The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to a halt and has essentially forced us all to stay inside at the same time. Nowadays, one of the most effective ways that we can battle the pandemic is to practice social distancing.
Thankfully, plenty of gaming developers have been supportive in making that as enjoyable of an activity as possible. Blizzard has hopped onto this trend with gusto, announcing earlier today that World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth players will be enjoying double experience until April 30th, and now coming out with a great gift to StarCraft II players as well.
“With so many around the world staying safe indoors right now, we wanted to make it a little easier for everyone to connect with each other through StarCraft II,” Blizzard wrote in their announcement. “From Friday, March 20th through Thursday, April 2nd, we are lifting the free-play level cap on all Co-op Commanders.”
That isn’t all the gifts that Blizzard has in store for StarCraft II players, though. The developers are also enabling a 100% Co-op bonus XP until Thursday, April 16th. With all Commanders unlocked, along with every unit and ability, it’s a great time to stay inside, grind out a few levels, and hang out with your friends over the internet.
Of course, one April 2nd comes around, any Commanders you don’t own will leave your playable service. There’s a silver lining, though: if you liked one of the Commanders so much that you decide you want to play them again, you’ll retain all the levels you earned with them once you purchase them. You’ll also keep any achievements you’ve earned, and Commanders will not return to level 5.
Blizzard does warn about a few issues, though. Players may receive achievement toasts for Commander purchase rewards at the beginning and end of the free period regardless of whether they’ve made any purchases or not. Additionally, the UI on the Commander-selection screen might show XP as being capped if you don’t own a commander.
Still, neither of these issues affect gameplay or your ability to pick any commanders you want, so it’s not something to be too worried about. Blizzard is making a fantastic effort to make the current tumultuous times just a bit more enjoyable for the gaming community that may be finding themselves stuck indoors for the foreseeable future.
Hopefully, things will calm down and the world will go back to normal soon. Until then, the Korprulu Sector awaits you.
