Which Co-op commanders are the most fun to play, taking into account all prestiges? Here’s my rankings. WARNING – huge Terran/macro bias!
S tier:
- Raynor – great macro gameplay, reasonable variety of army comps
- Mengsk – Raynor with nukes
A tier:
- Nova – despite non-existent macro, she is very well designed
- Kerrigan
- Fenix – surprisingly fun gameplay with good mix of macro and micro
B tier
- Han & Horner
- Vorazun – she has space ninjas
- Zagara – actually feels like a swarm
C tier
- Artanis – gameplay feels bland
- Stukov – no incentive to micro
- Swann – slow to play, mostly turtles
F-tier
- Karax – not a fan of tower defense …
- Tychus – or MOBAs
I’m not familiar with the rest – Abathur, Alarak, Dehaka, Stetmann, and Zeratul – but I imagine they would fit comfortably in A or B tiers.
Except for Zeratul. F tier for Zeratul.
My mains are Karax, Swann, and Stukov.
With Karax, you can just make units, use heavy SoA laser support, and do decently there. Later in the game (if there is one), you get enough units to steamroll the competition. If you literally don’t care about towers, then use P2. Otherwise, Towers are nice to set up at strategic locations, and are excellent when defense is more in order (e.g. TotP, VL, ME, DoN, SoA, CoD)
Stukov, I like how he’s a fusion of Zerg and Infested Terran. Always wanted to play this style, along with accompanying hordes
Swann, I like his laser drill in that WoL mission. Also a fan of Terran ground mech (esp. Goliaths). His towers are great too!
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He definitely has one of the most interesting themes and lore. It’s just a shame that his playstyle is so inactive. I wish they had released a Stukov announcer though.
My Ranking
Favorites: Swann, Kerrigan, Raynor, Fenix, Karax (P2)
These commanders are mostly macro CO’s with a little bit of added flair to each one, and that’s what makes them the most fun. I can play a variety of different styles depending on what the enemy is doing, and they are mostly generally strong in all areas without feeling super easy mode.
Fun: Nova, Mengsk, Vorazun, Artanis, Han and Horner, Alarak
Also fun CO’s but their gimmicks make them a little more one dimensional to the point where pretty much every mission feels the same. There are some mutation types where these can be some of my favorite heroes.
Powerful but not as fun: Tychus, Karax (other Prestiges), Zagara, Abathur
Too one dimensional, or too powerful in their intended role or both. However there can be some mutation types where I will call upon these CO’s just to get past it.
Don’t play due to lack of interest: Dehaka, Stettman, Stukov, Zeratul
Simply put I do not like these CO’s. I do not like how they play, and I do not find them even remotely interesting.
Dehaka is one of my favorites by far. What I love about Dehaka:
- Has some of the most powerful hero units in the game without feeling to moba like.
- Has some very cool and unique Zerg designs and buildings.
Easily the coolest looking zerg structures with a lot of Dino looking units.
- Being able to play as what is basically the equivalent of Godzilla for the SC2 universe is pretty fun.
Thematically I also love Egon Stetman, but the problem is that his units seem kinda lackluster and wish the gameplay was a lot more unique. Also I hate how Egon can’t use roaches. Every zerg commander should have some kind of roach available for play.
Swann and Mengsk are my two favorite to play. P3 Mengsk is fun, since ironically you want to try to keep as many troopers ALIVE with those powerful guns, which means you’re doing constant bunker pushes, aggressive assaults with small groups of infantry to soften defenses (I didn’t say you had to keep ALL your guys alive!) As well as working on a few Royal Guard as either powerful force multipliers or anchor points. It’s a very satisfying play style that rewards constant pushing.
Swann though is great. He’s not super OP, which means there’s at least a little bit of challenge with him. As for turtling… Naw. You’d be surprised how much you can pick apart enemy defenses with only 1 herc, 2 or 3 tanks and a few SCV’s inside of it. Intense drop micro, selective firing for your drill, AND still building up your economy at home. There’s a lot to do with very satisfying results, and he has a lot of options in his toolkit. Stopping early attack waves with turrets that you can then salvage, camping spawn points, slow but steady Thor pushes (seriously, one or two barrage skills can destroy entire attack waves), speedy wraith or cyclone micro (cyclones are great against liberators), P1 drill and flying factory, the list goes on. And it feels good because you have to work for it. But if you do, your skill ceiling is almost on par with even the most OP CO’s.
Heh, I did not realize Swann was so popular. I might have to experiment with him then.
I felt the same. I thought the gameplay would be more interesting but he plays similarly to standard Zerg.
He does have Zerg in him, but having Stetalites, Stetzones, units that get recycled, and units that have much different abilities and capabilities (Zergling having “immortal style hardened shield”, Hydras with jacked up AA attack) did set him apart. Also, Gary is the only permanent hero air unit. Alarak’s Mothership is only available via his P3, and Fenix Arbiter suit has to share the spotlight with his other 2.