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The Blistering Sands is a desert tileset map in StarCraft II.[2]

It is one of the maps available in the Wings of Liberty demo.

Overview[]

There are a series of bridges that connect the Blistering Sands to the surrounding area, all of which have been destroyed. The sands themselves are divided by canyons, featuring scrub and cacti both in and above these landforms. At some point it appears that conflict gripped the sands – the wreckages of battlecruisers, MULEs and Nomads can be seen and an abandoned mine site is located to the north. The site's bunkers and barracks stand in ruins and appear to have suffered an attack. In fact, the only pieces of intact terran architecture are a pipe system and a series of windmills north-north-west of the sands.[3]

Game Map[]

Blistering Sands was removed from the ladder pool as it was too easy for opposing armies to get stalemated.[4] As of May, 2011 however, the map holds sixth place in the top ten most popular 1v1 maps in the game.[5]

The mains are protected by narrow chokes which connect them to the naturals.[2] However, the mains have a "back door", guarded by destructible rocks; the back doors are actually closer to each other than the front doors.[6] The naturals are also protected by narrow chokes.[2]

The "rush distance" is quite long, making rushing difficult. The air-to-air distance between each main base is also long.[6]

The xel'naga towers watch over routes between the bases. Each is defended by a narrow choke point, making it easy for a player to hold a tower.[6]

Golden mineral sites have more destructible rocks, preventing a player from building an expansion until the rocks are destroyed.[2][6]

Strategies[]

Players can use both offensive and defensive strategies on Blistering Sands. Aggressive players can grab a second expansion, which is accessible through three routes, away from their natural. Breaking the destructible rocks blocking the opponent's main also gives a big advantage. Defensive players can take advantage of narrow chokes and the long rush distance.[6]

References[]

Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard) Map: Blistering Sands (in English). 2010.

  1. 1.0 1.1 hawks911. 2009-07-02. Protoss Late Game Experience. Inc.Gamers. Accessed 2009-08-07.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dustin Browder, Robert Simpson, Matt Cooper, David Kim. 2008-12-19. Battle Report (2). Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2009-04-16.
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010
  4. Blizzard Entertainment staff. 2011-03-03. Patch 1.3 Map Changes. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2011-04-09.
  5. 2011-05-07, Melee Map Madness. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2011-05-10
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Blizzard Entertainment staff. 2009-11-18. Legacy of War: Designing the One vs One (1v1) maps of StarCraft II. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2009-11-19.
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