Locusts are very powerful units if used correctly. This is due to their incredible range, allowing them to damage units that simply are not close enough to fight back. They can attack while retreating from enemies, thinning out their opponent’s ranks before their opponents can even reach them. Also, their incredible anti-building damage make turrets nothing more an annoyance. However, they are not unbeatable. As an avid locust user, here are the things that I fear most.
How to counter Locusts:
- Build hornets or banshees. DO NOT target the locust directly, however. Fly straight over their heads to ensure you close the gap between the banshees/hornets and the locusts. However, beware if they have reavers in the mix with their locusts (Like I usually do).
- Hunters and Cyclopses can also be used. Again, remember to run PAST the locust and not simply target it. If you simply target the locust, the cyclops or hunter will stop chasing once it’s in range and fire one shot. Then, the locusts will get out of range once more, and the cyclops will run again, stop, fire one shot, and so on. However, if you run PAST them, the cyclopses will shoot while running towards the locusts, closing the gap and staying within range. This method may be more effective than air units because the banished don’t have good anti-infantry units, but the cyclops and hunters will take a longer time to close the gap between you and the locusts than air units. Hunters used to be too slow to chase the locust, but now they’ve been buffed and are viable.
- Build 2-4 artillery units if you’re on the defensive. Kodiaks are especially effective at weakening/destroying swarms of locusts. Blisterbacks could also be particularly effective as you could build them alongside a swarm of banshees.
- Co-ordination. My locust army was once taken out because BOTH my enemies dropped an eradication beam on me. I escaped one eradication just to run into another eradication, and my whole army was lost (and soon after, so was the game).
- Corner or surround the locusts. Make it such that they can’t move backwards out of your range and are trapped. Once you’ve eliminated that range factor, the locusts are pretty much done for, as they have low health.
- Leader powers. This is quite obvious. Use leader powers that are hard to dodge. Napalm and Archer missiles, Eradication, MAC blasts, Inferno, you name it. Drop it on 'em.
- (deathmatch) Cloak your base. Even if they have detect units, cloaking your base means that they’ll have to get in close to see your base. This will eliminate the range factor, making them vulnerable. They could also send in detect units while keeping their locusts back, however. In that case, kill the detect units as quickly as possible, as they are completely vulnerable and don’t have safety in numbers. Furthermore, the locusts prefer to attack bases over units, and will not switch to attack you unless your opponent tells them to, and if he does, he won’t be micromanaging his detect units to evade your fire.
- (deathmatch, shipmaster) Use displacement to eliminate the range factor between you and the locusts by teleporting them right next to your army. At range, locusts actually automatically focus-fire your units. This is because they tend to shoot the unit closest to them. Thus, they will always target your forefront unit at a large enough distance. If you close the gap, each locust will have different units that are closest to them, and hence will shoot different units. This means that they don’t automatically focus-fire, making them ineffective. You can also teleport TOWARDS them.
- (blitz) Occupy the ridge between B and C with anti-vehicle units. Simply deny them the power position.
- (blitz) Blast units. Send a fast unit near them and drop a deployment-fatigued blast unit in the middle of the locust swarm. The locust pathfinding AI isn’t very smart, so moving out of the way isn’t easy for locusts.
Feel free to ask any questions or post any new tips below.