• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

demosthenes

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,568
Recent VODs to check out:
2018 GSL Code S | RO32 | Group A:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UN9TF-4c5U
INno 4-0 and Leenock 4-2.

For the full schedule, here you go: http://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/2018_Global_StarCraft_II_League_Season_1/Code_S

2018 GSL Code S | RO32 | Group B:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5YANTAEy1g&t=8857s
sOs 4-1 and Dear 4-3.

2018 GSL Code S | RO32 | Group C:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFkP7EvwymY
aLive 4-1 and Scarlett 5-3.
______________________________________________________________________________________
StarCraft II is going free to play on 11/14/17
For Blizzards official write up



o948RXG.jpg


Summary
  1. Wings of Liberty Campaign is free. This is 29 missions.
  2. Versus is unlocked for free.
  3. Co-op campaign is unlocked for free until level 5 for all commanders.
Heart of the Swarm (27 missions) and Legacy of the Void (25 missions) will remain paid campaigns.

Versus starts against AI or unranked. You will be able to access the ranked multiplayer ladder to compete with other players to become the best of the best, complete with all of the multiplayer units from Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void. All you have to do to unlock it permanently is earn 10 First Wins of the Day in Unranked or Versus A.I. play—our way to preserve the quality and integrity of the ranked experience.

There are BIG changes coming to SCII multiplayer. Click here for multiplayer updates.

Co-op is probably the newest mode that people might not be familiar with. There are 13 commanders in w/ another on the way. Each commander has their own units and abilities. Each commander has 15 levels to unlock, Raynor/Kerrigan/Artanis can be leveled to 15 for free, w/ the rest only level 5. There are 14 missions currently with more on the way. The missions typically revolve around defending/attacking/guiding. There are also difficulty options and weekly mutations that add to the variation of the missions.

Next update: Han and Horner coop commander and 4.0 patch.

I love SCII. To me it is the best competitive game out there. While it's audience has dwindled in the way of Twitch viewership and there aren't as many prominent streamers, and ProLeague died (jesus it's depressing thinking about) 2017 had some of the best games I've seen. I will update the OT whenever there are new tournaments to watch. If you're new to the game I would suggest most recently the WCS Global Finals 2017, the entire global finals can be found by clicking here: WCS Global Finals 2017 start to finish. Additionally, HSC XVI was just this past weekend and one of the best brackets I feel like I've ever seen was the GSL Season 3 this year (click). In the Playoffs section at the bottom if you hit the "i" in each matchup you'll get a drop down that has a VOD icon. Will take you straight to the game.

TeamLiquid still remains a great resource and Liquipedia is probably the best for tournaments.

Contributed by Sei:
I'll list some other good places.

Getting started with SC2.

The Races.
Terran - Tech Tree
Protoss - Tech Tree
Zerg - Tech Tree

Additional Resources.
/r/StarCraft - The main hub, will probably be filled with tutorial links in the coming weeks.
/r/AllThingsTerran
/r/AllThingsProtoss
/r/AllThingsZerg
/r/starcraft2coop - Great resource for coop missions.
Teamliquid SC2 Tournaments.
Spawning Tools - Replay analysis and build order for the current meta.
Sc2Links - VODs of recent pro tournament matches.
Sc2Events - Event calendar.

Watch and learn. Build order tutorials, general video guides.
PiGstarcraft : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster, streamer and does some great tutorial videos.
LowkoTV : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
JaKaTaK : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
ZombieGrub : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster and streamer.
EJK : Youtube : Match analysis.

Coop Commander Guides. Build orders, unit analysis, and general best strategies.
Raynor (Terran) : Standard Terran units, high unit numbers.
Kerrigan (Zerg) : Standard Zerg units, Hero.
Swann (Terran) : Defensive, support, high tech.
Karax (Protoss) : Defensive, high tech, low unit numbers.
Zagara (Zerg) : Aggressive, low tech, high unit numbers, Hero.
Vorazun (Protoss) : Aggressive, high tech, stealth.

"Pro streams" (casters or pro players)
Rotterdam
Nathanias
 
Last edited:

Seeya

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,984
Don't forget that you also get Heart of the Swarm Single Player campaign FOR FREE if you bought Wings of Liberty. :D
 

Syf

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,204
USA
Oh good I was feeling bad about being lazy and nobody else being able to post a thread lol. Thanks for this. Hope the f2p attracts some players to find out how good the game is these days. :)
 

Askherserenity

Prophet of Truth - Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,043
I started playing Starcraft 2 again a month ago but I could only play against the AI because I just had Heart of the Swarm. Excited to maybe play against other garbage tier players after tomorrow!

Blizzard should have definitely hyped this up a bit more though...

I mean, one of their big franchises is going free to play and they're pretty quiet about it imo.
 

Sei

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,702
LA
I'll list some other good places.

Getting started with SC2.

The Races.
Terran - Tech Tree
Protoss - Tech Tree
Zerg - Tech Tree

Additional Resources.
/r/StarCraft - The main hub, will probably be filled with tutorial links in the coming weeks.
/r/AllThingsTerran
/r/AllThingsProtoss
/r/AllThingsZerg
/r/starcraft2coop - Great resource for coop missions.
Teamliquid SC2 Tournaments.
Spawning Tools - Replay analysis and build order for the current meta.
Sc2Links - VODs of recent pro tournament matches.
Sc2Events - Event calendar.

Watch and learn. Build order tutorials, general video guides.
PiGstarcraft : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster, streamer and does some great tutorial videos.
LowkoTV : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
JaKaTaK : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
ZombieGrub : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster and streamer.
EJK : Youtube : Match analysis.

Coop Commander Guides. Build orders, unit analysis, and general best strategies.
Raynor (Terran) : Standard Terran units, high unit numbers.
Kerrigan (Zerg) : Standard Zerg units, Hero.
Swann (Terran) : Defensive, support, high tech.
Karax (Protoss) : Defensive, high tech, low unit numbers.
Zagara (Zerg) : Aggressive, low tech, high unit numbers, Hero.
Vorazun (Protoss) : Aggressive, high tech, stealth.
 

Sei

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,702
LA
Patch 4.0 Will also completely change the meta, with some big design changes to all 3 races. [ No more Mothership Core Finally! ;) ]

So, everyone will be starting from zero tomorrow.
 
Oct 25, 2017
2,644
Would have gone with "StarCraft II |OT| The best lings in life are free", but thanks for putting this together nevertheless.

Wings of Liberty Campaign is free. This is 21 missions.

Wings of Liberty is actually 29 missions if you include the 3 alternate-path missions, Protoss mini-campaign inside the main campaign, and unlockable secret mission.

(Heart of the Swarm's mission count is also pretty inflated—it's 20 plus a bunch of one-trick unit demo maps where you try out and select upgrades—but that's on Blizzard.)

Co-op is probably the newest mode that people might not be familiar with. There are 13 commanders in w/ another on the way. I believe your free account has 3 commanders unlocked at the start with the rest behind a pay wall. Each commander has their own units and abilities. Each commander has 15 levels to unlock. There are 14 missions currently with more on the way. The missions typically revolve around defending/attacking/guiding. There are also difficulty options and weekly mutations that add to the variation of the missions.

All commanders are available for free up to level 5, but Raynor/Kerrigan/Artanis are the only ones everyone gets up to level 15. Paid commanders cost $5 apiece in NA, but there is also a discounted bundle, I think—don't recall if it was a temporary thing. (Previously there was no charge for Swann/Zagara/Vorazun/Karax, so the price/bundle situation may well change. We'll see when the patch goes live.)

Don't forget that you also get Heart of the Swarm Single Player campaign FOR FREE if you bought Wings of Liberty. :D

The window to claim this is limited. Deadline is 8 December.

Patch 4.0 Will also completely change the meta, with some big design changes to all 3 races. [ No more Mothership Core Finally! ;) ]

So, everyone will be starting from zero tomorrow.

Well, I wouldn't say zero, even though the old metagame is certainly out the window and everyone will need to make adjustments like it's a whole new expansion (hence that big release number, 4.0). But mechanics matter more than builds or balance at least up to Platinum or Diamond. I ladder pretty casually once every few seasons and I get by at that level, sort of, despite having very little understanding of how Vipers or Cyclones work even though they were added years ago.

I'd be happy to get a ResetEra chat channel going on NA for anyone who wants to drop in and drop out, though I expect that things may be too quiet around here for it to get much use.
 
Last edited:

Sibylus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,728
Zerg are in an amazing spot from a viewer experience. Lots of units on display, flavorful tech, tech switches...

Mamaship Core will not be missed. Shield Batteries are a lot better to watch.
 

Cort

Member
Nov 4, 2017
4,349
Something that has me really excited is that the team doesn't have the burden of expansion pack units, and as such they can add/change/remove any units they see fit. I do not think the MSC would've been removed had the game not gone F2P.
 

Sibylus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,728
Something that has me really excited is that the team doesn't have the burden of expansion pack units, and as such they can add/change/remove any units they see fit. I do not think the MSC would've been removed had the game not gone F2P.
I'm ready for the glorious return of Valkyries, Dark Archons, and Scourge.
 

Mr Swine

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
6,026
Sweden
Hohoho I cannot wait to play 4v4 with mass liberators + few ravens vs mass air lool

Only thing I dislike is the big Widow Mine nerf
 

Oynox

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
884
I'll list some other good places.

Getting started with SC2.

The Races.
Terran - Tech Tree
Protoss - Tech Tree
Zerg - Tech Tree

Additional Resources.
/r/StarCraft - The main hub, will probably be filled with tutorial links in the coming weeks.
/r/AllThingsTerran
/r/AllThingsProtoss
/r/AllThingsZerg
/r/starcraft2coop - Great resource for coop missions.
Teamliquid SC2 Tournaments.
Spawning Tools - Replay analysis and build order for the current meta.
Sc2Links - VODs of recent pro tournament matches.
Sc2Events - Event calendar.

Watch and learn. Build order tutorials, general video guides.
PiGstarcraft : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster, streamer and does some great tutorial videos.
LowkoTV : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
JaKaTaK : Youtube Twitch : All Races.
ZombieGrub : Youtube Twitch : Mainly Zerg, WCS caster and streamer.
EJK : Youtube : Match analysis.

Coop Commander Guides. Build orders, unit analysis, and general best strategies.
Raynor (Terran) : Standard Terran units, high unit numbers.
Kerrigan (Zerg) : Standard Zerg units, Hero.
Swann (Terran) : Defensive, support, high tech.
Karax (Protoss) : Defensive, high tech, low unit numbers.
Zagara (Zerg) : Aggressive, low tech, high unit numbers, Hero.
Vorazun (Protoss) : Aggressive, high tech, stealth.

Maybe we should add some portions of this list to the OP, since there will be a lot of newcomers? I would find that very helpful :)
 

Daitokuji

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,602
Did the story improve with the other 2 campaigns? I played Wings of Liberty years ago and remember that it was kind of silly.
 

woopWOOP

Self-requested ban
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,654
So they've removed some multiplayer units for balancing, but those and the singleplayer units can still be enabled to become buildable in custom scenarios, right?

The idea of playing a game with friends where every single unit in the game is available has been in my mind since Wings of Liberty. Good old unbalanced chaos
 

FlintSpace

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
2,817
Did the story improve with the other 2 campaigns? I played Wings of Liberty years ago and remember that it was kind of silly.
If you thought WoL was ok-ish, then probably other 2 campaigns won't be up your expectations also. Cheesy and hyper-blown enemy voiceovers who just talks on and on and never really acts on their promises until the end where they just die yelling "There is no way you wretched things can defeat meee..", while the story folds. Play Zerg Campaign anyway though, it's not better but as good as WoL campaign.

Blizzard has not able to deliver a good storyline with Starcraft 2, I think we all agree on that front. Love this game to death, My order goes, WoL > HotS >>> LotV
 

Carfo

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,857
Played all 3 campaigns like 3 times already and I've gotten back into co-op commander. This mode is really fun, the best part about SC2 imo
 

Sibylus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,728
Altogether in story terms, I feel the games tell a fun sci-fi yarn that does a decent job of building upon itself to a fun conclusion. Piece by piece, Wings is pretty clunky and its ending was rightfully subverted.
 

Deleted member 2507

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,188
I see now Blizzard has updated the change list since i last read it... That said, i forgot it included shield batteries.

Han and Horner look interesting. I believe i bought Alarak and Fenix but would like to get some Terran commander, and Han and Horner look like like they fit the bill.
 

Oynox

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
884
When exactly will the patch be deployed? Because I do not want to download the game now and have to update it in a couple of hours again lol
 
OP
OP
demosthenes

demosthenes

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,568
Sei, added your helpful stuff to the OP, will edit more when I have time and make it look better. Back to work for now!
 

Sibylus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,728
All there if they ever bring back the co-op commander 1v1 April Fool's, of course, except for the Valkyries (which really should have come with Stukov's kit in place of Liberators).
Dang, Han & Horner don't deploy them either (Wraiths & Vikings for them). I'm hoping they'll add a UED faction with Valkyries at some point (mix in the classic medics and the like, but not sure how you'd make them really unique... moving ships as buildings??).
 

Deleted member 2507

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,188
Valkyries in SC2 are not original Valkyries, i think. At least they sure as hell don't look like proper Valkyries...
 

Arkeband

Banned
Nov 8, 2017
7,663
Don't forget that you also get Heart of the Swarm Single Player campaign FOR FREE if you bought Wings of Liberty. :D

As someone who bought Heart of the Swarm, it kind of blows that they aren't extending an upgrade to Legacy of the Void for those of us who stuck with them past WoL. What are we, chopped liver?
 

Sibylus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,728
Valkyries in SC2 are not original Valkyries, i think. At least they sure as hell don't look like proper Valkyries...
I want to say Mira Han had some pseudo lookalikes in a HoTS space mission where you were wrecking her stuff, but they were neither playable nor a convincing standin. Struck me as being something else.
 

J2d

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,140
Blizzard just gave me heart of the swarm for free.. I've had it since the release day :/ wish it was legacy of the void..
 

Racketpunch

Member
Oct 26, 2017
611
I was in until I found out Legacy of the Void campaign isn't included in this F2P. Don't toy with my emotions like that Blizz.
 

Sei

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,702
LA
You can start downloading now from the Blizzard launcher, it's live a 2 PM PDT.

New loading screen.

POT6l0j.jpg
 
Oct 25, 2017
2,644
I was in until I found out Legacy of the Void campaign isn't included in this F2P. Don't toy with my emotions like that Blizz.

Just so people are aware, Blizzard has been restructuring SC2 around à la carte DLC purchases for quite a while now in preparation for the free-to-play transition, and there is a precedent for holiday sales to knock the single-player campaigns down by 50%. Those of you interested in purchasing additional campaigns but don't feel an urgent need to play them right away would be well advised to see if a Christmas sale pops up.

Also, unless something has changed, I believe the 3-mission prologue to Legacy of the Void should still be freely accessible to everyone.
 
Last edited:

Seeya

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,984
You can start downloading now from the Blizzard launcher, it's live a 2 PM PDT.

New loading screen.

POT6l0j.jpg

Looks a lot more gamey and fun, I like it.

As someone who bought Heart of the Swarm, it kind of blows that they aren't extending an upgrade to Legacy of the Void for those of us who stuck with them past WoL. What are we, chopped liver?

You're getting the LOTV multiplayer/arcade/co-op for free. It's only the single player campaign that is paid content.

I think selling the Single player campaigns still is reasonable. They're something like 19.99 each for a lot of content.
 

Zushin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,117
Australia
So I've had Starcraft and all expansion for years but never really played them much. Bit intimidated by the MP. I've been watching some shoutcraft stuff and Blizzcon tournaments and I really want to have a proper crack at playing. What are some recommended resources / channels for learning? Is there a particular race that's easier to start with?

Edit: just saw Sels post. Thanks!
 
Last edited:

Seeya

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,984
So I've had Starcraft and all expansion for years but never really played them much. Bit intimidated by the MP. I've been watching some shoutcraft stuff and Blizzcon tournaments and I really want to have a proper crack at playing. What are some recommended resources / channels for learning? Is there a particular race that's easier to start with?

I'm sure other people can point you in the direction of some resources but I would say that Terran is probably the easiest to start with. They have the most traditional RTS playstyle of the three.
 

Oynox

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
884
As someone who bought Heart of the Swarm, it kind of blows that they aren't extending an upgrade to Legacy of the Void for those of us who stuck with them past WoL. What are we, chopped liver?
I mean I got no real idea because I never played Starcraft before, but Legacy of the Void is $10 more expensive then Hearts of the Swarm.