StarCraft II is a sequel to the real-time strategy game StarCraft, announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard World Wide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. It was eventually set to be released as a trilogy. StarCraft II is free to play; multiplayer and the Wings of Liberty campaign are free, and all Co-op Commanders free until level 5, except for Jim Raynor, Sarah Kerrigan and Artanis, which can be played up to the maximum 15 level. Internet access is not required to play the game but is required for installation. StarCraft II is available through digital distribution.
The great success ofStarcraft II
StarCraft II : Wings of Liberty sold 1.5 million copies in its first two days and 3 million copies in its first month. It was the best-selling game of July 2010. Blizzard intends to continue support StarCraft II years after release, in a similar manner to the StarCraft patches, which have been updated more than ten years after the release of the original StarCraft. As of 2011, there are no plans to port StarCraft II to any console platform. As of October 2020, the game will only receive balance patches and season rolls. There will be no further for-purchase content.
A introduction to the Units...
High Templar
A physically fragile unit with strong psychic abilities.
Marauder
The replacement for the firebat. Its attack slows enemy units and deals high damage vs armored units.
Roach
It was the best-selling game of July 2010. Blizzard intends to continue support to the StarCraft patches.
Immortal
Dragoon-like walker with a strong defense against powerful attacks, but vulnerable to weaker attacks.
Battlecruiser
The capital ship of the terran fleet, this powerful spacecraft is capable of firing a Yamato Cannon.
Zergling
Fast but weak melee attacker ideal for swarming attacks in large numbers.
The Zerg Swarm is a terrifying and ruthless amalgamation of biologically advanced, arthropodal aliens. Dedicated to the pursuit of genetic perfection, the Zerg relentlessly hunt down and assimilate advanced species across the galaxy, incorporating useful genetic code into their own. They are named "the Swarm" per their ability to rapidly create strains, and the relentless assaults they employ to overwhelm their foes.
Playing with Zerg
The Zerg as a whole use large numbers of fast, weaker units that can be built or rebuilt quickly as long as they can establish a good starting economy, which can be one of their toughest challenges. They excel at attacking but are much weaker at defense than the protoss and terran factions. Gameplay with and against the zerg revolves heavily around their economy; if playing as them one needs to aggressively grow their economy faster than the enemy, and conversely when fighting the zerg one should either grow their own economy quickly to keep up or hamper the opponent's as much as possible.
The Terran survivors
The Terrans (or humans) are a young species with psionic potential. The Terrans of the Koprulu sector descend from the survivors of a disastrous 23rd century colonization mission from Earth by Doran Routhe. Compared to the Protoss and Zerg, the terrans are highly factionalized and endure frequent wars amongst themselves in addition to the more recent conflicts with their alien neighbors. Nevertheless, terrans stand as one of the three dominant species of the galaxy.
A brief History
The Terrans arrived in the Koprulu sector via supercarriers in 2259, landing on three separate planets – Tarsonis, Moria and Umoja. They were cut off from Earth. The Terran colonists had access to stores of fertilized eggs and frozen embryos, and even extensive cloning, using technologies found on the supercarriers.
The Protoss Firstborn
The Protoss Firstborn are a sapient humanoid species native to Aiur. Their advanced technology complements and enhances their psionic mastery. The main Protoss cultural groups are the Khalai, who adhere to the communal Khala, and the Nerazim, who reject the Khala. Two smaller cultural branches of the protoss, the Tal'darim and the Purifier, separated from the Khalai over respective ideological differences.
Technical advantage
The Protoss are the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy. Their technology is a blend of psionics and mundane technology and has shown itself to be far more advanced than many other species of the galaxy, including humanity, which was "digging in the dirt for grubs" by the time the Protoss had achieved interstellar travel. They have been referred to as "the most technologically advanced race in the universe," and their warriors are "the best trained in the galaxy." Despite their technological advantage, the Protoss constantly strive to enhance their weapons and armor. Their weaponry is energy-based.
