With the closed beta in full swing and drastic balance changes happening weekly, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is inching closer and closer towards completion. But what effect will the expansion have on Blizzard’s reigning RTS champion, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty? Do the new campaign and additional multiplayer units justify the cost of leaving behind WOL for good?

We decided to pit our resident StarCraft geeks, Lucas (1-1-0) and Brian (0-0-0), against one another to find out if this Zerg-tastic expansion is everything it’s cracked up to be. Read on to see if you side with Lucas, the cynical skeptic of HOTS’ greatness, and Brian, the optimistic cheerleader for team Kerrigan and co.

Lucas: Blizzard has made it clear: HOTS multiplayer will be separate from WOL’s ladder, which will leave miserly gamers in the dust if they don’t want to pony up for what’s essentially the same core game. But even worse, the pros will only play where the money’s at, and if WOL tournaments aren’t dropped cold turkey immediately upon HOTS’ release, the pro scene will be cleaved in two as well. Splintering your fans like that can’t be beneficial to SC’s long-term health--and isn’t it a little depressing to think that everything you’re mastering now will be thrown out the window when Legacy of the Void arrives?

Brian: I’m sure there will be late adopters like there are in any game when a sequel or expansion is released, but with other franchises like Call of Duty, the bulk of the community will make the move to the latest release. The transitions between these games is much easier due to the intervals between their release. The split in the StarCraft tournament scene between Brood War and WOL was because there was a 12-year gap separating the two. There’s a much smaller gap between the release of WOL and HOTS, which will make the transition much easier.

Brian: Normally, gauging the saturation of your base would require you to highlight the workers harvesting minerals and count the rows of units selected. Seasoned players know that the ideal number of workers required for full saturation without diminishing returns is three workers per mineral patch. Without doing any outside research, new players are left on their own to figure out these mechanics. Accelerating the learning curve allows more people to understand and enjoy the game.

Lucas: That’s a welcome adjustment, yes--but with HOTS changing the way some units function in very subtle ways, as well as the addition of a slew of new units, can only serve to confuse Gold-and-below League players. Plus, a few UI tweaks won’t make up for the biggest barrier to entry: the need to memorize hotkeys for every building, unit, and ability.

Lucas: I can barely remember who Arcturus Mengsk is, or why I’m supposed to be mad at him. I’m skeptical that we’ll ever see Matt Horner or Gabriel Tosh ever again--not that they made much of an impression when they were around. With each chunk of story spaced out by two-plus real-world years, between three games each costing full price, it’s hard to recall the bits and pieces of plot, and I worry that the same fate will befall HOTS’ side characters. It’s also hard on our wallets (and our nostalgia for classic Blizzard storytelling) to buy single-player campaigns with no conclusive, stand-alone ending.

Brian: Did you really think a movie like The Empire Strikes Back was going to end with Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and Luke finding out that Darth Vader is his father? The defense rests...

Brian: I’m anxious to see how the story pans out, especially after the ending cinematic for Wings of Liberty. Yes, I watched the leaked video and that is not going to deter me one bit from playing the hell out of the campaign. This is a story that many fans, including myself, are invested in, and it currently spans three games over the course of the past 14 years. We can’t forget about achievements either. I’m sure there will be enough to keep people busy.

Lucas: There’s no question that WOL’s campaign was amazing. But from what I’ve seen of Kerrigan’s quest, it all looks unnervingly samey to the previous game. Researching nominal upgrades, chatting with NPCs in between missions, and amassing the occasional army again overpowered opponents--I hope I’m wrong, but it feels like we’ve been here before, and Blizzard may not be able to keep the variety going.

Lucas: Okay, so pricing hasn't been officially announced as of yet. But when Blizzard teased the fresh units being prepped for HOTS at Blizzcon 2011, I was stoked. Now, after seeing the recent beta patch notes? Not so much. With the warhound, shredder, replicant, and new nydus worms all no-shows, it’s starting to feel like the increasingly shrinking amount of new content won’t live up to the kinds of expectations I have for the typical Blizzard expansion. Also, where in Zeratul’s name are my Reavers at?!

Brian: Nothing is final just yet. We are still in the beta phase afterall. We’ve already seen the Warhound completely removed and significant changes made to the Widow Mine and Oracle. It’s still too early to tell what the release version of the multiplayer will be like, and if it’s anything like WOL, there will be significant changes down the line as well. I am confident there will be enough things to be stoked about when Blizzard is ready to release HOTS.

Brian: The multiplayer component of Starcraft is constantly changing. Strategies that were once current may end up forgotten as players learn to adapt and counter them. The introduction of new units and the addition of new abilities for existing units will create a surge of strategic variety as players experiment with the new choices available to them.

Lucas: I fear that the excitement for the new “flavor of the month” builds will fade shortly after HOTS’ release, simply because players will have a much easier time figuring out two additional units per race instead of entire new strategies as they did in WOL. With so few new functions added to each race, Mech will still be Mech, Gateways will still be Gateways, and Zerg will still be macroing up. It’s unlikely that the basic strategies for each race will change all that drastically after the introduction of HOTS units, for better or for worse.

Lucas: Think about it. Instead of having two separate ladders, which will stunt the growth of WOL indefinitely, why not just make HOTS an all-on single-player package for a reduced price and deliver the multiplayer updates for free? The health of the StarCraft brand depends almost entirely on its multiplayer community; players who are just in it for the epic story won’t be the ones returning for years after the game’s released. Plus, if this explicitly stated-as-such expansion is priced at $60, that will no doubt be a harbinger of dark times for players at the mercy of Blizzard’s business model.

Brian: It’s hard to cater to everyone. There are plenty of players out there that are content with just playing the campaign without touching the multiplayer or vice versa. A lot of people will be extremely angry if Blizzard charges only for one and not the other, especially if they’re on the wrong side of the fence. I don’t think many people will mind paying $60 for a game that will provide them with hours upon hours of enjoyment, especially if there’s no subscription fee.

Brian: eSports is constantly growing and it’s extremely fun to watch. I’d have to say one of the most exciting moments in eSports this year was watching the remaining Korean Brood War pro players (KeSPA) finally transition out of Brood War. Although their switch to StarCraft II was late, it made a huge impact considering how much they improved over a short period of time. With Heart of the Swarm, it will be interesting to see what the playing field looks like when everyone has a fresh start. Competition is good for any sport and that’s what HOTS will deliver.

Lucas: By eSports standards, WOL was a baby that was just starting to learn how to walk. But now, the existing meta-game and all the tactical information it’s garnered will be smashed under HOTS’ Zergy talons. By releasing the expansion this soon, Blizzard is essentially stunting WOL’s growth to a crawl, while all the production values, balance changes, and bug fixing will likely be focused squarely on HOTS. Guess that sucks for those pro players who like WOL the way it is.

Lucas: Well, they do. Plus, compared to those lovable, invisible Lurkers from Brood War, these guys stick out like sore, pus-filled thumbs.

Brian: They’re the gift that keeps on giving. Now stop being ungrateful!

Brian: Two words: Kerrigan Wings. If the suspected collectors edition bonus item for Diablo III does come to fruition, you’ll be the most badass thing to hit New Tristram since uber-bosses.

Lucas: Yeah--if I hadn’t uninstalled D3 weeks ago.

So, what’s your take? Will HOTS be the second coming of StarCraft II, like Brian says, or will it be a wedge dividing the game as Lucas fears? Answer the poll and comment below to let us know who you think won this Great Debate.

And if you want more Great Debates, check out 3D fighters vs 2D fighters and Should Pokémon fighting be banned?

Great Debate pits two editors in a head-to-head battle to debate some of gaming’s hottest topics. Have a subject you want them to discuss? Let us know in the comments and we’ll wrangle some editors to talk it over.