• War Chest 4 structure skin bundles are now available for purchase.
• Four new announcers have been added, featuring some of the most legendary commentators in StarCraft’s history.
  • Announcer: Um
  • Announcer: Jeon
  • Announcer: Kim
  • Announcer: Um-Jeon-Kim
  • Purchase all three individual announcers or the Voices of Legend Bundle to unlock the Um-Jeon-Kim announcer trio.
• Authentication process has been updated to be consistent with other Blizzard services. Login UI has been updated to support it.

• Amon will now research a larger variety of upgrades for his units. For a full list of upgrades, please click here.
• Amon will now have a chance to utilize one of six new attack wave compositions inspired from the original StarCraft.
  • Terran Classic Bio
  • Terran Classic Mech
  • Zerg Classic Ground
  • Zerg Classic Air
  • Protoss Classic Ground
  • Protoss Classic Air
• When Amon's army is first encountered, players will now be shown a description of the attack wave composition an...

Assembly Summer Returns

StarCraft II will return to Assembly Summer this August 1–3 in Helsinki, Finland. The tournament will feature 32 players, a $25,000 prize pool, and will be a sanctioned WCS Circuit competition. The Top 16 players will be granted a total of 3,200 WCS Circuit points as follows:

• 1^st – 1,000
• 2^nd – 600
• 3^rd-4^th – 200
• 5-8 – 100
• 9-16 – 50

For the first time, we will be operating a WCS Circuit tournament without a region lock in place. Players who are not eligible to compete in the WCS Circuit will not earn points for their placements, but they still will be allowed to compete based on eligibility as determined by Assembly Summer.

Head over to Assembly Summer’s announcement for all the details about qualifiers and the event.

GSL vs. the World Date Changed

Due to the addition of Assembly Summer and its conflicting dates with our original GSL vs. the World schedule, we will be rescheduling the epic clash of Circuit vs. Korea to August 15-18.

Challenger Seas...

CO-OP MISSIONS

Commanders

• Stetmann
  • Gary now benefits from Stetzones, and his passive health regen icon has been removed from the command card.
  • Roaches Away! now spawns 2 Mecha Roaches, down from 4.
  • Roaches Away! now orders spawned units to attack-move to the target location if it is beyond the Mecha Infestor’s cast range.
  • Mecha Roaches and Mecha Ravagers timed life reduced from 60 seconds to 45 seconds.
  • Mecha Roach damage increased to 12 (24 vs Light), up from 8 (16 vs Light).
  • Mecha Roach max life increased to 110, up from 75.
  • Mecha Ravager max life increased to 120, up from 80.
• Stukov
  • Stukov's Infest Structure now launches flying broodlings when used on flying structures.

BUG FIXES

Co-op Missions

• General
  • If a Co-op Mission fails to correctly end in victory, it will now time out after one minute and forcefully award the victory.
  • Updated the enemy wave compositions to be more randomly selected.
  • Correct consoles now properly appear fo...

For the first time ever in StarCraft II we’re teaming up with Twitch Prime to bring you some special loot to enhance your experience, including announcer and co-op commander Commander packs as well as all-new console skins, portraits, race banners, sprays, emoticons, and more!

We’re kicking things off with a tribute to the masterful zerg strategist Abathur. Starting today, Twitch Prime members can claim the Abathur: Evolved Bundle. Available through April 10, 2019, this creep-covered collection contains Announcer: Abathur, Commander: Abathur, a brand-new Evolved Console Skin, as well as a special Zerg Race Banner and three stylized portraits. In the coming months, Twitch Prime members will be able to claim similar bundles inspired by the terran mech master Swann and the powerful and cunning Vorazun, matriarch of the Nerazim.

*Offer only available where Twitch Prime is available.

Not a Twitch Prime member? Click here to activate your account or start a FREE 30-da...

Commander Intro

As a starting point for the next Commander, the design team was determined to leverage the awesome fan-favorite Mecha Zerg skins. After a bit of deliberation on which character could possibly command the Mecha Swarm, we settled on the Hyperion’s former chief science advisor, Egon Stetmann, a character the Co-op team already has a very special relationship with. More specifically, we homed in on his maniacal and slightly paranoid Mist Opportunities persona. Creatively, we knew that Stetmann was relatively unexplored, which meant that we had a lot of freedom in terms of gameplay, lore, and character development.

This new Co-op Commander version of Stetmann explores his life after Mist Opportunities, when he spent years as a castaway marooned on a foreign planet, struggling to survive. Quite a while has passed since we last saw him, and not only has Stetmann survived—he’s thrived, having built both an army to defend his beloved Bel’Shir, and a best friend t...

• New Co-op Commander and Announcer: Stetmann
  • Lead your Egonergized Mecha Swarm army upgraded with best of both Terran and Protoss technologies.
  • Continuously manage your Stetellite deployment and optimize its configuration.
  • Learn more in our blog.
• Vorazun: Nerazim Bundle is going to be available as a part of Twitch Prime offer starting May 23, PDT.
  • Vorazun Co-op Commander
  • Vorazun Announcer
  • Nerazim Protoss Console Skin
  • “Live Now” Protoss Random Banners
  • Exclusive “Purple Arcade” Console Skin for all races
• Inhibitor Zone Generator, Reduced Mineral Fields, and Rich Vespene Geysers added to the Help menus.
• New unit effect has been added in the Data Editor. Mod makers can use this effect to morph a unit into another unit without issuing an order.
• Four new weekly Mutations have been added.

• Added default hotkeys for top-bar abilities.
• All expansion-blocking debris and rocks are now neutral hostile structures. Commander units and abilities will aut...

The 2019 WCS Challenger Season 2 Open Qualifiers are almost here, and we are now taking applications for Community Casters looking to cover the event.

We have received an incredibly positive response to our Community Casting calls in 2019, with more applications and interest than ever before. We love seeing this level of passion from StarCraft fans, and we are glad the Community Caster program has helped provide opportunities for new and aspiring casters to try their hand covering official WCS events.

However, we have taken into account the feedback provided after the first 2019 Open Qualifiers for WCS Challenger, from both admins and participating players. Our number-one priority is ensuring the tournament runs smoothly, therefore providing the best possible experience for players and viewers. As a result, we may be scaling back the number of applications we accept for this event.

As a reminder, please be sure to fill out your application in full and include a summary of your Sta...

Players, fans and commentators from around the world are converging on Eastern Europe for WCS Spring, live from Kiev, with competition kicking off this Friday. Here’s what you need to know!

Broadcast Times

You can check out the Open Bracket and Group Stage seeding on the StarLadder website.

Streams

As always, English-language coverage of WCS Spring will be available on our official Twitch channel, brought to you by our English broadcast team.

We’re also happy to bring you coverage in eight additional languages, thanks to our community partners:

• Russian: StarLadder, Psinsin
• Korean: tvCrank
• German: TakeTV
• Polish: ESL Poland
• Italian: ESL Italy
• French: O’Gaming
• Spanish: HorussTV
• Portuguese: DeathzoneTV
• Mandarin (T...

Season 1 is approaching its end, which means Season 2 is just around the corner! In Season 2, we are introducing several new maps and map features (Rich Vespene Geysers, Inhibitor Zone Generators, and Reduced Mineral Fields.) Due to the experimental nature of these new map features, we will be introducing three new maps instead of four to the 1v1 map pool in the upcoming season. This should help players more easily get acquainted with all the new items coming in next season.

Once the new season commences on May 21, PDT, Port Aleksander LE, Automaton LE, and Year Zero LE will be removed from the 1v1 ladder. Furthermore, Ulzaan, Black Site 2E, and Last Impact will also be removed from the Team ladder. In their place, we’re adding the following new maps to the 1v1 ladder, as well as a new selection of Team maps.

Acropolis is a relatively small map for macro plays. Vertical third base expansions are easier to acquire and protect on this map. The area in the middle encourages dire...

With the BlizzCon 2019 announcement now out in the world, we wanted to give a few more details about the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) Global Finals!  

BlizzCon Opening Week

Opening Week, as usual, will see the Top 8 point-earners from both the WCS Circuit and WCS Korea fight it out to make the overall WCS Top 8. We will share more regarding the epic finale of WCS 2019 soon, but wanted to let fans know that this year StarCraft II’s Opening Week will not take place at Blizzard Arena. This year, Opening Week will be hosted somewhere quite different. Keep an eye on @esportstarcraft for updates—we think it’s very exciting and can’t wait to share it with you!

BlizzCon in Anaheim, California

The WCS Top 8 is back in the Arena for BlizzCon 2019! The Top 8 will be played out in its entirety on day one of BlizzCon, including the WCS Global Finals.

Last year, the WCS Global Finals concluded in historic fashion with Joona “Serral” Sotala’s win, an unforgettable moment for ev...

BUG FIXES

User Interface

• Updated description for certain items on the Collection to properly display.

BUG FIXES

Campaign

• Fixed an issue where a mission on Legacy of the Void Campaign or Nova Covert Ops Mission Packs could not be properly saved when the previous mission was saved and loaded.

Co-op Missions

• The Dark Pylon Recall now properly works with Vorazun’s units, as well as allied units.

Versus

• Fixed an issue where a certain location could be blocked off by only two Pylons on New Repugnancy LE.

User Interface

• Fixed an issue where a previously selected homescreen background could briefly appear before loading the new homescreen background.

GENERAL

• Swann: Machined Bundle is going to be available as a part of Twitch Prime offer starting April 11. Stay tuned for more details.
  • Swann Co-op Commander
  • Swann Announcer
  • “Live Now” Terran Banner
  • “Live Now” Spray and Emoticon Pack
• A new Mr. Sheng Announcer is now available.
• 5 new Feats of Strength are added with loading screen race banner rewards for completing all Campaign and Mission Pack achievements.
  • Give Me Liberty: Complete all the Liberty Campaign achievements.
  • Swarming the Castle: Complete all the Swarm Campaign achievements.
  • Fill the Void: Complete all the Void Campaign achievements.
  • Remember, November: Complete all the Mission Pack achievements.
  • Visit the Koprulu Sector, They Said: Complete all the Campaign and Mission Pack achievements.

BUG FIXES

Co-op Missions

• Commander
  • General
    • Global reallocation abilities such as Tychus’ Medivac Pickup, Nova’s Tactical Airlift, and Alarak’s Death Fleet Mass Teleport can no longer be...

The second Circuit event of the 2019 StarCraft II World Championship Series will take place at the Kiev Cybersport Arena, Ukraine, from May 17 to 19, and we are pleased to announce that registration for players and casters have begun, and ticket sales are now live!

Ticket Sales

Although the venue is only open to tournament participants on Friday May 17, you can visit WCS Spring as a spectator on Saturday and Sunday May 18-19. Both days will start at 14:00 local time (GMT +3) and entry is free. However, as we expect high attendance, you have the option of buying a Priority Pass which will help you to avoid long queues even if the venue is packed. The in-house commentary will be in Russian, but we will be loaning radios with English commentary for our English-speaking guests. Priority Pass tickets can be purchased on tickets.starladder.tv.

Player Registration

Players in Master League or higher can sign up for the 64 open slots in the tournament via the registration form. They will ...

The 2019 WCS Challenger Season 1 Open Qualifiers are almost here, and we are now taking applications for Community Casters looking to cover the event! Think you’ve got what it takes? Read on for details, including how to apply for a spot.

How To Apply

Send your application to [email protected] by April 10th. Ensure that the subject line reads “Community Caster WCS “, and that the following information is included:

• Full name
• Discord handle
• Email address
• Broadcast language
• Broadcast channel
• Summary of your casting experience

Other Requirements

• Casters must broadcast the Open Qualifiers exclusively on Twitch.
• Casters must use a 3-minute delay for all matches.
• Those selected to cast will be doing so from their own streaming channel.
• Tournament streams must comply with Blizzard’s advertising and sponsorship policy.
• All languages are welcome!

Open Qualifier Dates & Times

• April 13: EU Qualifiers Day 1 – starts at 16:00 CEST
• April 13: NA Qualifiers Day 1 - starts...

Long have we waited. After seven qualifiers and six group stages combined for the Americas and Europe—with a cheeky IEM Katowice in between—we are about to embark upon the 2019 WCS Winter Finals. Six players from each region will be flying to California to compete live and in-person at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles this weekend in a king-of-the-hill-style bracket, where they will play for precious WCS points and their share of a USD $60,000 prize pool (USD $120,000 total across the Americas and Europe).

Schedule

The WCS Winter Finals will take place on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, kicking off at 8 a.m. PDT/5 p.m. CEST each day. On day one, we will play out the WCS Winter: Americas, and on day two we’ll have WCS Winter: Europe.

The Top Six

The Americas (Saturday, April 6 - Bracket)

1. Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn
2. Alex “Neeb” Sunderhaft
3. Li “TIME” Peinan
4. Maru “MaSa” Kim
5. Pablo “Cham” Blanco
6. Max “Astrea” Angel

Europe (Sunday, April 7 - Bracket)

1. Riccardo “Reynor” Romiti
2. Ga...

We’re releasing a balance update for Versus that affects Forge and Cybernetics Core upgrade times, and Nydus Worms. The following changes are now live, including bug fixes.

VERSUS BALANCE

• The Testing tab is now disabled.

Protoss

• Forge/Cybernetics Core
  • Level 1 upgrade times increased by 15 seconds.
  • Level 2 upgrade times increased by 18 seconds.
  • Level 3 upgrade times increased by 22 seconds.

Zerg

• Nydus Worm
  • Nydus Worms now have 3 armor, down from 5, while under construction.

BUG FIXES

• Fixed an issue where the Nexus could gain additional energy from the effects of Chronoboost.
• Mineral values are now consistent on all bases in Port Aleksander LE.
• Updated the tooltip for Time Warp to include reduced attack speed information.

Now that the excitement of IEM Katowice and WESG are behind us, it’s time to dive into the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) Winter Round of 8.

The Top 8

The Format

We’ve listened to your feedback and changed things up for this Top 8. Everyone will play everyone in their region in a best-of-three, in true round-robin style. When it’s all over, the top six from each region will enter their region’s gauntlet playoff bracket, seeded based on their placement in the Round of 8. This means that the...

The World Championship Series (WCS) Challenger tournament is a crucial piece of the puzzle for aspiring and professional StarCraft II players alike. In addition to seeking the title of regional champion in the European and North American events, players can win prize money and those all-important WCS points, which count toward qualifying for the WCS Global Finals.

Here are all the details for Season 1 of the 2019 WCS Challenger tournament. 16 players in North America and another 16 in Europe will qualify for this season of WCS Challenger.

In each region:

• Four will qualify from their standings in the WCS Circuit after the WCS Winter Round of 8
• Four players will qualify from their rank in the Season 1 Ladder Race
• Eight players will qualify from the online open qualifiers

Requirements for Open Qualifiers

To compete in WCS Challenger Europe or North America Season 1, you must have achieved at least Master League in the appropriate Blizzard Battle.net region (Americas or Europe)...

For the first time ever in StarCraft II we’re teaming up with Twitch Prime to bring you some special loot to enhance your experience, including announcer and co-op commander Commander packs as well as all-new console skins, portraits, race banners, sprays, emoticons, and more!

We’re kicking things off with a tribute to the masterful zerg strategist Abathur. Starting today, Twitch Prime members can claim the Abathur: Evolved Bundle. Available through April 10, 2019, this creep-covered collection contains Announcer: Abathur, Commander: Abathur, a brand-new Evolved Console Skin, as well as a special Zerg Race Banner and three stylized portraits. In the coming months, Twitch Prime members will be able to claim similar bundles inspired by the terran mech master Swann and the powerful and cunning Vorazun, matriarch of the Nerazim.

*Offer only available where Twitch Prime is available.

Not a Twitch Prime member? Click here to activate your account or start a FREE 30-da...