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The Growing Shadow is the second mission of Legacy of the Void, and the second mission of the Aiur storyline.

History[]

Zeratul's Vision[]

After the revelation that the hybrid were in control of the feral zerg on Aiur, Hierarch Artanis sought Dark Prelate Zeratul's council. Zeratul informed him that Amon had returned, but that the Keystone could be their salvation by showing them the way to the remaining xel'naga. Zeratul told Artanis that the Keystone was on Korhal, and Artanis tasked him with retrieving it while Artanis marshaled his forces for the coming war.[1]

The Mission[]

Zeratul and several of his stalkers went to the Void Seeker, but found it destroyed. He was ambushed by zerg, and he ordered his forces to retreat to the nearby nexus point. As he reactivated the base, Executor Selendis informed Zeratul that she could no longer sense Artanis within the Khala, an impossibility for all Khalai. She sent Zeratul her phase-smith, Karax, and tasked him with finding Artanis.

With Karax's help, Zeratul reestablished the Nexus point and raised an army. Zeratul's forces fought their way through zerg hives, and eventually encountered crazed Templar warriors who attacked him on sight. Zeratul stated they must have been corrupted by the hybrid. He found that the Templar base had fallen to the corruption, and attempted to contact Selendis, but got no response.

Zeratul eventually found Artanis, who was fighting against a great rage within the Khala. Amon's voice taunted them, stating he comes to offer salvation in oblivion. He took control of Zeratul's Khalai forces through the Khala, but was unable to corrupt Zeratul or any of his Nerazim. Zeratul fought his way to Artanis, who had been fully possessed by Amon, and affirmed that he must sever his nerve cords and remove him from the Khala and Amon's influence.[2]

Chains[]

"The Keystone... will guide you... to the xel'naga..."

- Zeratul's last words(src)

ArtanisZeratul SC2-LotV Cine2

Zeratul fighting a corrupted Artanis

Zeratul and Artanis battled, Artanis wielding red psi-blades and using void energies to repel Zeratul. In the final blow, Zeratul severed Artanis's nerve cords, but Artanis delivered a fatal blow to Zeratul. In his last moments Zeratul told Artanis the Keystone would guide him to the xel'naga. Artanis expressed grief for his fallen friend, asking for forgiveness, then took up his warp blade, intending to carry on his quest to awaken the xel'naga.[3]

Walkthrough[]

The first section of the mission requires the player to guide three stalkers to a nexus point. This portion introduces the concept of blink, and encounters are limited to small packs of zerglings and mutalisks.

After the nexus point is reached, the player is taught the basics of unit production and economy. A basic balance of zealots and stalkers can clear the way to the Templar base. Two zerg bases are in the way and will occasionally send moderate sized attacks to the nexus point. Mineral pickups are scattered through the map, and are helpful for bringing an army up to speed quickly. In addition, void pylons on the map give the player handfuls of stalkers.

After the Templar base is cleared, there is a section where the player controls Zeratul and four stalkers that must fight their way to Artanis. As Zeratul is permanently cloaked and the enemy does not have detection, this section is impossible to unintentionally fail.

Videos[]

Achievements[]

TheGrowingShadow SC2-LotV AchieveIcon1 The Growing Shadow
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Complete "The Growing Shadow" mission in the Legacy of the Void campaign.

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TheGrowingShadow SC2-LotV AchieveIcon3 Resourceful
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Collect all Mineral and Gas pickups in “The Growing Shadow” mission on Normal difficulty.

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TheGrowingShadow SC2-LotV AchieveIcon2 Ready to Serve
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Train a combined total of 20 Zealots or Stalkers in “The Growing Shadow” mission.

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TheGrowingShadow SC2-LotV MasteryAchieveIcon We Move Unseen
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Destroy a Zerg Hatchery or Lair within 6 minutes of acquiring your base in “The Growing Shadow” mission on Hard difficulty.

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Legacy10 SC2AchiveImage Hide and Seek
Points

10 Achievement SC2 Game1

Criteria

Locate all 3 Void Pylons in "The Growing Shadow" mission in less than 10 minutes on Normal difficulty.

Edit

References[]

  1. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Zeratul's Vision. (in English). 2015.
  2. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Legacy of the Void, The Growing Shadow (in English). 2015-11-10.
  3. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Chains. (in English). 2015.
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