Blizzard Getting Ready For StarCraft II's Heart of the Swarm Launch

In preparation for the upcoming launch of Heart of the Swarm, Blizzard has just launched StarCraft II's biggest update yet, adding a multitude of new features

By Nathan Best

2/20/2013

That's right, Blizzard has released their biggest update yet for StarCarft II: Wings of Liberty. The update includes new features that enhance multiplayer, introduce new ways to play, and improve the social features of the game. Blizzard has even been kind enough to release new community videos highlighting the new features.

eSports and Multiplayer covers features such as Watch with Others (to watch replays together with friends online), as well as Take Command and Recover Game (which allow you to resume an interrupted game from a replay file). New Observer Mode functionality makes it easier than ever to find important information, while improvements to the minimap for observers make it a snap to find important events like new battles or the arrival of nukes and Nydus Worms. A fully customizable Observer UI improves the viewing experience for eSports games as well, as tournament organizers can fully change the look of the interface to better display certain game information. Finally, an improved physics engine makes combat look and feel more visceral, while advanced stats allow players to dissect their online competitive play with race- and map-specific win percentages, and more.

Ways to Play summarizes some of the new game modes in StarCraft II, such as Training, which teaches players the basics of how to survive online matches, and Versus A.I., which automatically detects your skill level and sets the computer A.I. to an appropriate difficulty. Unranked matchmaking gives players the ability to play online matches without affecting their official ladder rating, which is useful for players who want to try a race they don’t normally play or test a new build order. Finally, the video also discusses the leveling system, a new feature that will be exclusive to Heart of the Swarm players. As players earn XP for each race, they’ll earn cool cosmetic upgrades like portraits, decals, dance animations, and unit skins just for playing online matches.

Social Features discusses new upgrades such as the improved user interface, the addition of Groups and Clans, and the Players Near You feature, which allows players in environments like college dorms, offices, or Internet game rooms to quickly find others who are connected to StarCraft II on the same network. Lastly, Global Play, which will be enabled soon for Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm, allows players to play in regions outside their home Battle.net region.

About StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Release Date: July 27
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
ESRB Rating: Teen

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