Starcraft 2 Beginner's Guide to Build Orders for All Races

Starcraft II is a real-time strategy game that pits players into a battle of resource-gathering and army management against other players or computer AI.

The game features three unique races that each have their strengths and weaknesses alongside different structures and units. Some of these units are stronger than others and some can be used to counter an opponent's specific army composition.

Starcraft II Beginner's Guide to Build Orders

Starcraft 2 Beginner's Guide to Build Orders for All Races — Learn to become better in Starcraft II using this beginner's guide to build orders for all races, showcasing a basic example for each and a short explanation for the strategies that are used.
(Photo : Blizzard / Screenshot taken from official website)

One of the main factors in winning a game in Starcraft II is managing your base properly knowing what your opponent is doing and responding in kind. Typically, players, even professionals, follow certain build orders during the early stages of a game to either build up a sufficient army for the late game or try to end it quickly with a swift attack.

Build orders following certain progressions, particularly when you build specific structures to unlock units or other advanced technology. There are many build orders for each race that players can choose from that can be either more or less effective against other build orders.

While some players may find it more beneficial to play the game for hours on end until they find their own build, there are many orders that can give others an easier time in getting familiarized, according to Lineups.

The main thing that players need to look out for when following build orders is the supply, which is given by Supply Depots for Terran, Pylons for Protoss, and Overlords for Zerg. This is what is commonly used to point out when to build structures or units. Some example build orders are a Double Gas Expand, a Four Gateway Opening, and a Roach All-In.

Many of these terminologies are somewhat difficult to understand for newer players but the key is to take it slow and try to build up your understanding of the game through multiple plays. There are general build orders that typically try to reach a macro-oriented army composition where a bigger force will almost always beat a smaller army.

For Terran

A simple but reliable build order is the Double Barracks play. This build order focuses on a strong bio army composition that relies on numbers to supplement its mobility, said VG247. The first number depicts the current supply and the latter is the total available:

~9/10 - 1st Supply Depot (Use SCV to scout enemy's base)

~11/18 - 1st Barracks

~13/18 - 2nd Barracks

~15/18 - 2nd Supply Depot

After this, players can build a Refinery and a third Supply Depot and continue to expand their base. They can either focus on building up an army or start to get more resources by taking on another base.

For Protoss

Utilizing their units' inherent strength and toughness can sometimes be the deciding factor in a battle. One of the most common build orders for this advanced race is the 10/12 Gate Zeal build:

~8/9 - 1st Pylon (Use Probe to scout enemy's base)

~10/17 - 1st Gateway

'~12/17 - 2nd Gateway

~13/17 - 1st Zealot and then 2nd Pylon

~17/25 - Two Zealots, 3rd Pylon

This is a strategy that makes it relatively quick for players to build up a sustainable defensive core against other players or computer AI that goes for a rush or builds up a massive army of their own.

For Zerg

Zerg players, on the other hand, have a different feel compared to the other two races because instead of constructing or warping in buildings, Drones are used to metamorph into structures. This means that every building you create will cost you one worker that could have been gathering resources.

This basic build order lets players have a solid defensive structure set up to respond to what their enemies might try to use:

~13/14 - Overlord

~17/22 - Hatchery

~18/22 - Extractor and Spawning Pool

~19/22 - Overlord

~20/22 - Two Queens and Four Zerglings (After Spawning Pool finishes)

~27/36 - Metabolic Boost

After this, you can either build up another base or try to amass an army to try and attack the enemy to either damage their economy or catch them off guard.

Players who are looking to get better in Starcraft II need to keep in mind what units are good for others and be updated about the game's latest balance changes. The most recent of these is the 5.0.13 patch, which changed some numbers around for certain units and upgrades.

A general change to this patch is that the worker attack range has been increased from 0.1 to 0.2 and workers' inner radius was reduced from 0.375 to 0.3125. For Terrans, Liberators have had their advanced ballistics range bonus dropped from 3 to 2. Widow Mines' invisibility will now have to be unlocked with the Drilling Claws upgrade.

The unit's splash damage radius was also reduced from 1.75 to 1.5 and it now gives an attack alert to the enemy when burrowing in range of enemy units. On the other hand, the Army has had its gas cost reduced from 100 to 50.

Zergs will have an increased creep spread radius from their Hatchery, going from 12 to 13. Overlords have their Transport morph time increased from 12.14 seconds to 15 seconds but had their upgraded speed increased from 1.10 to 1.28 (2.83 to 3.00 with Pneumatized Carapace).

For Protoss, Observers will now be trained faster, going down from 21.4 seconds to 17.9 seconds and their shields have been increased by 10. Pylons' sight range has also been increased from 9 to 10. The entire patch notes for the update can be found on the Blizzard website here.