In this article, I will be revealing some tactics you can
use to beat Whispers of Doom Brutal mode as well as unlock all of the achievements.
The hard achievement, "Merely a Flesh Wound", uses the same strategy as you would do to beat the mission on
Brutal Mode.
You can unlock Merely a Flesh Wound in Brutal mode if you follow the tactics outlined below. However, if you are
unable to do it in Brutal Mode, switch to Hard Mode and follow the same tactics outlined below.
Step-by-Step Whispers of Doom Brutal Guide
There are three major strategies to beating this mission. First off, only attack when all of your units have
full shields. Second, whenever you can, kill off or stun the detectors and then kill the units. Thirdly, sometimes
it is best to stun big units like Brood Lords and then kill them while they are stunned.
With that said, here is the step-by-step guide:
For the first few parts of the mission, you can easily beat everything by stunning the detectors. Make sure
you bind Zeratul to a hotkey (1) and then know that "B" is for blink and "V" is for stun. You will not have
time to click on the buttons.
You can easily move through the first few parts of the mission without any challenge. Make sure you let
Zeratul's shields regenerate to full before beginning the next part.
Save your game as you pass over each obstacle. If Zeratul takes any damage or if any of your Stalkers die,
reload the game (except on the final battle, where all your Stalkers will likely die).
The first challenge is the area with a Spine Crawler, an Overseer, a Spore Crawler, and an Ultralisk. When
the Overseer moves far away, stun it to lock it in place then kill it with Zeratul.
Next, lure the Ultralisk out of range of the Spine Crawler and then stun it. While it is stunned, kill
it.
Finally, Blink in with Zeratul and stun the Spore Crawler. Kill it and then the Spine Crawler and move on
to the next challenge. Save your game.
The next challenge with the two Brood Lords and the Spine Crawler is actually one of the toughest parts of
the mission.
When the northern Brood Lord flies closest to your units, stun it with Zeratul and then quickly kill it
with your Stalkers. Run away as fast as you can after this. Let your shields regenerate to full.
Next, when the other Brood Lord is not near you, Blink in with Zeratul, quickly kill the Spine Crawler (it
will not break through your shield), then run away. Let your shields regenerate.
Finally, when the bottom Brood Lord gets as close as it can, stun it and kill it with your Stalkers.
Zeratul will take 1-2 hits from the Brood Lord as he tries to stun it but it will not be enough to break
through his shields. Save the game.
Your next challenge is the first hatchery. Stun the Brood Lord, kill it first, and then run away.
Next, stun the Overseer when it is furthest away from the Hatchery. Kill the Mutalisks as they run in, but
be sure to stay away from the Spine Crawlers.
With all the detection dead, let Zeratul come in and finish off all the Spine Crawlers.
Save your game. You will be healed by opening up the second artifact.
The next portion is where most people will have the biggest trouble. I find it is easiest to run Zeratul
far away and just send your Stalkers up before attacking the Banelings.
As the Banelings approach, run your Stalkers down the ramp, stop every 5 seconds by hitting the "H" key,
and then immediately moving away. Doing this will slowly kill off all the Banelings while keeping all your
Stalkers alive.
You cannot afford to lose all your Stalkers (preferably lose none), so make sure you re-load your saved
game if you mess up. You will end up running the Banelings all the way back to the Hatchery area by the time
you kill them all.
You do not want to fight the Banelings inside the loop where they first come out. They move fast on Creep
and they are too fast to out-run.
If you are having trouble with this, hide your Stalkers across the map when it is time to fight Banelings.
Let Zeratul kill 5 (in areas where they cannot detect him), then have him run away and heal regenerate his
shields. Repeat this process until the Banelings have been reduced to a manageable number and then bring the
Stalkers back in.
The Spine Crawler portion is very easy. You should be able to kill 2-3 of them before they root in the
creep.
Once they are in the Creep, have Zeratul stun 1 Spine Crawler and kill another. Zeratul can tank a Spine
Crawler, kill one, and then blink away to safety without the Spine Crawler penetrating his shield.
You can then let him regenerate his shields and repeat this process until they are all dead.
After this point, you end up at the main battle. Save the game.
During the main battle, your first priority is to kill off all the detection with Zeratul (the Spore
Crawlers). Have Stalkers get on the high ledge and take out the Brood Lords.
Use Zeratul's stun ability to stun the Brood Lords to reduce the damage they deal.
As soon as the Nydus Worms pop, have Zeratul blink to the back area, kill the worms, and then kill all the
Spine Crawlers. All your Stalkers will die at this point but you do not really need them.
The final portion where you have to run is very, very easy. Do not kill anything. As you run through the
first area, stun the Overseer and follow the path to the outside (do not try to blink through the Spine
Crawlers).
Blink past the rocks. Do not destroy them as the Zerg pursuing you will have to break through them. At the
very end, blink past the final Spine Crawlers and get to your ship to escape.
Merely a Flesh Wound & Stalker Delight Achievements
The Merely a Flesh Wound achievement is unlocked by completing this mission without Zeratul taking damage. By
following the outline above and completing this mission on Hard instead of Brutal mode, you will be able to do this
very easily.
Be sure to save after each challenge and simply reload the game if Zeratul takes any damage.
The Stalker Delight achievement is unlockable very easily by saving regularly and protecting your Stalkers from
Brood Lords and Ultralisks. Have Zeratul stun them and only kill them once they are stunned.
Whispers of Doom Brutal Video Walkthrough + Achievements
Here is a pair of videos that show you how you can beat Whispers of Doom on Brutal Mode while killing off all
the Hatcheries and completing both the Merely a Flesh Wound & Stalker Delight achievements:
Part 1
Part 2
Whispers of Doom Brutal Conclusion
By taking your time and saving regularly, beating this mission on Brutal Mode and unlocking all the achievements
is quite easy! If you need help finding the Zerg research, check out Whispers of Doom Hatcheries post.
