Battle.net Balance is now live! As we announced previously, Battle.net Balance is a new feature that gives players an alternate way to purchase Blizzard digital products and services directly through their Battle.net accounts.
Battle.net Balance is now live! As we announced previously, Battle.net Balance is a new feature that gives players an alternate way to purchase Blizzard digital products and services directly through their Battle.net accounts. Players are now able add to their Battle.net Balance using a variety of payment methods, and then use that balance toward Blizzard Entertainment products and services such as World of Warcraft realm transfers, character name changes, and other paid services, as well as digital versions of select Blizzard games, including Diablo II and StarCraft II. In the near future, players will be also able to use Battle.net Balance for the digital World of Warcraft Battle Chest and WoW digital upgrades and to purchase digital products through the online Blizzard Store, including World of Warcraft game-time codes and Pet Store pets and mounts. In addition, with the upcoming launch of Diablo III, players will have the option to use Battle.net Balance to buy and sell items in the game’s currency-based auction house.
For more information, check out the Battle.net Balance FAQ, or head to the Battle.net Balance page in Account Management to manage your balance.
* Note: At this time, Battle.net Balance may not be used for Blizzard Store purchases.
Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that's where StarCraft Art of War comes in.
Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that's where StarCraft Art of War comes in.
Are you a veteran player? Are you new to StarCraft II and striving to improve your skills? In this weekly feature, we invite players of all skill levels to ask questions, share their tactics, post replays, and provide advice for understanding, executing and defeating today's most popular strategies. This week, we're analysing: Chronoboost.
Careful chronoboost management can mean the difference between victory and defeat. What do you find is the most effective use of chronoboost at each stage of the game for each matchup?
Join the Art of War discussion here.
For the first time in its six-year history, the Intel Extreme Masters will visit South America. The Campus Party Brazil in Sao Paulo will host the Global Challenge Sao Paulo from February 7 to 11. Sixteen of the world’s best StarCraft II players from Europe, Asia and the Americas, including two local heroes, have battled their way through the group stages over recent months – and this event will decide which of them will earn an invitation to the IEM Season VI World Championship in March.
For the first time in its six-year history, the Intel Extreme Masters will visit South America. The Campus Party Brazil in Sao Paulo will host the Global Challenge Sao Paulo from February 7 to 11. Sixteen of the world’s best StarCraft II players from Europe, Asia and the Americas, including two local heroes, have battled their way through the group stages over recent months – and this event will decide which of them will earn an invitation to the IEM Season VI World Championship in March.
The players, including Joseph “Ret” de Kroon, Jian Carlo “Fenix” Morayra Alejo, and Daniel “XlorD” Spenst, will fight for a prize pool of $21,000 USD. Additionally, the two finalists will advance to IEM Season VI’s World Championship, which will again take place at CeBit in Hanover, Germany in March 2012. An overview of the groups can be found below:
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| DarK.FoRcE | DeMusliM | biGs | Fenix |
| Illusion | Feast | Potiguar | ret |
| KiLLeR | Tunico | viOLet | sLivko |
| SuperNoVa | XlorD | ReaL | Snute |
This exciting tournament is the sixth event in the 6th season of the ESL’s Intel Extreme Masters series and will be hosted by the famous ESL shoutcasting duo of Kevin “RotterdaM” van der Kooi and Ben “MrBitter” Nichol, joined by Robert “The Voice” Simpson. Make sure to get the latest information, the ESL TV air times and coverage of the event itself by visiting ESL’s Global Challenge website.
Stream
| Event: | Intel Extreme Masters Season VI: Global Challenge Sao Paulo |
| Location: | Campus Party Anhembi Parque / Av. Olavo Fontoura, 1.209 Sao Paulo, Santana - CEP 02012-021 |
| When: | February 7 to 11, 2012 |
| Stream: | ESL TV |
| Details: | ESL website |
In an editorial published on Thursday on RTS Guru, Anna Kärrstrand Ovesson presents a handy breakdown of map design by taking an in-depth look at some of the factors that make for a great map, such as races, base placement, terrain, distance, and debris.
In an editorial published on Thursday on RTS Guru, Anna Kärrstrand Ovesson presents a handy breakdown of map design by taking an in-depth look at some of the factors that make for a great map, such as races, base placement, terrain, distance, and debris.
She also takes a careful look at the GSL Daybreak and Jungle Basin maps, offering a strategic analysis of each. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the landscape that plays such a big part in every StarCraft II match. Read the entire article on RTS Guru here.
Team Dignitas’ Steve Farrant recently interviewed Julia Childress, a Diamond league protoss player from Vancouver, Canada, where she streams regularly on TwitchTV and goes by the name Ailuj.
Team Dignitas’ Steve Farrant recently interviewed Julia Childress, a Diamond league protoss player from Vancouver, Canada, where she streams regularly on TwitchTV and goes by the name Ailuj. She made her first major tournament appearance on the main stage at MLG Providence in a match against zerg player Hwang “IM.LosirA” Kang Ho and has since continued to promote the StarCraft II eSports scene and interact with the community and her growing audience.
You can check out the full interview here, and follow Julia on Twitter here.
Take a look at some of the open tournaments coming up in the next days - you can sign up to take part, or simply watch the live streams to get inspired by the players. It’s your turn now!
Various competition organizers hold regular online tournaments in which you can compete against other players and maybe even win some prizes! Most of these contests are open to everyone. In addition, there are professional tournaments taking place like IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Sao Paulo, the 2012 GSL Season 1 Code S, the North American Star Team League, the IPL Team Arena Challenge 2 and the NASL Season 3 Qualifiers which you can follow via video stream. Interested? Take a look at some of the open tournaments coming up in the next days - you can sign up to take part, or simply watch the live streams to get inspired by the players. It’s your turn now!
| Date | Name | Format | Prize Money | Stream | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 – 11 February | IEM Season VI - Global Challenge Sao Paulo | 1v1 | $ 21,000 | Yes | Invite only |
| 8 January – 3 March | 2012 GSL Season 1 Code S | 1v1 | ₩ 172,800,000 | Yes | Invite only |
| 19 January - TBA | North American Star Team League | 1v1 | $ 10,000 | Yes | Invite only |
| 23 January - TBA | IPL Team Arena Challenge 2 | 1v1 | $ 20,000 | Yes | Invite only |
| 9 February – 3 March | NASL Season 3 Qualifiers | 1v1 | $ 1,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Date | Name | Format | Prize Money | Stream | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 December – 3 February | eOSL Winter Edition 2012 | 1v1 | € 5,000 | Yes | Invite only |
| 3 – 9 February | EU Playhem Daily | 1v1 | $ 75 - 100 | Yes | Yes |
| 3 – 9 February | NA Playhem Daily | 1v1 | $ 75 - 100 | Yes | Yes |
| 4 February | ZOTAC StarCraft II NA Cup #37 | 1v1 | $ 100 + Ranking Points | Yes | Yes |
| 4 February | NA SCV MugCraft #3 | 1v1 | € 30 + Custom Made Mug | Yes | Yes |
| 5 February | ZOTAC StarCraft II EU Cup #92 | 1v1 | € 100 + Ranking Points | Yes | Yes |
| 5 February | ESL Go4SC2 #171 | 1v1 | € 200 + Qualifier | Yes | Yes |
| 6 February | US SCV Rush BSG #9 | 1v1 | 1 Hour Master Coaching | Yes | Yes |
| 6 February | ESL Benelux ROCCAT Winter Challenge #9 | 1v1 | Qualifier | Yes | Yes |
| 8 February | ESL Go4SC2 #172 | 1v1 | Qualifier | Yes | Yes |
| 8 February | Antec Attack #2 | 1v1 | € 200 | Yes | Yes |
| 8 February | EU SCV Rush BSG #17 | 1v1 | 1 Hour Master Coaching | Yes | Yes |
| 9 February | EU SCV Rush Plat/Dia #21 | 1v1 | € 3 - 6 | Yes | Yes |
| 9 February | ESL Go4SC2 Premium Qualifier | 1v1 | Qualifier | No | Yes |
| 9 February | ESL Benelux ROCCAT Winter Challenge #10 | 1v1 | Qualifier | Yes | Yes |
Are you and your fellow StarCraft II friends attending or organizing a “Food. Drinks. StarCraft II.” event? Let us know! We’d love to add them to our list which you can find here.
Season 5 is drawing to a close, and that means that all ladders will be locked soon.
Season 5 is drawing to a close, and that means that all ladders will be locked soon.
Season 5 Lock
What does this mean for you? During the Season 5 lock, you can no longer be promoted or demoted out of your current league or division, and your bonus pool will stop growing. Once locked to a league and division, you'll still be able to play out your remaining bonus pool and compete for standing within your division until the end of the season, so it's a great time to enjoy yourself and maybe even push for a better milestone. If you're pursuing a league promotion, then you still have a little time left! The Season 5 lock will go into effect on Wednesday, 8 February.
Please note that the hidden ratings used to determine promotions and demotions will continue to update during the Season 5 lock and be used for matchmaking purposes. This means that if you play significantly better or worse than your assigned league at the time of the lock, your league may change when Season 6 begins and you play your first placement match. If you go on a winning streak during the lock, for example, you may end up promoted next season. On the other hand, if you happen to lose a lot more than usual, then you could end up demoted. The bottom line is that your games during the lock still count!
Season 6 Start Date
The Season 5 lock also means that Season 6 is right around the corner. During the week of 20 February, Season 5 will end and Season 6 will begin. Season milestone rewards will be locked in at this time, and bonus pools will reset. Hidden skill ratings used for matchmaking and league placement will carry over from the previous season, so if you've completed placement matches in a previous season you will only need to play one new placement match after Season 6 starts.
Each new ladder season, we see many players on the community forums asking, “What do I need to do to earn a league promotion?” This post should provide you with enough information to answer that question.
Each new ladder season, we see many players on the community forums asking, “What do I need to do to earn a league promotion?” This post should provide you with enough information to answer that question.
One way to almost guarantee a promotion by next season is to earn the number of division ladder points given in the corresponding table entry below by 7 February, in anticipation of a 14 February season roll.*
Q: Is this the only way to be promoted?
A: No, this is just one fairly reliable way. Some players may be promoted before reaching this number, and a rare few may remain in their current league after reaching the value. This rare few can expect a mid-season promotion if they maintain their skill level during the next season.
Q: How do I get my ladder points that high?
A: The only way to gain these points is to win more than you lose for a sustained period. For example, if you look at your match history and have won at least 12 of your last 20 games, you’re on the right track. Keep it up!
*Note: This assumes season 5 ends the week of 14 February. This date is subject to change.
Target ladder point values for next season promotion:
| 1v1 | 2v2 Random | 2v2 Arranged | 3v3 Random | 3v3 Arranged | 4v4 Random | 4v4 Arranged | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze to Silver | 1200 | 1100 | 1000 | 1000 | 900 | 1000 | 900 |
| Silver to Gold | 800 | 800 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 |
| Gold to Platinum | 800 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 600 |
| Platinum to Diamond | 800 | 800 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 | 700 |
| Diamond to Master | 900 | 900 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 700 |
| Master to near Grandmaster | 1400 |
Community-driven tournaments are essential to the health and growth of StarCraft II as an eSport. Follow these steps to make sure that your StarCraft II tournament kicks off flawlessly.
Community-driven tournaments are essential to the health and growth of StarCraft II as an eSport. Follow these steps to make sure that your StarCraft II tournament kicks off flawlessly.
License your event — Obtaining a license to run a StarCraft II event is easy (and free for the vast majority of applicants) and the application only takes a few minutes of your time! Head on over to our Tournament Submission Form to start your licensing process now. Approval time will vary; most events will be approved automatically after your submission, and others will take up to a couple weeks, depending on the complexity and level of licensing required for the event.
Follow the rules — Head over to our Video Policy and StarCraft II EULA pages to find out more about what’s permissible when it comes to broadcasting and running your event.
Help us whitelist your IPs — This is a very important step, especially if you're running a mid-sized or larger tournament. The reason for this is because if Battle.net detects large numbers of StarCraft II players trying to connect from the same IP, the IP range could get temporarily blacklisted, making it impossible for your event’s participants to play. If you’re running an on-site event that will have lots of people connecting at once from a limited range of IPs, send us an email with the subject Whitelist Request and include your event’s information as well as your venue’s IPs. We will only provide whitelists for licensed events.
If you have any questions about running your event, contact us at sc-tourneyinfo-eu@blizzard.com
Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that’s where StarCraft Art of War comes in.
Strategy, tactics, and skill. At the heart of StarCraft II are the legion of skilled tacticians and brilliant strategists leading armies of zerg, protoss, and terrans to war across the scarred battlefields of the Koprulu Sector. Knowledge is power; the greatest commanders throughout history earned their victories not merely by virtue of strategic brilliance, but also by applying themselves to rigorous study of warfare and the tactics used by those who fought before them. You too can tap into this valuable resource, and that’s where StarCraft Art of War comes in.
Are you a veteran player? Are you new to StarCraft II and striving to improve your skills? In this weekly feature, we invite players of all skill levels to ask questions, share their tactics, post replays, and provide advice for understanding, executing and defeating today’s most popular strategies. This week, we’re analysing: Spawn Larvae.
What technique do you use to make sure that you never miss an inject? How do you manage your Larvae to build a better swarm?
Join the Art of War discussion here.
Hot off the presses and fast on the heels of the recently announced 2012 Battle.net World Championship event set for later this year, Team Liquid took the time to interview Ilja Rotelli, director of global community and eSports at Blizzard Entertainment. The interview looks deeper into the new structure of the Battle.net World Championship and the future of Blizzard eSports. Here’s a brief snippet from the interview to whet your appetite.
Hot off the presses and fast on the heels of the recently announced 2012 Battle.net World Championship event set for later this year, Team Liquid took the time to interview Ilja Rotelli, director of global community and eSports at Blizzard Entertainment. The interview looks deeper into the new structure of the Battle.net World Championship and the future of Blizzard eSports. Here’s a brief snippet from the interview to whet your appetite.
At the national qualifier level, do you hope to hold some tournaments that are completely open to anyone who wants to compete?
Ilja Rotelli: That is precisely one of the design philosophies we originally adopted. The idea is that we want to make a more aspirational and participatory eSports environment for StarCraft. The idea that there are superstars that seem so far away, that one can't hope to become; this makes eSports very restrictive.
Blizzard has a slightly different goal from eSports companies. If you think very frankly about the business goal for Blizzard as a company, we gain when more people play the game, and a strategy that makes sense to achieve that goal is to go grassroots. We don't have plans in place yet, but in my dreams, this is the beginning, where we go as grassroots as we can for the first year. Then, in 2013, we would love to add an additional layer to the bottom of the structure, to be even more grassroots than now. This is just a philosophy, not a practical plan that we have in place, but certainly that is one of the design principles we have been using so far.
Visit the Team Liquid site to read the complete article.