Blizzard has begun revealing the first details regarding its first StarCraft II expansion to StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Heart of the Swarm will deliver an entire new single player campaign which will play out from the perspective of the Zerg.
The developer has remained tight lipped on what the new release will bring to the table in terms of multiplayer, although Blizzard had confirmed that it is considering removing as well as adding new units to the mix, with mention of the Zerg Overseer being eliminated altogether. The developer has been more forthcoming with regards to the single player campaign.
Pixealtedgeek.com was able to get confirmation from Blizzard of the following:
Gameplay details
– There will be 20 single player missions
– Players will be able to evolve and upgrade their units throughout the campaign, similar to what was possible in Wings of Liberty.
– Kerrigan will be a playable hero character throughout the campaign.
– Kerrigan will play like an RPG character with customizable skills.
– There are two confirmed classes that Kerrigan can pursue: Spec Ops (psionic abilities) and Corruption (Zerg abilities). Two additional classes will be announced.
– In terms of difficulty, Heart of the Swarm will be roughly equal to Wings of Liberty. It will not target hardcore competitive StarCraft II players.
– The return of units from Brood Wars is a possibility
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm teaser trailer
Plot details (SPOILERS)
– Heart of the Swarm will pick up where Wings of Liberty left off.
– After being rescued from her Zerg Infestation, Kerrigan will re-embrace the overmind, this time of her own volition. She will begin to regain her Zerg abilities at the start of Brood Wars.
– Although she rejoins the Zerg, Kerrigan does show remorse for things she did while she was the Queen of Blades.
– Kerrigan will be driven by a desire to gather the strength of the swarm and exact revenge against Arcturus Mengsk.
– It’s not clear if Jim Raynor’s character will feature prominently in Heart of the Swarm.
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm gameplay footage
More details
– Heart of the Swarm is an expansion pack, and therefore will require StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
– Battle.net will get a “StarCraft Marketplace” where players can buy and sell custom maps.
– Blizzard has declined to provide a solid release date, sticking with its “when its done” mantra. However, the smart money is on the first half of 2012.
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