Firstly a brief overview of the game before jumping into this Starcraft 2 beginners guide. The objective on online play is to destroy the enemy structures (units left do not matter). Obviously this is achieved through the construction of your own army. To do this you need to collect resources (vespene gas, minerals) and use them to either construct buildings, build units or upgrade your technology.

I list here my top 3 tips for beginners – these are things I wished I had learned when I first started so I could’ve avoided the ass-whopping I received early on.

1. Optimizing your economy is vital to secure victory

The optimal number of workers on each mineral patch is 2 and 3 for vespene geysers. You can go up to 3 per patch for minerals but there will be some time wasted – even though you will increase your overall mineral production. When starting out, allocate your workers evenly between the patches. You must never stop producing workers until you have hit the optimal number of workers (22 per base – 2 x 8 mineral patches + 3 x 2 vespene geysers). If each mineral patch is saturated (having 3 workers) then you may need to get a base expansion to continue harvesting more minerals.

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Getting an expansion base is crucial to allow you to harvest more minerals, however the timing is very important. Considering the right timing is also very important. Before you get bogged down on fine-tuning micro control of your units, consider this saying – micro wins battles, but macro (economy control) wins wars. Master the art of harvesting efficiently and expanding at the right time. Trust me, even if you got everything in this Starcraft 2 beginners guide spot on and mess up your economy, you are toast.

2. Pay attention to unit weaknesses, bonuses and strengths

The major difference starcraft 2 has compared to starcraft is the unit bonus damage feature (which Blizzard employed in Warcraft III, incidentally). The surest way to lose a battle is by rushing headlong into battle with units that are naturally weak against your opponent’s units.  The following are some examples of unit bonuses:

Siege Tanks : +10 damage against armoured (+12 in siege mode)
Marauder: +10 damage vs armoured
Baneling: +15 vs. light units
Corruptor: +6 vs. massive units (excellent against colossus!)
Immortals: +33 vs. armoured (absolute killer for siege tanks)
Stalkers: + 4 vs. armoured

Of course there are way more than the ones listed in this Starcraft 2 beginners guide, but its a good starting point. Knowing these bonuses help you determine what units to send as counters to what your opponent is doing. Conversely, you should be wary of attacking units you are weak against even if you have FAR superior numbers. False confidence in numbers will not work in Starcraft 2 unlike in Starcraft.

3. Recognize your greatest resource – Real Time

Many players, even advanced ones forget that their main resource is neither minerals nor gas but something called real time. If there’s only one thing you take from this Starcraft 2 beginners guide, let this be it! Its not a tangible quantity but recognizing its importance will be the difference between victory or crushing defeat. The following examples should give you an idea of what it means.

Assume for a moment you were going protoss vs. protoss. At some stage in a game you find your opponent had a cybernetics core (50s build time) and 1 twilight council (50s BT) more than you. You could say that he had an advantage of 100s real time over you. Another way to think of it would be to know that you had to spend 100s just to catch up to where he was at.

Another example demonstrates this well – in the same protoss vs. protoss situation if you had 3 stalkers and your opponent had 6 stalkers waiting outside your base to attack, his real time advantage of 126s (42s x 3 stalkers) plus whatever time it took for him to travel to your base. Even if you had 500 more minerals and gas at that time, it would mean nothing because you failed to translate that into a real time advantage.

How do you maximize your real time advantage? Well, here are some must-do tips. Firstly, don’t ever get supply blocked (reaching current supply limit without any excess supply to use). This is the biggest waster of real time and you’ll find yourself instantly 30s behind. Secondly, know your hot keys – there is nothing worse than not being able to produce buildings or units instantly. Thirdly, don’t wait until the last minute before building expansion bases. It takes time for command centers to be built, and even more for scv to be built for harvesting – plan this in advance, not just an after thought.

Well, this concludes my starcraft 2 beginners guide. There are plenty of other resources you will find on this site teaching more advanced strategies (and tips) now that you’ve gone through this list. However, the best recommendation I can give you to improve your skills dramatically would be to get the Shokz Guide which provides you with the best strategies and training methods in Starcraft 2. Whatever you do, remember these 3 words – practise, practise, practise!

Click Here to Check out Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide Now

Still struggling to break into the Diamond League? If you said YES to the question above, then what you need is the Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide.  This guide has been specifically designed to train even the newest starcraft 2 players in achieving total battlenet ranking domination. Training material includes an advanced 1v1 guide, a 2v2 guides tuned for battle against Terran, Zerg or Protoss opponents. Since it’s regularly updated, you will also find all the latest strategies and counters as they gain traction. If you wish to play like the pros do by showing your opponents no mercy, Click Here to Get It Now.

Clearly he has a fantastic track record with gaming guides, but does his latest project deserve to be lauded like the others? This Starcraft 2 Secrets Review will hopefully answer those questions and help you make an informed buying decision.

I had reviewed plenty of other guides before and was dreading the thought of reviewing possibly another dud. Thankfully at the end of my Starcraft 2 Secrets Review, I was pleasantly surprised to find a solid, educational guide that taught me a variety of new techniques I had rarely encountered in gameplay before.

Starcraft 2 Secrets Review – What does it teach you?

One of the best things about this guide (apart from excellent basic and advanced strategies) is the fact that it spells out the tactics without the use of any jargon. Starcraft 2 Secrets lays out the strategies in simple to follow, lucidly clear instructions. Each build order is explained in detail and unique build orders are listed depending on the different strategy you may choose.

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There are dozens of different Terran, Zerg and Protoss strategies so you can be sure there will be no shortage of strategies to try. You’ll find all the populars one out there (yes, even the cheese tactics) and some outrageous ones that are surprisingly effective in real gameplay environment.

The guide itself is split into 2 distinct sections – Section 1 explains the differences between Starcraft and Starcraft 2, whereas Section 2 is the bulk of the guide that gives you the strategies for each individual race. If you are a seasoned starcraft player, you NEED to read section 1. Having played Starcraft before, there will be preconceived notions about game aspects that you may fail to exploit in Starcraft 2.

One example would be the utilization of creep for Zerg players (same sticky stuff, but totally different mechanics!). Being a zerg player myself it shifted my game significantly.

A superb aspect of the guide is that, unlike most guides, strategies recommended are ranked according to player skill levels! A star ranking system (from 1 star to 5 stars) is used in this guide. The stars do no connote effectiveness of strategies rather the difficulty of execution. A rule of thumb to use is that 1 to 2 star strategies should be used by Bronze and Silver players, 3 to 4 stars for Gold players, and Diamond League players should master 4 and 5 star ones.

There are a plethora of “secrets” that I discovered too. Here are some that I discovered:

• Learn how Zerg players can use the new creep mechanics to win with their structures (I didn’t even realize this was possible!)
• Discover the best overall opener for each of the races (…depending on which race you play of course)
• The Top 3 Harassment Techniques for Terran (you’ll be amazed at how easy they are to use)
• Discover the one Protoss unit rarely used which can actually turn the game in your favour (you’ll thank me once you learn this)
• Terran, Protoss and Zerg Build Orders that are graded according to your current skill level

These are just some of the ones I discovered in my Starcraft 2 Secrets review of this 100+ page guide. I’ve been writing about Starcraft 2 strategies for some time now and thought I had seen them all – boy was I wrong! The guide is updated periodically so the latest meta-game strategies should constantly be reflected in the updates.

Starcraft 2 Secrets Review – The Final Verdict

All in all, Starcraft 2 Secrets is a solid guide that brings out the best even in the more experienced players around. On top of the fantastic strategy section that it offers, the secrets highlighted in this guide are certainly worth their weight in gold. Whether you’re a dedicated Terran, Zerg or Protoss player you will find gems of information that will bring a whole new dimension to your gameplay.

If you are serious about climbing the ranking ladders or if you’re looking to implement fresh techniques in casual play, then I recommend you try Starcraft 2 Secrets today.

Click Here to Check Out Starcraft 2 Secrets Now

Something that always catches my eye is in-game guides, since they allow real time in-game interactions for the player and software development is necessary. One such guide happens to be the Starcraft 2 Diamond Gamer. In this Diamond Gamer Review, I will attempt to demystify what exactly this piece of software does and evaluate its pros and cons More importantly, I give you the info to judge for yourself whether it’s the right product for you.

What exactly is it?

Just like a tutor that guides you in real-time, Diamond Gamer does the same thing – it is an addon software that you activate while playing. Once activated, it functions as a guide that shows you build-orders, counter strategies and in-game strategies to best use against your opponent.

Diamond Gamer Review – How does it actually help me in-game?

When you start a battle, you select the match-up you are currently in (e.g. PvZ, ZvT, etc..) and the add-on brings on the relevant guide. This allows you to view/access the strategies suitable for your race and recommends a few strategies you can employ against your employment. With a click of the button, depending on the strategy you select, a build order appears that you can follow to the tee.

Click Here to Check Out the Diamond Gamer

The build order displayed would be the most popular build that the pros use (e.g. 5-spawn pool) and is typically also the fastest build order for you to follow. Since the guide is in-game, you can constantly monitor your build progress against the build list without the need to Alt-Tab out of the battle.

The beauty of this guide is that it receives constant updates so that the latest meta-strategies are incorporated as software updates. The picture belows shows a quick screen-shot of what it looks like in-game.

Many also find it useful when they’re struggling to contain a particular opponent strategy. Diamond Gamer allows you to the unit counter guide and it provides instant recommendations on what units + strategies you can use as a counter. I found this function particularly useful, since the battlefield changes constantly and you are constantly countering different units, depending on the stage of the game.

Diamond Gamer Review – Is this the right product for me

There is no doubt – Diamond Gamer repays itself many times over and is a highly recommended tool– depending on your level. For bronze and silver league players, I would definitely recommend this tool as it will give you a major advantage over most opponents. Additionally, you’ll learn the strategies much quicker since you’re also constantly training at the same time.

I would go as far as to say that it would be a BIG surprise if you consistently used this guide (if you’re in Bronze and Silver Leagues) and failed to move up the rankings significantly.

Higher ranked players in the Gold or Diamond league however, may not find this tool as useful since the games at those levels move at a much quicker pace and employ far more meta-strategy. While it would still prove valuable as a refresher in strategies you use anyway, it may not significantly shift the balance of power in your favour. If you’re looking for an advanced training guide, why not check out this Shokz Guide Review instead.

Diamond Gamer Review – Concluding remarks

So, what is my final verdict of the Diamond Gamer? Well, as I’ve mentioned before it depends on where you currently rank. If you’re still playing in Bronze or Silver League, this addon is a must have and it will significantly boost your rankings, even more than some advanced guides, due to its ease of implementation. If however, you are playing in the Gold and Diamond League, then this might not be for you. There are certainly others guides I would recommend instead to boost your skills to the next level.

Click Here to Check Out the Diamond Gamer

After reviewing numerous Starcraft 2 guides, my Shokz Guide Review has found this to be head and shoulders above all of them. It has a unique ability of being able to rapidly assist beginner players while offering great value for veteran players who want to quickly catapult up the Diamond rankings.

You will notice that the members area is MASSIVE and by that I mean containing up to 5 times more information than its nearest competitor. No doubt you will be shocked to find the amount of content it offers, just like I was when doing this Shokz guide review.

One thing I particularly like is the vast amount of video demonstrations, screenshots and images provided to complement each training section. Very rarely do you find authors uploading such a vast amount of videos for their clients, which makes you question the credibility of such authors as players.

In the case of the Shokz guide, such credibility questions are blown away. The author himself is a top ranked starcraft player (Jon Greenhoe) and you may actually find yourself doing battle against him in Battlenet match ups… if you’re lucky (..or unlucky, depending on how you view it!).

He has achieved a consistent top #10 ranking in the Diamond League for most formats of the game, including 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3.

Speaking of the different formats, the guide is split up very well into specific sections and offers in-depth help for players looking to improve particular skill-sets in their game. The sections included are as follows:- Specific Race guides, beginner’s guide – introduction to the game, guide for online play mastery, online guide split into different formats (1v1, 2v2, etc…), full campaign guide, and much much more!

Click Here to Visit The Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide

Basically, you will find that the guide covers every aspect of the game. Even if you are an advanced players, check out the beginner’s section just for fun and you’ll be surprised at some small details you’ll pick up. In fact, just the beginner’s section is almost half the size of some full guides reviewed!

If you’re concerned that this guide won’t be able to keep up with new meta-game strategies, worry not! In this Shokz Guide review, I found the site is routinely updated to cover all the latest tactics and counters, plus it takes into consideration the constant patch fixes that Blizzard implements. So, unlike some downloadable copies that remain static over the months, this guide is one that is constantly refreshed and never grows old.

The reason all these updates are performed is because Shokz Guide users actually form a strong online community of players that can interact with each other. The idea behind all this is that a form of synergy can be formed when Starcraft 2 players come together to discuss strategies and this can also drive the improvements you see in the member’s area.

One of the best features I found in this Shokz guide review is the “Request a Feature” section. In this section, users vote on what features they’d like the developer to include first in next update! This way, content updates are based on what the user community would find most relevant. Speaking of community interactions, there are exclusive member only tournaments that boast great prizes and a chance for each of Shokz’s students to pit their skills against one another.

For this Shokz Guide review there can be only one conclusion – don’t waste your time with other Starcraft 2 guides out there. I fail to think of even a single guide that can match Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide in terms of value, content and quality. The development team is 100% committed to ensuring that this guide remains the no #1 online Starcraft 2 guide. I highly recommend that you give it a try today, your mastery of the game will never be the same!

Click Here to Visit The Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide

Of the guides I shown here, the Shokz Guide to starcraft mastery has received more positive reviews than any other guide from a large number of subscribers. I highly recommend you check it out:-

Best Overall Starcraft 2 Guide – Shokz Starcraft 2 Guide   Overall User Rating : The Shokz Guide is without a doubt the best guide available. It provides in depth training for Zerg, Terran and Protoss and teaches the best counters for all the strategies that seem to always have you undone. Learn how to play like a pro with advanced macro and micro tips as well as comprehensive must-know tactics for 1v1, 2v2, arranged team tactics (for online play with buddies) and so much more. Many of the top diamond players you encounter have themselves been trained with this guide. So if you want to know the secrets to ranking #1 in your division, this is the guide you need. Click Here to check out The Shokz Guide now.

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I have also included a few other SUPERB guides that stand out from the rest. These all provide jam packed tips that will help you reach that elusive #1 ranking in Diamond League. I would also recommend you check these out as they provide different aspects to your Starcraft 2 training :-

	Best Downloadable Guide – Starcraft 2 Secrets   Overall User Rating : Starcraft 2 Secrets was designed and written by T Dub Sanders, who brought us the top selling guides in World of Warcraft and Farmville – PvP Bible and Farmville Secrets. Starcraft 2 Secrets is a all-in-one guide that reviews the most popular strategies in online play now and focuses on counter strategies that will obliterate your opponent. You’ll find yourself flipping through specific pages of this guide each time you hit the battlenet arena, because it is loaded with useful build guides and step by step descriptions. Even if it were half as good as his previous guides, this would be worth your dollar – and it certainly exceeds that. Click Here to check out Starcraft 2 Secrets now.
	Best Beginner’s Guide – Diamond Gamer  Overall User Rating: There really is nothing like having a coach by your side guiding you each step of the way as you’re learning the ropes – and that’s what Diamond Gamer is! It is undoubtedly the best in-game add on that provides hands on tips as you play. It walks you through pro build orders and provides the right timing to do so – no other guide does this! A perfect companion for beginners to the game who want to rocket through the rankings quickly. Click Here to check out Diamond Gamer now.
	Best Video Tutorial Guide – Starcraft 2 Diamond Blueprint  Overall User Rating : Like me, I’m sure you find learning with video tutorials one of the most effective methods. Diamond Blueprint compiles all the best Terran, Zerg and Protoss strategies into detailed video tutorials. That way, you get to look over the shoulder of a pro gamer in action while she’s guiding you through it! The best part is that it not only shows advanced multiplayer strategies and execution there is a FULL single player campaign walkthrough included too! Some of my students find this to be the best value for money guide out of all the other ones I’ve recommended. Well, you’ll have to click on the link below and find out for yourself. Click Here to check out Starcraft 2 Diamond Blueprint now.

What you will find on this site is a whole lot of strategies and step-by-step tips that will boost your ability to rank quicker on BattleNet and join the hallowed ranks of the Diamond League. You’ll find individual tactics for all 3 races – Terran, Zerg and Protoss. In addition, you’ll also discover the meta -strategies popular at the moment, advanced strategies most people don’t know exist and of course counters to all of these.

If you’re looking for a complete walkthrough of the single player campaign – you’ll find that as well. Discover secrets to each mission and how to get all the upgrades and achievements that have been eluding you. I also recommend some fantastic guides available to turbo-charge your efforts but that’s only if you decide to take it to the next level. Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery is one such guide designed by one of the top ranking Diamond League players around.

This site is consistently update with fresh new content so check back here every so often to find out the latest strategies or meta strategies floating around.

Starcraft 2 Portal Navigation

For ease of navigation, I have split this website up into different sections that are constantly updated. Bookmark this guide and be sure to visit every so often for the latest Starcraft 2 strategy guide updates.

• 3 individual sections ( Zerg, Terran and Protoss) on the uniques Units and Structures. You’ll discover what the individual strengths, weaknesses and functions are. I’ll let you in on a little secret – all top #100 players know each unit inside out – especially useful in dishing out counters
• 3 individual sections ( Zerg, Terran and Protoss) for the most effective strategies, split according to race. While its useful to learn the best ones for your favourite race, its a good idea to ensure you’re familiar with the ones you find cream you the most. You’ll find execution tips, timing as well as counters to popular ones.
• A section outlining the Best Starcraft 2 Guides around – complete reviews and honest comparisons between the most popular ones available around.
• A section on Starcraft 2 strategy counters – not just which units are great counters against which ( you probably can guess that already) but the combinations that best work together from a time and resource perspective. This is an absolute must if you are serious about climbing the ranking ladder.
• (Coming soon) A complete section on the single player campaign. This outlines all the hidden secrets to beat the game in Brutal mode and gain all the single player achievements. Find out also how you can maximize your credits to gain all the upgrades you need.
• A section on 2 v 2 strategy so you can diversify your multiplayer play. Rack up some easy ranking points here since most teams are online don’t maximize the synergy between individual players – find out how you can have the competitive edge.

While there are no more than about 10 navigation pages shown on the left, all the content pages are stored as sub-pages that are initially “hidden” from view. To view them, all you need to do is to click on the main heading to open up the sub-menu. For instance, the Starcraft 2 Terran vs Zerg Strategy can be found by first clicking on the main heading Starcraft 2 Terran Strategy

For the complete table of contents for this site, scroll right to the bottom of the page – there you will find the complete list of content pages available.

New to Starcraft 2 ?

If you find yourself new to the Starcraft 2 experience or online competitive play, here are some core fundamentals you’ll want to do master if you are to progress faster – kinda like learning to walk before running. These principles will build the foundation of your Starcraft 2 skill base :

• Starcraft 2 Economy Management
• Race Match-ups
• Scouting in Starcraft 2
• Starcraft 2 Actions Per Minute (Beginner Steps)
• Starcraft 2 APM (Intermediate and Advanced Strategies)

Here’s a brief overview of Starcraft 2 by Blizzard Entertainment, also commonly known simply as SC2.

Starcraft 2 : Wings of Liberty was released on July 27, 2010 as the much anticipated sequel to the madly popular computer game, Starcraft which remains one of the best selling computer games of all times. To date, over 11 million copies sold. It remains a popular game and is a staple in the World Cyber Games (WCG) even though it was released a long time ago in 1998.

As for starcraft 2, gaming experts believe it can easily surpass the sales record set by its predecessor and initial signs have been promising – 1.5 million copies were sold within 48 hours of its release and a whopping 4.5 million were sold by the end of 2010.

Starcraft 2 is a real-time strategy game to its core. Players have the objective of crushing enemy units and must collect resources, construct buildings and units to win battles against their opponents. While the single-player story mode in Starcraft 2 is second to none, the main drawcard for players all around the world will no doubt be the online play on BattleNet – essentially the online arena where players pit their wits against other human opponents.

One of the top ranking Diamond players on BattleNet has released his unrivalled online guide on dominating multiplayer play and the a review of Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide can be found by clicking on the link here.

Being faithful to the original, Starcraft 2 has reintroduced shiny new versions of the three playable races : The Zerg, Terran and the Protoss. In multiplayer mode, players pick a race before commencement or can alternatively choose to play as a random race.

Blizzard has gone through great pains to balance the races out with each having their unique playing styles and strategies. While races are considerably balanced (with constant updates to tweak this balance), individual units themselves possess certain strengths and weaknesses. The Starcraft 2 Counters section lists useful tips on exploiting these weaknesses to your advantage (and preparing against them!)

This is where my Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide really shines – with all these strategies I have compiled, you should have little difficulty learning the best gamestyles for each different race. When you are ready to master a specific race, there are even advanced techniques that take more micro control but pay off a hundred – fold in live gameplay.

I have also painstakingly compiled top tips and guides put together by professional Starcraft 2 players ( yes those who do is as a job!) so you get a backstage pass into strategies from the best players on the planet.

You will no doubt already know this, but you are assigned different brackets depending on your skill level or ranking points. These are the bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond – in ascending order. This ensures that you play with opponents generally around your level of competency.

For each player I coach, the objective always remains the same – get to the Diamond League as quickly as possible so that you’re playing Starcraft 2 as it was intended, great games against good players. With the help of this Starcraft 2 strategy guide, you should be able to learn all you need to breeze past your weaker opponents and move swiftly into the more competitive divisions.

Still struggling to break into the Diamond League?  If you said YES to the question above, then what you need is the Shokz Starcraft 2 Mastery Guide. This guide has been specifically designed to train even the newest starcraft 2 players in achieving total battlenet ranking domination. Training material includes an advanced 1v1 guide, a 2v2 guides tuned for battle against Terran, Zerg or Protoss opponents. Since it’s regularly updated, you will also find all the latest strategies and counters as they gain traction. If you wish to play like the pros do by showing your opponents no mercy, Click Here to Get It Now.