StarCraft 2 players have lost their collective minds after Blizzard Entertainment announced major changes coming in a new update.
Fans of the 2010 real-time strategy sequel took to its website to see new gameplay adjustments for what was probably the first time in years today. Instead of only finding bug fixes or mentions of standard server maintenance, patch notes for public test realm (PTR) update 5.0.16 revealed a laundry list of balance changes that will fundamentally change how StarCraft 2 is played.
The impact of the update can be read in its first bullet point, which reduces the number of starting workers from 12 to eight. StarCraft 2 upped its starter worker count to 12 with the launch of Legacy of the Void in 2015 to speed up the pace earlier in matches. The years following the change have seen some players asking for an adjustment, and now, 11 years later, the change is here, and it’s just one example in a page full of other tweaks.
“How is this real?” one Reddit user said regarding StarCraft 2 PTR update 5.0.16. “Some of these changes are wild, I am so curious how they will feel.”
“Holy s**t they did it,” another said in response to the change in starting workers.
StarCraft 2 received its final major content pack with Nova Covert Ops in 2016, and despite retaining a solid audience in the decade since, it has largely remained on the back burner for Blizzard since. Now, there are so many changes on the way that players aren’t exactly sure if the patch will result in a better or worse experience.
We won’t know how update 5.0.16 will be received until after it makes it out of its PTR build and into the public’s hands at an unspecified point in the future. What players are focusing on now, though, is that the update serves as proof that Blizzard still cares about breathing life into its classic RTS…for some reason.
“Some absolutely bonkers changes to basic mechanics, especially for a game in maintenance mode with little to no ongoing development besides this,” another Reddit user said. “Very excited to see how this plays out, and I hope that they maintain the scale of changes, even if they have to iterate on/change plenty.
“That is to say I hope they don’t get discouraged by certain changes not panning out and end up walking most of this back. I love the potential for new strategies and interactions so far.”
So, why is Blizzard making a splash in StarCraft 2 for the first time in years? Unfortunately, we really don’t know. Some speculate the tweaks arrive as a result of the game developer’s renewed interest in some of its existing titles. Others believe it could signal a specific interest in StarCraft, which is rumored to receive a first-person shooter spin-off sometime in the future.
Players will have to wait to see if the new update is a sign of things to come. In the meantime, you can read about the rumors suggesting Blizzard is taking pitches for the series from Korean game developers. Finally, you can check out the full PTR patch notes below.
StarCraft 2 Update 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes:
We’ve tried to make this PTR focus on extending the early and mid-game experience, allowing players to remain competitive on one to three bases for longer periods. We’ve introduced changes to make non-warped Gateway play a more viable path, while also increasing overall strategic diversity across all three races.
In addition, a range of quality-of-life improvements has been implemented to enhance the overall player experience.
Economy
Starting workers reduced from 12 to 8.Default Large Mineral patch resource count reduced from 1,800 to 1,600.Default Small Mineral patch resource count increased from 900 to 1,200.Total Default Minerals per base increased from 10,800 to 11,200.Default Vespene Geysers’ resource count increased from 2,250 to 2,500.Total Default Gas per base increased from 4,500 to 5,000.Rich Vespene Gas Geyser harvest return value decreased from 8 to 6.
Zerg
Hatchery, Lair and HiveSupplies provided reduced from 6 to 4.CreepSpread/Recede rate slowed from 0.45 to 0.55.Spore CrawlerDamage against Biological increased from 20 (+10 Biological) to 20 (+15 Biological).Carapace UpgradesLevel 1 cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.Level 2 cost decreased from 200/200 to 150/150.Level 3 cost decreased from 250/250 to 200/200.InfestorMicrobial Shroud range increased from 9 to 12.Microbial Shroud can now be cast without requiring an upgrade from the Infestation Pit.Neural Parasite on builder SCVs will only expire at structure completion.Now has an auto-attack weapon.ViperAbduct now considers Sieged Tanks a valid target.OverlordSpeed without Pneumatized Carapace decreased from 0.9 to 0.7.Can now issue ‘Load Nearby Units’ commands.OverseerChangelings automatically inherit the current order queue of the casting Overseer.Changelings’ deaths are contagious to other nearby Changelings.MutaliskMutalisk Glaives now prioritize targets.Arc slop increased to 180.
Terran
Command CenterSupplies provided reduced from 15 to 13.GhostSupply increased from 2 to 3.Health reduced from 125 to 100.Attack damage changed from 10 + 10 vs Light to 20.Attack range increased from 6 to 7.Steady Targeting:Damage increased from 130 + 40 vs Psionic to 170.Energy cost increased from 50 to 75.No longer cancels upon taking damage.MedivacCan now issue ‘Load Nearby Units’ commands.Subgroup Priority:Priority order updated from (Raven, Ghost, Battlecruiser, Marine, Marauder, SiegeTank) to (Ghost, Marine+Marauder, Raven, Battlecruiser, Siegetank).
Protoss
NexusSupplies provided reduced from 15 to 13.WarpgateWarpgate Research moved to the Gateway from the Cybernetics Core.Warpgate Research speeds up Gateway unit production time by 35%.’Transform to Warpgate’ cost increased from 0/(0) to 50/(50).Warp-in Time is no longer determined by ‘slow power fields’.Warp-in Time decreased to 3s (from 3.6s and 11.4s).Warpgate Cooldown Values:Zealot: from 20 to 22.Adept: from 20 to 22.Stalker: from 23 to 22.Sentry: from 23 to 22.High Templar: from 32 to 35.Dark Templar: from 32 to 35.GatewayPre-Warpgate Production Time Values:Zealot: from 27 to 28.Adept: from 30 to 28.Stalker: from 27 to 28.Sentry: from 23 to 24.High Templar: from 32 to 40.Dark Templar: from 32 to 40.Post-Warpgate Production Time Values:Zealot: 18.Adept: 18.Stalker: 18.Sentry: 16.High Templar: 26.Dark Templar: 26.SentryHallucinations automatically inherit the current order queue of the casting Sentry.High TemplarPsi Storm total damage reduced from 110 to 100.DisruptorNow has a ‘phantom attack’ weapon.Warp PrismCan now issue ‘Load Nearby Units’ commands.
Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Updates
Fixed an issue where Carrier Interceptors owned due to a player casting Neural Parasite would not inherit the opponent’s upgrades.Fixed an issue where EMP visuals did not provide clear visual indication of effect radius/affected units.Fixed an issue where Motherships would warp in adjacent to the Nexus rather than overtop.Fixed an issue where Guardian Shield visuals would persist even after loaded into a transport.Fixed an issue where melee units targeting builder SCVs would lose their attack order when the SCV moved through the structure.Fixed an issue where SCVs could not have build orders queued sequentially onto structures already being constructed by another SCV.Fixed an issue where Guardian Shield visuals would not update player color post-initialization.Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge could knock back immobile targets during Recall.Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge lacked a placement model and AOE effect radius cursor indicator.Fixed an issue where the KD8 Charge would be thrown in front of a target unit rather than at the targeted cast point.Fixed an issue where some units’ spells would not trigger Protoss shield-damage graphics (Purification Nova, Corrosive Bile, KD8 Charge).Fixed an issue where units with burrow move would lose their current orders when told to burrow.Fixed an issue where ‘Zerg Rocks’ were lacking polish. (Now uses correct wireframe, has a Zerg building armour icon, and uses animation state to communicate health level).Fixed an issue where a variation of large diagonal rocks still did not receive an attack command if certain portions of the rock were within vision but not others.Fixed an issue where attack commands with Adept Shades in the selection behaved erratically (Example: finishing a shade caused the attack target to be lost if the command was not issued by smart command/right click, units could unexpectedly move command etc.)Fixed an issue where the Nexus had no indication Nexus Recall nor Energy Recharge abilities’ cooldowns were global. Command card now displays charge counters and minimap displays all Nexus range radius.Fixed an issue where the Nexus Energy Recharge ability range radius actor would display permanently rather than when the ability was being targeted.Fixed an issue where Lurker Attack Spike sounds could be heard through the Fog of War.Fixed an issue where Lurker eggs lacked polish during creation/destruction. Eggs now take less time to appear due to faster birth animation and play a death cry to communicate when destroyed early.Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism would not display an unload visual model indicator.Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism would not display a load range radius actor when the ability was being targeted.Fixed an issue where the Warp Prism movement was highly variant/ sluggish if ordered to queue pickup orders or pick up units slightly out of immediate range.Fixed an issue where Banelings in splash range of enemy units but killed by enemy units would not spawn an audio cue indicating splash damage had been dealt.Fixed an issue where non-disguised Changelings would not play their full birth animation.Fixed an issue where commanding Oracles to build Stasis Wards in areas inside their range could result in slower execution than being commanded to build outside their range.Fixed an issue where Oracles would teleport short distances if told to build a Stasis Ward while overlapping with other air units (such as other friendly oracles).Fixed an issue where Stasis Wards lacked a distinct audio cue for their death.Fixed an issue where players attempting to attack a Stasis Ward could easily accidentally move command underneath it instead.Fixed an issue where Colossus could not be created/unloaded in space an air unit already was (this mostly affects the predictability of colossus drop positioning due to collision with the warp prism).Fixed an issue where Voidray Prismatic Alignment lacked a termination audio cue.Fixed an issue where Immortal Barrier lacked a termination audio cue.Fixed an issue where beam attack visuals would not terminate if targets were picked up by transports or teleported away (Sentry, Void Ray).Fixed an issue where the Sentry’s beam attack visuals were misleading due to being significantly delayed during creation and termination. They should now feel much more responsive to control.Fixed an issue where the Cyclone basic weapon was unable to damage friendly cloaked/buried units.Fixed an issue where the High Templar’s basic weapon’s visuals and sounds were not proportionate in size/volume to its impact.Fixed an issue where Vespene Geysers did not update their model to tolerate shaders if players’ shader graphics settings changed mid-match, allowing for re-enabling of the higher graphics option.Fixed an issue where Phoenix would not face their channeled Graviton target.Fixed an issue where killing a Viper prior to its Abduct tongue connecting with a target would not cancel the abduct.Fixed an issue where Nexus would still play Blinding Cloud visuals (despite no longer having Photon Overcharge).Fixed an issue where Planetaries lacked or had misleading visual and audio indicators (splash damage impact visuals, sound).Fixed an issue where Archons lacked several visual and audio indicators (birth sound, splash damage impact visuals, movement sound, attack physics).Fixed an issue where Disruptor Purification Nova cooldown/firing status was difficult to discern. Ability status should now be much more obvious due to increased colour states.Fixed an issue where friendly Disruptor Purification Nova range radius actors were displayed permanently, even if the unit was on cooldown, causing unnecessary clutter as unit count increased.Fixed an issue where Swarm Host range radius actors were displayed permanently, even if the unit was on cooldown, causing unnecessary clutter as unit count increased.Fixed an issue where Swarm Hosts lacked an equipment (weapon) display indicator for the Locust.Fixed an issue where Microbial Shroud’s appearance happened gradually and unnoticeably due to lacking a sufficient impact model for the cloud.Fixed an issue where Hellbat walk animation speed was faster than expected.Fixed an issue where casting Generate Creep would only affect a subselection of Overlords or Transport Overlords rather than both variations.Fixed an issue where Creep Tumors lacked placement and placeholder models when spreading themselves.Fixed an issue where it could be difficult to distinguish if a research structure was active (Twilight Council, Fleet Beacon, Armory, Evolution Chamber).Improved an issue where injecting Queens ‘shuffle’. Allowed re-issuing inject during ongoing cast so orders are not offloaded to others queen. Long-range orders are invalid if another queen is nearby the target hatchery.Improved an issue where units with their primary attack order on a changeling would lose their order if the Changeling subsequently disguised itself.Improved an issue where gather orders were clunky for workers. Workers adjacent and move commanding to a geyser now update their command to a gather order if a refinement structure gets built.Xel’naga towers can now be selected through the Fog of War. Xel’naga Towers now show their vision range radius when selected.Active Creep Tumors will now take selection precedence over Inactive Tumors.Active Creep Tumors in a control group at the time of exhausting their charge will now transfer control group membership to the spread tumor.Critters and destructible neutral objects have been standardized to share similar targeting/selection/collision values. They will no longer collide with/block player structures or units.Larva/Eggs will no longer collide with/block player structures or units.Locusts that were previously uncommandable during their swoop animation are now also unselectable (if already selected they will stay selected).Neural Parasite will now add the target unit to the current selection if the selection only contains one infestor.Protoss structures now generate additional ‘damaged’ graphical models.As larva increases, they will now spread further upwards around the sides of the hatchery. Larva will still start from the bottom of the hatchery.Music selection for spectator players has been adjusted to feature a greater pool of suitable tracks for spectating. Duplicate entries have also been removed.Slightly polished Oracles’ Revelation and Build animation transitions.High Templar and Ravagers are now less likely to aggro towards faraway targets.Adjusted Warp Prism and Raven visual fly height to minimize clipping inside other models and reduced Warp Prism shadow size on low graphics to minimize shadow-casting on unloaded units.Commands to unsiege Warp Prisms will now be issued to all Warp Prisms in the selection.Healing Shrine visuals/sounds have received a minor polish pass.The Warp Prism will now attempt to immediately siege when instructed rather than prioritizing deceleration.Mapmaker support tools now include proper Worker-Only-Path indicators, No-Resource footprints, air unit height modifier doodads, and variable rock reduction units.Mule Repair is now set to auto-cast by default (Mules with a harvest order still do not attempt to repair units).
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
