If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush while playing video games, StarCraft II is the game for you. What often feels like a combination of chess, ping pong, and poker, StarCraft II is arguably the hardest real-time strategy game to play, but also one of the most rewarding. As one of the longest running RTS series, StarCraft II features a robust community, a thriving e-sports scene, and an engaging “ladder” where you may test your skills against online opponents.

One of the biggest challenges of new players getting into StarCraft II is the steep learning curve. StarCraft II is not a passive game and, as such, demands focus, determination and practice—lots of practice. To help you get started, we've compiled the following advice to get you through the initial hurdles:

Play the campaign

In addition to an award-winning storyline, beautiful graphics, and interesting missions, the campaigns of StarCraft II Wings of Liberty and Hearth of the Swarm teach you about basic unit control like selecting and controlling units, producing harvesters, and the basic flow of a StarCraft game (build economy, create units, destroy opponent).

Do note that, while the actual campaign contains a plethora of different units, the actual units used in ladder matches and e-sports games are different from the ones used in the campaign (for game balance reasons). Don't let that dishearten you— the basic skills learned in the campaign will lay the foundation for the next step, which is choosing a race, Terran (humans), Protoss (psionic warriors), or Zerg (insectoid aliens).



Choose a race

While there are professional StarCraft II players that play as random, it is recommended that new players start with a single race. The reason for that has to do with complexity. It is far easier to learn the keyboard shortcuts for one race than it is for all three, and similarly, it is less of a burden to understand the meta-games for one race (the general strategies, game flow, and build orders for a given match up, i.e. Terran vs. Protoss, Terran vs. Zerg, Terran vs. Terran) than it is for all three.

To help you choose, here is a brief breakdown of what each race offers:

Terran

The Terran race is often referred to as scrappy. Offering high mobility and extensive unit control, the Terran race is often considered the easiest to pick up but the hardest to master. Unit production for the Terran race resembles that of the Command and Conquer series, where you produce offensive units out of separate buildings. General gameplay for Terran revolves around harassing the enemy with dropping units to their bases with medivacs, controlling areas with siege tanks, and simultaneously attacking multiple locations.

Protoss

While Protoss units generally cost more than Terran or Zerg units, they are more powerful and easier to control. The unique "warp gate" ability of the Protoss army allows you to instantly build multiple units near power generating structures, known as pylons. While the Protoss has a wide variety of early aggression options, the general gameplay is focused on securing three bases, massing a powerful army, and crushing their way to victory.

Zerg

By far the most mobile race, Zerg relies on sheer numbers to overwhelm their opponents. The unit production mechanics are somewhat hard to get the hang of, but once you're used to them you'll be out-producing your opponents in no time. General game flow for Zerg involves securing earlier second and third bases than their opponents, non-stop harassment, and mass-producing powerful armies.

In general, what race you choose does not have major consequences down the line. While there are frequent complaints in the StarCraft II community about a certain race being stronger than another one, the races are incredibly balanced and the choice of race won't have a significant impact in the lower and medium tiers of ladder gameplay.

Play against A.I. and learn unit counters

Before having your ass handed to you on the ladder, you're better off playing against the computer A.I., which won't accuse you of being a noob that needs to learn to play (l2p noob). Playing against the A.I. is also a great way to try out all of the races before choosing the one you like the best.

As was previously mentioned, StarCraft II is a fairly balanced game—meaning for every unit your opponent has, there is a unit you can build to counter that unit. While there are plenty of resources available on mobile app stores and online, we also recommend trying random things out to see what works which units you prefer over others.

Practice build orders, hotkeys, and unit control

A build order for a Terran opener from imbabuilds.com

Every successful StarCraft II game relies on a build order, which is essentially a recipe of what buildings and units to build, and in what order. Practicing build orders takes time, but once you get the hang of it you will be doing it subconsciously, allowing you to focus on attacking your opponent. Some build orders counter others, so it is important to also study the possible build orders your opponent may be using so you may identify them by scouting.

Another big thing to spend time on are hotkeys and control groups for your game. While beginners will choose the mouse to select units and buildings, learning the appropriate shortcuts will dramatically decrease the amount of time selecting and building units. Further, control groups allow you to produce units without actually looking at your base, which unlocks a higher tier of gameplay.

Lastly, unit control is an important element that often determines if you are going to win or lose an engagement. By knowing which units you should put in front of others, how to split your units, or heal damaged ones allows you to be cost-effective. When you are ready, we recommend Darglein's micro trainer, available in the StarCraft II arcade

More GG more Skill

White-Ra, a popular Ukrainian player, is credited for having coined the phrase "more gg (i.e. good game, the two letters you type first when losing a game), more skill." The phrase simply means that, the more you lose, the more experience you get, therefore the better you get.

One of the most frustrating things in StarCraft II is losing, which can often put players in losing streaks that cost them more games. Only by accepting defeat and learning from your mistakes can you hone your skills and get better. Having a positive attitude is crucial to learning, as is respecting your opponents and learning from them.