Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Featuring a single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II presents a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in a sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard offers online play through Battle.net with several enhancements and features to make StarCraft II even better.

Single-player campaign or multiplayer available

Full map-making and scripting tools give players freedom in customizing and personalizing their gameplay experience

Single Player: While you are reading this, someone somewhere is maneuvering terran dropships across a battle-scarred landscape, constructing additional pylons, or ordering a flock of hydralisks to burrow for a devastating ambush.

StarCraft's longevity can be traced back to its iconic style, engaging gameplay, and memorable characters: terms like "zerg" in all its different meanings have become ingrained in gaming's vernacular, and many gamers have at least heard of the fabled Queen of Blades, if not seen her gleefully tear an enemy limb from limb first-hand.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will take you back to the Koprulu sector and reunite you with many familiar faces from StarCraft and its expansion, Brood War, continuing the saga of the terrans, the zerg, and the protoss in new and innovative ways. Branching conversations with the game's varied cast of characters may open up surprising and unique new mission options. And as the leader of Raynor's Raiders, you decide which missions your crew takes on and which ones you save for later. The decisions you make will change how the game's story plays out; you’ll see certain events, cut scenes, and cinematic moments only by following a particular path in StarCraft II's mission structure.

Wings of Liberty puts you in charge, allowing you to forge your own path and become a part of the game's epic storyline.

Multiplayer: A game steeped and forged in the fires of competition, StarCraft II can bring out the fighting spirit in everyone, turning even a “friendly” match into a hard-fought contest. In this article, you’ll get a closer look at two of StarCraft II’s 1-vs.-1 maps and learn how map design has evolved since the original StarCraft.

Blistering Sands:
• The starting bases (located in the top right and bottom left) each have a back door that is guarded by destructible rocks. In an unconventional twist, the back door is the more direct avenue of attack in terms of distance. Each base has one natural expansion.
• Two observatories are key contributors to map control and scouting, as they each grant vision over major avenues between the two bases. Each sits on high ground with a ramp pointing toward one of the two bases, making it easier for that base to defend the observatory.
• The expansions in the top left and bottom right corners contain high-yield minerals, making them highly attractive locations. However, destructible rocks block the way, making it risky to expend the time and resources needed to control them.

Steppes of War:
• This map’s compact size lends itself to aggressive play and “low-tech” games -- whether you choose to rush or to adapt a more defensive strategy, prepare yourself for a high-intensity match! The layout makes it possible to defend two expansions, even relatively early in the game.
• There are two natural expansions for each base, the second of which has an extra choke point guarded by rocks. The expansions with high-yield minerals are more accessible than those in Blistering Sands, but they’re also harder to defend.
• Each of the two observatories is placed on the other side of a wall of line-of-sight blocking shrubs. Their importance is most apparent in the mid game, as they can be used to scout the powerful high-yield expansions.