[x5.Crescendo]

Legacy of the Void is on our horizon

In a few days time, on November 10, we will have the full release in our hands: a brand new campaign, and a brand new multiplayer meta for us to sink our teeth into on the ladder.

Speaking personally, I am almost overcome with excitement for everything LotV promises to be.

We've already had a good taste test of what's to come, thanks to a long and comprehensive beta period, where Blizzard have shown they are willing to both innovate and compromise whilst still delivering an exciting and fast-paced iteration of the StarCraft franchise.

If you would like to see a compilation of Blizzard's tweaks and experiments throughout the beta's various patches, Team Liquid forum user Beedebdoo has published a very convenient list of all the changes.

To celebrate the end of beta, and the upcoming full release, we have asked those Exile5 players who entered the beta to share their thoughts.


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Now that we've seen the full range of the Beta, could I ask which changes from HotS to LotV so far have you enjoyed the most as a player?





x5 Metalcore
The liberator. It's liberating having another unit that we can utilise to deal with early muta plays. Thors have always been unpleasant to use due to how clunky they are.


x5 Namakaye
I am a big fan of how the game pace has been changed. As a Protoss, sometimes it can get kind of boring sitting in your base doing nothing for so long (I know, bet you never thought you would hear that from a toss), so to have the changes such as the economy that force more movement and action through the game and heavily discourage turtling on 3 bases is really fun to me. Most of the new units make for a really fun game and have made some really cool play styles viable (who would have thought gateway units could do so well vT for so long).


x5 Neuro
Overlord drop tech with an evolution chamber creates indirect damage opportunities very early, so vs Z matchup doesn't feel quite as linear pre-Mutalisk. Nydus got a well-deserved buff and feels more like a solid transport option than the risky gimmick it was in HotS.


x5 Tileä
LotV is a much more "active" game where there's a lot less sitting around where there isn't a lot you can do. Because of the change of pace players with higher efficient APM can distinguish themselves a lot more easily from players with lower efficient APM than they could in HotS (by expanding faster, spreading creep more efficiently, successfully executing more multi-prong attacks, etc).


x5 Ice
I can tell you the ones I dislike, Kappa. I like the new units they bring a new dynamic to the game


x5 xKawaiian
I think most players have liked how the eco changed has altered the game. I'm glad they kept the macro mechanics though because how am I suppose to mule to repair my mech units (Not manner muling ofc!!?!?! lol). I also feel how more "Crisp" the LOTV UI is (Went back to HOTS and it felt really sluggish).


x5 Jevyn
I play a very fast paced style, and since the game itself in LOTV is faster paced than HOTS I think the game itself suits me very well.


x5 RunaMoK
The economy change has made the game more vibrant and interesting. I look forward to seeing how it pans out.


x5 aGiLeZERG
How the game's action picks up a lot faster, the potential to be cheesed or coinflipped seems less likely, and how it feels like Zerg mechanics are now even more important.


x5 Believe
I enjoy the pace of the game the most (fast paced compared to very dull in hots)


x5 Arrival |
A change from HotS to LotV? Archon mode is just amazing, whether to play with more casual friends or even as a coaching tool later down the track.





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Having played the game, what are your thoughts regarding the difference in how LotV games play out compared to in HotS? What are the pros and cons as you envisage them?




x5 Metalcore
Pros: Faster paced games, Gives sc2 a higher skill ceiling imo as LotV does feel more punishing.


Cons: I feel that there will be a lack of epic late game macro matches which we saw in HotS in LotV due to how the economy works. No more repeats of Taeja vs Inno, or Flash vs Inno, or any of those epic macro slugfests


x5 Namakaye
As I said above, the faster pace is really fun to me, and the changes in the compositions that you see from P and Z are really exciting and interesting.

Pros:
From a spectator and even as a player, the games are a lot more fun and the action is significantly more frequent.
The new compositions provide a nice change from the stagnant meta of recent months

Cons:
Game is hard ;;
**** liberators
**** terran

x5 Neuro
The overall pace of the game feels very much accelerated with the economy changes. With the addition of so many powerful units and increased effect of existing units really increased diversity and variation in unit composition. Legacy feels fast and fresh.


x5 Tileä
As a very mechanical-orientated player I like the increased ability to distinguish myself mechanically from competitors that didn't exist in HotS. One thing I dislike about LotV is that (because the pace is faster and economy is lower) every individual thing feels significantly more important, so the game snowballs much harder than HotS does if something goes wrong for you - it feels much harder to come back from behind or close out a lead unless you're very careful. It's possible this will become less of an issue as builds and strategies before more refined and streamlined.


x5 Ice
I think Legacy games are much more action packed and require players to use multi tasking alot more. I see this as both a pro and a con. The pro being, the games are going to be more exciting to watch from a spectators POV and hopefully will being new blood to the Starcraft universe. Con it doesn't quite feel like Starcraft atm but I'm sure in time it will


x5 xKawaiian
I enjoy the new LOTV overall gameplay! I think when it comes to the map selection though mapmakers and blizzard will have to really think about all the MUs just because some maps have an overall almost unbeatable strat vs a certain race (4:30 Ravager push)
Pros are like I said before about the eco change and also the overall pace of the game makes it really much more enjoyable to play.

I may sound like a QQing Terran but some of the biggest cons I can point out are:
TvZ:buff ultralisks?!!? Like why why why?! They were one of the few units from HOTS that I didn't think needed a RIDICULOUS BUFF. 3/3 marines do 1 dmg to an Ultralisk-_-. Also I think they need to tweak both the nydus and ravager because atm Zergs aren't really changing the meta. Pretty much Mass Ravager or a 2base build whether it be muta or roach or queen/roach/nydus. TvP seems okay but I really dislike the use of Protoss's going for blink/disrupter and just changing the meta because why get storm or colossus now for AOE if you have a unit that can move as fast a stimmed bio units and basically 1 shot everything that is BIO. I feel like as a Terran player you are overally taxed with multitasking and micro intensive units. I sorta shed a tear for those zergs off creep that face disruptors... No idea how they survive or able to split vs 6 disrupter shots. in TvT the tank nerf was the biggest thing they could of done, seems pretty balanced besides the fact that blind aggression gives the overall advantage to them.


x5 Jevyn
I like the way LOTV games play out compared to hots ; longer engagements with things such as Protoss dodging ravagers and Zerg dodging disruptors lead to more nail biting games as a whole, but sometime a con I feel is that AOE sometimes can be very annoying as it has the potential to end the game instantly, and since there have been multiple new units introduced into LOTV I think other races struggle to keep up with the timings that Zerg can hit (especially Protoss) with tech switches later on , and timings with lurker support.


x5 RunaMoK
From experience however it seems that taking any form of harassment damage became even more game ending.
Defender advantage feels almost nullified and the aggressor seems to always come out ahead. This play style is a big shift and i'm not sure I enjoy it just yet


x5 aGiLeZERG
Current pros are that Zerg are having an easy time holding most attacks because nothing is refined, cons are that the few players who have refined something, Zerg as an adaptive race, and a player who's never seen the build before will have a difficult if not impossible time holding some pushes.


x5 Believe
the game is like a mix of SC1 and SC2, I think there's gonna be a lot more action in LotV, but the game will be really hard for a casual person to get into (downside)


x5 Arrival |
Mmmmm the economy change has been pretty successful I’d say. It means shorter and more action packed games. People kind of whined but after playing legacy, you simply can’t go back to hots haha. It made it too slow among other things. (Mech) : ^) But back to legacy I guess you could say the game got even more unforgiving regarding mistakes? As for pros and cons… Well there’s a lot more micro and economy has been kind of shoved to the side. But I feel at the moment the mechanically superior player will always win which I guess is what most people wanted and less turtle TowerDefenseCraft. That’s really all I can say at the moment, it’s too early to call anything else.





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We've seen an incredible level of interaction with the community from Blizzard. What are your thoughts on this and, should a Blizzard employee read this, do you have any words for them regarding your Beta experience?




x5 Metalcore
As far as a beta goes especially compared to the hots beta, Awesome job but always room to improve. Nice to see they are listening but more listening and open discussion regarding community ideas would be nice, Instead of the "taken into consideration" spiel even if it was with say nominated representatives from the community by the community


x5 Namakaye
I have to say it's been amazing to see Blizzard going through their thought processes in their design and it's obvious they are putting a LOT of work into this game to make it as good as possible. However, in saying that, some of the decisions are just awful (HotS map pool anyone?) and they seem to want to try and please everyone at the same time, which is just impossible.
Regarding my beta experience, it would be made even better if GIBE OVERWATCH . Seriously though, the beta was really cool and I loved that they tried a variety of changes over the long period, my biggest criticism would probably be the unwillingness to test the Double Harvest economy at all and the fact that the beta probably needed to be a bit longer as there still seems to be a lot of changes needed. Who knows, maybe Lilbow would have actually done something useful for 3 months if the beta was longer.


x5 Neuro
Having played both HotS beta and LotV beta all the way through, LotV definitely felt a lot more turbulent. Blizzard's design approach was risky and explosive this time around--and the game is all the better for it. Developing and balancing the top RTS is no easy feat, and work is still ahead as players more accurately learn to leverage the strengths of each race.


x5 Tileä
I haven't been part of this interaction, so I have no comment.


x5 Ice
I think they needed to do more in the beta. It was out for a long time and things that seemed imbalanced still do. I hope they are fixed come release


x5 xKawaiian
I think that blizzard employees should really just look at community and acknowledge that maybe that they don't know what's best for the game? As mean as that sounds most people that write on forums really do care and want LOTV to be a great game. But things like the Ultra buff or Macro changes didn't even need to be considered to the public, they just put it in and definitely changed the game... for better or worse. I feel like from WoL, Hots, Lotv that now (better late then never) are finally listening to the community. Hopefully it'll be for the best


x5 Jevyn
Well of course more community interaction is an awesome thing, but I guess the question is , is it too little to late? Overall however my beta experience has been a pleasant one, I do (as you probably know ) absolutely despise the liberator ; why even have it as a unit, thor has air AOE and siege tanks have ground sieging , the only good balanced use for it is stopping the tank v tank headbutt, also chat needs dramatic changes as the release comes out however I guess they would have heard plenty about this. Also with the earlier economy changes 4 players maps are stupid as you can't get overlord in bases to scout cheese fast enough, but apart from these issues I have thoroughly enjoyed the beta !


x5 RunaMoK
Loving the interaction. For a game to prosper the dev MUST interact with its community, the fact we feel our voice and concerns are being addressed in terms of balance/design and viewer experience is excellent PR.
Right now the chat system still needs to be looked at. I don't like how it functions and I have no prior experience to the wow system or diablo system they based it off.
I personally have found the game 2 fast paced and removes a lot of forward planning because I'm too consumed with multiple early game tasks that snowball through out the game. so rather then thinking about how I'm out playing my opp in strats it feels more about speed and stamina.
I also disagree about the new units functions based off the new eco changes.
I know full well Blizzard wanted to really shake up the game and improve the viewer experience but now games / series will literally be over within 30 minutes.
I want to remind people that top tier pro sc1 games used to go for 40+ minutes because the game was figured out and both players played better they had to make better choices to get ahead and keep the game going.


x5 aGiLeZERG
Reverting macro mechanics was big, I'm glad they chose to scrap the idea entirely after their loyal playerbase backlashed over it. I would've been happy if the game released in it's current state over a month ago, I'm glad they weren't quick to nerf or buff things people complained about often, because it seems people have started to figure out ways to deal with things and the meta is settling a bit.


x5 Believe
it can be good and bad, it really just depends on who Blizzard listens to.


x5 Arrival |
Don’t be afraid to make them big dick changes.





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If there was one thing you'd hope to see changed soon after full release, what would it be?




x5 Metalcore
Due to moving I haven't been able to play the beta in its last weeks so may be a patch behind but please sort units which have no counter other than splitting like disruptors, Add some interesting unit interactions like making so ghost emp can be used to counter disruptors for example. Add more options for counter play.


x5 Namakaye
Liberators. Most people would know my hate for that unit already. I would say Cyclones too but thankfully towards the end they got Swarm Hosted.


x5 Neuro
Photon overcharge energy cost per damage output seems excessive. With the strength of adepts vs lings and mothership core, light harassment options for Zerg in the early game don't seem nearly as effective as similarly sized Adept run-bys can be.


x5 Tileä
I feel as though TvZ is not very balanced currently. In a macrogame Zerg has trouble playing actively in midgame (but can play defensively fine) which means Terran frequently gets ahead or is much stronger positions compared to Zerg than they were in HotS - however Zerg's lategame appears to be so much stronger than Terran's lategame that I've seen numerous games on streams where a Zerg player is down 2-3 bases upon getting hive tech and then just does a ~4-5 base all-in with ultras and/or brood lords and winning from behind. I'd like it if Terran was slightly weaker in midgame so Zerg could play more actively and evenly, and if Zerg was significantly weaker in lategame so the matchup was more evenly balanced at every stage in the game.


x5 Ice
The removal of parasitic bomb aha - I miss playing with my precious phoenix and skytoss arsenal


x5 xKawaiian
Oh? LOL I am pretty sure I discussed this beforehand..... But would def be change the way they nerfed Bio in all match ups. TvZ either give us the old marauder or nerf the ultra armor. (Liberators with 4 range or ghost wtih a cast time of snipe? smh)


x5 Jevyn
Besides my balance whining above, I have to say the chat :P The chat is just really inefficient, and whilst I think it's a good attempt at making the game more social I feel it's a bad one and should be changed somehow to make it just better.


x5 RunaMoK
I'd like to see how the game pans out if the eco was reverted back to 6 miners starting and starting mineral patches to be default.


x5 aGiLeZERG
How boring games can be as Zerg playing vs Cyclone Hellion or Skytoss, not exactly the most fun or exciting thing to watch.


x5 Believe
Disruptor needs to cost mana or get nerfed, nydus worm, ultralisk is too strong and ravager's spell needs to cost mana I think


x5 Arrival |
Well, the liberator and lurkers already got their nerfs. Um I guess what’d I’d like to see is better thought out maps. Not saying its easy to make a good map but these beta maps Lerilak Crest in particular feel like Blizzard handed the work off to an intern who’s never played the game before



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Who is your ideal Archon Mode partner?




x5 Metalcore
Shoutout to @LHKSC2 Mech player + Mech player playing mech = Good fun!


x5 Namakaye
Probe obviously. Our record during the period we played together (before life got in the way) speaks for itself. (Image of our Rank 2). It's great not having to do anything and still winning. Sometimes I get some units to play with until they die, it's great.


x5 Neuro
Discussing non-Starcraft topics with Destiny while in Archon games would be amusing. His free range of conversation was a major point of inspiration in welcoming viewers to discuss topics unrelated to gaming and to fully engage with personal attacks and trolls. I prefer taking a relaxed approach to Archon and enjoying the ease of divided responsibilities rather than taking it as another front of full tryhard mode.


x5 Tileä
So far I've only played archon mode with two people (Chan and Sasha/Scarlett), and both of them have been really fun to play with. It's hard to imagine someone who would be more ideal than either of them.


x5 Ice
Who better than one of my heroes sOs could learn so much


x5 xKawaiian
Hmmm good question.... I would say anyone that would want to be mine? :3
LOL seriously though my dream partner probably would be Drunkenboi... We do the silly things that makes the game fun but also winnable. (2chainz build)


x5 Jevyn
Besides some random famous player of my choice I am going to say my Terran buddy MorN playing Terran because I think we could actually maybe communicate in a real game :P


x5 RunaMoK
My ideal Archon partner would be MMA. He is someone I think I could feed off really well and I rather enjoy his play style because its well thought out and executed.


x5 aGiLeZERG
I like the idea of Archon, however Archon Mode just isn't for me, I play 1v1 purely for the fact that I don't need to work together with someone, and that every loss is 100% my fault, allows me to approach the game from a less narrow minded perspective where I could've shifted partial blame to my team mate.


x5 Believe
Neeb


x5 Arrival |
Good at communication, just like any team game. You want to be able to play as one



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PiG's 'Totally For Real And Not At All Made Up Because He is at Blizzcon' Replies

Editor's note: This section is completely legit in every way except the legally binding ones.

Because PiG is totally not unavailable due to epic Blizzcon funtimes requiring me to make something up.



Now that we've seen the full range of the Beta, could I ask which changes from HotS to LotV so far have you enjoyed the most as a player?

Obviously, it's great. Zerg has become the most imba race, thanks to the might of Ultralisks and Parasitic Bomb. Prepare to get your sporehole spinecrawlered!

Having played the game, what are your thoughts regarding the difference in how LotV games play out compared to in HotS? What are the pros and cons as you envisage them?

The Pros: Zerg is perfectly balanced to crush all opposition.
The Cons: Zerg is probably going to get nerfed and I will have to actually work for wins again.

We've seen an incredible level of interaction with the community from Blizzard. What are your thoughts on this and, should a Blizzard employee read this, do you have any words for them regarding your Beta experience?

I feel that, given how important relaxation periods are in between Starcraft2 training sessions, Blizzard should just give all of Exile5 Overwatch beta. That would be the ultimate community interaction

If there was one thing you'd hope to see changed soon after full release, what would it be?

Cosmetic and custom order DLC such as voicepacks, skins, etc. Specifically: a PiG voicepack so everyone can enjoy my dulcet tones; and skins to make all cracklings look like cute little piggies as they wreck bases and faces on my stream

Who is your ideal Archon Mode partner?

x5 Crescendo. I hear that guy is secretly the next Zerg LotV Bonjwa, despite all the very convincing evidence to the contrary.





Awww, thanks PiG. You're the best

GLHF all!
~ x5.Crescendo