‘StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm’ To Introduce Multiplayer Level Progression

Blizzard will be introducing a new leveling system with StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the company announced on Thursday.

In a blog post on the StarCraft II website, Blizzard said that the leveling system will be handled on a per-race basis, but you’ll also have an “overall” level determined by your cumulative levels with each race. The more games you play as a Protoss, win or lose, the more experience you’ll earn towards that race–and the more unlocks you’ll get.

To get those levels–and those unlocks–you’ll have to take out enemy units and/or buildings. Bonuses for first win of the day is possible, Blizzard said in the post, and there’s even the possibility of seeing a few bonus XP weekends.

Blizzard says that the system is still in its early stages, but at present it plans to hand out things such as unit decals and player portraits through Heart of the Swarm‘s new leveling system. If you prefer to stay away from ranked games, you’ll still be able to earn experience towards each race (and your overall level) through custom games.

If you’re one of the fortunate few selected to participate in the Heart of the Swarm beta, Blizzard will be rolling out the feature in the next patch for players to test out. The levels will be reset periodically, of course, but Blizzard promises to give advance warning.

Blizzard didn’t give a firm release date for the leveling system patch, only saying that it’s coming “very soon.”