Benefits of a Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide

If you're new to Starcraft 2, or you've been playing a while now but can't seem to get a positive win/lose ratio, a Starcraft 2 strategy guide can help you more than you think! First, consider what you're lacking right now. Do you suck at micro? Having a hard time transitioning from mid-game to late-game and managing the macro? Are you simply getting out played every game?

If you answer yes to any of these, purchasing a Starcraft 2 strategy guide is the definite way to go. There are quite a few out there and most of them offer the following features:

• Strategies for all races
• Replays and commentaries
• Specific build orders and how to use them
• Unit descriptions and other similar resources
• Tips to increase your skills
• Tricks that aren't known to everyone

If you look at all these features and how they can benefit you, it's pretty clear to see that a strategy guide may be right for you.

Get the most out of your game

I'm going to list out the best ways to get better at Starcraft 2. These are the methods that I used and recommend to every newbie that comes across and asks me how I got so good.

Watch Commentaries
Starcraft 2 is so big in Korea that they have their own TV channel dedicated to matches from top players! America is slowly catching on, but YouTube is packed full of good and helpful commentaries that highlight certain strategies and lets you see how the pros play. Look up HDStarcraft and HuskyStarcraft on YouTube and just give yourself an hour or two to just go through their channels.

Study Replays/Video Podcasts
Just do a search on Google for "SC2 replays" and you'll find a ton of resources where you can find top players showing off their newest strats in their replays. Download a bunch of replays and set aside an hour or two again to pop them all in and watch. Don't fast forward the beginning because the early game is the most important part of Starcraft 2. Some people like Day9 and Sen (Taiwan) put up video podcasts where they either play live or give a commentary on a live game. Again, HUGE learning opportunity here. If you're serious about SC2, you should be subscribed to them.

Play, Lose and Watch... Then Repeat
The next step should be to take what you've learned and start playing nonstop and lose. You heard me right. Losing can get so discouraging but you have to get used to it as every pro player out there lose to other pro players. If you're a newb, then you have a fair chance at losing to another newb. As you move up the ladder, you'll have the same chances over and over again. Tip: After every loss, watch the replay. See what your opponent did and think about what YOU could've done better.

Get A Strategy Guide
I'm not talking about one of those nerdy strategy books that high school virgins carry around. Get a solid, online strategy guide and get direct tips/build orders/strategies on how to better your game. This Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide offers free resources and also reviews one that is highly recommended.