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This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.

Cradle of Death is a Co-op Missions map for StarCraft II, based on the map created by Justin "TheSkunk" Purdy, which took 2nd place in the 2017 Rock the Cabinet contest.[1]

Background[]

During the End War, Terran Dominion ghost agent Stone was sent to investigate a Moebius Corps base near several Dominion colony worlds. What he found was a massive battle station secured by mysterious technology. With further scouting, he realized that the xel'naga artifacts hidden within the station could cause its systems to malfunction, resulting in spectacular explosions. Stone was forced to call in allied commanders and their forces to help transport all of the artifacts. Along the way, Moebius attempted to evacuate their weapons data from their outposts, which the allies commanders helped to destroy. In the end, the platform's key points were destroyed, resulting in the station's destruction.[1]

Gameplay[]

"Cradle of Death" has players escort trucks to four set locations, and is the first map to allow players to control map-specific vehicles. Guarding these sites are indestructible gatekeeper constructs that will attack players until they are deactivated by moving a truck near them. They can then be attacked. The health of these constructs increases as the sections of the platform are destroyed.

The order of the platforms to destroy starts with the same section north of the player's starting location, but then is randomized between going northeast or northwest. The players will then have to destroy the other northern section (the opposite of the one they previously destroyed) and then either the southeastern or southwestern section. As the battle goes on, the amount of xel'naga constructs guarding the platforms increases.

When the trucks reach their target, there will be a short time before they explode, destroying both enemies and allies in their blast. A blast radius as well as a bar showing the countdown until detonation will be shown on the player's screen. Both players must take their trucks to a beacon to detonate the platform section.

After the first section is destroyed, the enemy will spawn attack waves near the truck's location. These will possess units from all three races, and will increase in size as the mission goes on. Keeping trucks near attacking forces will help prevent them from being destroyed.

Trucks have a low target priority for enemies, so it is beneficial to keep them close to the frontline, especially in the later game. The damage the constructs do is quite high, so preventing the constructs from launching waves of attacks at the assaulting forces is beneficial to do quickly. If trucks are damaged, they will regenerate health quickly, and will respawn next to the player's base if they are destroyed. If the constructs guarding the beacons are destroyed, trucks will gain a 50% boost to their movement speed.

The bonus objective is to send the player's trucks to two Moebius outposts, one near the second section the player needs to destroy, and the second one near the third section. If the map starts on the northwestern part of the platform, it is easier to detonate the platform first then go to the outpost, but on the northeast side the outpost will be easier to clear first. To achieve the bonus objective, destroy the construct guarding the outpost then send the artifact truck to the beacon. This will not destroy the truck.[1]

Mutators[]

Cradle of Death

Initial minimap vs Protoss

The following mutators have been applied to Cradle of Death.

Development[]

In the original draft of the map, the two commanders would have to deliver a nuclear payload.[2]

Quotations[]

See: Cradle of Death Quotations

Trivia[]

Near the southern research outpost on the western section of the platform, there is a red glowing teleporter surrounded by a fence. If the player moves a ground unit on to a square plate near the teleporter, it will teleport one of the following objects:

  • A crate
  • A protoss canister of liquid
  • A rainbow
  • Grunty (who will make murloc sounds)
  • A truck (which will make a truck honking sound)

An unused voice line has Stone say "'Teleportation by TheSkunk and Pr0nogo.' I wonder how it works?" This is a reference to TheSkunk, who created the map, and Pr0nogo, who voiced the map announcer in its second incarnation.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cradle of Death (in English). 2018.
  2. 2017-07-25, Rock the Cabinet 2017 – Winners Announced. YouTube, accessed on 2017-08-05
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