by Stephanie Cookies
Say what you will about Starcraft but it is arguably one of the best out there, it is the defining game for real time strategy and the progenitor of esports.
In just a few days Blizzard will release the latest expansion for the property, Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void. It’s the third chapter in the Starcraft II saga, bringing to a close the story started in Wings of Liberty and continued in Heart of the Storm. Perhaps one of the best features is it does not require any previous iteration of Starcraft to play. Seems the perfect time for people that have never played the game, or an RTS, to jump into the fray.
Legacy of the Void will be the final chapter in the Starcraft II story however, true to Blizzard form, they will continue to support and improve the game for years to come.
During Blizzcon, it was announced the company will expand the story with mission packs. The first pack will be Nova Covert Ops, staring everyone’s favorite Ghost, Nova Terra.
Nova mysteriously disappears from the Dominion, causing no small amount of panic among the higher ranks. She wakes up in an undisclosed facility of the xenophobic faction known as The Defenders of Man, which is where the story picks up.
Nova Covert Ops lead writer, Valerie Watrous, took the stage during Blizzcon to talk a little about what we can expect from the first mission pack.
• Nova Covert Ops will be a nine mission story arc told over the course of three mission packs.
• Nova will be a controllable character and you will be able to customize her with different gear and load-outs.
• Blizzard’s signature cut scenes will be used for key story moments.
• The story takes place a few years after the end of the Legacy of the Void.
• Releasing Spring, 2016.
Micro Content
First and foremost there is a plan in place to release micro content. Unit skins and voice packs are two of the most requested and Blizzard now has plans in place to release both in the near future. Unit skins will change the cosmetic appearance of your in game characters and voice packs will replace the in game advisor with the voice of a Starcraft II hero.
The other plan is to implement more content into the in game Arcade, more features as well as more contests. Blizzard will partner with developers that have a proven track record to develop and release content through the Arcade. Currently in the planning stages, no word yet on when this will be released.
Co-Op Missions
Let me be clear here, there will be no co-op campaign mode; instead there will be campaign like missions that will allow you and a friend to play together. Each of you assume the role of one of the iconic Starcraft II characters and work together against the computer to complete objectives. Up until now there were 6 commanders to choose from, Raynor and Kerrigan among them. Friday, a seventh commander was revealed, Phase-Smith Karax, a protoss commander who’s specialty is calling down orbital weapons to visit destruction on your enemies.
Multiplayer Content
On the competitive side of things, Blizzard, of course, has some love for you. There is a planned revamp of the ladder system where they will do away with what is not working and keep what is working, with an emphasis on transparency and accuracy in ranks. They are also looking to implement separate rankings for terran, protoss, and zerg as well as possibly adding separate rankings for both ranked and unranked ladders.
When this was announced a huge cheer went up from the audience and, honestly, from me as well. I’ve never played the competitive side of Starcraft, but if the plan is to make it more new player friendly then I am all for it. I’d like to try it, even against friends, but jumping in as a new player in such a competitive environment turns me away time and time again.
In addition to the ladder revamp, Blizzard will also explore large scale changes and major redesigns when needed. As time goes on, they will also update maps, push out balance updates and release patches in an effort to keep the game feeling new and fresh.
Nice to know the global phenomenon known as Starcraft will have support for many more years to come. Who knows, we may even get a Starcraft III.
Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void releases this Tuesday November 10th.
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