StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is a science fiction real-time strategy video game created and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide in July 2010 for computers running Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. This game is a sequel to the 1998 video game StarCraft and its 1998 expansion pack, Brood War. It is the first part of the StarCraft II series, which was later followed by additional expansion packs. Since November 2017, Wings of Liberty has been available for free to play.
Like the original StarCraft, the game features three species: the Terrans (humans), the Zerg (a powerful group of creatures that merge with other life forms), and the Protoss (a highly advanced race with strong mental abilities). Wings of Liberty focuses on the Terrans, while later expansion packs, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void, focus on the Zerg and Protoss, respectively. The game takes place four years after the events of Brood War and follows the story of Jim Raynor, who leads a rebel group against the strict Terran Dominion. The game includes new characters, locations, and returning elements from the original StarCraft.
The game received very high praise from critics, earning a score of 93% on Metacritic. It is often considered one of the greatest video games ever made. Like its predecessor, StarCraft II was praised for its exciting gameplay and improved storytelling. However, some critics noted that it lacked certain features from the original game, such as the ability to play over local networks and switch between multiplayer regions. When it was first released, StarCraft II became the fastest-selling real-time strategy game, with over three million copies sold worldwide in its first month.
Gameplay
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty includes the return of three species from the original game: Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. In the Terran campaign, the original briefing room is replaced with an interactive version of the battlecruiser Hyperion, with Jim Raynor, a tough and hard-drinking mercenary captain, as the main character. This campaign is different from earlier Blizzard games because it is not linear. Raynor takes jobs for money and uses that money to buy more units and upgrades. Even though each game might be different, the story still ends the same way. Blizzard’s Vice President, Rob Pardo, said each campaign will work differently. The Terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, puts players in a mercenary-style story where Raynor’s Raiders, a rebel group, raise money by taking jobs from outside groups. The second expansion, Heart of the Swarm, focuses on the Zerg and includes role-playing elements. Sarah Kerrigan is the main character, and the story is about her possible redemption. The third expansion, Legacy of the Void, is Protoss-themed. In this story, Protoss leader Artanis tries to unite the Protoss tribes to stop Amon, a fallen Xel’Naga.
Wings of Liberty has 29 campaign missions. Out of these, 26 are playable in one playthrough, three are alternate choices, and one is a hidden mission.
The campaign includes missions with special features. For example, lava floods the battlefield every five minutes, forcing players to move units to high ground to avoid destruction. In another mission, enemies attack only at night, requiring players to use siege tactics. One mission requires using a single unit to influence an AI-controlled battle. Between missions, players can choose units, buildings, and upgrades not available in multiplayer.
Wings of Liberty has about the same number of units as the original StarCraft. Some units from the original game return with new upgrades or abilities. For example, the Protoss Zealot, a close-range unit, can now dash forward to reach enemies quickly. Other units have been replaced or removed. Some changes were inspired by events from StarCraft and its expansion, StarCraft: Brood War. New units in StarCraft II have abilities that allow them to move across different terrain or teleport short distances. Some Protoss units can be created in pylon-powered areas using the Warp Gate, a modified version of the Gateway building. Campaign-only units, such as the Terran Diamondback, are not available in regular multiplayer but can be used in custom maps. Some units are enhanced versions of standard units and become available for hire after unlocking the basic version.
The StarCraft II Editor is a tool for creating campaigns, maps, and mods. It is the first Blizzard editor to include built-in support for mod creation. Unused art, models, and data from the original StarCraft, including some made as April Fools jokes, are available in the editor. Unlike earlier editors, this one connects to the Internet, allowing users to publish, download, and activate maps online. The editor lets players create role-playing or hero-style units and structures similar to those in Warcraft III. At BlizzCon 2009, Blizzard showed an early version of the editor, including customizable user interfaces and a third-person perspective for missions.
The editor was first available during the first beta phase of StarCraft II, included in a patch. It was updated during the second beta phase. A community of map makers uses the editor to create games like first-person shooters, role-playing games, tower defense, and multiplayer online battle arena games. The map database is updated as more maps are made. Maps and mods uploaded to Battle.net are limited to 50 MB total, split into up to ten files, with no file larger than 10 MB. While the editor offers more customization than the original StarCraft Editor, some worry that Battle.net’s limits might prevent large custom maps unless an external tool is added.
The StarCraft II Arcade is a feature where high-quality maps can be sold as "premium maps" on Battle.net. At BlizzCon 2010, Blizzard announced a custom map called "Blizzard DOTA," which later became a standalone game named Heroes of the Storm. This map demonstrated the modding tools planned for StarCraft II.
StarCraft II does not support local area network (LAN) play, unlike the original StarCraft. All games are played through Blizzard’s servers online. Playing over LAN reduces latency and allows for more precise control, which raised concerns about the professional scene. Over 250,000 fans signed a petition asking Blizzard to add LAN support before the game’s release. Blizzard has no plans to add LAN play but introduced a "Players Near You" feature in patch 2.0.4 to help organize games on the same local network.
Synopsis
The story of StarCraft II happens four years after the events of StarCraft: Brood War. It includes the return of characters like Zeratul, Arcturus Mengsk, Artanis, Sarah Kerrigan, and Jim Raynor. New characters, such as Rory Swann and Tychus Findlay, also appear. Players return to familiar places like Char, Mar Sara, and Tarsonis, as well as new locations, such as the jungle planet Bel'Shir and New Folsom. The Xel'Naga, an ancient alien race that created the Protoss and Zerg, play an important role in the story.
At the end of Brood War, Kerrigan and her Zerg forces became the strongest group in the Koprulu Sector. They destroyed the United Earth Directorate’s Expeditionary Force, defeated the Terran Dominion, and attacked the Protoss home planet, Aiur. However, after Brood War, Kerrigan withdrew to Char, even though she had enough power to defeat all remaining enemies. For four years before StarCraft II, she remained hidden and unseen.
Arcturus Mengsk has been rebuilding the Terran Dominion and is trying to strengthen his control while dealing with attacks from other Terran groups. He has become greedy and declared Jim Raynor an outlaw, showing little interest in protecting the colonies under his rule. Valerian Mengsk, introduced in the novel Firstborn, will influence Dominion politics as the heir to the throne. Meanwhile, Jim Raynor, once a hero but now ignored by the media, has become a mercenary who spends time drinking at Joeyray’s Bar. Blizzard’s Chris Metzen said that by StarCraft II, Raynor feels bitter and betrayed by Mengsk. Other new characters include Tychus Findlay, a former criminal who joins Raynor’s team, and Matt Horner, Raynor’s second-in-command, who first appeared in the novel Queen of Blades.
After the Protoss lost Aiur and the Dark Templar leader Raszagal died, the Protoss retreated to their home planet, Shakuras. There, Artanis, a former student of Tassadar, tries to unite the Khalai Protoss and the Dark Templar, who have nearly split into fighting groups. Zeratul, troubled by Raszagal’s death, searches for answers about Protoss-Zerg hybrids mentioned in Brood War’s secret mission “Dark Origin.”
Four years after Brood War, the Terran Dominion is once again the strongest Terran force in the Koprulu Sector. Reports show that the Dominion’s military has weakened, and its budget is now used to hunt rebels. For unknown reasons, Kerrigan gathered her Zerg forces on Char and then disappeared. Without the Zerg, the Protoss have taken a passive role in the galaxy. Jim Raynor formed a group called Raynor’s Raiders to overthrow Arcturus Mengsk. On Mar Sara, Raynor meets Tychus Findlay, and together they free the local people from Dominion control. They also find a piece of a mysterious Xel’Naga artifact. When the Zerg attack Mar Sara, Raynor evacuates the population to his ship, the Hyperion, commanded by Matt Horner.
With Tychus’s help, Raynor’s Raiders complete missions to find other pieces of the Xel’Naga artifact, selling them to the Moebius Foundation to fund their rebellion. Along the way, they meet Gabriel Tosh, a rogue Dominion assassin, and Ariel Hanson, a Zerg researcher and colony leader. The Raiders help Tosh train new assassins and support Hanson as she protects her colonists from Zerg infestations and Protoss attacks. Horner also arranges missions to expose Mengsk’s war crimes. Finally, Zeratul gives Raynor a psychic crystal that shows a vision of a dark future where Zerg-Protoss hybrids and a Zerg swarm destroy humanity and the Protoss. The vision reveals that only Kerrigan can stop this disaster.
After collecting more artifact pieces, Raynor’s forces meet the Moebius Foundation at a planned location. The foundation is controlled by Valerian Mengsk, Arcturus’s son. Valerian asks Raynor to help him invade Char and use the artifact to restore Kerrigan’s humanity, weakening the Zerg. Raynor agrees, and with Valerian’s help, they recover the final artifact piece. The Raiders and Dominion forces attack Char, but the Zerg defenses damage the Dominion fleet. Raynor secures a position on Char and joins forces with General Horace Warfield. After Warfield is injured, Raynor becomes commander of the remaining Dominion forces. Together, they fight toward the planet’s main Hive Cluster, protecting the artifact as it powers up. The artifact destroys all Zerg nearby. Raynor’s team finds Kerrigan restored to human form, but Tychus reveals he betrayed her to save himself. Raynor kills Tychus to protect Kerrigan. The story ends with Raynor carrying Kerrigan away from the hive.
In the English version of StarCraft II, Robert Clotworthy and James Harper return as the voices of Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk. Tricia Helfer replaces Glynnis Talken as Kerrigan, Michael Dorn replaces Michael Gough as Tassadar, and Fred Tatasciore voices Zeratul. Andrea Romano directed the voices. Over 58 voice actors were hired for the game, with some playing multiple characters.
Development
The development of StarCraft II was announced on May 19, 2007, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Seoul, South Korea. Rob Pardo and Chris Sigaty stated that the game’s development began in 2003, shortly after the release of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. However, the project was delayed for a year because Blizzard had to shift its resources to work on World of Warcraft. StarCraft II uses DirectX 9 (Pixel shader 2.0) technology and is fully compatible with DirectX 10. The development team chose not to add exclusive DirectX 10 effects. The Mac version of the game uses OpenGL. The game originally included the Havok physics engine, which allowed for realistic effects like debris rolling down a ramp. This was later replaced with a custom physics engine.
At the June 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, Rob Pardo announced that the single-player campaign was about one-third complete. He also said that the first expansion, Wings of Liberty, would be followed by two more expansions: StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, focusing on the Zerg, and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, focusing on the Protoss. On February 25, 2009, Blizzard announced the Blizzard Theme Park Contest, which offered prizes including beta keys for StarCraft II. The updated Battle.net news page for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne stated that the top 20 players on each server would receive a StarCraft II beta key.
Blizzard initially planned to release the first beta in Summer 2009 but did not do so. Starting on May 6, 2009, players could sign up for the beta. In November 2009, Chris Sigaty confirmed there would be no public beta in 2009 but said one would happen the following year. In February 2010, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime announced a closed beta would begin later that month. The closed beta started on February 17, 2010, and was expected to last 3–5 months. Beta keys were sold on eBay for up to $400. Blizzard released a map editor with Patch 9. By July 23, 2010, eighteen patches had been released for the beta (seventeen on European servers), including one that added the Galaxy map editor. On May 12, 2010, Blizzard released the beta client for Mac OS X users who had signed up. The first phase of the beta was scheduled to end on May 31, 2010, but was extended to June 7. The second phase began on July 7, 2010, and ended on July 19, 2010.
In June 2009, Rob Pardo said StarCraft II would not include LAN support, requiring players to connect through Blizzard’s servers for multiplayer games. This caused some player dissatisfaction. Blizzard also confirmed the game would not support cross-server play initially, limiting players to competing with opponents in their own region. However, starting with patch 1.1.0, players in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand could play on North American servers as well.
During the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2009, Mike Morhaime announced that StarCraft II and the new Battle.net platform would be released in 2010, about one month apart. By March 2010, Blizzard stated the new platform was being tested and planned for release in early July 2010 for both StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, with a later upgrade for Diablo III. On May 5, 2010, Blizzard revealed that StarCraft II and Battle.net 2.0 would integrate with Facebook, allowing players to find opponents among their Facebook friends. Wired magazine ranked StarCraft II first in its 2009 Vaporware Award for delayed technology products. StarCraft II was finally released on July 27, 2010, with launch parties in cities worldwide. Some customers who received the installation DVD before the release date saw an error screen and had to wait until July 27 to play.
Compared to the original StarCraft, StarCraft II focused more on multiplayer features, including improved Battle.net, a new ranked "ladder" system, and better matchmaking. The replay function, which lets players review past games, was also improved. Blizzard added changes suggested by fans. The game continued using pre-rendered cinematic cut scenes for the story but improved in-game cut scenes using the same engine as the gameplay. Blizzard said the new graphics engine allowed for "near-cinematic quality" in-game scenes, with better scenery, space terrain, and details like floating platforms and planets.
At BlizzCon 2017, Blizzard announced that StarCraft II would become a "free-to-play" game, allowing everyone to access the Wings of Liberty campaign, multiplayer mode, and two other game modes. This change supported microtransactions like Skins, Co-op Commanders, Voice Packs, and War Chests. However, in October 2020, Blizzard stopped producing new paid content, though season rolls and balance fixes continued.
During development, it was announced that StarCraft II and its expansions would form a trilogy, each focusing on one of the three playable races. The first expansion, Heart of the Swarm, focused on the Zerg and was released on March 12, 2013. The second expansion, Legacy of the Void, focused on the Protoss and was released on November 10, 2015. A downloadable content (DLC) campaign called StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops, which follows a Terran special ops character named Nova Terra, was released in 2016 in three episodes.
Soundtracks
Two soundtracks were released for the video game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The first soundtrack, called Wings of Liberty, was written by composers Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Neal Acree, Russell Brower, Sascha Dikiciyan, and Cris Velasco. It was sold on CD and through the iTunes Store. Both versions include 14 songs, and the iTunes version also has extra digital content. A second soundtrack, titled Revolution Overdrive: Songs of Liberty, was released on CD, vinyl, and iTunes. This soundtrack includes original songs and cover songs that are played in a bar called JoeyRay's within the game.
Release
On April 8, 2010, Blizzard announced that the game would be sold in two versions: a standard edition and a collector’s edition. The game was available for download on the release date, and players could begin downloading it before the official release on July 15. The collector’s edition includes an artbook, a 2 GB flash drive shaped like Jim Raynor’s dog tag with the original StarCraft and Brood War expansion preloaded, a behind-the-scenes DVD, a soundtrack, a comic book, unique avatar portraits, a special version of the in-game Thor unit for multiplayer, and a World of Warcraft pet.
On June 24, 2010, Blizzard told reporters at a Korean event that players in South Korea could play StarCraft II for free if they had an active World of Warcraft subscription. In PC bangs, which are internet cafes, players could pay between 500 to 1,500 South Korean won (about $0.50 to $1.50) per hour to play. Other options included a 30-day subscription for ₩9,900 (about $8), a 24-hour play-time ticket for ₩2,000 (about $1.50), and unlimited access for ₩69,000 (about $56). The EULA for StarCraft II is different from earlier Blizzard games. Purchasing the game gives players a license to play, but the game itself remains owned by Blizzard. Breaking the EULA is considered both a contract violation and a copyright issue, giving Blizzard more control over how the game is used. Public Knowledge has raised concerns about how the new EULA might affect unofficial multiplayer tournaments.
On August 3, 2011, Blizzard replaced the StarCraft II demo with the StarCraft II: Starter Edition. This version lets players try part of the game for free and is available as a 7 GB download through the Blizzard Downloader. The Starter Edition works on Mac and Windows computers and requires a Battle.net account and an internet connection to play.
Several gaming and technology websites reported an "overheating bug" in StarCraft II that caused permanent damage to some video cards. The issue happens because the game does not limit the speed at which menu screens update, causing the graphics card to work too hard and overheat. Blizzard confirmed the problem and shared a temporary solution. They also advised players to keep their computers well ventilated and to contact their video card manufacturer for hardware issues. Blizzard’s Public Relations Manager, Bob Colayco, stated, "There is no code in our software that causes video cards to overheat. Our tests showed that the issue is likely related to the player’s hardware, not the game itself." Some sources, like CrunchGear, suggested that the overheating problem may result from outdated hardware or poor cooling systems. They agreed that the issue occurs only on screens that do not limit the frame rate and confirmed the fix Blizzard provided. Other articles recommended cleaning dust from computers to improve cooling. Blizzard later posted a message on their forums about the issue, which was later removed. The message read: "Menus with simple graphics may cause your system to overheat if cooling is poor. This happens because the game has nothing to do and focuses on quickly drawing the screen."
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was played professionally worldwide, though the highest level of competition has historically been in South Korea, similar to its predecessor, StarCraft: Brood War. The game was considered the largest esports title globally during its early years and helped spread esports beyond South Korea, much like the original StarCraft did.
In 2012, Blizzard created the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) as the main official tournament circuit for StarCraft II.
Reception
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has received high praise since it was released. It earned a score of 92.39% on GameRankings and 93 out of 100 on Metacritic. The game was praised for keeping the fun gameplay from the original StarCraft while adding new features and better stories. GamesRadar said that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty feels like an updated version of the original game, which is a positive thing, and that it performs well in all areas. NZGamer.com called it the best real-time strategy (RTS) game released in years and one of the best games on PC.
In terms of its story, GameTrailers said the narrative has improved compared to the original game, calling it an exciting and well-told story. Eurogamer, however, said the dialogue was simple and the characters were not very original. Giant Bomb agreed that the story had more depth and surprising moments than expected. IGN noted that longtime fans would enjoy the game, but new players might find the early missions slow-paced compared to the urgency of the story.
Joystiq praised the improved multiplayer matchmaking system, which works better than older versions. GameSpot said the online content was impressive, with many maps and support for up to 12 players online. GameSpy said the single-player mode was less exciting because it was easy to learn, but the online multiplayer was smooth, challenging, and fun. John Meyer of Wired said the graphics looked polished and modern. Matt Peckham of PC World noted that some players were upset about missing features like local multiplayer, cross-region play, and the campaign being limited to the Terran race. Game Revolution said the Terran campaign had about the same number of missions as the original StarCraft and that future expansions would likely add more content.
Ars Technica recommended buying the game and praised the single-player campaign as very enjoyable. They also liked the tools that let players create and share their own content. However, they mentioned two issues: the lack of local multiplayer and the decision to separate regions, which they believed were influenced by Activision rather than Blizzard. They defended Blizzard against complaints about the game being incomplete, but agreed that the lack of local and cross-region play was a valid concern.
At the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, StarCraft II won "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay." It was also nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition" and "Outstanding Character Performance" (for Neil Kaplan’s voice work as Tychus Findlay).
In August 2016, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty ranked 26th on Time’s list of the 50 Best Video Games of All Time.
Blizzard made a six-month deal with Korean Air to advertise StarCraft II on airplanes. On August 3, 2010, Blizzard announced that the game sold over one million copies worldwide in one day. After two days, an additional 500,000 copies were sold online, totaling 1.5 million units and making it the fastest-selling strategy game. In its first month, the game sold three million copies. By December 2010, it had sold nearly 4.5 million units. The game was also heavily pirated, with over 2.3 million downloads, setting a record for data transferred through a single file in three months.