You can buy Legacy of the Void on its own within the game. Or you can buy the Complete Campaign bundle which includes all the Starcraft II campaigns and four extra commanders for Co-op and you would get a discount for already owning Heart of the Swarm. Get your Probe count high up, and set up some basic defenses. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void is the third major release in the epic StarCraft II trilogy saga. Includes online features.
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In 1998, the world was introduced to StarCraft®—the groundbreaking science-fiction real-time strategy series about three unique rival species—the terrans, zerg, and protoss—locked into a perpetual war to secure their place in the galaxy. Now, 17 years later, the stunning conclusion to the StarCraft saga is almost here . . . and a new era for the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game is set to begin.
Legacy of the Void™, the standalone conclusionto the StarCraft II trilogy, will arrive by winter, and players can pre-purchase the game now via the official Legacy of the Void website. Featuring a galaxy-spanning protoss campaign and new multiplayer features such as the cooperative Allied Commanders and Archon Mode that give battlefield generals of all stripes whole new ways to play, Legacy of the Void is being built to deliver the ultimate StarCraft II experience. Pre-purchase digitally through Battle.net® now, and you'll gain immediate access to all three 'Whispers of Oblivion'prologue missions featuring the legendary Dark Templar Zeratul. Those who pre-purchase digitally or lock in their pre-order at select retailers will also gainentry to the ongoingLegacy of the Void beta test.
'With Legacy of the Void, we're giving some of Blizzard's most iconic characters an unforgettable sendoff and delivering the climactic StarCraft finale players deserve,' said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. 'At the same time, we're excited to bring StarCraft II multiplayer into a whole new era with a host of major new gameplay modes and enhancements—we can't wait to see what the future holds for StarCraft II competition.'
Multiple Editions Warping In
Legacy of the Void will come in a Standard Edition (physical and digital versions available), which players can pre-purchase now digitally for $39.99. Snapchat for lenovo. Players also have the option to upgrade their pre-purchase to the Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99), which will unlock a variety of in-game bonuses for Blizzard games (available upon Legacy of the Void's release), including:
- Archon battle pet ready to join your side in World of Warcraft®
- Void Seeker mount to charge through the Nexus in Heroes of the Storm
- Protoss card back to demonstrate your psionic potential in Hearthstone®
- Protoss-themed portraits and unit skin for StarCraft II
Legacy of the Void will also be available in a retail-exclusive Collector's Edition, which comes equipped with the digital bonus items from the Digital Deluxe Edition, as well as a special edition of the upcoming full-color hardcover StarCraft Field Manual (retail edition SRP $45); a DVD loaded with cinematics and special features; and a CD soundtrack. The Collector's Edition will be available at select retailers for a suggested retail price of $79.99. Players should check their local retailer for details and availability and be sure to lock in their preorder, as supplies are limited.
In addition, anyone who purchases or pre-purchases any edition of the expansion will also unlock access to an upcoming, yet-to-be-revealedStarCraft Warrior Hero in Heroes of the Storm™, Blizzard's recently released free-to-play team brawler.
Your Life for Aiur!
Picking up where Heart of the Swarm® left off, Legacy of the Void casts you in the role of Hierarch Artanis, leader of the technologically advanced protoss race. Years ago, the protoss homeworld of Aiur fell to the merciless zerg Swarm. Now, you have raised a powerful fleet of warships known as the Golden Armada and are poised to reclaim your world. But an ancient evil threatens your destiny and the fate of the entire Koprulu Sector. The galaxy's only hope is for you to reunite the protoss factions and defeat the coming darkness.
To whet players' appetites before the launch of the full campaign, a special action-packed prologue titled 'Whispers of Oblivion' bridges the storyline between Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void. In these missions, players will join Zeratul to unravel the mysteries of the Xel'naga prophecy. Whispers of Oblivion will be available to everyone free of charge before the Legacy of the Void launch, but players who pre-purchase now will receive instant access to all three prologue missions in the Legacy of the Void beta test.
Legacy of the Void™, the third and final chapter in the StarCraft II saga, is a standalone game, meaning you'll be able to purchase, play, and harness the power of the protoss without owning any previous entries in the series.
Definitive StarCraft II Multiplayer Experience
In addition to the single-player campaign, Legacy of the Void will feature a host of new features that will make it the ultimate StarCraft multiplayer experience. Two heads are better than one, and Archon Mode applies this maxim to competitive gaming. In this brand-new two-player mode, players merge together to become a greater, unified force by sharing control over a single base. It's the perfect mode for rookies to learn tactics from seasoned veterans—and a fun way to amplify the power of a burgeoning all-star.
Allied Commanders is a new, open-ended game mode with campaign-style objectives that breathes new life into the StarCraft cooperative experience. Here, each player will choose a powerful commander to lead their favorite army into battle and fight in diverse scenarios with dynamic, campaign-style objectives. Players can then level up these commanders to gain access to new units, abilities, and customization options for their armies.
The thrill of competing in a StarCraft II tournament is like no other gaming experience around, and Legacy of the Void makes it easier than ever for everyone to get in on the action. With Automated Tournaments,players from around the world canprove their might in no-holds-barred daily online competitions.Tournaments will be held for players of all skill levels,unlocking the potential for anyone to feel the excitement of surviving through elimination rounds and clawing their way to victory.
Heart of the Swarm Goes Standalone
For players who haven't yet played the first StarCraft II expansion, Heart of the Swarm, it just became a little easier to stage a zerg rush. Starting today, the original StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is no longer required to play Heart of the Swarm—making this the perfect time to catch up on Kerrigan's story and command a host of additional multiplayer units for all three factions.
Legacy of the Void will be released for Windows® and Mac® PC. Visit www.starcraft2.com to learn more.
With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.
For screenshots, artwork, and other media, visit http://blizzard.gamespress.com/StarCraft.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes nineteen #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including release windows and details about Legacy of the Void, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Many StarCraft II players are still busy getting through Legacy of the Void. But developer Blizzard Entertainment is already looking toward the future.
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (out now on PC and Mac) wraps up a story that began in 1998 with the release of the original StarCraft. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the long-running real-time strategy series. At last week's BlizzCon fan convention, Blizzard revealed that the sci-fi story would live on in Mission Packs, which will have levels and objectives based around different StarCraft characters.
The first Mission Pack, Nova Covert Ops, comes out next spring. It's about the deadly sniper Nova, a fan-favorite, and her elite black ops team. These extra story campaigns are part of a new 'micro-content' strategy Blizzard is using for StarCraft II. This plan also includes new multiplayer skins for individual battlefield units, new voice packs, and more missions for Legacy of the Void's cooperative multiplayer mode.
It's safe to say that Blizzard is far from being done with the franchise.
I met with lead producer Tim Morten at BlizzCon to find out more about the company's commitment to expanding StarCraft II. According to Morten, the majority of people who play the game play it for the story campaigns, so it was only natural for the development team to continue working on that kind of content.
'We feel like there's so many potential stories to be told in the StarCraft universe,' he said.
Here's a detailed breakdown of what Blizzard has in store for both Nova Covert Ops and future Mission Packs.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NImK4R5wEfg]What's going on with Nova, anyway?
Nova Covert Ops takes place a few years after the ending from Legacy of the Void. During a BlizzCon panel about the future of StarCraft II, writer Valerie Watrous dropped a few details about what the universe is like in that time. The Dominion (the governing body of humankind, or Terrans in StarCraft parlance) consists of a war-torn people. Over the years, they've been through different battles, both against each other and against the bug-like Zergs. They just want peace.
Emperor Valerian Mengsk is a much more progressive ruler than his father Arcturus, who perished in Heart of the Swarm (the second StarCraft II expansion). He grants his people civil liberties (like freedom of the press) that they never had before. But this leaves him open to attacks in the media from his critics. Valerian worries that his outspoken enemies are forming secret alliances to try to oust him from power.
One of those alliances is the Defenders of Man. On the surface, it vows to protect the world from future alien invasions, which makes the Defenders of Man popular among the people. But something weird is going on. In the teaser trailer for Nova Covert Ops that debuted last week, Nova wakes up in a mysterious place — this facility actually belongs to the alliance.
She doesn't know how she got there, but through the course of her adventure, she'll find out what the Defenders of Man is really up to. Like the main campaigns, Nova Covert Ops will have cutscenes that help tell the story.
Above: Blizzard showed off what Nova's black ops units will look like.
Nova Covert Ops will come out in three chunks
Nova Covert Ops is a standalone story arc told over the course of nine different missions. But Blizzard isn't going to release all of them at once. They'll come out in three different sets, with each set containing three missions. After Blizzard releases the first set, some time will pass, and then they'll release the next one, and so on. It's a different schedule from what the StarCraft team is used to.
In the past, it made expansions that were two or more years apart from release. The first chapter of the StarCraft II trilogy, Wings of Liberty, came out in 2010, and Heart of the Swarm appeared on store shelves in 2013.
'It's sort of changing the way we approach releasing content,' said Morten. 'The work that we're doing is commensurate to what we would do when we make a full [expansion like Legacy of the Void]. But instead of waiting two years, we're delivering work as we complete it.'
I asked Morten if the staggered schedule has anything to do with the growing trend of episodic games (as popularized by Telltale Games's work with licensed properties).
'We definitely looked at that and we also looked just upstairs at the [Heroes of the Storm] team and the wonderful content cadence that they've accomplished in terms of releasing new heroes, new map content,' he said. 'I think that audience responds so well to the continuity of it that we want to try to provide that for StarCraft.'
Starcraft 2 Legacy Of The Void Player Countdown
Blizzard is still figuring out how it'll price these Mission Packs, but Morten said they're going to try to make them a 'great value' for players. Screen mirroring android to tv via usb.
Above: A rough mock-up of Nova's loadout screen. You can give her new weapons and equipment.
Mission Packs could explore multiple timelines and characters
While Nova Covert Ops takes place after Legacy of the Void, Blizzard is open to exploring different timelines. We might see flashbacks or tales that take place concurrently with the events from the StarCraft II trilogy. Just don't count on seeing any of the major characters returning.
'I think all options are on the table in the future, but we really have tried to resolve the story around Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis,' said Morten. 'So there's a reluctance on our part to open new plot lines for those characters. We don't want to stray into that territory of making people feel like ‘to be continued' should be at the end of Legacy of the Void. Legacy of the Void really is meant to tie up their story.'
However, other characters that players are familiar with from the campaigns will show up in Nova Covert Ops. It's these side characters that makes Blizzard so excited for the Mission Packs. Morten said it feels like they have 'so much fertile ground to explore.'
'Characters we touched on lightly over the course of the campaign or characters we never met before — I think there's a lot of opportunity to get creative with what we have post-launch,' he added.
Above: Lead designer Jason Huck promised players that they'll be able to 'nuke the crap' out of their enemies.
Is StarCraft III still a possibility?
Whether Blizzard continues making these one-off stories or begins working on another big entry in the franchise depends on how fans respond to the Mission Packs.
'If the feedback is they'd like to see more of this type of content, we're certainly excited to build it,' said Morten. 'If the feedback we get is they want to see entire new games, than that's something we'll consider as well.'
It's a fascinating evolution for the 17 year-old series. The micro-content plans puts StarCraft II more in line with other Blizzard games like Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, both of which receive a steady stream of updates throughout the year.
'You look back on StarCraft 1 — Brood War is really what everyone remembers about StarCraft 1, even though it was an expansion of the base product. 3d program online. I think Legacy of the Void is that to StarCraft II,' said Morten. 'Our hope is that this is the pinnacle of StarCraft II development from a feature and content perspective, and that players enjoy it so much that this is the memory that they carry forward with them about StarCraft II.'
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