Community, I am a new player to SC2 (Played SC1 years ago) and I am overwhelmed. I have been considering the purchase of a strat guide to get me up to date on build orders, strats, and basicaly what each class has to counter others, etc.... the works. Could anyone recommend a guide to me? Is the one in the store with the game (Brady I think) worth anything? Is Shokz's Mastery guide the way to go? Any recommendations? My game is weak and I know a guide wont make me a pro without practice and understanding, but I definitely need some help getting the basics and thought process down. Thanks for any recommendations you can lend me!
i think the best thing you can do is practice. If you really want a guide, the only advice I have is that you buy one that updates itself. In beta patches like the roach one changed the way zerg was played, in SC1 patch 1.08 basically made the game balanced, and strategies of players change a lot over time.
Go watch replays, or read stuff online. There will be TONS of strategy posted online after a little bit of time has passed. As units get updated and the game gets patched, the info will change, while your strategy guide could be stuck telling you about great units that have since changed quite a bit in 6 months.
watch day(9) 6/08 Day[9] Daily #0132 Starcraft 2 Back to the Basics (Blip.tv). /12 Day[9] Daily #0153 Starcraft 2 Socke vs Morrow: Counters Are Not Real (Blip.tv) and then stuff related to race. also play some, yes one thing does beat another, but reading about it doesnt help because you have to know it while you play. and i find that i dont really have huge access to that while playing, but Day(9) stuff helped, i just got ranked at plat which i think was due to learning core game mech better. (i was in bronze before release but i screwed around in placement) if you want i will glady play some 1v1 against you (with the idea of not just smashing your face till you learn)
Check out my review of Shokz before you buy! IMO it's the only one of the online guides I'd buy (even though I personally don't think they're really worth it). If you're going to spend your money on one, that's the one I'd pick. Here's my review of Shokz's guide: http://www.starcraft2forum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16531
Shokz is good. There's a lot of reading involved, but he lays everything out simply and you should grasp the overall concept of how to play well. Practice is definitely the best way to go, but practice after watching tons of replays/videos with commentary.
I got the official Brady Games Limited Edition guide ($21 Amazon) and found it to to be surprisingly decent. Bought it for the pretty, glossy pages but I've found the advice in the multiplayer section to be surprisingly sound. Most are common sense for StarCraft veterans but it should be helpful to newbies. Information is quite organized and it even has tips from pros. Some of the advice given are similar to the ones in Shokz guide. The one thing I appreciate most in the strategy guide (aside from the pretty pictures) is the English. I'm sure it probably contains typos or minor grammatical errors somewhere but so far I haven't noticed any. Shokz guide is probably better strategy and longevity-wise but it doesn't have the same polish.
I'm surprised Brady Games came out with a decent guide lol. The only problem with those official guides is that they're books - and they will get outdated with new balance patches, new strategies, new build orders, etc. Online guides, however, will constantly be updated and fresh.
Two quick questions: 1. Is the Shokz Guide good for a total Starcraft noob? 2. How many pages does the Guide have? I'm looking for decent reading material since I won't have a computer next week; the more material the better.
True. That's why I mentioned why Shok's was better for longevity. Even the authors of the guide acknowledged this limitation. That's why they focused more on instilling basic strategies such as scouting, etc rather than build orders. Which guide? Brady? I believe almost 500 pages. Definitely 400+. If you won't have a computer, spending $16-20 on the official guide will probably cost less than print out Shok's guide. Ink's pretty darn expensive.
Not really sure since it gets constantly updated. Last I checked, there were at least 30 guides which are probably several pages each printed out.
I have purchased Shokz's Guide. Overall I'm happy. I never played SC1, until after the first SC2 BETA went down, so I learned a lot. There is a PDF that gives you overall good info, then a members only online section that is getting updated at least once a week with great information. The only complaint I have is NOT ENOUGH PROTOSS STRATS! lol. Shokz, if you are reading, some more Protoss info would be Greatly appreciated.
I'd definitely go with an online guide like Shokz, that way you'll get updates when things change. Also new strats are out all the time, so getting a book is a bad way to go because you'll never get new strats introduced to you, just the same old that you've read before. I don't see the harm in buying a guide either. After dropping $60 for SC 2, it can't hurt to spend a few more to shortcut your learning curve. Depends on how much you value your time and if you're broke though
UPDATE - Yesterday I bought the Official Brady Guide (Limited Edition). It's actually the first Book guide I've really enjoyed. Lot's of detailed information, and even the Campaign strats are geared toward taking what they teach into the multiplayer realm. For a Starcraft novice, it is perfect. Combining that with Shokz guide, you will be well on your way to surviving SC2.
Very interesting. Might be something I may look into buying in the near future to just check out. Maybe skim through it at Borders or something.
