Almost two months ago, Blizzard Entertainment released information on the upcoming Allied Commanders mode for Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void. Recently, the Starcraft II team released three new heroes that will be taking the helm in co-op missions: Swann, Zagara, and Vorazun.
The Commanders
Swann
Swann – the in-house mechanic aboard the Terran Battlecruiser ‘Hyperion’ – is the first of the three Allied Commanders announced.
Swann is an interesting alternative to Raynor as a Terran commander in the sense that he does not rely on infantry units. Actually, Swann can’t build a barracks in the first place. Instead, Swann focuses on Factory and Starport units, as well as constructing turrets. Expect to be seeing a sizable army of Seige Tanks rolling out when playing this commander.
Oh yeah, he also starts out with the Drakken Laser Drill. You know, that one you used blew up a temple in Wings of Liberty? Yeah. That drill.
Zagara
The rogue Brood Mother that thought she could stand up to even the un-infested Queen of Blades is also joining the ranks of the Allied Commanders.
Much like Kerrigan, Zagara will be a heroic unit that is controllable during missions. Unlike Kerrigan, however, Zagara’s focus is on spawning and training small units as opposed to building powerful ones. As such, Zagara’s strategy will be much like she was in the game – spawn as many Zerglings and smaller units to overwhelm the enemy, as opposed to growing massive Ultralisks.
Zagara herself will be able to provide unit and economy buffs during missions while also being able to summon lesser heroes such as Hunter Killers.
Vorazun
Vorazun acts as the Protoss’s newest Allied Commander. While we have heard nothing about him, we can be sure that he will play a pivotal role in Legacy of the Void, much like how Swann and Zagara were important in Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm.
As evident by his splash art, Vorazun is a Zer’atai Dark Templar. While Artanis bombards enemies on the battlefield using the Spear of Adun, Vorazun’s abilities are focused on using Dark Templar cunning and stealth to his advantage.
One of the unique opportunities that Vorazun has over Artanis is the return of Brood War’s Dark Archons, as well as having abilities such as stopping time. As such, Vorazun aims to be one of the more versatile commanders in the co-op mode.
More to come!
According to Blizzard’s blog post, Allied Commanders will have many more heroes to choose from as the game heads toward release, and hinted at possibly adding more characters after launch. I for one eagerly await this mode since the co-op modes are mostly limited to Arcade games, and online multiplayer. Having a mission-based cooperative mode is an improvement.
What do you guys think of the new Allied Commanders? Are there commanders you would like to see in the Allied Commanders mode? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
