Arcturus gets his own co-op and so much more

GENERAL

• New Co-op Commander and Announcer: Arcturus Mengsk
  • Control the battle with an iron fist as Arcturus Mengsk, the newest Co-Op Commander for StarCraft II.
  • Feed an endless stream of cheap troopers into the meat grinder, softening your enemies for your Royal Guard to go in for the kill.
  • Learn more in our blog.
• A new Winter Announcer is now available.
• 16 Nation Wars 2019 team Portraits were added into the Nation Wars 2019 Complete Bundle available for purchase through Matcherino website.
• MMR is now revealed on the loading screen for Master and Grandmaster players in 1v1 ladder games.
• Account Management link has been added to the log in screen.
• Queue up with DeepMind feature is going to be shut down with this patch.
• Balance test tab is going to be disabled.

CO-OP MISSIONS

• Brutal+ difficulties have been added to Co-op. These create random mutation challenges of increasing levels of difficulty. The Retry Brutal+ setting allows players to attempt a failed challenge on the same map against the same enemy unit composition. Brutal+1 can be queued with any level 15 commander through matchmaking. Brutal+2 through Brutal+6, and the Try Again setting, can only be played with a premade group.
• Co-op players on Hard difficulty will now play at Faster game speed in order to better match with Brutal players.
• The Ultralisk’s Frenzied ability no longer blocks mind control effects in Co-op.
• Ultralisks may now walk over Zerglings, Banelings, Locusts, and Broodlings in Co-op.

VERSUS

• Balance Update
  • Terran
    • Battlecruiser
      • Tactical Jump now stuns and puts the Battlecruiser into a 1 second vulnerability phase before it teleports. In this state, the Battlecruiser can be damaged, but Tactical Jump may not be canceled.
      • Yamato Cannon will no longer cancel itself if a target enters a transport or becomes cloaked/burrowed. Instead, the Yamato Cannon will miss, and the ability will go on cooldown.
      • Fixed an issue that if a Battlecruiser used shift to queue several commands which included Tactical Jump, it would be immune to Abduct or Interference Matrix as if it was using Tactical Jump during that time.
      • Fixed an issue where the Raven’s Interference Matrix and the Viper’s Abduct were causing the Battlecruiser’s Tactical Jump to go on cooldown.
      • Fixed an issue that displayed the opponent’s Battlecruiser’s locations on the minimap after using Tactical Jump.
    • Hellion/Hellbat
      • Infernal Pre-Igniter research cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.
    • Liberator
      • Advanced Ballistics upgrade moved from the Starport Tech Lab to the Fusion Core.
      • Advanced Ballistics upgrade now increases the range of Liberators in Defender Mode by 3, down from 4.
    • Medivac
      • Moved the Rapid Re-Ignition System upgrade from the Starport Tech Lab to the Fusion Core.
      • In addition to reducing the Medivac’s Ignite Afterburners cooldown by 5 seconds, this upgrade will also increase the Medivac’s base movement speed from 3.5 to 4.13. However, this upgrade will not affect Medivac’s movement speed during the Ignite Afterburners effect.
    • M.U.L.E.
      • Duration remains at 64 seconds.Developer Comment: Since there are some situations where the mule duration decrease could return less minerals than before, we want to revert the mule’s duration to their original 64 second value.
      • M.U.L.E.’s now always attempt to spawn on the side of minerals closest to a town hall.
    • Raven
      • Interference Matrix energy cost increased from 50 energy to 75 energy.
      • Interference Matrix duration increased from 8 seconds to 11 seconds.
      • Raven movement speed increased from 3.85 to 4.13.
      • Fixed an issue where splash damage will not properly apply to units affected by Anti-Armor missile.
    • Thor
      • High Impact Payload damage decreased from 40 (+15 vs Massive) to 25 (+10 vs Massive).
      • High Impact Payload weapon cooldown decreased from 1.7 to 0.9.
  • Zerg
    • Brood Lord
      • Broodling leash range decreased from 12 to 9.
    • Creep
      • Active Creep Tumors may no longer be canceled.
    • Infestor
      • Removed the Infested Terran ability.
      • New Ability: Microbial Shroud
        • Creates a shroud that obscures ground units below, reducing the damage they take from air units by 50%. Lasts 11 seconds. Energy cost: 100.
        • Cast range: 9.
        • Radius: 3.
      • New upgrade found on the Infestation Pit: Evolve Microbial Shroud
        • Requirement: Hive.
        • Research cost: 150/150.
        • Research duration: 79 seconds.
      • Updated visual effects and sounds for Microbial Shroud
      • Neural Parasite range decreased from 9 to 8.
      • Neural Parasite can no longer target Heroic units.
    • Lurker
      • Lurker Den build time decreased from 86 seconds to 57 seconds.
      • Lurker range decreased from 9 to 8.
      • New Upgrade found on the Lurker Den: Seismic Spines
        • Increases the Lurker’s range from 8 to 10.
        • Requirement: Hive.
        • Research cost: 150/150.
        • Research duration: 57 seconds.
      • Increased research duration of Adaptive Talons from 54 seconds to 57 seconds.
      • Lurkers affected by Blinding Cloud will now only fire to melee range.
    • Nydus Network
      • Nydus Worm cost increased from 50/50 to 75/75.
      • Summon Nydus Worm ability cooldown increased from 0 to 14.
      • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm initial unload delay increased from 0.18 to 0.36.
      • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm load period increased from 0.09 to 0.18.
      • Nydus Network and Nydus Worm unload period increased from 0.18 to 0.36.
    • Overlord
      • Pneumatized Carapace research cost increased from 75/75 to 100/100.
  • Protoss
    • Adept
      • Resonating Glaives reworked. Instead of increasing attack speed of the Adept by 45%, it will increase the attack speed of the Adept by 60% for 6 seconds after a completed Psionic Transfer.
    • Mothership
      • Time Warp now affects air units in addition to ground units and buildings.
      • Time Warp delay reduces from 3.57 seconds to 1.79 seconds.
      • Gains the Heroic Tag. Neural Parasite can no longer target Heroic units.
      • Fixed an issue where beam-type weapons didn’t get slowed in the Mothership’s Time Warp.
    • Observer
      • Observer movement speed decreased from 3.01 to 2.63.
      • Gravitic Boosters upgrade now increases movement speed by 1.31, down from 1.51.
    • Oracle, Sentry, Void Ray
      • Fixed an issue where beam attacks could deal more damage than intended.
    • Tempest
      • Kinetic Overload (anti-air) range decreased from 15 to 14.
      • Health increased from 150 to 200.
      • Shields decreased from 125 to 100.
    • Void Ray
      • New upgrade found on the Fleet Beacon: Flux Vanes
      • Increases the Void Ray’s movement speed from 3.5 to 4.65.
      • Increases the Void Ray’s acceleration from 2.8 to 3.76.
      • After the upgrade, the Prismatic Alignment ability will still reduce the Void Ray’s movement speed to 2.625.
      • Research cost: 100/100.
      • Research duration: 57 seconds.
      • Fixed an issue after getting the Flux Vanes upgrade where the Void Ray’s acceleration didn’t get reduced while using Prismatic Alignment.
    • Zealot
      • The Charge upgrade no longer provides Zealots with +8 damage on impact. Instead, it increases Zealot movement speed from 3.15 to 4.72, up from 4.13.
• Maps
  • Introducing a new map mechanic:
    • Acceleration Zone Generators
      • Increases movement speed of ground and air units within the generated field by 35%.
  • Changed the color of Inhibitor Zones and Time Warp bubbles from green to red. Acceleration Zone Generators will be green.
  • Inhibitor Zone Generator minimap icons updated from green to red. Acceleration Zone Generator minimap icons will be green.
  • The center of Inhibitor and Acceleration Zone Generators are now pathable. The art was updated to reflect this.
  • Concord LE
    • Lighting status updated.
  • Eternal Empire LE
    • Fixed an issue where players could not build on certain gas geysers.
    • Fixed and issue where units could clip into rock doodads and become hidden.
  • Nightshade LE
    • Adjusted some mineral and gas locations at the natural, third, and fourth bases.
    • Updated some doodads at certain locations.
    • Updated the map so that units and structures are brighter and easier to see.
  • Winter’s Gate LE & Turbo Cruise ’84 LE
    • The center of the Inhibitor Zone Generators were changed to be pathable. Maps were updated to maintain the original pathing around the Inhibitor Zone Generators.
  • World of Sleepers LE
    • Changed the Rich Vespene Geysers to normal Vespene Geysers.
  • Zen LE
    • Changed the pathing near the Reaper paths so that Reapers can path properly.
    • Changed the location of the reduced mineral field and updated the pathing on the map to allow Terran players to wall off the natural base with 1 Command Center and 2 Supply Depots.
    • Fixed the heights of certain rooftops on doodad structures.
    • Updated grass and rock textures in the middle of the map.

BUG FIXES

Campaign

• Legacy of the Void
  • Kerrigan’s Queens no longer attempt to place creep tumors incorrectly during the first epilogue mission.
• Nova Covert Ops
  • Hunter-Seeker Missiles from Ravens with Special Ordinance equipped now deal splash damage.

Co-op Missions

• General
  • Missions will now properly pick a map or commander victory line at random.
  • Amon’s Brood Queens should no longer autocast Ensnare on structures.
• Commanders
  • Han & Horner
    • Fixed several of Han’s buildings to display her Junker adjutant.
  • Karax
    • Chrono Beam can no longer be cast on Kerrigan’s resource pickups.
  • Kerrigan
    • Omega Worms can no longer prevent defeat for Kerrigan’s ally.
    • Raptor strain Zerglings should no longer occasionally launch themselves from Nydus Worms at great speed.
  • Stetmann
    • Fixed an issue where Jumping Mecha Baneling could overkill units.
    • The game performance should be much improved while large numbers of Stetellites exist on the map.
    • Mecha Drone hotkeys can now be set.
    • Mecha Banelings now count towards Zagara’s Baneling & Scourge statistic.
    • Gary now obeys the laws of air units.
  • Tychus
    • Tychus players can no longer gain access to additional outlaws earlier than intended.
  • Vorazun
    • Void Thrashers now properly spawn when Vorazun uses Time Stop before or as they are spawning.
    • Fixed an issue that caused some heroic units to not benefit from Vorazun’s Time Stop Haste mastery.
  • Zagara
    • Damage dealt by Mecha Banelings now properly count towards Zagara’s Baneling & Scourge score.
  • Zeratul
    • The Artifact will move itself if its spawn location becomes unpathable.
    • Zeratul now properly unloads when dropped on top of large units.
    • Fixed an issue that caused Void Templars to fail to do damage while blinking.
    • Xel’Naga Watchers are now correctly affected by sight limiting mutators regardless of Artifacts collected.
• Mission
  • Malwarfare
    • Fixed an issue that could cause a Suppression Tower’s minimap icon to persist indefinitely.
    • Fixed an issue that could cause air units to path poorly near the players’ main base.
  • Minor Evacuation
    • The Eradicator’s Rail Gun can no longer hit targets behind it.
  • Mist Opportunities
    • Harvesting Bots should no longer occasionally wander off.
    • Fixed an issue that could cause the bonus objectives to become invisible.
  • Oblivion Express
    • Damage is no longer sometimes ignored when attacking multiple train cars.
  • Scythe of Amon
    • New units spawned from Void Rifts are now properly affected by Polarity mutator.
    • Larva and Eggs will no longer die when a nearby Hatchery, Lair, or Hive is destroyed.
  • Temple of the Past
    • Fixed an issue that could cause the bonus objectives to become invisible.
  • Void Launch
    • Leviathans, Motherships, or Lokis now properly spawn in the final shuttle wave.
• Mutators
  • Bonus AI terminals no longer become hostile to players with the Polarity mutator selected.
  • Amon’s Dehaka no longer transforms while the Transmutation mutator is active.
  • Void Rift minimap icons should no longer appear very small on Low settings.
  • Purifier Beams should now respect the same areas that other mutators avoid.
  • The Concussive Attacks mutator no longer affects Frenzied targets.

Collection

• The Visual indicator for the cooldown of the Ihan-Rii Disruptor’s Purifier Nova ability now appears, and the cooldown animation now appears as intended.
• The correct upgrade animation now appears when selecting an upgrade from the Cybernetics Core with the Forged skin applied.

User Interface

• Portrait borders on the versus loading screen should now display your league on the race you are playing as instead of your highest league across all races.
• Fixed a few issues where Console skins could appear as unintended in game and replays.
• The multiple burrow icons in the help menu for Zerglings no longer appear in game.
• The Custom lobby has been updated to prevent the screenshot button from overlapping map details text.