Patch 1.1.0 went live today, bringing with it the first batch of balancing tweaks since Starcraft II’s release back in late July.
Being a Zerg player I can’t complain. I haven’t jumped on the “Under Powered” wagon, but it looks like everyone that did had some validity to their complaints. (I’d link you to the Blizzard forums but they are down at the moment. People are already pissed.) Blizzard has answered by nerfing the shit out of the Terran, helping against early Zealot rushes from Protoss, and weakening the Zergan?, Zergian? juggernaut, the ultralisk.
I have been a victim of the zealot rush, feeling like I scouted it early enough that I should have been able to stop it. I have also had a few encounters with Terran forces that decimated my own when they should have merely destroyed them. Damn siege tanks.
Everything seems to point towards helping out the Zerg during the early game. Common rush offenses have been nerfed, which will help ZvX match-ups into the mid game. I have some ideas on what the next flame wars will be like on the Blizzard forum.
As a Zerg player I often felt the only way to make it past the early game was to do a 6 pool rush. It seemed like the only way to insure my survival against a cannon rush, bunker rush, or zealot rush. I wonder if early zergling rushes will be too effective now. Although everyone seems to wall themselves in anyways.
Siege tanks will be a bit easier to overrun with zerglings, and hydralisks won’t be completely worthless with tanks on the field. That splash damage was a bitch, and it seemed like any ground approach was worthless leaving me with only the mutalisk.
Reaper and bunker harass has been delayed by 5 seconds. This should help prevent rushes, but I don’t think I’m good enough for that 5 seconds to help me too much. This will be a big deal for those reaper rushers that jump in behind my minerals and blast my poor drones in the face. Instead people will toast my harvesters with pre-ignighted hellions, but at least I can see the hellions coming.
The addition of destructible rocks to Desert Oasis is going to make the ground game even more inferior. I can see this increasing the frequency of void rays and banshees in my base. I hate them both. I may have to invest in the nydus networks and ventral sacs and parachute some banelings in. That is if I can fend off the damn void rays.
All and all a big hit to Terran players, but a lot of people have been complaining about them being “Overpowered”. Perhaps people are just more familiar with them because they are featured in the campaign, and people stick with them. Maybe it’s because people want to see their ‘Collectors Edition’ thor as much as possible? Maybe players have an easier time connecting with humans than they do bugs or advanced aliens? Maybe people just like to bitch?
Only time will tell whether these changes make people happy or not. At least for a while I hope. I have no idea how many balancing updates were put out for Brood Lord, but 1.1.0 is in my favor so I’m going to ride it as long as I can.
Off to the ladder to play my new Zerg! Let the flame wars begin!