BlizzCon 2014 finally happened over the weekend, during which a number of new things were announced, including an entirely new IP (Blizzard’s first one in 17 years). One of those new things was the continuation of the StarCraft II series, “ Legacy of the Void ”, which is the highly anticipated conclusion of the StarCraft II trilogy.
Stated during BlizzCon’s opening conference, and detailed in a press release, Legacy of the Void will be an entirely standalone expansion to the StarCraft II series, meaning that you won’t need the base game, “ Wings of Liberty ”, to play the conclusive third game; the same move Relic Entertainment did with Dawn of War: Dark Crusade .
Legacy of the Void was playable during BlizzCon, in which those who attended the event were among the first in the world to play the game in an early state before anyone else, which included singleplayer campaign missions, Two new co-operative game modes, “Archon Mode” and “Allied Commanders”, and new multiplayer additions that feature several new units to play with.
Like how Wings of Liberty focused on the Terran faction, and how the game’s first expansion, “ Heart of the Swarm ”, focused on the Zerg faction, Legacy of the Void will focus on the Protoss faction, completing the third race-specific story. Legacy of the Void’s story in particular will continue where Heart of the Swarms’ left off, where the Protoss characters Zeratul and Artanis attempt to unite the Protoss race against an ancient evil from the Void, an evil that threatens the universe.
“Legacy of the Void will deliver the quintessential S tarCraft II experience ,” said Blizzard’s CEO and co-founder, Mike Morhaime. “ The new single-player campaign will wrap up the massive story, and we’re excited to share new game modes that will open up different ways to play the game and additional units that will expand the rich strategic depth of StarCraft II multiplayer. ”
The two game modes, Archon Mode and Allied Commanders, allows for competitive and co-operative plays where two players share control over a single base and units as they take on an opponent of the same configuration and where players can take on the role of powerful StarCraft commanders to play through a series of tiered special scenarios respectively.
As for some of the new units the standalone expansion will bring; Legacy of the Void will add the Lurker to the Zerg, the Disruptor to the Protoss, and Tactical Jump to the Terrans. The Lurker is a unit from the original StarCraft that deals deadly damage to infantry units, the Disruptor will be a weapon capable of wreaking havoc on ground forces, and Tactical Jump will be a new technology that’ll allow for Battlecruisers to jump to any location on the battlefield.
Legacy of the Void will also include functionality that’ll enhance online multiplayer play with automated tournaments, which will provide players with ongoing events that are touted to support the active StarCraft II community. While the game doesn’t have a solid release date, the expansion is slated to release some time in 2015. You can sign up for its Beta right now.
We’ll bring you more news on StarCraft II and Legacy of the Void should further information reach our ears.
[ Press release ]