Starcraft 2 Region Linking for Season 3For the longest time, only SEA players could play in another region (NA).
Season 3 of Starcraft 2 ladder introduces regional interconnection for some regions.
What is region linking?Region linking is the process of connecting multiple Battle.net (Starcraft 2) regions to each other for multiplayer matchmaking.
This will be the list of the merging:North America and Latin America - NALA
Europe and Russia - EURA
Korea and Taiwan - KRTW
In effect, the players within the linked regions will be put together into a single group instead of two separate ones.
Why is Blizzard doing this? What are the benefits of region linking?Starcraft 2 has seen a dwindling number of players. A larger pool of players means the automated matchmaker for ladder games will be faster and more effective at finding opponents near your skill level. This means faster queue times for Starcraft 2 games.
When will this happen?Region linking happen during the start of StarCraft II Season 3 - July 18, 2011.
Will region linking affect which game-client languages I have access to or the payment methods I use?No. The client languages and game-access methods available to you in your region will not change when regions are linked. You will get the chance to play and connect with an even larger group of Starcraft 2 players.
Will playing with players from the linked region impact my in-game latency?All players in the linked regions will be connecting and playing through the same data centers that they were using prior to region linking, which is the main reason why linking these regions together is fairly straightforward. There should be no impact on game performance.
How does region linking affect the Grandmaster league?There will only be a single Grandmaster league between the linked regions.