StarCraft 2 War Chests Offer Skins, Decals & Other Cosmetic Items

Blizzard has announced a new addition to StarCraft II: War Chests. In them, players can get many cosmetic items, including skins, decals, sprays and emoticons. While, on the surface, they might seem like typical Blizzard loot boxes, they work very differently. On top of that, part of the proceeds will go to additional financing of the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series.

In a move that seems to have split the community almost evenly down the middle, Blizzard has introduced a new feature to StarCraft II, called War Chests. They’re not exactly your run-of-the-mill Blizzard loot boxes, though. Let’s explain how they work.

War Chests come in separate “versions” for all three races. You can purchase them for $10 each, or $25 for all three. Inside are various cosmetic items, such as skins, decals, sprays, and the like. When you buy them, you get a skin and a portrait, as well as a Heroes of the Storm loot chest, a card pack for Hearthstone, and a Tal’Darim pet for Diablo 3. There are way more items that you can unlock, but it won’t come easy. To unlock the other items, you’ll have to play StarCraft II, either in multiplayer or co-op. As you earn XP, you unlock more items.

There will be three tiers of item available, and each tier will unlock when a new issue of StarCraft Shadow Wars comes out. If you’ve chosen to buy a War Chest for only one race, and later change your mind, don’t worry. As you earn experience, the progress you make will count for all three races. If you choose to buy War Chests for other races, all the items you would’ve earned up until that point will unlock automatically.

Part of the money that the War Chests earn will go to the StarCraft II World Championship Series. The first $200.000 will be added to the already existing $500.000 prize pool. The rest of the proceeds, up to 25%, will go into other costs. The War Chests “event” starts on July 19th, and ends on November 4th. However, you won’t be able to purchase the chests after October 4th, so keep that in mind.

For more information on War Chests, head over to the StarCraft II War Chests website, or check out the video embedded below.