Say what? ‘StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty’ will soon be free to play, and more

Why it matters to you

StarCraft II, Overwatch, Diablo III, and World of Warcraft have generated too much cash for Blizzard that you can soon play its popular sci-fi RTS game for free.

During the BlizzCon 2017 opening ceremony, Blizzard Entertainment CEO and co-founder Michael Morhaime said that starting November 14, the base installment of StarCraft II will be free to play. That means you get the full Wings of Liberty campaign without having to shell out cash up front.

But there’s more! If you already purchased the base game prior to October 31, Blizzard will hand over the Heart of the Swarm campaign free of charge between November 8 and December 8. Even more, if you purchased any version of StarCraft II prior to October 31 you’ll receive an Eidolon Ghost skin, and three portraits commemorating your founder’s status in-game.

In addition to free access, everyone will also have full access to the StarCraft II ranked ladder. You will even get free access to every co-op Commander in the game up to level five, including Kerrigan, Raynor, and Artanis. But Blizzard’s generosity doesn’t stop there, as everyone will have free access to Unranked and Versus AI modes, and Ranked will be unlocked after 10 First Wins of the Day in Unranked and Versus AI.

“You have helped make it one of the best-selling, highest-rated PC games in history, and your support is why we continue to create new content for it,” he told the audience. “We are always looking for ways to help you get new friends into the game, and bring old friends back as well.”

In addition to revealing the free-to-play aspects of StarCraft II, Morhaime provided additional details about the latest additions to the game. First, a new co-op Commander is entering the stage that’s “two characters in one” consisting of Mira Han for commanding fast-moving ground units, and Matt Horner for commanding high-powered Dominion air units. They are now making an early appearance at BlizzCon 2017 along with a new co-op mission called Part and Parcel.

“The mission was adapted from a player-created map that won the recent Rock the Cabinet contest, where players submitted their own ideas for a Co-op Mission,” Blizzard said after the opening ceremony. “Players will collect resources to assist an AI-controlled archangel mech against an imposing array of hybrid bosses.”

New multiplayer updates were revealed for StarCraft II as well. They will hit the game shortly after BlizzCon, addressing complaints regarding “underused units,” and making support units more effective in smaller numbers. The changes also “promote more player control” regarding the game’s state, and reduce sudden “game-ending moments.” A detailed listing of the multiplayer changes can be found here.

StarCraft II is a science-fiction real-time strategy game for the PC developed and published by Blizzard. The first installment, Wings of Liberty, shipped in July 2010 and focuses on Earth’s human exiles called the Terrans. The second stand-alone installment, Heart of the Swarm, arrived in 2013 focusing on the Zerg race while the third stand-alone installment, Legacy of the Void, arrived in 2015 focusing on the Protoss race.

Typically, the StarCraft II: Battle Chest bundle consisting of all three parts costs $35. This bundle also tosses in seven co-op Commanders, all multiplayer units, all multiplayer maps and modes, and a bonus hero. Meanwhile, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void will cost $15 as well as the complete Nova Covert Ops single-player mission pack. Blizzard pulled the pricing for Wings of Liberty now that the game will go free to play later in November.

Here are the system requirements for all three StarCraft II installments:

Minimum
Recommended
Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+
Intel Core i5
AMD FX Series
Graphics:
Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT
AMD Radeon HD 2600 XT
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Nvidia GeForce GTX 650
AMD Radeon HD 7790
Memory:
2GB
4GB
Storage:
30GB
30GB
Display:
1024 x 768
1024 x 768
Operating system:
Windows 10
Windows 8/8.1
Windows 7
Windows 10 64-bit
Internet:
Broadband
Broadband

Updated to reflect additional information and screenshots provided by Blizzard after the opening ceremony.

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