StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is an add-on to the military science fiction real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. It is the second part of the StarCraft II trilogy created by Blizzard Entertainment, with the final part being Legacy of the Void. The game was released on March 12, 2013.
The expansion includes new units and changes to multiplayer features from Wings of Liberty. It also continues the story focused on the Zerg race, following Sarah Kerrigan as she tries to regain control of the swarm and seek revenge against Arcturus Mengsk, the emperor of the Terran Dominion.
During BlizzCon 2017, Blizzard announced that StarCraft II would become a free-to-play game. This change allowed everyone to access the multiplayer mode, while some previously paid features were adjusted. The Wings of Liberty campaign became free, but the campaigns for Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void still required payment. However, players who had already purchased Wings of Liberty before the free-to-play announcement received free access to the Heart of the Swarm campaign. This new model and changes to campaign availability aligned with Blizzard's plan to support the game differently in the future. Micro-transactions, such as Skins, Co-op Commanders, Voice Packs, and War Chests, were successful in helping StarCraft II remain a story-driven and eSport game.
Gameplay
Heart of the Swarm includes a single-player campaign with 20 missions and seven evolution missions, which let players upgrade their units. The story continues from Wings of Liberty, and players control Sarah Kerrigan, who has recently regained her human form with help from Jim Raynor. Like Wings of Liberty, the game allows players to explore a briefing room, now located on the Leviathan, a massive Zerg creature that acts as a living ship. Kerrigan and her allies are in the nerve center of the Leviathan. She has a personal chamber to change her abilities and an evolution pit where she can upgrade units and complete missions with Abathur, a Zerg expert.
At BlizzCon 2011, Blizzard announced that Heart of the Swarm would add seven new multiplayer units, remove three units, and change the abilities of existing units and buildings. Specific changes have been updated since then. Game director Dustin Browder explained these updates in a blog post.
The Terrans were originally planned to have two new units: the Shredder, a mobile, burrowing turret that released toxic gas to harm enemy units, and the Warhound, a bipedal combat walker with a high-caliber cannon. However, the Shredder was too powerful and was replaced by the Widow Mine, a mobile, burrowing unit that fires missiles causing splash damage. The Warhound was removed from multiplayer after testing showed it did not work as intended, though it appears in the single-player campaign.
Several Terran units were changed. The Hellion, a four-wheeled vehicle with a flamethrower, can now transform into the Hellbat, a bipedal walker with a fan-shaped flamethrower. The Hellbat is both biological and mechanical, meaning it can be repaired by SCVs or healed by Medivacs and Medics. The Medivac gained an "Ignite Afterburners" upgrade, which gives it a speed boost after a short cooldown. The Reaper, a Terran unit, no longer deals extra damage to light units, and its grenade ability (used on buildings) was removed. It now regains health after taking damage and can be produced without a Tech Lab, allowing two Reapers to be trained at once using a Reactor.
The Protoss were originally planned to have the Replicant, a unit that could copy enemy units, but it was removed because it limited game diversity. Instead, three new units were added: the Oracle, Tempest, and Mothership Core.
The Oracle is a fast, flying unit that uses energy for its abilities. It originally blocked enemy access to minerals, but this was changed to slow mining instead. It now has the Pulsar Beam, which quickly kills worker units but drains energy quickly. It also reveals enemy units and detects hidden or burrowed units.
The Tempest is a large, slow flying unit that replaces the Carrier. It deals splash damage and extra damage to large units. It has long range but moves slowly and requires a spotter to use its full potential.
The Mothership Core is a slow flying unit with three abilities: Photon Overcharge, which gives a Nexus a long-range energy attack; Mass Recall, which teleports Protoss units to a Nexus; and Time Warp, which slows enemy ground units. When a Fleet Beacon is built, the Mothership Core transforms into the Mothership, losing Photon Overcharge but gaining mass cloaking. The Vortex ability was removed to balance gameplay.
The Void Ray’s Prismatic Beam now becomes an active ability that temporarily boosts damage against armored units, replacing the original effect of gradually increasing damage over time.
The Zerg gained two new units: the Viper and the Swarm Host. The Viper is a flying spellcaster with abilities like "Blinding Cloud" (reduces enemy range), "Abduct" (pulls units to itself), and "Consume" (steals health from friendly structures to gain energy). It supports large Zerg armies. The Swarm Host burrows underground and periodically spawns Locusts, small units that attack from a distance. Locusts are weak but can overwhelm enemies in large numbers. They cannot attack air units, so other units or Spore Crawlers are needed for defense.
The Hydralisk regained its speed boost upgrade from Brood War. Both "Burrow" and the Overlord’s movement speed boost can now be researched at the Hatchery, without needing a Lair.
In the single-player campaign, each Zerg combat unit can evolve into one of two versions, each with unique traits. For example, the Torrasque strain of the Ultralisk can revive itself after death. "Primal" versions, which look very different and are part of the story, cannot be produced. The campaign does not include mobile Zerg units that detect cloaked enemies or transport troops, so cloaked units like the Protoss Dark Templar are absent, and the Terran Banshee and Ghost do not use their cloaking abilities.
Plot
After the events of Wings of Liberty, Terran Dominion forces attack Sarah Kerrigan and her allies at a research facility in the Umojan Protectorate. Kerrigan and others escape to the Hyperion, the flagship of Raynor's Raiders, but Commander Jim Raynor is cut off by the Dominion. The Hyperion escapes, but Kerrigan stays behind to find Raynor. She later hears a Dominion newscast announcing that Raynor has been captured and executed. Angered, Kerrigan returns to Zerg territory to reclaim control of the swarm and defeat the Dominion.
On the volcanic planet Char, Kerrigan confronts Zagara, a renegade brood leader who refuses to join Kerrigan’s swarm until she proves she is the Queen of Blades. Impressed by Zagara’s strength and desire for independence, Kerrigan spares her life, and Zagara begins learning from Kerrigan. Kerrigan and her Zerg forces attack Dominion troops on Char. In a rage, Kerrigan destroys a Dominion command fortress and kills its commander, General Horace Warfield. Later, she allows wounded and unarmed individuals to evacuate. On the frozen planet Kaldir, Kerrigan defeats local Protoss forces, reclaims a Zerg brood, and evolves the swarm to survive the harsh climate.
Zeratul visits Kerrigan and suggests she regain her powers by traveling to Zerus, the original Zerg homeworld. On Zerus, Kerrigan learns that a fallen Xel'Naga named Amon shaped the Zerg into a unified swarm. Some Zerg, however, avoided Amon and remained independent. One such Zerg, Zurvan, known as the "Ancient One," is in hibernation and must be awakened by Kerrigan for knowledge about the Zerg’s origins. After awakening, Zurvan directs Kerrigan to seek the primordial spawning pool, the source of the first Zerg. Kerrigan enters the pool, transforms into a primal Queen of Blades, and absorbs the genetic essences of four hostile primal leaders and Zurvan. A primal leader named Dehaka and his pack join her, provided she gives them essence to collect.
Kerrigan is contacted by Alexei Stukov, a former United Earth Directorate officer infected by Zerg. With Stukov’s help, Kerrigan attacks a research station where Emil Narud, a servant of Amon, is creating Protoss-Zerg hybrids. After defeating Dominion security forces and Tal'Darim loyal to Narud, Kerrigan confronts Narud. Narud transforms into Raynor and Kerrigan’s human form before impaling her. He reveals Amon has been revived and then dies.
Meanwhile, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk claims Raynor is alive and imprisoned as a bargaining chip against Kerrigan attacking Korhal IV, the Dominion’s throne world. Kerrigan informs the Hyperion, and they plan to hack the Dominion network to locate Raynor. Colonel Orlan, the only one with the needed expertise, is held captive by mercenary Mira Han. The Hyperion attacks Han’s mining operations, forcing her to release Orlan. Orlan locates Raynor on a moving prison ship. Kerrigan rescues Raynor, who is horrified by her transformation. Though Raynor refuses to shoot her, he tells her their relationship is over despite her confession of love.
Having united all Zerg under the swarm, Kerrigan invades Korhal, focusing on the capital, Augustgrad. With Dehaka’s help, she destroys Mengsk’s Psi Destroyer, a weapon ineffective against primal Zerg. As Kerrigan’s swarm attacks Mengsk’s palace, Crown Prince Valerian urges her to slow her invasion to protect civilians. She agrees, recognizing Valerian’s difference from his father. Raynor, witnessing this, joins Kerrigan during the final battle. Together, they breach the imperial palace. Mengsk reveals he possesses a Xel'Naga artifact to kill Kerrigan. Raynor intervenes, allowing Kerrigan to impale Mengsk, who explodes after being injected with psionic energy.
After the battle, Kerrigan thanks Raynor, who replies, “My pleasure, darlin’. Always was.” With her revenge complete, Kerrigan renounces her past and prepares to face Amon, the enemy of all life, in a conflict that will determine the fate of the Koprulu Sector and the galaxy.
Development
On May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea, Blizzard Entertainment announced the development of StarCraft II. At the June 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, Blizzard's Executive Vice President, Rob Pardo, stated that StarCraft II would be released as three separate games. The first game, Wings of Liberty, would focus on the Terrans. The second game, Heart of the Swarm, would center on the Zerg. The third game, Legacy of the Void, would highlight the Protoss. At the time, Blizzard's storyboard team was already working on Heart of the Swarm in early 2010, while Wings of Liberty was being improved for gameplay. Wings of Liberty was officially released on July 27, 2010, and received high praise from critics.
Some updates will be made to the game's graphics engine, including changes to the appearance and movement of Zerg creep, as well as improvements to how game environments are displayed. However, the expansion will require the same computer hardware as Wings of Liberty.
On April 30, 2012, Blizzard announced that the latest version of Heart of the Swarm would be playable at the MLG Spring Championship (June 8–10, 2012) before a planned beta release. No specific release dates were given. By June 15, 2012, the game was mostly finished, with only minor adjustments and refinements remaining.
On August 15, 2012, Blizzard announced that the multiplayer beta would begin soon. By September 4, 2012, the closed beta testing for the multiplayer version of Heart of the Swarm started. It was available to selected professional players, members of the press, Arcade contest winners, and shoutcasters. Beta testers were not required to keep the game details secret, so they could share gameplay, images, and other content freely. The beta testing ended on March 1, 2013.
Blizzard officially released Heart of the Swarm for PC and Mac systems in multiple countries on March 12, 2013.
Release and reception
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm sold about 1.1 million copies worldwide in its first two days of release. It was the most popular PC game sold during the first quarter of 2013.
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, as reported by Metacritic. PC Gamer gave the game a score of 91%, stating it is "a traditional RTS essential for anyone interested in competitive strategy games, and strongly suggested for players not interested in competitive strategy games." Daniel Shannon, writing for GameSpot, gave the game a score of 8/10. He praised the game's "diverse campaign and enjoyable online play" but noted the writing was "weak." He also said the main character, Kerrigan, was "uninteresting," and her actions were "difficult to understand."
The cinematics from Heart of the Swarm won the 2013 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound & Music Editing: Computer Interactive Entertainment, given by the Motion Picture Sound Editors society. During the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Heart of the Swarm for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year."
In addition to the standard game, Heart of the Swarm is available in two special versions: Digital Deluxe and Collector's Edition. These versions include extra items with the game. DVD versions of Heart of the Swarm require an additional content download of about 8 gigabytes before the game can be played for the first time.
The Digital Deluxe includes:
1. A special in-game skin for the Ultralisk unit
2. Three portraits and three decals for use in Heart of the Swarm
3. A Baneling pet for use in World of Warcraft
4. A Heart of the Swarm-themed apparel item and banner for use in Diablo III
The Collector's Edition includes all items from the Digital Deluxe, plus:
1. A 144-page artwork book
2. A mousepad showing a battle between Zerg and Terrans
3. A behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD set
4. A CD with 11 audio tracks from the game
The soundtrack for Heart of the Swarm was released in two volumes. The first soundtrack was included with the Collector's Edition and released separately on iTunes. The second soundtrack was first given out as an exclusive promotional CD at BlizzCon 2013 and is now available at Blizzard's official store.
Professional competition
The release of the expansion caused a temporary increase in interest in StarCraft II's competitive multiplayer scene. Blizzard Entertainment made competition rules more consistent by redesigning the StarCraft II World Championship Series. However, over time, interest, support from companies, and the number of people watching the game decreased. Two years after the release of Legacy of the Void, the second and final StarCraft II expansion, the game became free to play. This change led to a renewed increase in interest in the game.