StarCraft 2 Gets New Update for November 2024

Key Takeaways

StarCraft 2 receives community-driven update after 9 months, maintaining ongoing competitive scene for 14 years.
New update focuses on multiplayer balancing, addresses changes in all three races to enhance gameplay.

As a seasoned StarCraft II player who has spent countless hours strategizing and honing my skills across the Zerg, Protoss, and Terran races, I must say that the latest patch updates have brought about some intriguing changes to the game. The Ghost supply cost increase for the Terrans is a noteworthy adjustment, one that may force players to reconsider their unit composition strategies.

StarCraft 2, a popular real-time strategy game, has been updated recently, approximately nine months following its last round of balance adjustments. Over nearly 14 years since its initial launch in 2010, both the community and developer Blizzard have consistently supported StarCraft 2.

Over more than two decades, the dynamic world of StarCraft has been one of the enduring major gaming communities in competition, dating back to its initial release in 1998. Often debated as one of the pioneers, StarCraft’s community has persisted through various re-releases over the years, playing a significant role in shaping the eSports scene.

The Community Balance Council has recently rolled out a fresh update for the game, labeled as version 5.0.14. Following numerous weeks of testing through public test servers, here are the latest changes for StarCraft 2, specifically focusing on multiplayer aspects and not altering the story-driven campaign or custom campaigns. The adjustments apply across all three playable factions in the game.

New StarCraft 2 Update Makes Changes to All 3 Races

The latest update for StarCraft 2, version 5.0.14, outlines various adjustments aimed at maintaining balance across all three playable races in the game. These alterations could influence the outcome of different matches. Specifically, the balance between Zerg units and Protoss is a point of interest due to the buff given to Protoss units overall. However, the developers are cautious about these changes as they may need extensive testing to fully understand their impact on Protoss, which could delay the patch’s deployment. Consequently, the team has decided not to implement experimental modifications for Zerg at this time and will instead watch how Zerg versus Protoss matchups unfold in future games.

A different adjustment has sparked debate, notably a rise in the production cost of Terran Ghosts, the renowned special forces unit from StarCraft. The Balance Council, it seems, wasn’t entirely unified about this alteration. However, given that the community requested this change, it’s set to be implemented, although professional Terran players have voiced their concerns. In the competitive scene post-5.0.14, Terran versus Zerg and Protoss encounters will be closely watched.

It’s heartening to witness the sustained and grassroots backing for a game like StarCraft 2, which has been around for quite some time. In an era where games with ongoing services frequently close soon after their release, it’s reassuring to find that both developers and players remain committed to keeping such a title vibrant for over ten years. This dedication is not only inspiring but also suggests promising possibilities for StarCraft 2’s future, particularly given the whispers about a new StarCraft shooter supposedly in the works.

StarCraft 2 Update 5.0.14 Patch Notes

Early Game in Protoss versus Terran

As a devoted fan, I wholeheartedly agree that the Energy Recharge ability has proven beneficial within various Protoss builds, significantly aiding in scouting and defense across multiple scenarios. In my opinion, the current modifications made to both Protoss and Terran units have substantially improved the stability of early-game Protoss gameplay compared to the previous version.

Nexus

Range for Shield Battery starting with full energy increased from 10 to 12 (maximum distance to the closest Nexus).
Range for Energy Recharge ability is increased from 10 to 12 (maximum distance to the closest Nexus).

As a gamer, I appreciate that the extended reach on my Shield Batteries now gives me greater freedom in positioning them during defense and expansion phases, all while maintaining a balance by not enhancing their offensive abilities.

Other Changes

Mothership

The model size reverted (increased) to Patch 5.0.11 values.

Ultralisk

The model size reverted (increased) to Patch 5.0.10 values.

Community Council Comment: We’d prefer to stick with the community’s input regarding these potent entities. The Mothership is restored to its initial power level, and scaling it up to 5.0.11 aligns beautifully with this transformation. This tweak might also aid in targeted firing of the unit during the Zerg versus Protoss encounter, as Abduct is no longer a counter measure. Regarding the Ultralisk, shrinking its size initially aimed to prevent it from getting trapped behind other friendly units, an issue now rectified with the priority adjustment for pushing included in this update.

Removed changes

Thor Explosive Payload weapon changes removed.

As a passionate gamer, I wanted to share some insights from our recent community feedback session. Players from various races, including Terrans, have expressed concerns about a specific change we made earlier. They felt that it didn’t introduce any new playstyles and even negatively affected their existing ones. Although we see potential for refining the Thor unit, it will remain unaltered in the upcoming patch version 5.0.13. We value your feedback and are committed to making improvements that enhance gameplay experiences for everyone!

Lategame Concerns

Ghost Nerf

As a passionate gamer, I want to address an issue that’s been buzzing within our gaming community: the Ghost nerf. I’ve noticed a lot of professional Terran players voicing their concerns about this change. It seems there wasn’t complete agreement among the Balance Council members on this matter either.

Zerg versus Protoss

In simpler terms, our team has concerns about how well Zerg can compete against Protoss in late-game battles following the adjustments made to the Tempest and the unavailability of the Mothership for abduction. We’ve received ideas for potential changes to balance this matchup, but these proposals need thorough testing that could delay the release of our upcoming patch. As a result, we won’t be implementing any experimental adjustments right now. Instead, we will closely watch how this matchup unfolds in various levels of play and act accordingly if needed.

Full Updated Changelog

Protoss

Nexus

Maximum range for Shield Battery starting with full energy increased from 10 to 12.
Battery Overcharge removed.
New ability: Energy Recharge (50 Energy / 60 second cooldown)
Recharges 100 Energy to any unit or structure within 12 range of a Nexus.

Shield Battery

Shields/HP increased from 150/150 to 200/200.

Stalker

Train time from Gateway reduced from 30 to 27 seconds.

Colossus

Shields/HP changed from 150/200 to 100/250.

Tempest

Supply Cost reduced from 5 to 4.
vs Air attack range reduced from 14 to 13.

Immortal

Cost reduced from 275/100 to 250/100.
Weapon cooldown increased from 1.04 to 1.14.

Disruptor

Purification Nova radius increased from 1.375 to 1.5.
Purification Nova damage reduced from 145 (200 vs shields) to 100 (200 vs shields).

Mothership

Cost increased from 300/300 to 400/400.
Supply cost increased from 6 to 8.
Mothership now can no longer be targeted by Abduct.
Damage increased from 6×6 to 6x4x4 (36 damage vs 1 target to 24 damage vs 4 targets each).
The model size reverted (increased) to Patch 5.0.11 values.

Terran

Cyclone

Reverted to patch 5.0.11 Cyclone.

Salvage

Damage now cancels the Salvage process.
Salvage timer is now visible to enemies.

Planetary Fortress

Armor reduced from 3 to 2.

Sensor Tower

Cost reduced from 125/100 to 100/50.
Radar range reduced from 27 to 22.
Can now be salvaged.

Orbital Command

Calldown: Extra Supplies increases the target Supply Depot’s current/max health to 500.

Ghost

Supply cost increased from 2 to 3.

Zerg

Queen

Cost increased from 150/0 to 175/0.

Hatchery

Cost reduced from 300/0 to 275/0.

Spore Crawler

Damage increased from 15 to 20.
Health reduced from 400 to 300.

Hydralisk

Muscular augments creep speed bonus reduced from 1.03 to 0.74.
New research: Nanomuscular Swell (researches new Lunge ability)
Cost: 100/100, 64 seconds. Requires Hive.
Lunge ability (previously called Dash) increases move speed by 100% for 0.71 seconds.

Infestor

Microbial Shroud now lasts for 3.6 seconds on units leaving the Shroud.