Want to learn how to play Starcraft 2

[Elpalmo]

Hey guys, seeing that SC2 is so cheap im about to buy it. But just wanting to ask some questions, please answer if u can

Note: I have never played it and have no idea on how to.


1. Should i find a team (protoss, zerg, terran) and stick to it and learn that particular one well. Or do most people play all of them.

2. Are their any guides out there that i should watch or read?

3. How long will it take me to learn to play really well?


Thanks guys

[Deadlycaster]

Check out everything on www.Day9.tv he is my hero<3

i'd recommend trying to stick to 1 race and be awesome at it but yeah, check out his videos they are really informative, he is also really funny

[Deleted]

Check out everything on www.Day9.tv he is my hero<3

i'd recommend trying to stick to 1 race and be awesome at it but yeah, check out his videos they are really informative, he is also really funny

This pretty much. Day[9] does a daily show on the matter of becoming a better gamer, aiming all the way from the whole new players to fairly good players. He learned me alot

[Azunaii]

1.) People tend to stick to one race yes. They're very different from eachother in gameplay style so playing all of them at random is probably quite hard at first.
2.) Day9 will get you to learn the game quite well yes :-) What you'll want to learn asap is build orders. They're the bread-and-butter of any game you play :-)
3.) Really long ;-) Nah it depends on how much time you want to put in really.

[Deleted]

1. It depends on your playstyle and what you like to do, but it'll obviously take longer to master all three races simultaneously from square 1 than it will take to get good at one and then pick up the others. Think of it as two graphs: The X scale is how much you learn and the Y scale is how rewarded you feel. You'll learn more in shorter time if you learn all of them simultaneously, but you won't get out of bronze/silver league as quick as if you focus on one.

2. Day9.tv would be my number 1 stop for good advice. If you're really looking to get skilled with dedication, Apollo (dApollo1337) sells private coaching which I've heard is supposedly really good.

3. Oooh, can't say that. It depends on too many factors to be measurable.

[Deleted]

Hey guys, seeing that SC2 is so cheap im about to buy it. But just wanting to ask some questions, please answer if u can

Note: I have never played it and have no idea on how to.


1. Should i find a team (protoss, zerg, terran) and stick to it and learn that particular one well. Or do most people play all of them.

2. Are their any guides out there that i should watch or read?

3. How long will it take me to learn to play really well?


Thanks guys

Its hands down one of the hardest games to become well at.

You should stick to one race. My opnions on the 3 races, is that while on Grand Master Lvl (Only 200 is in that league in every region), their about equal skill wise.
However, Terran is a easy race to start with (Especially cause you can "practice" in the Campaign) -
In Bronze/Silver/Gold, and Zerg gets easier once you get the basics down (Platinum/Diamond). I should note I am currently in Diamond league, and playing Terran.
Protoss seems to be harder overall, but that might just be me.

Day9, as mentioned above is the way to go. While you can read tactics and stuff, there aren't one way to win games. There are thousands.
But its the execution, and the way you evolve your play thats important, and that is what he teaches you.

You third question is hard to answer. I would say that I am playing it really well, but again - I am only Diamond (Leagues is Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grand Master). The last one is really hard to get into, as said - 200 pr region.
Its really frustrating, and you have to lose to the same thing a few times, until you figure our what to do against it.

It can take all from 1 month to forever to get good - But I would say that 1 month will never make you top tier.

One of the best games ever, but hard as hell

[Arrashi]

Go watch some replays on HD's or Husky channel, watching pro players can greatly improve your skillset

[Nutri]

Next to Day[9] my other personal favorite is Cricket ---> youtube.com/user/CricketStarcraft

He casts his own games as well as pro games, but also narrates his matches frequently pausing the game to explain what he is doing and why.

[Kisho]

Do the single player campaign first. It'll teach you a hell of a lot about the game, at an easy to process rate. The story is also pretty awesome too.

After that, do some custom matches against the AI. I'd suggest carrying on playing as Terran (as that's the only race you play in the campaign for the most part, except one small part) and facing all 3 types of enemies. Try 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, FFA: try them all. Learn from your AI allies, the AI is a lot better in SC2 than it was in previous games. You can learn some basic tactics from the AI.

You should also try out Zerg and Protoss once you've played a few games as Terran. See if you can get a feel for them as well; maybe you'll prefer their playstyle instead?

Essentially, play a lot of games versus AI before going online. Get the basics down, then jump online. Do the placement matches then take it from there.

Good luck! SC2 is a lot of fun. And, once you've gotten a taste of the main game, give the custom games a go. There's some really creative and fun maps out there if you're looking for something other than an RTS.

[Elpalmo]

Thanks a lot for the answers guys! really helped me. Will watch Day9, i did watch Day9 when he did the Skyrim videos and hes really funny. I guess i just gotta buy it and give it a go and keep practicing!

Thanks!

[dapperedodo]

SC2 is an fun but sometimes stressful game=D
Would say go look up for some day9 as others said to learn. And from my own experience having some friends that also play sc2 can benifit the learning progress to. And if u don't have friends joining a clan could help u getting some(I am myselve in the clan called eXe http://clan-exe.enjin.com/home)
Wenn u start playing try out the 3 races and keep playing the race u like the most, that will make improving easier then switching a race after u lose.
If u got talent and time it's easy to progress trough the leagues and if u don't it takes a bit longer.
But all in all I would say it's worth the time and the money

[Insonia]

play through the campaign you'll learn the basics pick a race (play against the computer to figure what you like the most don't be a hero the insane mode on the computer cheats really they see everything you do) then look up the newbie tuesdays on day9's youtube and look at the guides for that race day9 is a god when it comes to helping people and dadar you are a good player (assuming you actually learn from day9 sometimes people just let it go over there head i've done it and got stuck in bronze for a season i could have avoided if i had paid attention

[BloodGutter]

Doing the campaign mode 3 times, once on normal, then hard, then brutal has taught me a lot.

And of course looking up stuff from Day 9 or other YouTube commentators help. Even watching SC2 matches between pro players, you can get a grasp of how they do things.

I would try out all 3 races, you can either do a custom game against medium or do 2 or 3 vs AI co-op as it's a good way to practice and figure out things like tech trees and get hands on experiences with units. Understanding such things will help you figure out what race you are the best with, as well as knowing what to expect from your opponents.

After you feel like you've learned enough, jump into the ladder in 1v1 or any of the other leagues if you enjoy them. I used to have "ladder anxiety" but if you play to have fun, it's no problem. Watching your replays is a HUGE help as you can see what you could have prevented and if you are wasting too much time with your build.

You learn at your own pace, it is easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Happy gaming!

[Poppasan]

Play the campaign through first. It'll teach you a lot about the game, it also has a very good story and I think you would enjoy it. After that, i'd probably play against bots as each race and see what you think suits you. If you're only looking for personal advice, id say, Terran is easy to get a grasp of, but quite hard to master. Protoss is a nice race with powerful units, but it's hard to get started with, mainly because of the warp-in mechanic. Zerg is not so user friendly, mainly because you will be like ''wtf is going on?'', Zerg has a lot of weird mechanics compared to the other 2 races.

Other than that, I recommend checking out Day[9], like everyone else here said. He is a very good analyst and commentator that does these things called Dailies, they're basically him teaching/talking about things in the game. Watching pro games helps a lot too, but I wouldn't recommend it before you are in Gold/Platinum, when you get the basics down.

[Darkdruidelf]

1. Zerg is super tricky for new people to get the hang of, so probably go with one of the others and then, when you've got the basics down, switching becomes pretty easy. Also, never EVER rely on cheese strategies (cannon rushes ect). It may work for a while, but then you'll find people who can counter it and at that point you'll realise that you actually suck. Learn to counter cheese, but don't become a cheeser.

2. Day9 is awesome, especially Newbie Tuesday. Watch, at least, the 'Losing to Early Pressure' one. That helped me a fuck lot.

3. Depends on what you consider 'really well'. Before you can be competitive in bronze? Not long, a few days/a week or so. Before you can be competitive in platinum? You've got a while to go.

Also, if it's your first RTS, do the tutorials and then a couple of games against AI on very easy, just to get used to things (hell, I sometimes use very easy just for testing out a new build and practising it). Then maybe jump into a campaign, or do whatever, I never did the campaign :L.

[inux94]

As many others said, watch day9's newbie tuesday.

Use hotkeys as much as possible, not all the time though (like selecting a probe and put it on a mineral node, my girlfriend uses the hotkey instead of simply clicking on it -_-

[Penguin FTW]

dat passion :3

Along with Day9, if you want to watch pro games I'd recommend finding ones cast by Tastosis - they're incredibly knowledgeable about the game.

[Darkdruidelf]

As many others said, watch day9's newbie tuesday.

Use hotkeys as much as possible, not all the time though (like selecting a probe and put it on a mineral node, my girlfriend uses the hotkey instead of simply clicking on it -_-

Yeah, I think Day9 said that to people on a Newbie Tuesday, if you are really new, just try to use your keyboard a bit. Obviously you don't have to do everything right away, it'll be waaaay too much. But say, set your base as control+3 and instead of making probes/scvs/drones by clicking, just go 3 and then E/S/D.

It's like transferring over from clicking to keybinds in wow - you don't just suddenly go 'Thats it!' and keybind every ability including mounts and suddenly start using it all. You just start with making your essentials keybound and using your mouse to move. Same basic principal.

[Scrabblet]

Hey guys, seeing that SC2 is so cheap im about to buy it. But just wanting to ask some questions, please answer if u can

Note: I have never played it and have no idea on how to.


1. Should i find a team (protoss, zerg, terran) and stick to it and learn that particular one well. Or do most people play all of them.

2. Are their any guides out there that i should watch or read?

3. How long will it take me to learn to play really well?


Thanks guys

1. At first I would play each race equally and find one that you like or you just do abnormally well in. For me, I'm equally bad in each race
2. Are you kidding me? There's guides EVERYWHERE. Try to find newer ones though.
3. Depends on how good you are at micro/macro-management. For me, it took me a long time to get good.

[Migey]

First, have a basic understanding of the most basic parts of the game. To do so you only really need to have played a few games. Then read the main SC2 megathread. I have a large post on there with advice for newbies. Just reading the whole thread as well should give you some insight.

Watch professional casted sc2 games.

www.sc2casts.com is a great site.

I have a ton of suggestions, check the main starcraft thread for them.