Description of the Starcraft II Hot Keys

About Hot Keys

• Hot keys allow you to issue orders to your units without clicking on specific areas of the screen. After the initial click to select your unit, you can use that unit's special abilities by pressing a corresponding key on your keyboard, rather than dragging the mouse cursor to the lower right-hand corner every time you want to activate something. For example, press the "T" key with a marine selected to activate his Stimpak ability. Hot keys can also be used to select menu options and control the game's interface. Mastery of the hot keys will make your control of the game a lot more efficient.

Useful Hot Keys

• There are several basic hot keys that players should learn to play more efficiently. Hold down "Shift" to issue a series of commands for your units to execute. For example, select a unit and hold down "Shift," select the unit to attack an enemy, then issue him a move order to one location, and then another move order to another location. Your unit will follow the commands in the order you listed them. Press "F1" to select an idle builder unit, allowing you to issue it an order to make it productive. Select a construction unit and press "B" to open the list of structures it can build. Press the "Backspace" key to center your view on your primary base. This is very useful if your base comes under attack.

Control Groups

• These are groups of your units that can be selected at the press of a button. Select a group of units or structures that you want to be able to select together. Hold down the "Ctrl" key and then press one of the number keys. Release "Ctrl" and deselect the units. Press the number key you pressed when holding down "Ctrl" to instantly reselect the units you had just selected. For example, select a group of five marines and hold down "Ctrl," then press "1." Every time you press "1," you will now select these marines while they are still alive. You can have up to ten control groups, assigned to number keys 0 through 9.

Hot Key Training

• A lot of players use hot keys in online matches to make themselves more formidable opponents. The best way to hone your hot key abilities is to practice in single-player mode before you venture online. There is a special challenge scenario designed to help you practice the use of hot keys. Click the "Challenges" button on the single-player menu, and then select the "Harbinger of Doom" mission under the "Expert Challenges" tab. This scenario makes you create control groups before it begins and disables all unit ability buttons on the user interface. This forces players to use the hot keys to defeat the enemy.