Starcraft 2 strategy guides – Comparison and Review
Confused with so many Starcraft 2 strategy guides? Wondering which one is the best for you? Well, let us help you to figure out which Starcraft 2 strategy guide will suit you the best. First of all note that each of these guides are unique in themselves in terms of features, quality and quantity of the Starcraft 2 strategies that they offer. We have reviewed five most widely used guides and put together this small table that briefly describes each of the guides.
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So which guide is best for you?
Whether you are aware of Starcraft and strategy games in general or not, I highly recommend that you go for Shokz Starcraft 2 strategy guide as it is the best guide available in the market currently. With the latest campaign guides having been updated, it is our top pick currently. If you are looking for a strong understanding of how everything works and want to read up on everything in one place before you delve right in, then this is for you. This will get you very well introduced to Starcraft 2. It contains everything that you would require as you begin your Starcraft 2 career. Right from the basic fundamentals of a strategy game to professional level gaming, everything can be found in this guide.
Check out a more detailed review of Shokz guide by clicking here.
Starcraft 2 Hotkeys Guide – Sharpen Your Play by Using Hotkeys
Written by Evan “FCsTrYKe” Kim , A 700 point Diamond league player
When you don’t have a solid Starcraft 2 hotkey setup, the game can feel clunky and frustrating to play. You’ll end up losing battles you could have won, falling behind in unit production, and worst of all you’ll never reach your true gaming potential.
If you’re not using hotkeys to their fullest, you can start using them today to improve your game. In this guide, we’re going to talk about the two types of hotkeys, decent hotkey setups, and good habits which are guaranteed to improve your game.
The Basics of Hotkeys
If you don’t know anything about the Starcraft 2 hotkey system, I’ll give you a really quick crash course (if you’re already familiar with the hotkey basics, you can probably skip this part).
There are two types of hotkeys:
- Number hotkeys
- Letter hotkeys
The number keys, in Starcraft 2, are called control groups, and they remember your selections. Let’s say you have 8 marines selected – hit CTRL+4 and any time you hit 4, you’ll reselect that same group. Want to add some marauders to the group? Hit SHIFT+4 and the marauders will be added to the marines.
The letter keys let you access individual skills on your units and buildings. Every spell and command in the game has its own hotkey – for instance, you can build a pylon by hitting B (build) followed by E (build pylon). Using stim on some marines and marauders is activated by hitting T.
Let’s talk about each type in more detail so that you can figure out a system that works for you.
Setting Up the Numbers in SC2
There are two important things to remember when using the Starcraft 2 number hotkeys.
- The best system is the one which is the most comfortable for you
- Plan out which numbers are going to hold what and stick with it
While you might be looking for the best hotkey setup, the fact is that there isn’t one. Different pros use different setups because they use whatever they find comfortable – this changes between different people due to hand size, comfort with using the higher numbers, and race.
If you need a solid setup to get you started, here are the ones which work for me at the mid Diamond level of play. I’ve included a sample setup for every race.
Terran Hot Keys:
- 1: Main Army (General Use)
- 2: Main Army (Tanks can go in here)
- 3: Specialty Units (Ravens, Medivacs, Ghosts)
- 4: Command Centers
- 5: All Barracks, Factories, and Starports
Protoss Hotkeys:
- 1: Main Army (Melee Units)
- 2: Main Army (Ranged Units)
- 3: Specialty Units (Sentries, Templar)
- 4: Nexuses
- 5: All Gateways, Robotics Facilities, and Stargates
- Note: Once you get warpgate tech, you can remove the gateways from your 5 hotkey. Starcraft 2 gives the warpgates their own special hotkey – “W”
Zerg Hotkeys:
- 1: Main Army (Melee Units)
- 2: Main Army (Ranged Units)
- 3: Specialty Units (Infestors)
- 4: All Hatcheries
- 5-0: Queens
- Note: When you want to inject larvae, double tap the number of the queen, hit V, click on the hatchery, and then double tap the number of the next queen.
Whatever number system you decide to use, you need to force yourself to use the system every time you need to move your army or produce out of a building. While at first, you’ll be tempted to click on your units and buildings to issue commands, resist that temptation.
Eventually you’ll get to the point where you don’t even think about the hotkeys anymore – at that point, the keyboard becomes an extension of your mind, which is something that will smooth out your play.
Working with the Letters
While the number keys let you select your units and buildings, the letter keys let you use their abilities quickly and effectively.
As a rule of thumb, you should never click on something you can hit using the letter hotkeys.
If you want to build a barracks, select your SCV, hit B (for build) followed by B (for barracks).
If you want to cast forcefield, select your sentry, hit F (for forcefield) and click where you want to place it.
Do NOT click on a spell, upgrade, or ability just because you don’t know what the hotkey is. Instead, hover your mouse over the spell and check what hotkey it’s mapped to. Then hit the hotkey for the spell. Over time you’ll naturally remember what the hotkeys are for everything, and you’ll be able to use your abilities on the fly as they’re needed.
Standard Hotkeys vs. Grid HotKeys
If you go into your options, you’ll notice that in the Starcraft 2 hotkeys section you have the option of changing your hotkey setup. The two setups we’re concerned with are the Standard and Grid hotkeys setup.
The standard keys are the ones which you’ve been using since the beginning. While some of the hotkeys don’t make too much sense (pylon is mapped to E), all of the hotkeys prioritize your middle and pointer fingers, making them very easy to hit.
If you haven’t heard of grid Hotkeys, they basically take the box in the lower right hand corner and map every icon to a grid on your keyboard. Explaining this system is a bit difficult, but becomes really obvious with a photo. In Starcraft 2 Grid Hotkeys are also referred to as GridKeys.
Some people prefer gridkeys over the standard keys because they’re very easy to learn – all you have to do is see where the hotkey you want to press is and then press the corresponding key on the keyboard. I don’t personally like them because you end up using your pinkie and ring fingers to hit a lot of the hotkeys, and since my pointer and middle fingers are more dexterous, I prefer the standard keys.
That said you should probably try out both systems and see which one works better for you – you’ll never know until you try it!
Combining the Number and Letter Hotkeys
If you’ve followed the guide this far, you have:
- A number hotkey system that’s comfortable for you, and
- You know that you should be using the letter keys to access every skill
All that’s left is to combine the numbers and letters together so you can perform actions quickly, easily, and without even thinking about them.
The process is actually very simple.
Step 1: Hit the number hotkey holding the unit/building you want to use
Step 2: Tab to the group of units/buildings you want to use
Step 3: Hit the letter key of the ability you want to use
Let’s go through some examples so you can get a good idea of how high level players handle their Starcraft 2 hotkeys.
Example 1: Using Chronoboost on your Gateway
If you play Protoss, you’ll need to chronoboost things all the time.
You’ll naturally be tempted to click on your Nexus and then chronoboost the building you want to chronoboost. Even if you’re chronoboosting the Nexus itself, avoid that temptation.
Instead hit your Nexus hotkey (if you’re following my sample setup, it’s on 4), hit the chronoboost hotkey (on standard keys, it’s C), and then click on the building you want to chronoboost.
Anytime you want to chronoboost anything, your fingers should automatically hit 4-C-click.
Example 2: Producing Units out of Barracks, Factories, and Starports
If you’re Terran, you need an efficient way to make units from all of your buildings. If you’re following my sample setup, all of your barracks, factories, and starports should be bound to 5.
When you need to make units:
- Hit 5 to select your buildings
- Build units from your barracks (A = Marine, D = Marauder, R = Reaper, G = Ghost)
- Hit TAB to select your factories
- Build units from your factories (E = Hellion, S = Siege Tank, T = Thor)
- Hit TAB to select your starports
- Build units from your starports (V = Viking, D = Medivac, E = Banshee, R = Raven, B = Battlecruiser)
If you only need to make units from your starports:
- Hit 5 to select your buildings
- Hit TAB twice to select your starports
- Build units from your starports
Example 3: Casting Force Field and Psionic Storm in Battle
If you have sentries and high templar on the same hotkey, the templar will always come first and the sentries will come second. The same thing applies to every unit for every race – units will always group in the same order no matter when they were added to the group.
When you need to cast force fields AND storm:
- Hit 3 to select your spellcasters (if you’re using my sample setup)
- Hold “T” and click wherever you want the storms to be cast (you can keep clicking as long as your high templar have energy)
- Hit TAB to select your sentries
- Hold “F” and click wherever you want the forcefields to be cast (you can keep clicking as long as your sentries have energy)
When you ONLY need to cast force fields but you have both high templar and sentries:
- Hit 3 to select your spellcasters
- Hit TAB to select your sentries
- Cast the forcefields
If you can master both the number and letter keys, you’ll see definite improvements in your play – go out there, try these new hotkeys, and let me know how it goes in the comments!
About the Author:
Evan “FCsTrYKe” Kim is a 700 point Diamond Random player and writes about Starcraft 2 Strategy at his blog. Follow him on Twitter for free Starcraft 2 updates!
Starcraft 2 Guide for Terran Vs Zerg – Countering Early Zerg Tricks and Rushes
Susceptibility to early game rushes is very common for a Starcraft 2 Terran player. The Zerg or Protoss may lose a few workers as a result of them being rushed; however you as Terran may end up losing the battle if you are rushed upon by the enemies. An important Starcraft 2 strategy must be to protect the flimsy Marines with whatever resources are available to you in the early stages of the game.
A decent Starcraft 2 strategy used by most new players against Zerg players is that they wall off their entrance to their base. By doing so the Zerglings sent for an early attack on your base end up stuck attacking your Supply Depots while your Marines fire on them without any serious damage being taken by your Marines. More >
A basic Starcraft 2 strategy guide – Introduction to Starcraft 2
In Starcraft 2, you play as either the Zerg, Protoss or Terran. Zergs can raise an army very fast; Terrans are versatile and flexible; and Protoss are the most technologically superior, with effective but expensive units. This Starcraft 2 guide will tell you about the various aspects of the game that you must take care of once you start the game. More >
Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide – Advice To Get Good At The Game Quickly!
In order to become a good Starcraft 2 player the first thing you need is practice. Play as much as you can, the practise and the experience are invaluable. This Starcraft 2 guide will attempt to tell you how you can get good at the game really quickly.
There is no one definitive Starcraft 2 strategy that can serve you in all situations. You will have to figure out what to do in each game. If you find yourself being outwitted by a similar strategy multiple times, take note and work out a counter – this is where experience and practise helps. More >
Starcraft 2 Guide – What You Can Expect Online
In Starcraft 2, simple things like map size and opponent’s race can provide you with a lot of information, allowing you to pre-empt almost any Starcraft 2 strategy. Therefore if you read your signs right, you enjoy a significant advantage in the game. This Starcraft 2 guide will show you how you can spot signs and use them to your advantage. More >
Starcraft 2 Zerg Vs Terran Strategy – Learn how to counter Terran
This Starcraft 2 guide addresses a specific situation – Zerg players up against Terrans in the early stages of the game. Firstly, it is not likely that you will face any harassment of a magnitude lesser than a Reaper rush. Terrans tend to have a slow start and they tend to play defensively – holing themselves up with Supply Depots and Barracks with Siege Tanks and Marauders for support. More >
Joana’s Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide Review
If you are a World of Warcraft player, I am pretty sure Joana doesn’t need any introduction. If you aren’t Joana is a World of Warcraft Celebrity of sorts. He has the record for the fastest leveling runs in WoW and is the author of his Best selling WoW guide. Joana has apparently been playing starcraft for quite some time and Starcraft 2 is the logical move for him. This is an unbiased and honest review of Joana’s starcraft 2 strategy guide.
If you are a WoW player and shifting to Starcraft, this is the guide for you, Period! We also rate Joana’s guide the best if you are relatively new to Starcraft 2 and would like to strengthen your fundamentals first before moving onto his expert strategies.
If you are someone who hates Long reviews, here is the basic summary of all the points below. Joana’s guide, kicks ass on multiple fronts. More >
Starcraft 2 strategy for Protoss – The Strongest Units of the Protoss
There are many strong units in Starcraft 2 game, every player should know about these units to do well in the game . Every race has it’s end game units. Here is a Starcraft 2 guide which will tell you about some of the strongest units of the Protoss race.
The Protoss have three strong units which are very difficult to beat if you are not well prepared.
StarCraft 2 Strategy Guide – Zerg Vs. Terran’s Formidable Ground Army
In a Zerg vs. Terran game, the Terrans are capable of fielding a powerful ground force. This Starcraft 2 guide is aimed at teaching you how you can deal with a Terran ground attack while playing as Zerg.
One of the mainstays of any Zerg Starcraft 2 strategy is the Mutalisk. However, against Terrans this might not work. Mutalisks can be neutralised if the Terrans make good use of Turrets. When your Mutalisk attack is repulsed, you need to prepare for his ground attack which would probably consist of Marines, Marauders, Siege Tanks and Medivacs.
Starcraft 2 Hotkey guide, tips and tutorial
This Starcraft 2 guide will show you how you can effectively use hotkeys in your game. In Starcraft 2, hotkeying is a slightly nuanced but useful technique; prioritisation is key. It is easy enough once you figure out what to hotkey.
Your main base should be hotkeyed to #1. Select your Main Base, press Ctrl and then press #1. Now when you press #1, your Main Base will get selected; press it twice and your screen jumps to your Base.
Starcraft 2 choke point guide
Choke points are places when large map terrain narrows down into a very small path that restricts or can be used to restrict movement of units to the other side. Usually wherever your base is placed you should have at least one choke point near the entrance right before your base opens up to the overall terrain. A simple example would be the narrow ramp near your base that connects lower terrain to higher terrain. It can be natural part of the map terrain or you could create one yourself using some units, buildings or force fields.
Starcraft 2 Guide – Protoss Immortals Strategy
Playing as the Protoss is extremely fun since they are a race that always has an answer to whatever units the enemy sends to attack them. In this Starcraft 2 guide, we will go over the Protoss unit Immortal and see how and when we can use them for obtaining maximum benefit.
Visit Shokz guide for more of such advanced Starcraft 2 strategies
First of all, it is important that you know two very unique properties of the Immortals before we go on discussing this Starcraft 2 strategy. The first thing you need to know is that Immortals are equipped with a special shield due to which they only take a maximum of 10 damage. Any further damage done to them in a single hit is deflected. The other thing is that Immortals are able to deal out more damage according to how much armor the enemy has. When you take a look at these combined characteristics of the immortals, you will come to realize that they are very effective against large units like the Thors or the Ultralisks. But on the flip side, Immortals will be chewed up by groups of smaller units like the Zerglings or Marines.
Starcraft 2 Strategy guide for Terran – How to harass enemies
If you observe the game closely enough, you will find that Starcraft 2 is basically a game revolving around harassment of your opponents. To dramatically increase your chances of victory, all you have to do is make sure that you are always a step ahead of your foe. This statement holds even more truth when you play as the Terran race. In this Starcraft 2 guide, we will discuss how we can harass and engage our enemy by playing as the Terran race.
Visit Shokz guide for more of such advanced Starcraft 2 strategies
Starcraft 2 Campaign Mission 2 Walkthrough : The Outlaws
Mission: The Outlaws
This is the 2nd mission in Starcraft 2 campaigns. Check out the Video guide of Starcraft 2 campaign mission 2 – The outlaws. Detailed and step by step instructions to guide you through the entire campaign.
Starcraft 2 Campaign Mission 1 Walkthrough
Video guide for Starcraft 2 campaign mission 1. Check out the entire step by step detailed walkthrough for campaign mission 1. More >
Starcraft 2 Cheat Codes
The game has barely released 24 hours ago and everyone is currently playing the Single player campaigns and the most sought after info at the moment is….Starcraft 2 Cheat codes is the most sought after information at the moment.
These are cheats that are currently unsubstantiated. If you find that these arent working, please let us know, we will rectify it asap.
Starcraft 2 Protoss vs Terran guide – How to counter Marine / Marauder
Here is a very good Starcraft 2 guide where you can learn how to counter Terran Marine and Terran Marauder when playing a Protoss Vs Terran match. Every one thinks that Terran’s are overpowered. But in this guide, Husky proves them wrong. If you know and can play Protoss really well then you can get Colossus and render Terran Marine and Terran Marauder building practically useless. Check out the video to learn how this is possible:
Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide for Noobs or Beginners

If you are a beginner player and looking for a good Starcraft 2 guide for noobs then we have just the right one for you! Shokz Starcraft 2 strategy guide is the best Starcraft 2 guide for noobs. As a newbie or as we call them ‘beginners’ you are completely new to game. You are having a hard time catching up as there is so much to know and learn and you feel that there are players, probably your very good friends who are way ahead of you.
Starcraft 2 Terran vs Zerg strategy – How to counter Queen
Another good Starcraft 2 strategy for countering Zerg Queen when playing a Terran vs Zerg match. Protoss has mainly three units that can prove very useful against Zerg Queens – Ghosts, Repears and Marauders. In Starcraft 2, there is a perfect counter for each and every unit. For Zerg Queen these three are the best counters a Terran player can have.
Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategy Guide Review
Jul 15th
I bought Shokz Starcraft 2 Strategies guide about a week back. I did not expect much from this guide as I had already read the other guides. But to my surprise it turns out that Shokz Starcraft 2 strategy guide is much better than the other guides. The way all the strategies and campaign walk-through are presented and explained is simply remarkable. This is one heck of a starcraft 2 strategy guide that you do not want to miss out on! Apart from being an excellent and well written Starcraft 2 strategy guide, the excellent quality of content makes this guide worth the money. Here are few examples of what you will be getting with Shokz guide. Remember this list is just an overview of some of the chapters in this guide. There is a lot more that you have never even heard of.
- A beginners guide – extremely useful if you are a newbie. Even if you an expert player, this section has something that I am sure you have not heard of before.
- Diamond league strategies – Tips and tricks that will help you to get into diamond league. These professional level strategies are something that you definitely want to look at. Wondering how your opponent is so fast when you are just getting started? Well all the secrets are revealed in this section.
- Build orders and guides for each of the three races – Terran, Zerg and Protoss
- Wiping out an entire enemy base with two special Protoss units.
- Terran’s scout strategy that can’t be blocked.
- Zerg strategies to get control over an entire map.
- Five special strategies to win games right away.
- Campaign guide, for free
- …and much more
Additionally, the members area is updated regularly with tons of new Starcraft 2 strategies along with videos and pictures.
Click here to Download Shokz Guide Now!
- Rating:





- Cost: 37$, one time only
- Monthly recurring fees: No
- Money back guarantee: 60 days
- Members zone: Yes
- Recommended: Yes, highly recommended!
About the author: Shokz is a reputed player who was able to achieve diamond rank really quickly. His pro-strategies and hours of game play have translated into this fantastic starcraft 2 strategy guide. As far as competition and comparison goes, Shokz guide is much better than other guides. It deserves five stars. Shokz is also known for his previous guides for other games and he puts in his best effort so that he stays ahead of the competition. I think that this guide is definitely worth it and you should give it a try. If you don’t like it you can always return it. There’s a 60 days money back guarantee!
Still not convinced? Click here to read our in-depth detailed review of Shokz starcraft 2 guide.





