We have added a new zerg unit, the baneling.

The baneling is a creature so bloated with fluid-filled sacs that it can barely walk; instead, it moves itself by tucking into a tight ball and rolling. However, this ungainly appearance belies the fact that the baneling is an extremely dangerous organism, one of several new zerg specialists recently seen on the battlefield. When a baneling gets close enough to an enemy, the creature triggers a reaction within its volatile chemical payload that causes it to explode with devastating force and shower the immediate surroundings with searing acid.

The storyline of StarCraft II takes place four years after the events of StarCraft: Brood War. We have prepared a two-part overview called The Story So Far, an opportunity for you to get up to speed with the characters, settings, and developments that lead up to StarCraft II. Read about Kerrigan's treachery as the Queen of Blades, Samir Duran's hybrid experiments, and the final events leading up to StarCraft II.

Tassadar's brave sacrifice had destroyed the Overmind, but countless rampaging zerg remained on Aiur and would surely overrun the surviving protoss. Zeratul offered sanctuary on Shakuras, the adopted home of the dark templar. Although the decision was difficult, Executor Artanis and the surviving members of the shattered Conclave agreed that their first duty was to save as many lives as possible.

Jim Raynor's forces and the protoss cut a path through the zerg to reach an ancient xel'naga warp gate, the relic of an earlier age. Using the gate, Zeratul opened a connection to a second gate on Shakuras. During the battle, Raynor and some of the protoss were cut off, but Artanis and Zeratul led many other protoss through the gate to safety on Shakuras.

For more, check out The Story So Far Part 2: The Brood War. We have also added three new pieces of artwork.

We hope you enjoyed our April Fools' Day events. If you missed them, check out this year's jokes:

• New World of Warcraft Hero Class: Bard
• New StarCraft II Unit: Tauren Marine
• World of Warcraft on a Console
• Diablo Loot Piñata
• Forums: Bears and Buckets and Walruses, Oh My!

The deeds of every great hero inspire countless songs of triumph, virtue, and epic adventure. But although a heros glory endures in song, the creators of those songs are seldom remembered. After ages spent singing of the heroic exploits of others, the bards of Azeroth are finally stepping into the spotlight on their own terms, proving once and for all that while just about anyone can pick up a sword or cast a spell, only a true hero can vanquish evil with the power of ROCK! Check out this new class here!

Blizzard Entertainment is proud to announce its long-awaited return to console development with Molten Core: Unleashed!, a new console game based on the popular World of Warcraft 40-person raid dungeon. In Molten Core: Unleashed!, players will once again be challenged by the highly complex encounters of Molten Core and battle epic enemies such as Majordomo Executus and Ragnaros. Classic heart-stopping moments such as becoming the living bomb when facing the infamous Baron Geddon will be revitalized in this new version of the Molten Core experience designed exclusively for console systems. Check out the official press release for more information, and keep your eyes peeled for updates on www.blizzard.co.uk.

In the old Confederacy, terran marines were mostly criminals or rebels who had undergone mandatory neural resocialization. Freed from any previous allegiances or ideologies, these fearless soldiers stood ready to defend Confederate interests with their lives but exhibited an annoying tendency toward petty larceny, vandalism, and occasional cannibalism. Confederate authorities were unable to requisition enough reliable troopers in this way, and eventually recruiters turned to a new source of fresh meat for the grinder. Learn more about the Tauren Marine here!

The StarCraft II website has just been updated with new information about the zerg, the game's third playable race. You can now learn more about the nightmarish hydralisks and the agile and dangerous mutalisks, and can also catch up on the recent history of the Swarm. Also make sure to check out the newly added screenshots, concept art, and unit videos included in this first look at the zerg.

Over the years we have enjoyed watching our community show their creativity and create amazing maps and mods to our games. With StarCraft II we would like to encourage you to keep up the awesome work, so wed like to give you a tool, you will enjoy working with. We have already answered questions in our Q&As but now it is your turn to tell us what your ideal StarCraft II Editor would look like!

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 31, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 28, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 27, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

Jim Raynor was a Confederate marshal on Mar Sara at the time of the first zerg incursions on that world. Despite bravely fighting the alien aggressors and saving many lives, he was arrested by Confederacy forces on the pretext of destroying Confederate property at Backwater Station. When he was subsequently liberated by Arcturus Mengsk's Sons of Korhal, an anti-Confederate revolutionary group, Raynor chose to fight alongside them...

Learn more about StarCraft IIs main characters and their complex intertwining stories in the character biography of Jim Raynor, the first installment of our StarCraft II character biography series.

The StarCraft II Community section of the official StarCraft II web site is now live. Here youll find up-to-date links to the latest developer Q&A batches, BlizzCasts, regularly updated community spotlights, latest forum discussions, and future community projects. Head over to the StarCraft II site now and check it out!

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 26, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We have added a new terran unit, the siege tank.

The Crucio is the Dominion update of the immensely popular but aging Arclite siege tank. The Arclite was renowned throughout the Confederacy for its devastating firepower and stalwart emplacement/advance tactics. Originally designed to serve as a "final defense" security cannon, the siege tank adopted a two-stage configuration in its final form: a mobile assault mode and a deployed siege mode that brought its massive shock cannon to bear.

Read more about the siege tank here. We have also added two new artwork and one new screenshot.

We have added a new terran unit, the nomad.

The TF-620 nomad is an all-around workhorse that combines the functions of light manufacturing center and observation post rolled into one. A common sight among the fringe-world colonies, the nomad is a robust, air-mobile vehicle built to operate independently in all but the harshest climates.

Read more about the nomad here. We have also added four new artwork and two new screenshots.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 24, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

The storyline of StarCraft II takes place four years after the events of StarCraft: Brood War. We have prepared a two-part overview called The Story So Far, an opportunity for you to get up to speed with the characters, settings, and developments that lead up to StarCraft II. Read about Arcturus Mengsk's pivotal betrayal, Kerrigan's ascension as the Queen of Blades, and Tassadar's noble sacrifice to save his people.

Over several decades the terrans established colonies, spread to other planets, and came into conflict with one another. In the decade after the end of the Guild Wars, the Terran Confederacy stood unchallenged in its supremacy over colonial space.

The terran colonies first became aware they were not alone in the universe when a gleaming fleet of protoss warships suddenly emerged over the Confederate world of Chau Sara. The advanced alien ships incinerated the planet's surface without warning.

For more, check out Part 1 of The Story So Far.

Of all the original StarCraft units brought back to StarCraft II, the Terran Ghost has undergone some of the most changes. The Terran Ghost wields new abilities such as Snipe and the upgradable EMP burst and cloak ability. Furthermore, the Ghost is also able to call down Drop Pods in addition to their classic Nuclear Launch ability. In addition, the Terran Ghost can be built early game, in a Barracks with a tech lab and a Shadow Ops as a prerequisite building, making it a Tier 1.5 unit.

These changes have brought about much innovation to the gameplay for StarCraft II and we encourage the community to add their feedback to these changes in our Battle.net forums!

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 20, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We have added to our StarCraft II website a new protoss unit, the observer, along with five new artwork and two screenshots.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 19, the latest of the Q& A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We have added a new terran building, the sensor tower, as well as six new pieces of artwork.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 18, the latest of the Q& A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

StarCraft Legacy has just posted an interview on the lore of StarCraft II. The interview covers player-submitted questions about the state of the universe at the onset of StarCraft II, and provides more details on some notable characters.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 17, the latest of the Q&A, along with the previous ones on the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

To prepare for our New Season of Tournaments, the Blizzard Community Team is happy to announce this Map Creation Contest, adding winning maps into the Tournament Pool of Maps for our Tournaments. Each map will be judged by the Blizzard Development Team in terms of polish and balance. We look forward to reviewing the creative eSports style maps we'll be receiving!

For more information on how to submit your map, as well as prizes and rules, please check the contest page on the US Battle.net website.

We've just released the official StarCraft II Fansite Kit, a potential bonanza for those wishing to build their own StarCraft II related fansites. The downloadable kit contains the following content, including some assets you cant find anywhere else:

• Art assets including screenshots, concept art, hi-res logos, and wallpapers
• Site design elements including borders, backgrounds, fonts, and stylesheets
• Exclusive content: Unit renders and forum avatars / Messenger images
• StarCraft II fact sheet and FAQ
• Sample StarCraft II text content
• Site building tips

We have added a new unit, the carrier, to the protoss section.

The massive carriers serve as operations centers for leaders of the protoss fleets. Heavily armored and shielded, carriers can punch their way through enemy blockades by unleashing flights of robotic interceptors at vital enemy targets. These maneuverable, computer-guided craft tear through enemy flight formations and relentlessly strafe slower ground targets with potent plasma charges.

Read more about the carrier here.

We have also added three new screenshots and two new pieces of artwork.

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 15 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

We have added a new unit, the Battlecruiser, to the terran section.

These massive, heavily armored combat ships are virtual flying fortresses, built to keep the peace and dominate the space lanes of the Koprulu sector. Many commanders use battlecruisers as their command vessels during extended campaigns. There are several examples of vessels specifically refitted for this purpose, such as General Duke's Norad II and Norad III, as well as the battlecruiser Hyperion commanded by Jim Raynor.

Read more about the Battlecruiser here.

We've just released a StarCraft II gameplay video demonstrating the resourcefulness and sheer grit of the Terran forces. Get ready to see some of the Terrans' new and improved designs in action as they adapt to and counter their enemies' strengths and weaknesses.

Download the StarCraft II Terran Gameplay Demonstration video now!

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part twelve of the Q&A, along with parts one through eleven in the Battle.net forums to find out more about Tier 1 units in the late game and player colors.

We have added a new unit, the Mothership, to the protoss section.

Protoss motherships are mighty vessels that were constructed centuries ago during the golden age of protoss expansion. They were intended to act as primary command ships to lead vast armadas of protoss explorers into the darkness of deep space and bring them safely home again. Those days are long gone, and the surviving motherships later became holy shrines to the protoss, representing an honored way of life and a part of the proud history of the protoss race.

Read more about the Mothership here.

As a result of our first RTS Community Summit, we are implementing Monthly Discussion Topics, in which the community as a whole, including all our popular StarCraft fan sites, will work together in consolidating fan feedback for the developers, so we really get the voice of the fans heard here at Blizzard.

Our first Monthly Discussion Topic for the month of September was decided unanimously by many of the top StarCraft II fan sites: The Mothership. Join us in the Battle.net forum and give us your opinion!

We have opened the European StarCraft Forums on Battle.net, offering European customers a platform for discussion of StarCraft, Brood War and StarCraft II in English, French, German and Spanish languages. Check out the StarCraft II Q&A and participate in the discussions on strategies, units and the latest StarCraft II news and rumors in the European StarCraft Forums.

Be one of the first to get your community sites into the Blizzard RTS Fan Site Program to receive exclusive news updates in relation to StarCraft, Warcraft III, StarCraft II, including events, contests, tournaments, and more! We want to hook up our community leaders and your members with the tools to expand your communities!

Register your fan site now using the Blizzard RTS Community Webform!

We have added a new unit, the protoss colossus, to the protoss section.

The towering colossus is a protoss robot design dating back to the bloody conflicts of the Kalath Intercession. It strides across the battlefield on four tall, slender legs which give it an extremely high level of mobility.

Read more about the colossus here.

The first European Championship of the World of Warcraft Arena, and the European Regional finals of the fifth Warcraft III Battle.net Season concluded in Hamburg today. After many exciting matches these players and teams managed to defeat all opposition to win their trip to the Global Finals at BlizzCon:

1st - Warders of the Melee
2nd - Log
3nd - Nashwan

1st - ToD
2nd - Creolophus
3rd - Grubby

Today is the first day of the European Regional Finals at the Congress Center in Hamburg, where the best European World of Warcraft Arena teams and the best European Warcraft III players will fight for the chance to compete in the Global Finals at BlizzCon. If you are not lucky enough to be in Hamburg to witness this exciting event live, you can tune in on the official site of GIGA 2, either in low-quality and for free or in high-quality with subscription to catch all the excitement of this tournament. See all Warcraft III results on our brackets page and check out the gallery for the latest pictures directly from the venue. You can find information on the players and teams as well as the schedule of the event on our European Regionals page!

Visitors to BlizzCon 2007 will be treated to the first-ever public hands-on with StarCraft II. Demo stations will be set up at the convention, and attendees can sample the new units and gameplay elements for themselves in multiplayer battles. We're excited to offer this exclusive opportunity to our players, and look forward to seeing you at BlizzCon.

The European Regional Finals are fast approaching! From June 22 to 24 you can witness the excitement of Player vs Player action at the highest level. Join us at the Congress Center in Hamburg to watch the best eight European World of Warcraft Arena teams fight for the very first time for the title of European Champion and a ticket to the Global Finals at the BlizzCon in August. At this event you won't only be witnessing Arena matches: the Warcraft III Battle.net Season 5 tournament is coming to an end as well and renowned players like ToD, the winner of this year's Worldwide Invitational, will compete in world-class matches with seven other amazing players for the European Championship. Three days of tense competitive gaming await you!

The North American World of Warcraft Arena and Warcraft III regional finals concluded this past weekend, with 3 arena teams and 2 Warcraft III players advancing to the global finals at BlizzCon this August 2-3.

Warcraft III Finalists: (View current bracket and replays)

1. mTw-nilk
2. mTw-KiWi
3. mTw-PaTo

World of Warcraft Arena Finalists:

1. THE HUKHUKHUKHUKHUKS
2. We lose cuz Daorok sux
3. Power Trip

Check out some of the coverage from the event below:

Amped eSports:

• Photo Gallery
• The Great UI Debate
• Leeroy Jenkins, Shoutcaster Extraordinaire
• Live from San Diego: Day One
• Live from San Diego: Day Two
• Flow Gaming: America's Best

• Jared 'Vhell' Coulston re-caps the first round of fights
• PvP Videos: Eminence vs PvE Clickers
• PvP Videos: Power Trip vs The Huks (Upper Bracket Finals)
• Pictures
• Updates for WoW Rounds 1, 2, and 3

• Warcraft 3: Season 5 American Regionals
• World of Warcraft: US Regional Finals Coverage

The first day of the Blizzard North American regional tournament is finished, and after many exciting matches, we've narrowed the field down to 3 World of Warcraft Arena teams and 3 Warcraft III players. The teams and players listed below will now compete for a trip to the Blizzard Global Finals, to be held August 3-4 at BlizzCon.

Warcraft III Finalists: (View current bracket and replays)

mTw-nilk
mTw-KiWi
mTw-PaTo

World of Warcraft Finalists:

THE HUKHUKHUKHUKHUKS
Power Trip
We lose cuz Daorok sux

Check back tomorrow to see who claims top honors for the American region and secures a place at the Global Finals at BlizzCon!.

The World of Warcraft and Warcraft III American regional finals will be held at the House of Blues on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3 in San Diego, California. Players will compete for cash prizes and a chance to attend the global finals at BlizzCon 2007. Check out the World of Warcraft and Warcraft III brackets to see who's playing who. If you are in the area, come and watch some epic competition. The event begins at 11 a.m. and admission is free.

Missed the excitement of the Worldwide Invitational? Now you can see the replays from the matches as well as photos taken throughout the event. See the exact match-ups on the new WWI Tournament Brackets page and then check out the complete StarCraft and Warcraft III tournament replays.

Here are the tournament results from WWI. The winners of the respective tournaments in ranking order are

Warcraft III Season 5 Asia Regional Finals
1. Moon
2. Remind
3. Shy

World of Warcraft Asia Regional Finals
1. Notorious
2. D E R tenacity
3. MYTH

Warcraft III Invitational
1. Tod
2. Fov

StarCraft Invitational
1. Bisu
2. Savior

For more information about the tournaments visit the tournament section on the WWI page. Replays from the StarCraft Invitational, the Warcraft III Invitational, and the Warcraft III Season 5 tournament will be posted on www.battle.net.

The Worldwide invitational 2007 was particularly exciting: the event opened with Mike Morhaime's announcement of the Blizzard's newest project, StarCraft II.

During the event, people who attended were able to enjoy performances from Korean singers such as the famous Psy, Lee Hyori, as well as Ivy, Maximum Crew, and Super Junior. Moreover, the famous Video Games Live orchestra made a special appearance, doing a live performance of music from Warcraft, World of Warcraft, and StarCraft!

Besides the tournaments, a many events were prepared for the attendees, including a cosplay contest, a trading card demonstration, discussion panels with developers, among others. If you want to catch a glimpse of the atmosphere during the Worldwide Invitational, you can find some photos of the events here.

World of Warcraft Arena Tournament: Notorious Dominates
The World of Warcraft Arena Regional Finals in Korea have been very impressive. Moreover, the last rounds of the competition have been particularly exciting. During the upper bracket finals, D E R Tenacity faced Notorious. In the end, the Notorious team proved its superiority, winning the first place. The top three teams were:

First place: Notorious
Second Place: DER Tenacity
Third place: Myth

All of these teams will participate in the Global Finals and will go on to face the top players around the world.

Warcraft III Tournament Finals
The Worldwide Invitational Warcraft III tournament is finished! The best players in the world faced each other in this exciting competition. During an incredible 3-match battle, Tod (Yoan Merlo France) faced Fov (Cho Daehui Korea). The Humans, lead by Tod, prevailed against the Undead, lead by Fov.

The Season 5 ladder finals also took place during this tournament. Spirit_Moon won the first place. The top three performers of these finals will participate in the Global Finals.

WWI StarCraft Tournament Finals: Bisu Wins!
We're pleased to announce the winner of the StarCraft WWI tournament: Bisu[Shield] (Kim Taekyong - Korea). Bisu's Protoss won in the final's third match thanks to an incredible rush against Savior's Zerglings. Both Korean players won one match, before Bisu finally won the third one in only a few minutes.

We have added new functionality to Battle.net that allows players to organize and join custom StarCraft leagues. These leagues support stat-tracking, custom icons, and replay uploading, among other features. Check out our StarCraft League page for more information on how to join a league or start your own.

The regional finals for Warcraft III and the World of Warcraft Arena Tournament are coming soon! Check out the locations and dates for each venue. If you are in the area, feel free to come by and see the top teams compete for a spot in the global finals at BlizzCon 2007.

Warcraft III Season 5 is now complete! After a month of fierce competition in the invitational ladder, we have selected the top players from the Azeroth, Northrend, and Kalimdor gateways to compete in the regional finals. Further details on the regional finals, such as when and where they will take place, will be posted in the near future.

Here are the top six performers from each region:

• Azeroth (Americas): Prae.ShrieK, sCa.Tagan)Guan, sCa.Tagan)LW, emissary, TeK-9.Obdurate, C5ipo7i

• Northrend (Europe): submarine, whydidichoseorc, Marakesh, streaksinthesky, mouz.GeiL.TitaN, fnatic.08-RdaM

• Kalimdor (Asia): Spirit_Moon, PrettyWorld, Shy, WE.Ige.Lyn, Check[Pooh], PhoeNix_WinNers

We will be releasing Patch 1.15 for StarCraft within the next few weeks. This patch introduces new functionality to Battle.net that allows players to organize and join custom StarCraft leagues. These leagues support stat-tracking, custom icons, and replay uploading, among other features. Check out the StarCraft LDK page for more information.

A year and a half ago, Blizzard hosted the first "BlizzCon," a convention celebrating the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo game universes and the amazing community of players who contribute to their continued popularity. Today, Blizzard announced that BlizzCon will once again open its doors on August 3, 2007.

Highlights for this year's BlizzCon will include:

• Discussion panels with Blizzard game developers
• Competitive and casual tournaments, including a World of Warcraft TCG tournament
• Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes
• Live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games
• And many more exciting activities to be announced soon!

We are pleased to announce the top two performers from Season 4 for each region!

• Americas: KiWiKaKi, SonKiE
• Europe: Grubby, ToD
• Asia: ReMinD, Lucifer

We plan to look into adopting World of Warcraft's installer, updater, launcher, and/or downloader applications for the Mac versions of StarCraft, Diablo II, and Warcraft III in the future. This will lead to a change in the minimum Mac system requirements for online play; namely, we'll be raising the minimum supported Mac OS version to OS X 10.3.9 when the next major patch is released for these titles. Please see our Mac Update page for further details.

The Warcraft III Season 5 invitational ladder has begun. We have invited the top players from each regional ladder to compete in the invitational ladder. Please refer to the Season 5 FAQ for new information and guidelines about this season's competition. Good luck!

We are pleased to announce the fifth edition of the Battle.net Warcraft III ladder seasons. Based on the positive feedback we received for Season 4, we will be using a similar format for Warcraft III Season 5. Be sure to check out our complete coverage of Season 4, which concluded with an awarding of $10,000 and the Season 4 Global Champion Trophy to ReMinD for his comeback victory in the Global Finals event held in Cologne, Germany this past January.

The upcoming season will once again contain three elite ladders hosted on the Kalimdor, Northrend, and Azeroth gateways. These ladders will initially be populated on an invitation-only basis and feature the world's most established and successful Warcraft III players. Each ladder will function as a standard Battle.net solo ladder, with its own web interface displaying rankings, and its own map pools.

To ensure that all players eventually have the opportunity to compete for seeds in the final events, we'll be refreshing the player pool for each of the ladders at the end of the season. Inactive and low-ranking players from these tournament ladders will be replaced with top-ranked players on the standard Battle.net solo ladders. We intend to use this overall format for future Blizzard tournaments as well.

Ladders

For Season 5, each participant will play on the gateway closest to his or her own geographical location. The ladders for these gateways will have roughly 100-150 players on them, and there will be no restrictions for the AMM (automated matchmaking system). This means that the top player could be pitted against someone much lower on the ladder, but it also means that search times should be faster, as AMM searches will only be impacted by player availability.

Players

Each Season 5 player will receive a unique icon and will be able to view and play on the new ladders through Battle.net. Also, six players from Season 4 will be invited by Blizzard to participate in the Season 5 regional qualifiers based on their success in the Season 4 Global Finals.

Season

Season 5 will last approximately one month, and upon completion, Blizzard will arrange for the top players from each ladder to participate in the offline regional qualifiers. Those who succeed in the regional qualifiers will then go head-to-head in the global finals. Similar to Season 4, the Season 5 finals will be hosted at a dedicated event set up solely for the purpose of closing out the season with a bang. More information will be released in the future, including details on rules, scheduling, and prizes, so please stay tuned to www.battle.net.