Starcraft 2: WoL is now Free

[Iruka]

Actually happened already a week ago, thought it might be of interest to some people.

You can now play the complete Wings of Liberty campaign, ranked multiplayer ladder, and the co-op multiplayer mode. Co-op commanders Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis are fully available, all other commanders up to level 5.

https://starcraft2.com/en-us/news/21173629

Opening the other commanders is a smart move. Finally able to try them, I am much more inclined to buy some of them.

[Olinser]

Actually happened already a week ago, thought it might be of interest to some people.

You can now play the complete Wings of Liberty campaign, ranked multiplayer ladder, and the co-op multiplayer mode. Co-op commanders Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis are fully available, all other commanders up to level 5.

https://starcraft2.com/en-us/news/21173629

Opening the other commanders is a smart move. Finally able to try them, I am much more inclined to buy some of them.

I've always considered Wings of Liberty to be the best campaign of the 3, its got a lot of replayability for achievements and the story hadn't quite succumbed to the plot tumors yet. I just did another Brutal play through for the heck of it last week when I was bored :P

Yeah Co-Op is pretty fun although some commanders are definitely better than others. I thought Vorazun, Swann and Zagara were all free as well? I definitely never paid for them.

If anybody is interested in Co-Op or wants advice on achievements they can look me up I play a few games a week, tag is Olinser #1393

[Keltest]

Vorazun, Swann, Zagara and Karax are all included with a purchase of Legacy of the Void, and that's the only way to get them, as far as I know.

[Olinser]

Vorazun, Swann, Zagara and Karax are all included with a purchase of Legacy of the Void, and that's the only way to get them, as far as I know.

Ah, I was not aware of that, yeah that would explain it, I did buy all 3 expansions.

[Spore]

My client also offered me HotS for free. But that may be because I have WoL.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I'm not surprised. It's a savvy, if pretty underhanded, business move. Get more people involved with your microtransaction side.

Personally, you couldn't PAY me enough to touch Co-op mode with a barge pole, but eh... whatever floats your boat.

The campaign is nice, although depending on what order you tackle the missions in, Raynor can seem a little bipolar at times. But it DID have some damn good moments. The sequel was okay, and one of the longest-coming paybacks in gaming history. The third one... stank. But that's just my opinion.

[Olinser]

My client also offered me HotS for free. But that may be because I have WoL.

Yes, they said that if you had bought Wings of Liberty before a specific date (I think late October but I don't recall exactly), then you would receive Heart of the Swarm free.

If you had bought all 3 expansions you got some free skins and stuff, which I received.

[Olinser]

I'm not surprised. It's a savvy, if pretty underhanded, business move. Get more people involved with your microtransaction side.

Personally, you couldn't PAY me enough to touch Co-op mode with a barge pole, but eh... whatever floats your boat.

The campaign is nice, although depending on what order you tackle the missions in, Raynor can seem a little bipolar at times. But it DID have some damn good moments. The sequel was okay, and one of the longest-coming paybacks in gaming history. The third one... stank. But that's just my opinion.

I mean literally the only content you pay for is commanders, and the commanders you get for free assuming you own all the expansions is enough to easily beat any Brutal mission.

I'm level 91 in Co-Op and I've only bought 1 commander (Stukov). Though I did get Nova free with the campaign add-on, I never play her.

[Winthur]

Personally, you couldn't PAY me enough to touch Co-op mode with a barge pole, but eh... whatever floats your boat

I play pretty much exclusively the free Kerrigan on the weekends with my buddy and I'm still getting mileage out of that Queen Bitch in Brutal and with Mutations. There's no predatory practice waiting for you in co-op, and the mode isn't p2w. It's actually one of the most laidback and relaxed modes you can play in the game, which is great because SC2 severely lacked that upon release.

[Psyren]

Co-op is a blast! I've maxed out everyone but the new hero and Stukov. Bf and I play several times a week, and if we're not playing together than I'm happy to carry randoms through Brutal. (Not mutations though, you need to be on your A Game for those.)

My worst commander by far is Fenix, but with practice I should be able to turn starting the game with Carriers into an advantage somehow. My main is probably Nova, but I'm also really good with Abathur and decent with Alarak. Stukov is pretty easy as well.

[GolemsVoice]

Coop is really fun, especially after they added little stories to the missions.

[Psyren]

My headcanon is that lorewise, all the co-op missions (except Temple of the Past) take place in that small window between LOV's completion and the epilogue missions with Kerry. I know they aren't really canon but I think it's fun to fit them in there.

Apparently the new mission (Part And Parcel) was the result of a contest. To which I reply - why didn't they turn the top 3 into missions?? I want moar dammit

[Olinser]

My headcanon is that lorewise, all the co-op missions (except Temple of the Past) take place in that small window between LOV's completion and the epilogue missions with Kerry. I know they aren't really canon but I think it's fun to fit them in there.

Apparently the new mission (Part And Parcel) was the result of a contest. To which I reply - why didn't they turn the top 3 into missions?? I want moar dammit

They've had this contest a couple times already for this and mutations. Most likely the 2nd or 3rd place ones will win next time.

Also seriously they already have.... 15? different co-op missions. I've gone for days in random without getting the same one twice.

[Psyren]

They've had this contest a couple times already for this and mutations. Most likely the 2nd or 3rd place ones will win next time.

Also seriously they already have.... 15? different co-op missions. I've gone for days in random without getting the same one twice.

I've now maxed out every hero; Trust me when I say I've seen every one of them. So I'm more than happy to get (even pay for) more

(And Mira Han is bonkers!)

[Keltest]

I've now maxed out every hero; Trust me when I say I've seen every one of them. So I'm more than happy to get (even pay for) more

(And Mira Han is bonkers!)

Surprise! Your present arrived!

[Olinser]

I've now maxed out every hero; Trust me when I say I've seen every one of them. So I'm more than happy to get (even pay for) more

(And Mira Han is bonkers!)

I'm not really super impressed with Mira/Horner. They're really weak early game, and not unlike Nova if they lose their main force it takes them forever to rebuild. They have a good deathball but so do a bunch of other guys. They feel kind of mid-tier to me.

[Keltest]

I'm not really super impressed with Mira/Horner. They're really weak early game, and not unlike Nova if they lose their main force it takes them forever to rebuild. They have a good deathball but so do a bunch of other guys. They feel kind of mid-tier to me.

Ive found two main problems with them. The first is heavy duty air tends to crush them. Reapers just cant take out liberators and battlecruisers on their own, and their fleet doesn't build up fast enough to compensate well.

The other is map control. Mag Mines are nice but have a tendency to miss 90% of their shots, and air units on their own generally cant hold off a wave. With no static D and no other mobility options, you basically need to head back and possibly abandon the objective if an attack wave goes somewhere unexpected.

[Psyren]

I'm not really super impressed with Mira/Horner. They're really weak early game, and not unlike Nova if they lose their main force it takes them forever to rebuild. They have a good deathball but so do a bunch of other guys. They feel kind of mid-tier to me.

Disagree, their early game is great. Only Dehaka and Zagara can expand faster imo. Generally I'll have all 5 galleons + 4-8 reapers out before the first attack wave arrives on Brutal, and that's without taking her remote mines into consideration.

For mid-late game, generally I just do galleons + 3-6 battlecruisers + 1-2 ravens, and Reapers as filler. With their upgrade that lets them hit air, my big expensive units are never in danger from anything. Not to mention her emergency buttons, which are on par with Stukov's. The fleet run in particular can be used both as an oh crap button for the attack wave that goes around your main forces, or as a powerful opener to tear through a chewy enemy front line.

I find the pinpoint strike is underwhelming though. Great for picking off turrets, but the real threat in a base tends to be hybrid, and the amount of base real estate they take up is annoying.

Ive found two main problems with them. The first is heavy duty air tends to crush them. Reapers just cant take out liberators and battlecruisers on their own, and their fleet doesn't build up fast enough to compensate well.

Reapers can absolutely rip through battlecruisers, though you can always add a few Wraiths or Valkyries for seasoning if you're having trouble (I haven't had to do this yet, though I probably might on a mutator.) You'll lose a bunch of them, but replacing them is lightning fast since they deploy on the frontline. And of course, if you upgrade her galleons to be ghetto carriers, you screw up the AI's targeting quite easily due to their range.

The other is map control. Mag Mines are nice but have a tendency to miss 90% of their shots, and air units on their own generally cant hold off a wave. With no static D and no other mobility options, you basically need to head back and possibly abandon the objective if an attack wave goes somewhere unexpected.

You can squash an entire attack wave with her space station drop, and any stragglers get delayed by the drones until the nuke goes off. I've never had to go home to deal with one personally. (If any do get past that, all of Horner's units can teleport.)

[Keltest]

Reapers can absolutely rip through battlecruisers, though you can always add a few Wraiths or Valkyries for seasoning if you're having trouble (I haven't had to do this yet, though I probably might on a mutator.) You'll lose a bunch of them, but replacing them is lightning fast since they deploy on the frontline. And of course, if you upgrade her galleons to be ghetto carriers, you screw up the AI's targeting quite easily due to their range.

Its not the battlecruisers alone that's a problem exactly, its the BCs plus liberators. The AoE splash kills the reapers, which cant take down that army fast enough to trade.

[Psyren]

Its not the battlecruisers alone that's a problem exactly, its the BCs plus liberators. The AoE splash kills the reapers, which cant take down that army fast enough to trade.

Nah, Liberators are trivial to deal with - just advance your Reapers on the ground ahead of your air, and the Liberators will all switch to aerial siege mode. As soon as you see the big circles appear, jetpack your entire force and focus them down while they struggle to transform back. The Reapers should be able to wipe them out with barely a scratch. The BCs can hit your Reapers in either mode of course, but there won't be enough of those to make much of a dent, and your own BCs and Galleons will be pounding both with missiles and drones the entire time.

A similar "juking" strat works on Valkyries, who behave similarly. Basically, trick the AI into switching to whatever mode is least advantageous for them; it works every time.

The only enemy waves that can really give Mira a hard time are banelings and scourge combo, and those are annoying for everyone that isn't Stukov/Zagara.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

A lot more of the coop mode being free has really opened up playtime, and yes it has gotten me to consider buying one of the heroes (albeit I hate the microtransactions and I'm almost 100% sure they'd get more money out of me if they'd just offer it all in a small package).

Me and one of my friends that play the missions together are getting a kick out of the lvl 5 cap, because far as I know there's no way to "rank down" your hero below lvl 15, so we're using it to "cap" our heroes at lvl 5 so brutal missions can be really difficult again.

[Olinser]

A lot more of the coop mode being free has really opened up playtime, and yes it has gotten me to consider buying one of the heroes (albeit I hate the microtransactions and I'm almost 100% sure they'd get more money out of me if they'd just offer it all in a small package).

Me and one of my friends that play the missions together are getting a kick out of the lvl 5 cap, because far as I know there's no way to "rank down" your hero below lvl 15, so we're using it to "cap" our heroes at lvl 5 so brutal missions can be really difficult again.

Why? If you want a bigger challenge with a friend play custom mutations. Some combinations of them are borderline impossible.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Why? If you want a bigger challenge with a friend play custom mutations. Some combinations of them are borderline impossible.

1) It gives us a way to play the new heroes in a challenging-but-not-impossible way without actually having to pay for them. (Also, we're so far only skilled enough to do brutal lvl 5s with Stukov + Nova).

2) Mutations are often about overcoming a particular gimmick or two with specific micro tricks, whereas upping the difficulty is just a general across-the-board ramp up in difficulty, and leveling down is generally an across-the-board ramp down in power. Less solvable by figuring out a trick, more solvable by general improvement of gameplay.

3) Using custom mutations to ramp up the difficulty is a thing we have briefly dipped our toes into, and may be something we tilt into more, but between playing Brutal Lvl 5s and puzzling the solution to Weekly Mutations, we just haven't had enough time to commit to exploring that gamespace.

[Psyren]

1) It gives us a way to play the new heroes in a challenging-but-not-impossible way without actually having to pay for them. (Also, we're so far only skilled enough to do brutal lvl 5s with Stukov + Nova).

2) Mutations are often about overcoming a particular gimmick or two with specific micro tricks, whereas upping the difficulty is just a general across-the-board ramp up in difficulty, and leveling down is generally an across-the-board ramp down in power. Less solvable by figuring out a trick, more solvable by general improvement of gameplay.

I'm not sure I'd agree that you're "improving gameplay" by playing neutered versions of the commanders though. It seems far more likely to me that that would just result in you internalizing bad habits, like never using Kerrigan's Omega Worms because she doesn't have any yet, or constructing far more pylons than you need to on Artanis. Better by far to use mutators that don't require big playstyle shifts imo, like Barrier, Hardened Will and Aggressive Deployment - the kind of stuff that just makes enemy attack waves and bases tougher overall without completely changing your approach.

[Winthur]

internalizing bad habits, like never using Kerrigan's Omega Worms because she doesn't have any yet, or constructing far more pylons than you need to on Artanis.

Nitpick, but I get what you're saying: Raynor, Kerrigan and Artanis are free to max level, and all the premium commanders are limited to 5.

[Psyren]

Nitpick, but I get what you're saying: Raynor, Kerrigan and Artanis are free to max level, and all the premium commanders are limited to 5.

You're absolutely right, bad examples

But yeah, some commanders' gameplay changes completely as they level... Fenix almost becomes a whole new commander after Operational Efficiency, Vorazun's pylon recall is integral to her playstyle, etc.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

I get that point, and will keep it in mind for some of the commanders. Especially the mutation recommendations in particular for that kind of difficulty ramp. I don't think that applies to Stukov, but it may to others. I do however, feel like if we ever were to buy the heroes, that it wouldn't take more than a couple of games to adjust to the new toys. People often go through games with self imposed handicaps, and it rarely diminishes their ability to play the game without those handicaps.


Side note, Omega Worms are crazy good, utilized them + Artanis to deal with this week's mutation.

[Psyren]

Who's everyone's main / favorite commander? Mine is probably Nova, but I also enjoy Abathur and Stukov quite a lot. For Protoss it used to be Alarak, but Fenix has been growing on me steadily.

[Keltest]

Who's everyone's main / favorite commander? Mine is probably Nova, but I also enjoy Abathur and Stukov quite a lot. For Protoss it used to be Alarak, but Fenix has been growing on me steadily.

Among the terrans, Tychus is my favorite. He is easily the most well written character in Wings of Liberty, and I get a lot of perspective listening to him on replays.

For the protoss, Fenix (the original) will always be my favorite, but Alarak and Artanis get honorable mentions.

For the zerg, Abathur is pretty darn cool. I think Stukov really needed more screen time for me to get attached to him.

[Psyren]

I like Tychus too but isn't he dead? He's not a commander in any event, unless I'm missing something big.

I mean, he would be a really cool commander (there's an empty Odin lying around the Dominion somewhere - just saying!) but if we are due another terran commander I'd rather have Tosh, nobody is using spectres yet.