How to get better at StarCraft II without playing

Features
By published

No beta access? No problem. Learn from the best replay videos on the web

When we’re not playing StarCraft II’s multiplayer beta, we’re watching videos of other players’ matches; it’s one of the best ways to improve your game – and Battle.net’s new replay mode gives everyday players tons of tools and options to help them learn from their mistakes in past matches.

Every match you play can be reviewed from either your perspective or your opponent’s perspective. You can also move the camera about the battlefield freely to see what happened. On top of that, drop down menus let you compare the ever changing status of each player’s army, structures, resources, and spending habits. For those who take the time to soak in all the stats after a game, there’s a wealth of resources that will help new and veteran players improve. Thanks to Battle.net’s easy-to-use replay system and StarCraft II’s excellent community of players, there are tons of great videos being posted daily on the web. Here are some of our favorites. Even if you don’t have access to the beta, you’ll feel like you were due to the high-quality replays and great commentary. Watch them, and we guarantee you’re future matches will run more smoothly when StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty finally releases.


Above: Battle.net’s new replay mode is full of useful features and has given rise to some highly educational videos

I suck at StarCraft 2

Beta player TotalBiscuit may suck at StarCraft II, but when it comes to explaining how to win, he’s one of the best. In his ‘I suck at StarCraft 2’ series of videos, he reviews past games that he lost and adds in excellent commentary that’s full of insightful tips on how he could have avoided defeat. This series is a great place to start for StarCraft beginners or players who need to brush up on their general strategies before diving into the sequel’s multiplayer.

In his first video, TotalBiscuit covers the importance of starting off with a strong economy, scouting your enemy’s base, and constructing buildings to block choke points to stall early rushes.


Above: TotalBiscuit may suck at StarCraft II, but when it comes to explaining how to improve, he’s the one of the best

In his second video, TotalBiscuit emphasizes the importance of scouting and blocking choke points again. But also he goes on to demonstrate dangers of not aggressively attacking and splitting up large groups of units in battle.


Above: TotalBiscuit’s series is as informative as it is funny. We hope that he posts the third episode soon


Above: It’s important to keep building gatherers early on to strengthen your economy. Click on your base and right-click on a mineral field. Then your gatherers will automatically start collecting resources as soon as they’re built!