StartCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Info

[chaos5061]

Now that those of you with Heart of the Swarm beta access have had some time to sink your teeth into the new features that arrived with Beta Patch 2.0.3, we kindly request your assistance in testing the leveling system.
To honor your hard work and achievements during this time, we decided to create a few new rewards that you can earn through the leveling system. For each faction you manage to raise to level 30, you'll receive an exclusive character portrait specific to that race. If you'd like to unlock all three new portraits, you'll face the daunting task of reaching the maximum level with each race, for a total character level of 90.
Here’s a look at what's up for grabs:

Though some of these units are no longer with us, we felt each was representative of the beta experience in its own right, and that these portraits could be a fun way to show off your dedication as a Heart of the Swarm Beta tester.
Once you’ve met the experience requirements detailed above, the level-30 portraits you’ve earned and a Feat of Strength achievement will transfer over to your permanent account when Heart of the Swarm is released on March 12, 2013. So get logged in, start up a game, and earn those rewards!
Thank you for thoroughly testing the leveling system during this phase of the beta, and continuing to provide your constructive feedback for Heart of the Swarm. If you'd like to participate in the beta, you can gain access by pre-purchasing the game digitally on Battle.net.

[chaos5061]

If you’re eager to find out how your StarCraft II playing experience will evolve in Heart of the Swarm, we’ve got some research that should appeal to your inner-Stetmann. We’ve just released a new page detailing most everything that’s coming your way in the second entry of the StarCraft II trilogy. You can learn about how you’ll direct the evolution of the Zerg swarm, get a closer look at Kerrrigan’s terrifying new powers, and much, much more.
Check out the new page now and see what’s new in Heart of the Swarm!

[chaos5061]

Check thay link there would be no way I could copy all that info here to Zygor so you'll want to go there and look for yourself.

[silverhawk11]

Right now the experience system is bugged, it's something that Blizzard is looking to fix. I have -380k experience, some have over a million negative. >.<

[silverhawk11]

For those who are trying to level in the beta to get the portrait on release: you now only need to get level 5 with a race to get it's respective portrait during release. You can still get the level 30 and get the portrait for the beta, but only level 5 is required now due to the amount of bugs & glitches in the beta. GL HF!

[chaos5061]

Yep here is the official announcement:

Update: 1/31 - 11:48 AM
As a result of the leveling issues that several players experienced shortly after beta patch 2.0.3 was released, we have decided to lower the leveling requirement for the Feat of Strength and portraits announced in theCall to Action: Heart of the Swarm Beta Leveling blog. For each faction you manage to raise to level 5, you'll receive an exclusive character portrait specific to that race when Heart of the Swarm is released on March 12, 2013. Please note that even though these rewards are still tied to level 30 in the beta, each faction reward will be assigned to your permanent account when Swarm is released if you reach level 5, in the beta, with that faction.

Once again, thank you all for thoroughly testing the leveling system during this phase of the beta. We sincerely apologize to everyone who encountered these leveling bugs and are extremely sorry to hear that so many of you were reverted back several levels as a result of yesterday’s change. We appreciate your patience and hope to see you all on the ladder soon.

[chaos5061]

In this, the first of a series of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm preview videos, Community Manager Cloaken takes a look at the many features coming in the expansion designed to strengthen and support the community, relationships, and communication between players.

[chaos5061]

Don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a Marvel Heroes Closed Beta Key. Go here http://www.zygorguides.com/forum/sho...-Later-Tonight and read the rules in the second post and then make a post in the thread for your chance to win. For everyone who doesn't know Marvel Heroes is a ARPG type game like the Torchlight and Diablo Series with Marvel Characters like Spiderman Wolverine and others from all the different Marvel comics.

[chaos5061]

Also have a contest running for a Defiance Closed Beta Key. You can find it here http://www.zygorguides.com/forum/sho...8036#post88036 read over the rules and make a post in the thread to enter. If you want to know more about Defiance read the 4th rule in the first post and I explain what some of the game is about.

[chaos5061]

More and More Contests. Running for a Neverwinter Closed Beta Key. You can find it here http://www.zygorguides.com/forum/sho...losed-Beta-Key read over the rules and make a post in the thread to enter.

[chaos5061]

Training Mode Video from Husky:

[chaos5061]

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT’S BLIZZCON® 2013 STORMS ANAHEIM NOVEMBER 8 AND 9

PARIS, France – February 19, 2013 – Gather your guildmates, muster your minions, and summon your swarm! Blizzard Entertainment today announced plans for its seventh BlizzCon® gaming convention, taking place Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. For two epic days, members of Blizzard’s gaming community from around the globe will descend on Anaheim to meet, play, and celebrate their shared passion for all thingsWarcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo®.
“BlizzCon gives us a chance to connect with our players and share our latest projects in a very personal way,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Members from all of our gaming communities have helped make this event bigger and better every time, and we look forward to meeting up and celebrating with them in November.”
In addition to serving as a gathering place for Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer attendees a chance to enjoy:

• Hands-on play time with the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games
• Global finals for Blizzard eSports, featuring top pro gamers from around the world
• In-depth discussion panels with Blizzard game developers and artists
• Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
• Community contests with great prizes
• Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
• More activities and attractions to be announced

The previous BlizzCon was held in Anaheim in October 2011. Tickets to the event sold out in seconds, and highlights included the unveiling of the fourth World of Warcraft expansion, Mists of Pandaria®, and an epic closing concert featuring rock legends Foo Fighters.
Further details about BlizzCon 2013, including ticket availability and pricing, will be announced on the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com) as the event draws closer. Those interested in attending the show in person can make advance hotel reservations now and receive special BlizzCon rates by booking through the BlizzCon hotel website.

[chaos5061]

In a few days, we’ll begin patching StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty to version 2.0.4, which will bring a number of new features to the game—features that all players can then immediately begin enjoying together.
Wings of Liberty 2.0.4 includes:

• An all-new user interface with new menu screens.
• The launch of in-game Clans and Groups.
• New Replay features, such as Watch with Others and Take Command.
• A multitude of Editor improvements.
• New matchmaking options: Training Mode, Vs. AI Mode, and Unranked Play.
• Players Near You, so you can find other StarCraft II players on your local network.
• New customizable Observer UI.

Other enhancements coming with patch 2.0.4 include a revised help section, new game privacy options, new group sounds, and language selection (in some regions).
All of the above improvements will also be included in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. When the expansion is released on March 12, players who upgrade will be among the first to experience the new campaign, new multiplayer units, enhancements to existing units, the new leveling system, new multiplayer maps, new tilesets, and new rewards such as skins, dances, portraits, and decals.
The background download for Wings of Liberty patch 2.0.4 was activated on February 9. We strongly encourage all players to leave the launcher running for an extended period of time at some point over the next few days to ensure that you’re ready to play when the patch goes live.

[chaos5061]

StarCraft II patch 2.0.4 is on the horizon and it’s bringing a number of changes to your StarCraft II experience, including an all new user interface, Clans and Groups, new Replay features, and more.
For a more detailed guide about what’s in the patch, read the Coming Soon: StarCraft II 2.0.4 blog. In the meantime, since all these big changes are coming, we wanted to provide a little guidance so everyone is prepared and able to get into the game quickly!
Getting the Patch
The patching process for patch 2.0.4 will be a bit different from many previous StarCraft II patches, and will occur in two stages. First, a box will appear asking you to optimize your build of StarCraft II.

Once you click ‘Begin’, the StarCraft II streaming launcher will appear and ask you to wait while it reconfigures game files. That’s a process that will take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or so, but whatever the wait is, it’s important to stick it out and not cancel the process, since that can cause issues with patch installation.

Then, once your game client optimization is done, Patch 2.0.4 will begin downloading and being applied simultaneously. The progress bar at the bottom of the patching window will you know when enough data has been downloaded to allow you to play the game.

Please keep in mind that if the progress bar isn’t full when you begin playing, then that means that the patch hasn’t been fully applied and there may be some gameplay hiccups. That’s normal, and you can wait for the progress bar to fill completely if you’re concerned about performance. If you’ve generally experienced no issues downloading StarCraft II patches through the launcher in the past, then this process should go well.

[chaos5061]

Patching Smoothly
There are some steps you can take before you start downloading the patch to help make sure that patching proceeds without any issues. It’s important to make sure that your computer is configured to allow for downloads or changes to existing programs. Your firewall, antivirus, security programs, and/or router may be blocking downloads, and it might be necessary to ensure that they’re configured to allow downloads. Also, your operating system and your antivirus or other security programs may try to protect StarCraft II from changes. It might be necessary to temporarily disable or alter settings to allow these changes. It’s also important to make sure that you’re configured to patch properly, since, with the advent of streaming patches, standalone patches are no longer available.
These links cover some of the details regarding how to prepare your computer for patching, as well as trouble-shooting steps for common issues:

• StarCraft II Patch Troubleshooting
• StarCraft II Connection Issue FAQ
• Mac OS X Support Update

As always, if you’re still experiencing issues, you can get in touch with Technical Support.
GL HF and we’ll see you on Battle.net!