Beginner's Guide To Starcraft 2

A very important factor to consider when you begin sc2 is the fact that game is more than a massing of forces and resources.The game is not about getting more minerals than the other guy ,neither acquiring more units .

Sc2 calls for primarily psychological strength over your opponent, the capacity to employ the knowledge you posses and use it on the fly,creating decisions and methods ahead of time based upon what you see within the field.

Learning the game of Sc2 generally is a difficult job if you are not committed to better yourself, you need to analyze every loss and every victory and find out the spot where you must enhance your game.

It's ideal to learn the components of the game one by one, it is difficult to understand every nuance all at one time.

Mechanics First

These are the most elementary skills in Sc2. To be able to let go of the usual point and click orders,point and click selections over the efficient utilization of hot keys. While game build orders and play trends change across the lifespan of Sc2, these skills will remain identical.

Macro ought to be the first thing you focus on as a beginner. This is without doubt one of the most important skills a new player can have in the game. As time passes macro will probably be applied subconsciously in your game,repetition is essential to this particular skill.

As you grow more and more acquainted with sc2 macro will become more advanced, you will be aware of more areas of your economy etc,but when getting started you can start by improving :

1.Resource management such as unspent minerals and vespene gas . Always maintain your resource pools low

2. Do not get supply blocked, when you train a unit the supply counter should be on your mind.

3.Worker production. Advanced level plays are occasionally an exception to this but a beginner should always produce probes/scv's/drones.They are key to a proper economy .

4.Unit production ought to be constant . If you've got the resources build units as often as you possibly can ,unit production buildings should have minimal downtime.

These basic skills are second nature to experienced players, except for a beginner they are often lost when managing expansions,scouting the map or managing units in a battle.Thats why hot keys are necessary here.They ensure you are able to keep up your macro while directly managing other areas of the game.

Micro is another skill that separates great sc2 players from good ones.No matter how accurate your mouse speeds are,a player with proper micro in the form of hot keys will always be faster.

To improve your micro in sc2 you can begin with the basics :

1. Rather than issuing attack orders thru your mouse, make use of the "A" key on your keyboard.This makes certain that while traveling towards the set destination your units attack any threat they encounter.

2.Assign control groups by separating different units . As an example in a Zealot/Templar army composition you prefer your Zealots to get on the front lines whilst your Templars casting from safety.Without assigning control groups you'll most likely cluster both types of units together,making your entire build useless,and your units simpler to kill.

Build Orders are another part of game mechanics you ought to improve on.Build orders are foundations in your early and mid game strategies. When the game progresses into late stages,it's harder to follow a set of planed strategies and there general game know-how is necessary.

With more experience build orders provide you with a boon in late game plays.Build orders are easier to learn by applying them in AI matches and only after in real matches where there is a greater pressure .

Speed can be another skill in Starcraft 2 that numerous players neglect.But speed doesn't imply how quickly you issue commands on your keyboard.

You need to know the next step in your game, you can't be fast without knowledge of your respective gameplay.

Your speed boosts with repetition, the more you play the same build, the easier will be for you to anticipate instructions.

Game Knowledge Is Winning

Knowledge is another big part of Starcraft 2 gameplay.As a player gains knowledge,its easier for him to react to the other player.New players should focus on learning everything there is to learn about units,buildings and all 3 races in particular.

Timing is a good thing to improve once you have a basic understanding of all the units.Knowing when your units are ready to attack is what gives you a considerable edge over your opponent.Also knowing your build also gives you the knowledge of when to attack and when to be passive.

Learning the facets of all 3 races gives you the information of when to expect an attack and ways to get ready for it.

Replays are an excellent source of knowledge in Starcraft 2 .Everytime you lose a game you should examine the replay,see what went wrong and ways in which you might have avoided the loss.

You can even examine your build order by watching replays, to determine if something went wrong in your execution,or examine his build for more information on it in case you never encountered it before.

You may also see which kind of unit your opponent was training that brought on the loss and prepare to scout for it better in future games.

More important than examining your own replays are professional player replays. You can gain valuable knowledge from paying attention to professional players,like advanced build orders,scouting techniques and even totally unpredicted plays.

Information As A Weapon

Knowledge and information work together in Sc2 . Your opponent can lay all of his units and buildings before you but if you do not know how you can counter him that data is useless.

Besides gathering info on your enemy,denying him information is as vital .

Early scouting is easily the most valuable tool you have to gather information in the game.Players traditionaly send scouting workers at 9 supply or 15 supply .

An example will be if when you scout your oponent,lets say a zerg,and you spot 2 refineries that early in the game,it surely means he's going to use something gas heavy.If you are a Terran, you may be 90% sure hes going on a baneling bust .

This is just a small example of how information and knowledge interact.With experience you will see how to read more advanced builds and counter them before they are used.

Check out more starcraft 2 tutorials and tips at Starcraft 2 Guide