Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm Adds Multiplayer Update, Includes New Units And Strategies
Starcraft II players have found tons of hours worth of play with the game’s multiplayer scenarios, and contests take place all over the world. With the game’s new expansion on the horizon, a big multiplayer update is coming which will add new units, strategies, and more to the game.
This new update, according to Blizzard, is supposed to help balance the game’s multiplayer mode. Some believe that the multiplayer has a few holes that can be exploited, and Blizzard aims to fix that issue. During this year’s Blizzcon event, the development team went over the new infantry units we will be seeing with the update, and we can see how to build strategies based off what we see.
The Terran
- Battle Hellion – Not completely a new unit, but a new mode for the existing one. This transformation will add more hit points and a new flame attack that makes it a formidable unit in the late-game stretch.
- Warhound Mech – This new unit was created to address player complaints about the Titan. This unit is essentially just a smaller, cheaper Titan.
- Shredder – A miniature robot, the Shredder acts as a radiation bomb. It will plant itself in the ground, damaging hordes of units when they get near.
The Zerg
- Viper – Viper units replace the Overseer units entirely, as Blizzard made note that no one was really using them as a strategy. This unit is a pure casting unit, making chokes easier and helping with area control.
- Swarm Host – The zerg equivalent to the Shredder, the Swarm Host will burrow itself into the ground and release armies of small Locusts that surround and eliminate enemy units.
The Protoss
- Tempest – The Tempest makes use of itself with its massive anti-air AOE power. These units will answer the call when hordes of Mutalisks approach from anywhere.
- Oracle – Perhaps the best of the new units, the Oracle will be a complete game changer. Oracles have a unique power called “Entomb” that can stop a resource from being harvested entirely. They can also scan enemy buildings and find out what technologies are being researched and which units are being produced. This will be big.
- Replicant – The Replicant performs just as its name suggests. It can transform into any non-massive units, giving the Protoss an entire platoon of Squad Tanks if desired. These are high-cost units, so use them wisely.
For more information and visuals on these units, head to the post here. With these new units, along with some new changes in existing units, Heart of the Swarm will most definitely need to be something for players to pick up. Each sides are getting some great features and upgrades, which can possibly change unit specializations. I expect to see some players shift. When more on the expansion arrives, we’ll be here to update.
