Like the Scourges and the Infested Terrans in the first game, Banelings are suicidal units of Starcraft 2. Their ability to dish out massive amounts of splash damage during their swan songs make them ideal for taking out problematic enemy units and buildings. Of course, there’s always risk involved in using them due to their suicidal nature, which balances out with their effectiveness when used right.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A single Baneling has the potential of killing several units all at once with its splash damage, so a batch of them can destroy entire armies and even bases when used properly. They are also quite versatile as they can either charge in headlong into a group of enemies or burrow them and making them explode when enemies pass by. In this case, timing is the main factor as you wouldn’t want to have them coming in towards a line of Siege Tanks when there aren’t other units to cover them.

Obviously, their weakness is that they sacrifice themselves during their attack. Therefore, the point of using Banelings is to take out more of your opponent’s supply count than you’ll lose by using your Banelings. Also, you need to have them morphed from Zerglings, so it will take some time before you get to use them. It also requires its own building, so you have to dedicate a certain amount of resources to build a Baneling Nest, then some more to morph them. Also, they can be killed off by properly micromanaged ranged units if you didn’t get speed upgrades. Therefore, getting and using Banelings requires fairly good macro to pull off.

Another weakness would most likely be against units that can kill groups of enemies quickly from a distance, like the Protoss Colossus and Terran Siege Tanks. They have splash damage and good range, so they can kill off groups of Banelings as long as they catch them early. Speed upgrades will make this more difficult for those units as Zerglings can quickly get surrounds and Banelings can come in to targets afterwards. The key here is in being able to see right through the chaos.

Strategy

There are various ways to use Banelings, which includes just running them through an enemy wall-in and destroy the enemy base or burrowing them and using them like landmines, making them explode when enemies pass through. These different applications serve well for the Baneling’s versatility, especially since you can morph them from Zergling anywhere at any moment, so you can just run them back and morph at somewhere safe to go for a Baneling bust, which is a good strategy against Terran wall-ins.

Nothing terrifies Terran Marines more than incoming Banelings, making it a staple in Zerg versus Terran. They embody quick reversals of fortune in Starcraft 2 because things can change dramatically whenever they explode into deadly green goo. So if you’re up against a Terran that keeps trying to punch a hole through you with a Marine-Marauder-Medivac ball, then this is one of the obvious strategic options on the table. It generally works well against a mass of tier 1 units from any race, so you can always turn things around quickly when you have a ton of Zerglings at your disposal.

Building a Baneling Nest is in itself a decision as it takes a considerable amount of resources, especially gas, to dedicate a certain amount of Zerglings to morph into Banelings. In fact, you’ll be making a lot more Zerglings as a result, then you’ll have to get their upgrades as soon as you can to make them effective. It’s safe to say that any strategy with Banelings involved would be centered around the Zergling not just because it’s a requirement for Banelings, but it’s also a great unit overall for harassment and basic offense.

The Baneling-Mutalisk combo is actually a pretty good idea since you hit from above, then rush the Banelings and Zerglings in to take the enemy force by surprise. Once you’ve finished off his forces, you can then charge into the enemy base with your Mutalisks. If there are anti-air defenses and such, you can use your Zerglings and Banelings to take them out. It’s a bit situational though since it wouldn’t be as effective if the opponent goes for mass air or any other strategy that counters both your ground and air units.

Another great combo is Baneling-Infestor, which is another way of saying “bio armies go to hell”. Hit enemy units with Fungal Growth, then rush the Banelings in and kill them all. This has proven to be an effective tactic, which gives more value to both units involved. Having other units to support is always a good idea, but that is where you need to be careful when you’re attacking with your Banelings since you might use too many of them to attack.

Take note that coming into a game with only Banelings in mind alludes to what Bruce Lee had once said about biting in a fight as while it is effective, “Don’t make a plan of biting because that is a very good way to lose your teeth”. Using Banelings should mostly be a response to your opponent’s strategy whenever it’s either convenient or necessary. It does make for entertaining games, but misusing Banelings would have you at great disadvantages once you realized that you’ve sacrificed 30 supply worth of Banelings to kill off perhaps one or two Colossi, a few Stalkers, and some Photon Cannons only to have the rest of your army get liquidated and have you at a 40-supply disadvantage.

Always remember that whenever you’re controlling Banelings, be very careful with the X key since that the hotkey for their Explode ability. Many have gotten into accidents where they press X while moving all of their Banelings around, rendering them useless as they’ve blown up where they stand in a spectacular green firework show. In that regard, this ability is what makes them a good replacement for Spider Mines from Brood War as it can be activated while burrowed. Take note that it is best to explode an appropriate amount of Banelings as needed since overkill would be a waste.

Conclusion

The power of the tiny baneling must never be underestimated, but not overestimated either since Starcraft 2 is quite balanced as a game. There’ll always be risk involved when using Banelings, so learn it well before incorporating them into your repertoire as a Zerg player. Nonetheless, they’re an intricate part of Zerg strategy and other players will fear you once you’ve become very proficient with them.

Supplementary Video

Here is a clip that shows how to use Banelings properly in a very interesting and enlightening analogy, which is “VERY ZERG”.

Take note that this video clip contains course language and humor not suitable to children. Viewer discretion is advised.