WCS
General
LotV Trailer:
David Kim Discusses Multiplayer:
- http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/legacy-of-the-void
- Efficiency is unchanged, as opposed to conflicting earlier reports.
- Starting workers: 12
- Archon mode: http://instagram.com/p/vG6dQ6OkCP/ essentially team melee from BW with only one race (2 players control 1 base)
- Minerals per patch: It was 1500 before now it's 1000
- Vague details about LotV plot/gameplay revealed (i.e. being able to use an orbiting ship to cause massive damage, necessary to deal with XelNaga)
- Automated tournaments run once per day at a specific time, open to all players
Terran
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/cyclone.jpg)
Cyclone: Locks onto targets, then deals high damage to the single target, has built in moving shot (moves about the speed of a stalker). "Very mobile and can lock on to deal more damage and move while shooting. Big range. Good early game"![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/lockon.jpg)
Three Cyclones locked onto Ultralisks![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/herc.jpg)
Herc: Built from the barracks, can grapple onto target to get quickly into close range. Currently can one shot banelings and deal splash damage with an upgrade. Cannot attack air, does not deal well with armored units. Has high health and light armor type (useful vs Immortals)![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/grapple.jpg)
Herc's grappling to Zerglings to engage the Banelings- Tanks: Can pick up seige tanks in seige mode with medivacs (has a unit animation)
- Thors: Capable of self-repair (called emergency repair). Cannot move/attack while repairing.
- Banshees: now range increased. Cloak comes default. Upgrade (available once fusion core is built) to make it move faster than any detection possible
- Battle cruisers: warp to anywhere you have vision (video suggests without vision, will need people on the floor to confirm). Teleport has a massive energy cost.
Protoss
- No Reaver
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/disruptor.jpg)
Disruptor: "moving land mine", builds from the Robotics Bay, can enter into an invulnerable energy state and after some time will detonate dealing massive AoE (disruptor does not die).![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/detonate.jpg)
Disruptors in their invulnerable energy state just before exploding- Immortal: Hardened Shield passive removed, changed to an active ability which absorbs damage over the duration of the ability.
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/hardenshield.jpg)
The glowing unit has Hardened Shield activated - Warp Prism: Now can pick up units from a distance. More drop micro! (But still missing the Reaver, get on it Blizzard!)
- Tempest: Only attacks ground units and receives a speed buff, new long range ability 'Disintegration' that has deals damage over time (500dmg over 50sec)
- Carrier: Interceptors released to attacks in specific locations, moves quicker, 90sec build time. Can release interceptors all instantly and keep fighting even if carrier dies.
- Nexus: starts with 14 supply now. Basically have to build a pylon straight away by 10 sec in
- Warping: takes 8 seconds now and warping units take 200% damage. Zerg has unit to break forcefields
- Oracle: Oracle also now has one revelation spell for revealing and detecting. Also new ability called Stasis ward, essentially a mine which when detonated by enemy units casts Stasis Field over them (i.e. unable to move, attack or take damage effectively taking the unit out of play).
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/stasisward.jpg)
Hydralisks afflicted by stasis, Stasis ward in lower left corner - Photon Overcharge: Shoots Ground Only
Zerg
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/lurker.jpg)
Lurkers: Deals massive splash damage, as you would expect. Out ranges Photon Cannons, same Lurker model as hots campaign. Outranges all base defense structure (probably not Photon Overcharge). Spines move relatively slowly, so reactive micro possible (including the famous 3 marines killing 1 lurker trick!).![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/deadmarines.jpg)
Lurkers killing marines, all is right with the world
No confirmation if 'stop lurkers' aka 'hold lurkers' is possible as illustrated in this video yet.![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/ravager.jpg)
Ravager: Morphs out of the roach, comes with a new ability 'corrosive bile' which launches a large artillery shot to a target location (see below). Small delay before the shot hits so allows for reactive micro. Corrosive Bile also destroys forcefields and damages air units.![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/cbile.jpg)
Corrosive Bile about to destroy some Forcefields- Nydus worm: Now invisible while burrowing and invulnerable while emerging. Not even detectable by cannons. Allows for aggressive Nydus Worm sieges.
- Swarm Hosts: No longer need to burrow to launch locusts, can upgrade locusts to be flying. Blizzard made a point of saying that mass Swarm Host will no longer be a viable strategy due to lower spawn timers for the locusts. Locusts must be spawned manually.
![[image loading]](/staff/Plexa/LotV/locusts.jpg)
Oh yes, flying Locusts are real - Corruptors: have an ability ' caustic spray' to channel damage like a void ray. A few of them can kill a nexus in seconds
- Infestor: New ability: 'aggressive mutation' grants flat damage buff to friendly units (it is AOE)
Official website
While some of these changes seem quite radical and incredibly broken, it's worth remembering that Brood War was a game where everything was broken but the brokenness across all three races created balance. A step towards these radical ideas suggests a return to more exciting games.
More to come, thread will be updated as the day progresses.
