Starcraft II: Heart of The Swarm multiplayer updates - Shredder and Replicant axed

Starcraft II's first expansion, Heart of the Swarm, has undergone some serious tinkering since players last got a good look at it during last year's Blizzcon.

Writing on the Starcraft II developer blog, Blizzard's Dustin Browder said Heart of the Swarm will hopefully be playable somewhere soon, so players can check out all these changes themselves.

The shredder, a Terran unit, has been axed because it wasn't being used as intended and turned out to be a little cheap, and Blizzard is thinking of cutting the warhound, too. Browder noted that the Terrans' flexibility and effectiveness makes them hard to develop for.

On the Protoss side, the Oracle is safe but the Replicant is gone as players reacted to it by giving up on other kinds of unit. the Tempest air unit has been modified from a splash damage attack to a ranged siege weapon with ground and aerial attacks. Blizzard is trying out a "mass recall" tool for the slower-expanding Protoss, too.

The Zerg haven't seen much tinkering, although the Viper is going to become a pure caster, meaning the Overseer needs an overhaul, and Blizzard has some neat ideas for Nydus Worms.

Heart of the Swarm has not been dated.

Thanks, Talkar!