StarCraft 2 patch 2.1 makes custom maps and mod tools free

StarCraft II has received a major update, with patch 2.1 offering Arcade mode, custom games, all three SC2 races, and a gaggle of mod tools to Starter Edition owners for free.

Ozzie Mejia

January 21, 2014 2:45 PM

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Blizzard is in a very giving mood today. StarCraft II has deployed its 2.1 patch, which offers a lot of major changes. The biggest addition is that the Arcade mode, custom games, and all three StarCraft II races are now free-to-play for all players.

Newcomers can download the StarCraft II Starter Edition from Battle.net free of charge and get access to the aforementioned content. Blizzard is also implementing Extension Mods (allowing players to apply SC2 mods to melee maps), clan-initiated Events, an increased level cap, and a remastered soundtrack.

Most interesting, perhaps, is that the 2.1 patch gives would-be modders access to StarCraft II Art Tools, the set of plug-ins and 3ds Max 2011 scripts used to create the full game.

Check out the full list of patch notes here and watch the two trailers below for more on SC2's gargantuan new patch.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?