David Kim has made a forum post to talk about some proposed changes to Zerg in Heart of the Swarm. The post talks mainly about Roaches and Swarm Hosts, and how to make both units viable in play.
Analyzing the effects of the last Swarm Host patch is one of our top priorities for Heart of the Swarm right now, so we wanted to share some more thoughts in this area to get more input from you.
Currently we’re not seeing much new Swarm Host usage. We see two potential reasons for this: The Swarm Host isn’t effective enough in its current state or players haven’t figured out the best use cases with them yet. The answer is probably a mix of both factors, and we’re hoping to see more Zerg games in all matchups in order to drill down on the correct course of action here.
For the full post, click here.
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Battle.net - HotS Balance Thoughts - April 17
There's a preview out for the first Legacy of the Void balance update. It explains some of the changes that are coming in, and what parts of the game they will affect.
Lurker starts off with 9 range, and upgrade is removed. Lurker attack is also more responsive after burrowing.
The Lurker feels buried at the moment, especially in ZvZ vs. Roaches where we’d really love to see more Lurker play. Against other races the steps needed to start using Lurkers also feels like too much. Hydralisk Den has to be upgraded to the Lurker Den, which also competes with the Hydralisk upgrade, Lurkers then need to be morphed and also research the upgrade before Lurkers are useful. We’d like to try out this change in order to see what happens when Lurker timing is sped up.
For the full post, click here.
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Battle.net - Legacy of the Void Beta: Balance Update Preview
A new patch is out for the Legacy of the Void beta, and the full patch notes are viewable below.
We've patched a number of issues for the Legacy of the Void beta. Find a full list of them in the patch notes below:
- Swapping players after using the “Take Command” feature should no longer result in a Victory/Defeat screen.
- Canceling a Custom Game search shortly after its initiation should no longer cause the game to become unresponsive.
- The cooldown for Corrosive Bile now correctly counts down while a Ravager is burrowed.
- Siege Tanks can now fit between the top of the ramp and a Barracks on Coda LE and Cactus Valley LE.
- Fixed a base location on Cactus Valley LE that did not allow for optimal base placement.
- Fixed an issue on Coda LE that caused a worker to sometimes not mine at the beginning of a match.
- Cloaked units will properly display a shimmer effect on Low graphic settings.
- Move speed tooltips for units that are at speeds other than ‘Normal’ are now displayed correctly.
- The Corruptor’s Caustic Spray will now properly go on cooldown if spell is interrupted due to the building moving out of range.
- You should no longer receive an error message when switching languages.
- Fixed an issue where in-game character names were not being displayed properly.
Source:
Battle.net - Legacy of the Void Beta Patch 2.5.1
The StarCraft II Game Guide has been updated, adding in lore entries for the High Templar, the Dark Templar, and the Archon.
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Battle.net - A Time for Templars: Protoss
There has been a new balance update to Heart of the Swarm, the contents of which you can see below.
Zerg
- Swarm Host
- Cost modified from 200 Minerals and 100 Vespene to 100 Minerals and 200 Vespene
- Supply cost increased from 3 to 4
- Movement speed increased from 2.25 to 2.95
- Swarm Hosts now require the Burrow research in order to burrow
- Swarm Hosts no longer collide with Locusts
- Spawn Locusts – This ability has been reworked
- Auto-cast removed, Spawn Locusts must now be manually cast.
- Spawn Locusts cooldown increased from 25 seconds to 60 seconds
- Casting Spawn Locusts no longer requires a Swarm Host to be burrowed
- Locust
- Weapon speed increased from .8 to .6
- Locust duration increased from 15 seconds (+10 seconds with Enduring Locusts) to 25 seconds
- Infestation Pit
- Enduring Locusts – This upgrade has been removed
- New upgrade: Flying Locusts - Allows Locusts spawned by Swarm Hosts to fly. Flying Locusts can use Swoop to land and attack
- Requires Lair
- Cost is 200 Minerals, 200 Vespene, 160 seconds
- Allows Locusts spawned by Swarm Hosts to fly. Flying Locusts can use Swoop to land and attack
- Swoop: Orders the Locust to land at the targeted location, allowing it to attack
- Viper
- Blinding Cloud range increased from 10 to 11
Terran
- Raven
- Point Defense Drone duration decreased from 180 seconds to 20 seconds
Protoss
- Tempest
- Bonus damage versus massive air units decreased from +50 damage to +14 damage.
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Battle.net - Heart of the Swarm Balance Update -- April 9, 2015
The new StarCraft II season is on its way, bringing with it a free name change for every player. It has just been revealed that the name change will be available on April 10, and that all players should use their current name change (if they still have one) since name changes do not stack. For anyone looking to play under a different name for the upcoming season, this is a great opportunity to do just that.
The new season is set to start April 13.
Source:
Battle.net - Where's the Free Name Change?
A small patch is out for the Legacy of the Void beta, and you can see its contents below.
- Fixed an issue where users attempting to launch the game from the executable file would receive an error.
- Fixed an issue where uninstalling Legacy of the Void beta would not remove all the intended files.
- The beta client version displayed on Battle.net Desktop App now matches the version found in the game client login screen.
- The “Scan and Repair” feature is now available to Legacy of the Void beta installations.
- Fixed an issue with consistency in installation flow themes.
- Fixed an issue where only the 32-bit client was able to launch via the Battle.net Desktop App.
- Players can now switch languages in the Void beta client without receiving an error message.
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Battle.net - Legacy of the Void Beta Patch 2.5.0
April Fools has come and gone, and this year had more StarCraft-related jokes. Blizzard made some amusing posts on the official StarCraft 2 front page, including selling the Spear of Adun as a Legacy of the Void keepsake for the measly sum of $9,999,998.00, which is well worth it for a life-size replica of a Protoss arkship.
What came next was the shocking announcement that the Legacy of the Void beta has concluded after a very short run. Players were promised a balance change of their choice for when Legacy of the Void releases, in order to "balance everything out again."
Lastly, the astounding and revolutionary B'Motes were announced. Featuring pre-recorded emotes, B'Motes can give players a winning edge in their social expression.
And that concludes this year's Blizzard April Fools jokes. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but everyone made it off safe and sound.
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Battle.net - Pre-Order Legacy of the Void Keepsake Now!
Battle.net - Legacy of the Void Beta Concludes!
Battle.net - Sound off with Confidence: Introducing B’Motes
Below are the full patch notes for the first Legacy of the Void beta patch.
Read more: Legacy of the Void Beta Patch 1.0
The long-awaited start to the Legacy of the Void closed beta is here! With several new units and balance changes in tow, the beta is sure to bring a lot of information and excitement in the months ahead.
In the official announcement, Blizzard has included a small FAQ, which explains various ways to get into the beta as well as rules pertaining to it.
Which game content will be available in the beta?
To start off, we will be focusing on the multiplayer experience only. We’ve added an exciting array of new units and abilities to the Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg, and we’d like to have as many eyes on them as possible. This testing will also include the upcoming Archon Mode. We will share information about future plans for the beta as we get closer to new content being released.
Patch notes are also available for viewing, which can be viewed in full here.
More information on the beta will be reported as it appears.
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Battle.net - Legacy of the Void Beta Now Live!
