This is the best sc2 patch in years

Hope I don't shoot myself in the foot but IMO it's the best balance patch we've had in years, really keen to play more games on it!

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#Starcraft2 #SC2 #PiGStarcraft

[TriangleChloros]

I THINK THE MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THIS IS THAT PIG WANTS US TO SHOUT AT HIM MORE SO HE CAN HEAR US BETTER.

[dexter]

What I just learned from this is that the Pylon had less vision range than a burrowed Infestor.

[booyawooya]

These patch notes showed me that a burrowed infestor used to have a larger vision range than a pylon. That seems kinda silly that it was ever like that

[rustyshacky]

At the time Gemini did those tests the sentry stats were bugged in the community balance mod that was applied to the unit tester. They were doing 2 extra damage to shields. It's since been fixed in the tester.

[noobo]

I agree with the quality of the thought behind the patch as well, the changes seem very intelligently chosen and thought out. Will they fix everything? Hard to say without more testing, but it’s very clear what they see as problems and how they plan to solve them, and that’s a very nice thing to have. Thanks for the video pig!

[Faux.Player]

I think dark Templar are expensive for what they do and how fragile they are. I feel they should have some more utility for stealth attacks and scouting. These additional spell ideas might be too powerful but I feel it would be fun to watch and give more utility to an expensive unit rarely seen in recent years.

Spell 1. Sabotage:
• Description: The Dark Templar infiltrates enemy structures (all races) or mechanical units (can be targeted like a scv building), temporarily disrupting their functions.

Mechanics:
• Cast Time: 4 seconds makes a noise similar to the ghost nuke.
• Range: Melee range
• Effect: Temporarily stops all functions of the target building or mechanical unit for 15 seconds and the target takes damage at the rate of an additional 50-75% until killed or canceled. (If the unit lifts off or moves the DT goes with it).
• Cost: cool down based spell similar to the corrupters Caustic Spray, but damage does not stack.
• Use: Sabotage can be used strategically to cripple enemy production facilities or disable key mechanical units during engagements.

Spell 2. Lookout:
• Description: The Dark Templar sets up an energy ball lookout point to surveil enemy movements and disrupt enemy forces.
• Mechanics:
• Cast Time: short
• Cooldown: about a minute.
• Range: Melee range
• Effect: Creates a stationary visible energy ball within melee range of the Dark Templar that lasts for 2 minutes. The energy ball has a sight range of 12 in-game units (gu).
• Detection: If the energy ball detects an enemy unit, it emits a noise and cloaks itself, reducing its sight range to 8 gu.
• Explosion: If an enemy unit walks through the energy ball, it explodes in a small area, dealing damage over time and slowing enemy units for 3 seconds (similar but weaker to a fungal growth)
• Use: Lookout can be used defensively to scout for enemy movements and disrupt enemy advances, providing valuable information to the Dark Templar and its allies.

These abilities add strategic depth to the Dark Templar’s toolkit, allowing them to sabotage enemy structures and disrupt enemy forces with well-timed and coordinated attacks. They emphasize the Dark Templar’s role as stealthy operatives capable of striking from the shadows and causing chaos behind enemy lines.

[Faux.Player]

Propose enhancing Protoss gameplay throughout all stages in StarCraft 2 by introducing any or all of these features for the warp prism. Potential improvements include:

1. Granting warp prisms the ability to warp in pylons/defensive structures every 30 seconds for the normal mineral cost within one phasing mode.

2. Adding the ability to create temporary mini pylons with limited functionality (smaller energy fields, vision range, and no supply increase) once every 30 seconds. These pylons could provide a new nano bot technology akin to Zerg regeneration effect with no stacking but for all unit types, lasting for 30 seconds on units within their power field, akin to a weak medivac utility. This enhancement would enhance scouting and harassment capabilities, allowing for strategic retreats or vision control.

3. Allowing warp prisms to exit phasing mode before units finish warping in, enhancing their micro-ability.

4. Suggesting the enabling of warp prism creation directly from the nexus, as long as the robotics facility is constructed, optimizing facility usage while slightly offsetting the trade-off of sacrificing probe production with the warp prism's newfound ability to construct minor buildings.

5.A. Proposing granting warp prisms the ability to merge with workers, enabling the warping in of any building under phase mode, while still maintaining their 8 unit transport capacity.

5.B. Adding the option for two merged warp prisms to warp pre-built structures at 1/4 of the normal cost and 50% faster speed. However, both warp-ins could incur damage during the process, with the damage stacking at the final location. These enhancements would provide Protoss players with the option to create early defense and the potential to move them to more aggressive forward bases, while introducing a strategic cost/risk element. This proposed change aligns with Protoss lore and technology, addressing the disparity between Protoss and Terran capabilities regarding building manipulation.

[Faux.Player]

After getting micro buffs for the high Templar and the raven what do you think about adding one of these two potential micro enhancements to the Viper's consume:

1. Implementing an autocast feature that targets any building within range as long as it is orange or higher health, prioritizing empty extractors for consumption, depleting them down to 151 health before moving on to the building with the highest percentage of maximum health. This would utilize many buildings regeneration vs consuming a few down to red. Autocast will only activate if the Viper has less than 150 energy.

2. Introducing the option to cast the consume ability from the mini-map or any building within sight of a spot on the map, following the same prioritization rules as described above. This allows players to queue up multiple consumes from the mini map. This would still require some micro and timing because the player would have to ensure the Viper has sufficient time to feed before calling them back to the front lines (travel time and 14 sec per cast with a 1 sec cool down, this would still take around a minute to get the bonus 150 consume energy). This approach aligns better with the concept of directing the Viper to consume entire bases rather than targeting individual extractors or the hatchery.

From a lore perspective, it's illogical for a Viper not to consume nearby buildings if it requires energy. By enabling either of these enhancements, players can maintain a more consistent spellcasting rhythm within current balance parameters, albeit with slightly reduced micro-management. Watching high-level players utilize the consume ability reveals the challenge of targeting specific buildings within limited timeframes, making these improvements valuable.

There would still be counter play with this, it could potentially leave the vipers vulnerable to pick offs as they are running back and forth between the base and the army. A full energy viper would be a juicy target for the new high templars feed back spam, and even though spreading the consume damage out would lessen the effect this would weaken the bases more especially if important tech, defensive, or upgrading buildings are accidentally targeted.

[sheeftz]

This balance patch will seal the Zerg domination on major tournamets for the next year.

[haihoangtranson]

If you look at the Libs position, the post patch one stay closer to the circle when sieged, hence the range reduced.

[GarrethOriley]

The option to revert to the old cyclone has been mentioned by multiple commentators like that would be a great thing. I just watch SC2 but if i remember correctly that would be close to removing cyclone from the game and i get the feeling ppl do not remember that correctly.

[henafoo]

One interesting idea on sentries. If EMP was blocked or reduced in significant fashion by the Sentry Guardian Shield but was changed to be snipable (it could force the Shield off as well, but this might then just mean that rapid firing two is more effective method to overcome this), this could add possibilities of interaction for late game Ghosts. As then you'd need to snipe any Sentries first from the Protoss army before landing EMP instead of just spamming EMP when Protoss show up.

[baumanmarketinggaming]

Big Gabe showed the new Widow Mine effect on a mineral line & splash radius reduction is actually massive!

[DrewMiller]

I would like for rapid fire to be part of the game client. The balance council seems to endorse rapid fire in this patch.

I don’t want to mess with my computer’s repeat rate because I use it for other things. StarCraft already has a setting for mouse sensitivity.

[TxATCIV]

Will the worker dmg range make it slightly easier to defend cannon rushes? To catch the probes running around a little easier.

[Faux.Player]

Here is a potential replacement for the sentry forcefield. What do you think?

The “Shield Overcharge” ability transforms the Sentry into a support unit, granting a powerful defensive buff to a single allied unit. When activated, the Sentry channels energy into the targeted unit, enveloping it in a protective shield overcharge. This buff provides the unit with 300 additional shield points and increases its shield regeneration rate by 25% for 15 seconds.

While under the effects of Shield Overcharge, the unit becomes immobile but retains its ability to fire at enemy targets. The increased shield regeneration ensures that the unit can sustain itself longer in combat, allowing it to withstand enemy assaults more effectively.

This ability offers a strategic defensive option for protecting key units during battles. It allows players to temporarily bolster the defenses of valuable units while still allowing them to contribute to the fight. However, players must be mindful of enemy attempts to focus fire on the buffed unit or disrupt the Sentry’s channeling.

Overall, the “Shield Overcharge” ability provides Sentry units with a unique support role on the battlefield, enhancing the survivability of allied units and adding depth to strategic gameplay in StarCraft II.

[Faux.Player]

What if they added a Mutalisk variant! When a Mutalisk transforms into a Skyborne Strider, it gains the ability to carry and transport either a Roach or Hydra unit. All other units are too big or can’t hold onto the mount. The Skyborne Strider maintains its aerial attacks while also inheriting the attack capabilities of the transported unit, sacrificing its speed in the process but can attack and move like a phenix.

If the Skyborne Strider picks up a Roach, it gains the roach’s additional armor but becomes significantly slower. The Roach, mounted on the Skyborne strider’s back, benefits from increased mobility and a +1 attack range bonus against ground units while being transported.

If a Hydra is picked up, the Skyborne Strider is only slightly slowed down. The Hydra gains a +1 attack range bonus, enhancing its effectiveness against both air and ground targets. This bonus allows the Hydra to engage enemies from a greater distance, while the Skyborne Strider closes the distance.

This dynamic combination of units allows for strategic aerial transport and battlefield manipulation, providing Zerg players with new tactical options. The Skyborne Strider ability to carry and drop ground units adds versatility to Zerg tactics, while the bonus provided to both the Roach and Hydra caters to specific combat scenarios, enhancing their effectiveness in engagements.

[BrolyPowerMaximum]

24:31 again, with this changed to the inner radius of workers, the idea is cool that there will be worker only paths. I think that’s very cool. But the unintended consequence is going to be that you can squeeze in a whole bunch of SUVs to do a whole bunch of damage with a marine all in.

[ethareksc]

Didn't know PiG is the Zerg Cabal member

[kazkz]

Astrea is going to love those sentry changes.