Hello there,
I just stepped into SC2 this week and so far I (really) love it !
After doing the 3 main campaigns, what type of content should I (or should’nt) play ? Since I am quite new to RTS games and there is a LOT to learn, I know that multiplayer will get my a** kicked pretty hard.
So, is there a PvE mode, like WC3 when you play custom games against AI ? I don’t know if coop mode allows that ?
Anyway, feel free to give some tips, or to recommend online guides / tutorials.
See you 
PS : As you may have guessed, english is not my mothertongue. Sorry for mispelling or weird grammar.
2 Likes
Co-op plays much more similarly to the campaigns and is a lot of fun in its own right, but other than getting used to mechanically controlling units, doesn’t do a lot to prepare you for the ladder because of how different the multiplayer races perform compared to the commanders. There is a vs AI mode for that, although the AI for that is also not great for learning strategies beyond crashing two giant armies into each other.
In general the main thing to practice and keep in mind is to always be spending your money. You might hear the word “macro” thrown around a lot, it basically refers to that. There are not a lot of circumstances where it’s beneficial to have a large stockpile of resources going unused, and if youre better at spending money than the other guy, you’ll probably be able to beat him through about platinum rank just from that principle alone. By then, you should hopefully understand the game enough to start really strategizing and working on specific optimal orders to do things at the start of the game (you’ll hear that called your “build order”).
After completing the full campaigns (Terran, Zerg, Protoss - what they call WoL, HotS, and LotV), you also get the bonus Nova Covert Ops campaigns.
Then there are two paths you can take:
- I’ve done all the CO-OP missions, which are 2 players vs AI. The maps are somewhat limited and can get repetitive, but you have different commanders with unique play styles, and a teammate can hopefully help you out. Also in CO-OP you can find rare units like Guardians, Goliaths.
- Alternatively, you can try VERSUS mode. Start with 1v1, but if you lose a lot, you can switch to VERSUS - TEAMS - 4v4. Here, I recommend picking one faction (for example, Protoss) and playing it consistently for about 10 days before trying another. By the end of the month, you’ll have a better idea of which faction or playstyle you enjoy the most.
Have fun!
Thank you for the reponses !
I just tried a few games against AI, it was really fun but I always have way too much resources.
It is fine at first, but as the game goes, I often forgot to build / recruit units. I probably should learn the build order, as mentionned.
btw, is there an easiest faction to start with ? I almost only played terran so far (mostly in WoL) but Protoss seems very nice to play as well.
I was thinking that 1 vs 1 ladder might be too harsh as well, but then I decided to try it out, and I was not disappointed at all. Yes you might lose several first games, but then the game will correctly rank you and place you against players of your skill, trust me there are people of all skill levels present, and none of it is shameful.
For the first time you will likely play against 1500 - 2000 MMR (matchmaking rating) players, but then you will start winning more and more until you find your MMR niche (for me it’s 2800 - 3000).
Do not be afraid of 1 vs 1 ladder, it’s way more fun than it may seem, things such as timings, meta, build orders, etc. matter only after 3000 MMR
I’d say Terran is the most flexible and intuitive choice (for example, the Factory produces mechanical units like Hellions, Tanks, and Thors, which is easy to remember).
Terran also has strong defensive options like Tanks, Bunkers, Turrets, and Liberators. However, you’ll need to build a lot of structures, so it can get pretty busy early on.
If you don’t like building so much, or prefer to mass 1-2 types of units (classic Hydralisk+Zerglings), Zerg could be a better choice. Zerg is more offensive and focuses on overwhelming the enemy with numbers and speed. There’s less things to build compared to Terran, but their units are weaker individually.
Then, of course, there’s Protoss - pylon based society.
As I mentioned before, it’s a good idea to try playing each faction for a few days to see which one feels best for you.
No one can say for sure which is the easiest for beginners in SC2, although Blizzard did recommend starting with Terran but that was for SC1.