A creep is a passive but still hostile computer controlled unit in the real-time strategy computer game Warcraft III (2002). Creeps add a roleplaying element to gameplay, providing experience points, gold and items when killed. Creeps often guard important locations such as mines, item shops, and magic fountains, this protects the locations from being used early in the game. During the daytime, the creeps will attack you if your units come too close to them, at night most creeps sleep and you can walk near them safely. In certain custom games of Warcraft 3, notably Footmen Frenzy, "creep" also refers to recruitable mercenaries.

Creep can be used as a verb, meaning to hunt for and kill creeps.

Creep Camps

Creeps almost always found together in small groups called "Creep Camps". The Creep Camps are of varying difficulty designated by a colored circle on the minimap.

A small green circle is a small, easy creep camp. You will be able to creep this creep camp with just your hero unit, or your hero unit and two or three other weak tier one units. You will usually find this type of creep camp very close to your start position on the map.

An orange circle is a medium creep camp. You need several more units to creep this type of creep camp. This type of creep camp is usually found guarding mines and shops.

A large red circle is a hard creep camp. You will need many more strong tier three units to creep this creep camp. This type of creep camp is usually found guarding special locations, such as a dragon's nest.

Value of creeps

Creeps are often extremely valuable in any given game of Warcraft 3, as they are what allows the player's hero to gain experience and items without needing to engage in potentially costly conflict with the enemy player. The outcome of a game can sometimes be partly determined by who killed the most creeps and who got the best items from them.

To counter-act the over-importance of creeping in the later stages of the game, in The Frozen Throne expansion, when the player's hero reaches level 5, they stop gaining experience from creeps. This is because when a hero reaches level 6 they gain access to their most powerful spell called their Ultimate; this mechanic prevents a player from ever gaining a hero's Ultimate ability without fighting enemy player-controlled units. Also, the sum of money gained for killing the creeps becomes insignificant because of the rising cost of units and the increase in gold production (if the player uses other gold mines). Killing creeps thus changes its focus: "creeping" becomes essential simply to secure more gold mines or shops. However, if a player trains a second or third hero (a common occurrence), these heroes can still benefit from creep experience if they are below level 5.

Creeps in other games

In the wake of Warcraft III's success and influence, creeps have become a feature of other RTS-RPG hybrid computer games, and the term is no longer specific to Warcraft III. Other games with creeps include the Spellforce series, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth series, Dragonshard and Age of Empires 3.

See also

Hero

External links

Creep basics - Overview of creeps in Warcraft III.

Creeping - Tutorial on hunting for creeps in Warcraft III.