StarCraft 2 Heart Of The Swarm Release Date Announced, Collector's And Digital Deluxe Editions Offered

Blizzard revealed today that Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion pack for StarCraft 2, will be arriving on March 12th across the world. The game's official website is now accepting digital pre-purchases.

Heart of the Swarm adds a new campaign that continues where the base game left off. Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of the Blades, must regain control of the scattered zerg Swarm. Once she marshals her forces, she'll use them to strike at Arcturus Mengsk. The standard SC2 multiplayer experience will also be augmented by the addition of new units.

The Standard Edition of Swarm costs $39.99. The Digital Deluxe Edition, priced at $59.99, comes with a Torrasque skin and Swarm-themed Battle.net portraits and decals. World of Warcraft players will unlock a Baneling pet as well that can be used in Pet Battles. If you play Diablo 3, you'll also unlock zerg-like "Blade Wings" and a Swarm banner sigil.

Both the Standard and Digital Deluxe Editions can be purchased through StarCraft2.com. If you opt for the Standard package, you can upgrade to Digital Deluxe at any time by paying an additional $20.

Boxed copies of the Standard Edition will also be available in retailers, alongside a $79.99 Collector's Edition. The CE comes with all of the extras from the Digital Deluxe Edition. Additionally, it includes a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-ray, soundtrack CD, 144-page artbook, and Zerg Rush mousepad.

Blizzard is planning a massive global launch for Swarm. The game will be available in English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Italian, and Polish. The Chinese release date hasn't been set yet but will be announced soon.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.