Starcraft 2 news » Legacy of the Void - Ladder Map Pool
With the launch of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void comes a brand new map pool. Read on for more information as well as our philosophy on map choices.
1v1
When it comes to 1v1 maps, our two main goals are play diversity and uniqueness when compared to the other maps within the pool. We will be adding the four maps below, along with the three new maps released in the Legacy of the Void beta to round out the one versus one pool.
Dusk Towers is a straight forward map focused on macro. Expanding becomes organic as you play through the map, which will lead to bigger and better battles.
Prion Terraces features two nearby High Yield expansions that players can expand to early. Similar to Dash and Terminal, Terran players may be able to float their Command Centers to these gold bases to start games. The natural third and fourth base locations are High Yield expansions, so we expect players will do clever things such as skipping the natural expansion to go for High Yield bases early on.
Ulrena is a map we are excited about, as it has a few unique features. The main bases are close by air, there’s a path for easy access to rushing early that can also be blocked off and/or defended easily, and the far attack path can also be utilized early on for surprise attacks.
Central Protocol is a map where expanding will be quite difficult. Expansions outside of the natural expansion are difficult to take, there’s a backdoor to the main base, and there are many open spaces in various places to allow for harassment.
Team Maps
For team maps, our stance is the same as it has been throughout the later stages of Heart of the Swarm: we want to have fun maps across the different formats, and to have a diverse and engaging map pool across each team mode. As we’ve said before, since there are many players in team games, we feel that the rate at which we make aggressive changes should be slower than in 1v1 maps.
2v2
Fields of Death is a fairly standard 2v2 fortress-style map. Expansion layouts should be easy to predict, and we expect to see solid macro games being played well on this map.
Distant Plane is an eight player 2v2 map where players will need to scout and play accordingly to the start location of the opponents. We wanted to bring the importance of scouting and reacting gameplay that we have in four player 1v1 maps to the 2v2 experience.
3v3
There are many variations on both terrain level and attack paths, so utilizing the many Xel’Naga Towers will be important in playing this map effectively. Because the layout of this map isn’t as simple and straightforward as most other team maps out there, solid team work will be especially important.
The rush distance on this map is closer than most other 3v3 maps, but the main ramp leading to the main base area should be easy to defend. However, the back door rocks protecting the rear entrance are far away from your team’s main base, so be sure to watch out for that location as well.
4v4
This is a fairly straight forward rush map, where the attack distance by both ground and air are close by. Plan for either an aggressive game or expect early attacks from the opposing team.
There are two paths to your team’s main base, with each path having access to a number of potential expansions. Coordinate with your teammates well so that both attack paths are defended as needed throughout the course of the game.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you in the Void!
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