Home » Co-Op Missions: Why It Has Never Been Easier To Get Into StarCraft

Co-Op Missions: Why It Has Never Been Easier To Get Into StarCraft

Publish Date: February 2, 2017

If you’ve heard next to nothing about StarCraft, somehow the one thing you know of is its harsh learning curve. It’s not without good reason, StarCraft has more than earned its reputation as a brutal game to get into. Especially so if you’re new to the RTS genre. Getting into the competitive ladder means coming to terms with how much you don’t know about the game. And for most this is quite a lot. It’s a humbling experience that only players with a genuine love for the genre are usually willing to endure.

The ability to provide a continual playing experience for casual players has always been the gap StarCraft has been unable to bridge, until now. Enter, Co-Op Missions, the feature that has completely terraformed the StarCraft experience, which isn’t talked about enough.

Learning Together

Co-Op Missions are the newest game mode in StarCraft 2, developed alongside Legacy of the Void. Unlike Legacy of the Void, Co-Op Missions are completely free to try. In Co-Op you take control of the armies of various StarCraft Commanders on missions alongside an ally. Out of the 11 Commanders currently available, all players have access to three commanders to start with: Namley, Raynor, Kerrigan, and Artanis.

Image courtesy Blizzard Entertainment

These three Commanders serve as super-powered introductions to the three races.

 The game mode can be set to one of four difficulty settings. It is set at default to “Casual” and features a powerful leveling system. You don’t have to worry about falling behind since the lower difficulties are made with newer players in mind. You also can ramp up the difficulty as you improve. If you can’t find confidence in your own skill, you’ll find confidence in how powerful your Commander’s army has become after a few levels.

The harsh and unforgiving cliff has finally become a smoother, more natural curve.

A life of its own

What started off as a feature to make StarCraft multiplayer a bit more accessible has at this point become a skillset in itself. For those that pursue challenges, every week Blizzard rotates in a new “Mutation”. Mutations are mods or mutators that complicates the mission in someway.

This can be anything from chaotic attacks raining across the battlefield that require you to keep your mechanics sharp to more cerebral resource taxes on issuing commands that test your ability to plan ahead efficiently.

Image courtesy Blizzard Entertainment

According to recent polls on StarCraft’s twitter, 16% of players find Co-Op Missions the most interesting aspect of the game. Blizzard’s own reports the number of players playing Co-Op Missions at times surpass number of players on all StarCraft competitive ladders combined.

Just getting started

Blizzard spent most of the year leading up to Legacy of the Void, promoting Archon Mode and the Nova Covert Ops. But Allied Commanders (as it was then known) became the resounding success story no one saw coming.

Throughout 2016, the focus on expanding Co-Op was slowed by production of the Nova mission packs. Even so, Blizzard continued to release commanders at a steady rate thoughout the year. With the Nova story line now complete, they’re now free to dedicate their available resources to expanding Co-Op. They’ve expressed every intention in doing so.

Co-Op leaderboards, the first major addition to Co-Op, is still to come this year and will make the first major step towards making Co-Op Missions its own competitive experience.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @Stefan_SC2

“You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Stefan!”

Leave A Reply

* required
Read Also
An Extended Interview with CLG’s Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey on esports, diversity and ‘This Week in CLG powered by Spectrum
TGH's Thomas Baker got to interview Stephanie "missharvey" Harvey. She is currently ...
Lyrical on casting, new heroes, and more
Earlier this week, I was able to chat with Gabriel "Lyrical" Cruz. ...
Reno Madness – Midrange Reno N’Zoth Paladin
Hello everybody, I am Matteo Ghisoni and I love Reno Jackson decks. ...
A Wild Adventure with Priest
The last golden class I need is Priest, and since I wasn’t ...
Reno Madness – N’Zoth and Load Reno Hunter
Hello everybody, I am Matteo Ghisoni and I love Reno Jackson decks. ...
The Game Haus aims to bring unbiased, factually sound opinions to audiences across a range of mediums that are not readily accessible in the day-to-day media outlets. We cover the latest news in Gaming, Call of Duty, CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Fighting Games, NBA 2K, Halo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Pokemon, Rocket League, Smite, Starcraft II, Fantasy Sports, MLS, EPL, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NCAAB, NCAAF, NFL, NHL, and PGA.


Next to our unbiased coverage for esports and sports, have a look at our iGaming content. If you are looking for the most recommended Esports Betting Sites or Best Sports Betting Sites, look no further. We also cover the Best Sweepstakes Casinos in our free 2 play section and have a closer look at the Best DFS Sites out there. If you are looking for some real money options, check how we ranked the Best Online Casinos.


Follow us on Social Media for updates!
Sports: Facebook | Twitter
Esports: Facebook | Twitter

Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.

×
Your Promo Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Play now