range:	N/A
Defence
Armor:	1 (Armored)
Sight:	x
Cooldown:	N/A
Special Abilities
Detection Can see cloaked units. Infest Can infest.
Production
Hotkey:	O
Supply:	8*
Resources:	100 0
Build Time:	25
Produced by:	Overlord
Prerequisite:	Evolve Overseer

The Zerg incorporated Overlords into the Swarm by assimilating the giant space-faring and semi-intelligent Gargantis proximae and used them to help Cerebrates control and coordinate their Broods, as well as taking the role of scouts, using their enhanced senses. The Overlords have been used for scouting, detection, and transportation in the past, but the Zerg has let a genetic strain of the Overlord develop independently, creating the Overseer, which has specialized in scouting and detection, combating the increased advancement for cloaking enemies.

Overseers will also be able to increase the fine-tuning of their senses if they have time to concentrate, increasing their effective sight range. Their ability to detect units will remain more limited, but the Zerg still take great advantage of this increased ability to notice incoming opponents long before they notice the Swarm.

Overseers use the same type of flying and movement as Overlords using helium-filled gas sacs combined with a weak telekinetic psi-ability for lift and movement.

Game Unit

This unit is only available in StarCraft II
*Adds to the value, does not use any.
The Overseers continues to help with the basic demand for "supply" for the Zerg after they mutated from Overlords. Each Overseer adds 8 to the value of total "Controlled" units.

If an Overseer is left stationary, their line of sight will slowly increase to a great distance. The detection range will not increase with it though, it is a set range. As soon as the unit moves, the sight radius becomes standard. The Overseers are the main source of detection for the Zerg, besides the Shriekers.

Abilities

• Detection
• Infest Resource

Upgrades

• Evolve Overseer 1 - Speed Increase, +1 Armor
  • 150 100 140
• Evolve Overseer 2 - +1 Armor
  • 25 40 140
• Evolve Overseer 3 - +1 Armor
  • 25 40 140

Overseer Breeds

• Gargantis proximae
  • Overlord
    • Overseer
  • Mastermind Overlord
  • Yggdrasill

Development

The main reason why Overseers got the detection from Overlords in StarCraft II is that Blizzard wanted the gameplay value of Cloaking to be a bit higher. All the Zerg Overlords would make that hard, so they introduced the Overseer mutation, added the extra ability with far sight to it, and gave the Overlord a few other new abilities.

Dustin Browder told Gunnar Petzall of IncGamers when he was there, on multiple occasions, that they were not sure if the Overseer was strong enough to be an independent unit, or use a "slot", and it might be cut before release, or replaced by some other mechanic.

Gallery

• General StarCraft II Shots
  • In-game Shots
  • Concept Art
  • Unit Models

The Overseer model in StarCraft II.

The Zerg Swarm invading a new world.

An Overseer in the lower left corner.

A close-up of an Overseer.

Zerg Units (StarCraft II) [e]
(i) = Infested (z) = Zerg-evolution (g) = Swarm Guardian spawn
Ground Units:	Hive Queen | Larva | Drone | Zergling | Baneling (z) | Roach | Hydralisk | Lurker (z) | Nydus Worm | Infestor | Ultralisk
Air Units:	Overlord | Overseer (z) | Mutalisk | Swarm Guardian (z) | Corruptor |
Additional Units:	Broodling (g) | Infested Terran (i) | Infested Protoss (i) | Egg (z) | Lurker egg (z) | Cocoon (z)
Basic Buildings:	Hatchery | Extractor | Creep Tumor | Spawning Pool | Spine Crawler | Roach Den | Baneling Nest | Evolution Chamber | Spore Crawler
Advanced Buildings:	Lair | Hydralisk Den | Deep Warren | Spire | Nydus Network | Hive | Greater Spire | Infestor Pit | Ultralisk Cavern
Cancelled Units:	Shrieker (z)
Cancelled Buildings:	Sunken Colony | Spore Colony | Swarm Clutch

Zerg Units (StarCraft I & Brood War) [e]
(q) = Queen-infested (z) = Zerg-evolution
Ground Units:	Larva | Drone | Zergling | Hydralisk | Lurker | Defiler | Ultralisk
Air Units:	Overlord | Scourge | Mutalisk | Guardian | Devourer | Queen
Additional Units:	Broodling (q) | Infested Terran (q) | Egg (z) | Lurker egg (z) | Cocoon (z)
Basic Buildings:	Hatchery | Extractor | Evolution Chamber | Spawning Pool | Creep Colony | Spore Colony | Sunken Colony | Hydralisk Den
Advanced Buildings:	Lair | Hive | Spire | Greater Spire | Queen's Nest | Nydus Canal | Defiler Mound | Ultralisk Cavern | Infested Command Center (q)
Hero ground units:	Torrasque (ult) | Matriarch (qu) | Infested Kerrigan (it) | Unclean One (def) | Hunter Killer (hyd) | Devouring One (zlng) | Infested Duran (unk)
Hero air units:	Kukulza (mut, grd) | Yggdrasill (ovl)
(ult) = Ultralisk -- (qu) = Queen -- (it) = Infested Terran -- (def) = Defiler -- (hyd) = Hydralisk -- (zlng) = Zergling -- (unk) = Unknown -- (mut) = Mutalisk -- (grd) = Guardian -- (ovl) = Overlord