It’s been a dozen earth years since the release of the original StarCraft. Just when some of us were having doubts if we’d live to see the release day of the sequel, lead designer Dustin Browder confirms that the development team is getting ‘very, very close’ to submitting the master disc for Wings of Liberty (and already working on the launch day patch). Just to remind everybody that there’s more to the game than well-balanced and engrossing multiplayer (which is already playable in the ongoing beta), Blizzard invited press and community site representatives into its Orange County headquarters to dig a little deeper into the story mode.

Upgrading units
Dustin Browder kicked off the day with a quick tour of the Hyperion, the battlecruiser of protagonist Jim Raynor, the former space marshal turned renegade mercenary leader. Players can quickly access four points of interest in board stations by clicking on the destination’s name. We start in the armory, the place to ‘re-invest in your favorite units’ by using the upgrades console. Credits which have been earned by completing missions can be invested in two upgrades per unit or structure: a 40% larger area attack for the Firebat mech, the stimpack ability for Marines, an additional area damage attack for missile turrets, and so on.

Recruiting mercenary forces
The cantina is not only the place for hearing some great music (check out the jukebox for White Boy James’ touching ballad ‘A Zerg, a shotgun and you’), it is also the preferred hangout of mercenary recruitment specialist Graven Hill. By paying a one-time fee, players establish access to different factions that unlock ‘disposable hero units’, as Dustin Browder likes to call them.

The merc units can then be purchased during missions by clicking on the mercenary building. They come with a hefty resources price tag, a cooldown and limited access (many of them can only be purchased twice per mission). But they appear instantly and are superior to regular units, making the mercs a welcome addition in times when you need help seriously fast. Dustin Browder’s summary: ‘They’re not cheap, they cost resources to deploy, but they’re really mighty.’

During our hands-on time with the story mode, we were able to access five different mercenary units (the finished game will have many more):

War Pigs: 4 Elite Marines (+65% health, +35% damage)
Devil Dogs: 2 Elite Firebats (+60% health, +25% damage)
Hammer Securities: 2 Elite Marauders (+25% health, +20% Damage)
Spartan Company: 2 Elite Goliaths, (+33% health, +40% Damage)
Siege Breakers: 2 Elite Siege Tanks (+33% health, +66% Damage)