
A war chest
War Chests were a seasonal feature[1] in StarCraft II. 25% of proceeds went towards the prize pool of WCS, and after $200,000 any further funds would go to operating costs on the tournament.
As of October 2020, no further war chests will be released for the game.[2]
Overview[]
For each War Chest, players do a one-time[3] nominal[1] payment, and receive a "treasure map" that they will level up by playing the game's multiplayer and/or Co-op Missions. Every time they level up the war chest, they will receive prizes. The prizes are predetermined. Loot from these chests include skins, emoticons, decals. Automatic rewards are given upon purchase of the War Chest, and at the end of a season, players receive rewards just for participating. The War Chest loot works on a tiered system. Each tier unlocks more rewards than the preceding tier. There will be three tiers.
There is one war chest per race, each having its own set of rewards. Unlocking one then purchasing another race's War Chest will give the player they made with that race. Exp gain for the war chests will be doubled int the last month to help players catch up.[4]

A war chest (early artwork)
The seasons themselves were not tied to ladder seasons, but rather to WCS events. Alerts were generated on the web and in the game's client to let them know when a war chest season has begun. All rewards for the War Chest are purchasable after the event ends, but the War Chest itself provides a large discount.
A portion of the proceeds from war chests went towards StarCraft e-sports events and tournaments.[3]
In 2017, war chests received the most attention from a development perspective, alongside Co-op Missions.[5]
With the BlizzCon 2019 War Chest, a new free catagory of the chest was added, available to everyone for the duration of the War Chest with no purchase required.[6]
War Chest Seasons[]
Season 1: BlizzCon 2017[]
- War Chest blurb(src)
The first War Chest released July 19th, 2017.[4] As of October 5, the War Chest was no longer be available to purchase. From this point to November 4 (when the chest closes), experience gains will be doubled. War Chest features will be available for individual sale from January 2018, though the emoticons, decals, sprays, and portraits will remain exclusive for those who purchased the War Chest.[7]
The following features are available from the War Chest:[4]
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Other Rewards
The following rewards are given upon the first purchase of any War Chest:
- Tal'darim Probe pet in Diablo III
- One classic card pack in Hearthstone
- One rare loot chest in Heroes of the Storm
- Portraits of "Shadow Wars" characters and WCS 2017 finalists.
Season 2: Katowice 2018[]
- War Chest blurb(src)
A second War Chest was released on December 9th. A portion of the funds go towards the Intel Extreme Masters 2018 Katowice tournament. This war chest introduced customizable consoles, as well as exp boosts for Co-op Missions. $150,000 of the proceeds will go to the tournament's prize pool. Phase 2 will unlock January 5th, and Phase 3 will unlock February 2nd. Purchases will end March 2nd, after which players will get double exp until the War Chest closes March 30th. Issues 4-6 of StarCraft II: Shadow Wars will be released, one issue with each phase.[8]
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]() |
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Other Rewards
The following rewards are given upon the first purchase of any War Chest:
- Tal'darim Probe pet in Diablo III (for those who have not earned it before)
- One classic card pack in Hearthstone
- One rare loot chest in Heroes of the Storm
- A 30-day Co-op Missions 100% exp boost (only boosts base experience)
Season 3: BlizzCon 2018[]
The third War Chest was revealed in GSL vs. the World, and was available for purchase on August 9, 2018. It will give players access to Golden Age protoss, Umojan Protectorate terrans, and simulant zerg. This season also introduces banners. Along with all these items, the War Chest also includes a 50% boost to experience earned when playing Co-op. Unlike previous War Chests, this boost will not be limited to 30 days—it will be active for the entire duration of the War Chest event (August 9 to December 6).[9]
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]()
|
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- All Races
The following rewards are available to those who purchase all three race War Chests for the BlizzCon 2018.
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
- Other Rewards
The following rewards are given upon the first purchase of any War Chest:
- Tal'darim Probe pet in Diablo III (for those who have not earned it before)
- One classic card pack in Hearthstone
- One rare loot chest in Heroes of the Storm
- A 30-day Co-op Missions 100% exp boost (only boosts base experience)
Season 4: Katowice 2019[]
The fourth war chest integrated directly with Twitch to reward players who watch StarCraft II on Twitch, earning XP towards unlocking rewards, just as if they were playing the game. Rewards for WC4 are themed after the Dominion Special Forces, simulant zerg, and Tal'darim protoss.
Each race set in the fourth war chest can be bought for $9.99 USD for each race or $24.99 USD for all the races, with 25% of profits going towards the 2019 IEM Katowice tournament.[10]
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked |
|
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked |
|
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- All Races
The following rewards are available to those who purchase all three race War Chests for Katowice 2019.
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked |
Season 5: BlizzCon 2019[]
The fifth war chest added a new category for the War Chest named "free," available to all players without purchase for the duration of the war chest. Rewards for WC5 are units for the Knights of Tyrador terrans, Cerberus Program zerg, and Ihan-rii protoss.
Each race set in the fifth war chest can be bought for $9.99 USD for each race or $24.99 USD for all the races, with 25% of profits going towards the prize pool of the 2019 WCS BlizzCon finals.[11]
- Free
Tier | Reward |
Tier 1 | |
Tier 2 | |
Tier 3 |
|
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | |
Tier 6 | |
Tier 7 | |
Tier 8 | |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 |
|
Tier 11 | |
Tier 12 | |
Tier 13 |
|
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 |
|
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]()
|
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]()
|
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]()
|
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]()
|
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- All Races
The following rewards are available to those who purchase all three race War Chests for the BlizzCon 2019.
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked |
Season 6: War Chest 6[]
The sixth War Chest retained the four categories from the BlizzCon 2019 War Chest. This tournament had $150,000 go toward a caster's cup tournament hosted by Wardi, with further proceeds going to help support StarCraft II. Rewards are building skins for the Knights of Tyrador terrans, Cerberus Program zerg, and Ihan-rii protoss.
Each race set in the sixth war chest can be bought for $9.99 USD for each race or $24.99 USD for all the races. Unlike the two prior War Chests, experience cannot be gained from watching Twitch.tv StarCraft II streams.[12]
- Free
Tier | Reward |
Tier 1 |
|
Tier 2 | |
Tier 3 |
|
Tier 4 | ![]() |
Tier 5 | |
Tier 6 |
|
Tier 7 | |
Tier 8 |
|
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 |
|
Tier 11 |
|
Tier 12 | |
Tier 13 |
|
Tier 14 | ![]() |
Tier 15 |
|
- Terran
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]() |
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Zerg
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- Protoss
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked | ![]() |
Tier 1 | ![]() |
Tier 2 | ![]() |
Tier 3 | ![]() |
Tier 4 | ![]()
|
Tier 5 | ![]()
|
Tier 6 | ![]() |
Tier 7 | ![]() |
Tier 8 | ![]() |
Tier 9 | ![]()
|
Tier 10 | ![]() |
Tier 11 | ![]() |
Tier 12 | ![]() |
Tier 13 | ![]() |
Tier 14 | ![]()
|
Tier 15 | ![]() |
- All Races
The following rewards are available to those who purchase all three race War Chests for the BlizzCon 2019.
Tier | Reward |
Initially Unlocked |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 BlizzCon 2016 Press Kit: StarCraft II Updates, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2016-11-11
- ↑ 2020-10-15, STARCRAFT II UPDATE - OCTOBER 15, 2020. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2020-10-19
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 2016-11-05. BlizzCon 2016: Foundations for the Future. Youtube. Accessed 2016-11-05.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 2017-07-15. War Chests Page. Battle.net. Accessed 2017-07-15.
- ↑ 2017-11-04, BlizzCon 2017: Developer Interview StarCraft 2 Game Producer Tim Ismay. YouTube, accessed on 2017-11-06
- ↑ 08-15-2019, BlizzCon 2019 War Chest, Blizzard Entertainment, 08-15-2019
- ↑ 2017-09-13, War Chest Final Phase Live. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-09-15
- ↑ 12-08-2017 IEM Katowice 2018 War Chest. Battle.net 12-08-2017
- ↑ 2018-08-02, WAR CHEST SEASON 3 PREVIEW. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2018-08-05
- ↑ 2018-11-06, NEW STARCRAFT 2 CO-OP COMMANDER ZERATUL, WAR CHEST 4 ANNOUNCED, BLIZZCON 2018. Blizzpro, accessed on 2018-11-13
- ↑ 08-15-2019, BlizzCon 2019 War Chest, Blizzard Entertainment, 08-15-2019
- ↑ 08-15-2019, War Chest 6, Blizzard Entertainment, 06-11-2020