How to control the game like a Pro (StarCraft 2 Hotkeys and Camera Guide)

Did you ever wonder how StarCraft 2 pros can control the game with such amazing speed? The answer is hotkeys. A “hotkey” is a keyboard shortcut that performs a certain action in the game. In this video, I’ll show you how to use hotkeys to master the game’s camera and control the game like the pros.
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All my StarCraft 2 Guides:
▶ 1. What is StarCraft? - StarCraft II for Complete Beginners - • What is StarCraft? (Ex...
▶ 2. The Game Interface - StarCraft II for Complete Beginners - • How to play StarCraft ...
▶ 3. How Units Work - StarCraft II for Complete Beginners - • How to control units i...
▶ 4. How to get started with StarCraft 2 - Macro Tutorial - All Three Races - • How to get started wit...
▶ 5. How to win a game of StarCraft 2 - Strategy explained - • How to win a game of S...
▶ 6. Scouting guide for StarCraft 2 - • How to Scout in StarCr...
▶ 7. How structures win games in StarCraft 2 - • How structures win gam...
▶ 8. How to control the game like a Pro (this video)
✅😍 Want to help my channel grow? Subscribe! It's totally FREE and it helps me a lot!
Click this link to subscribe to my channel:
/ @altercate
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🎦 You might like some of my other videos:
▶ Why Ghost of Tsushima is NOT a stealth game - • Why Ghost of Tsushima ...
▶ What was the original Final Fantasy like? (FF1 Retrospective) - • The original Final Fan...
▶ Why is Final Fantasy 7 so popular? (FF7 Retrospective) - • Why is Final Fantasy 7...
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Suggested keyboards:
◾ Razer Blackwidow v3 (Green Switches)
◾ Corsair Gaming K68 Red LED (Cherry MX Red)
Suggested mouses:
◾ Razer Naga Pro
◾ Logitech G703 Hero Lightspeed
Hand stretches:
◾ • Hand & Wrist Exercises...
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#sc2 #starcraft #tutorial
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Why use hotkeys?
02:35 Command hotkeys
05:34 Control group hotkeys
10:26 Camera hotkeys
15:00 Customizing hotkeys

[@Altercate]

Thanks for watching! I should explain what’s going on in the demonstration at the end of the video. Why does the battle go so much better for me just because I use hotkeys effectively? It’s because I get the important stuff done faster. I take less time to activate Stimpacks on my Marines and Marauders, increasing my DPS earlier in the fight (thus more damage throughout the fight) and I also fire off my EMP rounds faster, meaning they do a lot more damage to the Protoss shields and contribute to killing off some of the opponent’s army faster (thus less damage taken throughout the fight). If you found this video valuable, I’d be super grateful if you could hit the like button and leave a quick comment, as it really helps the video reach more people. And if you want to help a tiny channel grow, consider subscribing! ✅ If you have any questions or comments, let me know! I tried to keep the video as short as possible so I may have skipped over something important or maybe I failed to explain something properly. Thanks for supporting me. 😍

[@jameshinged3002]

Dude amazing, I’ve played sc2 since it first came out and the game never taught control groups, without any of these my apm is 40-47 , with this I’ll probably get up to 100 without anything besides yours tips you gave thank you so much!

[@Altercate]

@@jameshinged3002 Awesome, glad I could help! 😀

[@jameshinged3002]

@Axel Ave see I got the game when it first came out which was felt like 2012/2013 so I’ll certainly have to try that but I have og wc3 aswell

[@warboy4153]

Man @Altercate you just unlocked my brain like Neo from the Matrix

[@Mike-iz6li]

what a fantastic video :D!

[@bkizers]

Old man retired this really helps me I was lost until watching this. I keep going back to learn and practice thanks 77yrs old

[@Altercate]

That's awesome to hear! Good luck with the game and have fun :)

[@skipp3252]

As an experienced sc2 player I highly recommend the Grid hotkey layout for new players. Its just as viable as standard but it makes memorizing the hotkeys 10x easier. It will let you focus more on the actual game during the initial learning phase.

[@Altercate]

I definitely recommend players to try Grid out! I always stuck with Standard myself but Grid seems really efficient! 😀

[@jkielacague5760]

Sad to say i got used to standard hotkey

[@waltersanti91]

@@jkielacague5760 sad to say I’ll have to move from classic to … grid?

[@trinifella1]

Now trying SC2 for the first time after coming from playing Dota2 for years. I can tell you Grid makes so much sense for transitional (and like you said, new) players

[@ShaneMichealCupp]

Only problem with Grid is the attack key is allll the way on T which is annoying

[@XayadSC]

I watched your macro tutorial video almost a year ago and loved it, I thought that it was really well done for new players. Today I randomly get to visit your channel again, and I am so happy to see that you made more of these high quality videos for SC2 beginners. As a more experienced player I really thank you for providing this kind of content for new players to enjoy the game, it's that kind of videos that make SC2 continue for a long time. Subscribed.

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to me if I can help beginners get into StarCraft, and in some small way help keep the flame burning for this amazing game! 😍

[@yMeMoo]

I'm happy to see guides on this game even though this game is old and not as popular as the first few years. As a fan going back to this game every year to get my RTS craving, I appreciate you taking care of the new SC2 players. It brings me joy when I pair up with someone new cause that's another person that discovered this amazing game. Keep up the very good guides & content!

[@Altercate]

Thanks so much! I want SC2 to live forever and I'm happy to do my small part to help more people get into it :)

[@jgb6888]

The health concern at the latter part is a welcome bonus!

[@Altercate]

Very important, and easily forgotten! 😀

[@davidloucks1885]

It's been about 10 years since I've last played this game. Just got back into it, and I greatly appreciate the tips.

[@chunyiulee8243]

Very helpful guide! And thanks for putting the time to emphasize the health aspect of playing video games.

[@prestonlintzenich1923]

I tried SC2 a while back and only got into a few missions before getting distracted and dropping it. I finally got back into recently which led me here. I have to say though… out of all gaming content creators I have watched i have never seen someone edit so professionally along with so much detail put into explanation. You are also the first person that has mentioned external gaming techniques such as good posture. That amazed me that something so important but easily forgotten was mentioned. Truly great content on your channel. Keep it up!

[@tristank1]

Excellent video, just started with SCII a couple of years ago and still learning, I've advanced pretty far but still have so much room to improve and had been looking for this kind of info for so long ago. Cheers!

[@kalebkelso1]

Great tutorial... I almost needed to take notes, but you covered so much I didn't know!

[@MrBOBOCHOCHO]

This video is helping me get into SC2, something I never thought I'd have the attention span for!

[@clarimax]

I've seen a bunch of tutorials lately and yours is the most easy to understand. Thank you.

[@Altercate]

Awesome! Glad I could help :)

[@Plecto88]

Your videos explains everything perfect. The information is very straight to the point without any confusion. As a gm player myself trying to teach others from time to time, i often refer them to a video of yours that would explain things exactly the same way I would. Keep up the good work.

[@Altercate]

Wow, thank you so much! That's so cool to hear :)

[@aldunlop4622]

VERY good video. The editing and graphics were perfect, great job!

[@Mezcon2]

Thank you for this video! Its helping me with other RTS's too, like C&C.

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@xLarvaxPrajx]

thanks for all the work, this is amazing for me as im a new player... former player in the early 200s.. but picked it back up!... thanks for the help

[@Tronjheim88]

Thanks mate! I've been practicing your macro tutorial and even though i have a long way to beat your record it has been really helpful. Now i will practice the drag scroll and camera hotkeys Thanks again

[@Altercate]

Keep up the good job and let me know how it goes! 😀

[@user-so7dl4xo9h]

Trully useful for novice players! This series helps to break the firts the most daunting barrier of playing RTS - player can't do anything in time and in constant hurry, so there is no way it can think, react and most important enjoy the game. Thank you a lot! Hope your channel will grow!

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much, and good luck with the game! 😀

[@GodLike420s]

definetly helpful. started game a few days ago and your videos helped a lot

[@karnl4701]

Thank you for the guide. This is so useful for all players.

[@karlboehme7292]

This was extremely well made. Thank you!

[@respawnedinhell]

As an original StarCraft/Brood War Campaign veteran, this was incredibly useful to me as it put in perspective the amount of reliance I have on the mouse. I knew the hotkeys existed but turned a blind eye to them as I thought I'd never be able to remember them all. Now to find how to move like the scout unit did using multiple movement points...

[@YaYxster]

Incredibly helpful video for me as an intermediate beginner! Very well explained, good use of video footage, nice advice and as a bonus, you got a nice voice to listen to. Thanks man!

[@Altercate]

That’s very nice of you to say!

[@KillbotD]

i have been playing this game for years and this video showed me some stuff i even didnt know! ty for the high quality and easy to understand video my guy keep it up!

[@Altercate]

Thanks! Glad I could help :)

[@PoeticJusticeSC]

Impressively clear and useful. Thank you!

[@gamdanyunizar7849]

this helped me a lot, I didn't know much about the control group hotkey!

[@arczires]

It is the most valuable and useful video about this topic on the whole Internet. Thanks a lot!

[@Sokrydes]

Great starcraft 2 tutorials! Please keep them coming :)

[@stevenmackey582]

Super helpful! Just getting back into the game

[@HDBeredok]

Great content! Looking forward to more StarCraft vids!

[@reginaldkyleangeles7675]

Awesome as always... finally had the guts to play the game... your videos helps a lot. Thanks

[@Altercate]

Awesome! Glad I could help :) Good luck with the game and have fun!

[@XxERMxX]

Good video getting an old WC1 and SC-BW player up to speed.!

[@waltersanti91]

Incredible accurate! Thanks for the Health parenthesis 😀

[@gio1470]

I'm glad that someone is making Starcraft II videos for beginners that are up to date since I've recently decided to start playing this game and I was worried I joined in too late. Keep up the good work.

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! Never too late to get into StarCraft 2! Just stay patient, try to focus on the learning process, and have fun! 😀

[@gio1470]

@@Altercate Thanks, there is a lot to learn so hopefully the game won't die any time soon since I've heard that Blizzard pulled the plug last year.

[@Altercate]

@@gio1470 As long as they keep the servers up, we should be fine! 😀

[@abetterviewwindowcleanings9248]

Great video my guy

[@JoaoBliss]

dude talking about health and posture in the end of the video just made me your fan !!!!

[@advX]

Great video! Helps a lot as I'm back to playing starcraft :D

[@LeonardoOliveira-xn9tu]

Thank you for such good guide! It really helps to bring new players to the game. Only thing i would change it would be to recommend the Grid Layout to, because learning hotkeys can be very daunting for a beginner and the Grid layout is very intuitive, specially for a starter that may be choosing a main race to play.

[@danhhdang]

Thank you for your work! Your contents are awesome, and I introduced them to my friends so they can get into this beautiful game.

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much for saying that! I'm glad I could help, and I hope your friends enjoy the game! 😀

[@Wilde_Wolfe]

Great informative video! Thanks man!

[@naqdimuhammad]

Thank you for this great series.

[@trinifella1]

What a great video man!!! Alot of content packed into 20 mintues! Well done

[@Altercate]

Thanks so much! Glad I could help :)

[@lukes6868]

Thanks. Awesome explanation, You've gained a new subscriber

[@justplainrye]

Great content! I use an alternate keyboard setup and was just curious on how to set it up in a way that made sense for me (going grid)

[@alaagaming3875]

This chanel is really underrated, amazing video man, im a starcraft vet but i also learned some cool stuffs, great edit and great mic, i wish you the best luck ❤️

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much :)

[@siennas254]

Love all of your starcraft content man, really appreciate it

[@Altercate]

Awesome, glad I could help!

[@lucasnobrebarbosa812]

excellent content. I really love your starcraft II videos. I hope you can do more

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much! I've got more StarCraft 2 guides planned! 😀

[@maneljuanola]

Nice guide! Thanks!!

[@Setha107]

Well done, I've been playing since brood war, played beta of sc2 and still play this game that I enjoy so much. Never knew about the middle mouse button allowing you to scroll. Merci!

[@Altercate]

Thanks! Glad I could teach you something new after all this time 😂

[@NestorBrave]

Its really an amazing tutorial! thank you!

[@noiddroidgaming]

Really really helpful! Thanks!

[@VykosVassell]

Wonderful video. I am trying to get into sc2 at the age of 36 so i really needed something like this. Much appreciated.

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! Good luck with the game and have fun :)

[@decakjeisaozasuncem8843]

thanx for the great video, your voice is so suiting for these type of videos this is how i used numbers for ever, even in warcraft so my main building is 9, other buildings are 8, for flying units that hits air for example viking i use 7, and for other flying units for example banshee or raven i use 6, if i go heavy on the mech and strong ground units then 6 is for something else, thors for example, 1 is all my marines plus marauders or similar units, and on the 2 only marines, so if i need to clean air by targeting i use 2 so i dont bother marauders or any other units, on 3 ghosts or reapers or similar, 4 is always tanks plus sometimes thors, or similar, 5 is the mostly medivac and 0 is for special strategies, so 0 is never the same, it depends on what unique units i am using that game or for the units i dont have space on other numbers, sometimes battlecruisers will be 0, or group of medivacs full of army thirst to do some damage to his workers, or widow mines if 3 is already used, maybe liberators if i need 6 for something else in that moment and so 8,9 and 0 are much closer to my hand than other buttons because i change them to be on the side of my mouse when building its Q instead of B, so building supply depot is QQ, very quickly, especially since i always used Q to change between weapons in fps games, QW is for barracks and so, building on V are on E, so EE is factory, EW starport and so on when pushing forward with units i am not clicking all the buttons constantly, i click on 4 and 5 and then click to follow marines and marauders, 7 is always following 6 so until fight begins i mostly use 1,5,7 and not so often 0 thats how i play, i enjoy playing like this even if its not the best way and i am not planning to change anything because i used to this and its very fun to me and the only way it makes sense

[@stanleyblackwell2066]

Just started playing last night trial by fired my first match and I did end up with the victim but it was rough!! This hotkey setup is definitely a godsend coming from WoW!

[@nortonb4110]

Thanx allot! You explained some doubts that i have over a decade!

[@arauthus]

God tier video. Thx for the high-valued lessons. Subbed

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much! Glad I could help 😀

[@sashakirilova4187]

Thank you it is very helpful!

[@merica.noughsaid1672]

Great video. Itching to try it out.

[@Dstreet707]

Awesome and useful, thanks for the hard work and dedication to put this together!

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help, and thanks so much for saying that! :)

[@giovannilazzari2072]

Beautiful. Thanks man! 😊

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@ManDuderGuy]

I rebind my unit abilities to the same keys according to their grid position. So C is the first ability for all units or buildings (stim, blink, feedback, create marine, chrono boost, weapon upgrade) V is always the second ability (storm, create marauder, nexus recall, guardian shield, armor upgrade. F is the third (hallucinate, merge into archon etc) Im not comfy moving me left hand off of the wasd area, so I dont use 5 or beyond and I certainly dont use P, god no) Still I have a ton of available keys to use for buildings or groups: 1-4, tilde, B, mousewheel click, left and right mouse buttons, W) Works for me!

[@tmhudg]

These videos are so much more consumable (for me anyway) than the other ones that I found initially. Having a "Grand Master" explain how to do stuff and trying to follow them at blinding speed is frustrating. Not saying you aren't a Grand Master but these vids are so much easier to digest as a beginner. Thanks for all the effort you put into this.

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@averagetoelite856]

@@Altercate Are you grandmaster level in the game?

[@kenblacksmith7640]

Dude youre the man - thank you for this.

[@rodman691]

Thanks for the great video, super helpful for a beginner like me 👍

[@Altercate]

Awesome, glad I could help! 😀

[@straightforward5724]

Many thanks !

[@patrickfell3311]

I just started playing StarCraft 2 outside of the Single-Player campaigns and am currently practicing against AI (I haven't dared to play against other players yet, but do want to :) ). I have begun to use hotkeys, but in a very minimalistic way, and this video looks really helpful, and I'm going to try out the things you recommend! Naturally, it will be overwhelming at first, but so far I am enjoying the progress I make with each match, and this will help a lot.

[@Altercate]

Good luck! The number one tip I can give is to focus on learning instead of winning! :)

[@skiddlydongdongdongdang1910]

As a new player, this has helped me a lot! Thank you so much for uploading the video! :DDDDDDDDDDDD Awesome work!!!

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :D

[@nahruz.w3044]

I legit was just wondering when you gonna upload again and here we are!

[@Altercate]

I strike when you least expect it! 😂 Thanks for supporting me!

[@tzakman8697]

Bro i legit came to this channel 7 hours ago watching some of his latest sc2 videos and the Same day he uploads!

[@Altercate]

@@tzakman8697 Perfect timing! Thanks for watching! 😍

[@jmw808]

Wow this was so useful!

[@barak-ht1oc]

This is the best guide (in general not just sc2 related).

[@Altercate]

Thank you so much :)

[@shaunwells5015]

This guide is a lifesaver

[@XelaOso850]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@shyheemcrenshaw]

As a novice i didn't know there was so many hot keys. I always wonder why everybody control there unit better then. Great video

[@skyesthelimit6792]

Never knew A moving from minimap always targets the ground. Really good info. dude tyvm

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@caemanbay]

I’m completely new and trying to get into sc2, but man this is a daunting game. These vids are a huge help though, if it weren’t for them I’d probably have given up trying to learn it by now.

[@jamessong27]

Really well structured video

[@Altercate]

Thank you! :)

[@70grade37]

Great Vid!

[@utokthegreat]

thank you!! Great tutorial!

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@OnyieOnyeabor007]

great video. Good stuff

[@timberger895]

This was so helpfull thanks

[@Anthony-pg3wv]

Great vid. Would like to add, control groups don’t need to be on number keys. You can use tilde or mouse buttons or whatever you like or is comfortable. Also, you can put multiple productions facilities on same hot key and just tab through. Saves you from having three hot keys instead of one. Same for upgrade structures

[@ChengIsHere]

Great video! I never played this game but always wanted to.

[@Altercate]

Thank you! You should give it a try sometime. There's some great casual game modes like Co-op Commanders if you're not into the competitive scene, too :)

[@ChengIsHere]

@@Altercate Yeah, I just had my first few games against the AI with some friends yesterday. It's really fun even though I built the most random army I could in the first games haha

[@ChengIsHere]

*Hot keys definitely helped as my APM was on par with my friends

[@axonepl]

Thanks for tips!

[@takacslevente277]

Even after 2 years, nice video, thanks

[@produktivwissenschaft3184]

Again, very good!

[@egekaganpinar9855]

Thanks a lot for these useful infos

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! :)

[@ussfriendship8989]

Thanks for the video Im currently playing through the campaign and this video was suuper helpful Before i didnt even know control groups existed :)

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! Have fun with the game 😀

[@ussfriendship8989]

@@Altercate is there a way to automaticaly add units to a control group straight from production? it gets tedious constantly checking all baracks and adding them manually

[@Altercate]

@@ussfriendship8989 Afraid not! Units can only be added to a control group after they are created. But you can use the F2 key to select all army units on the entire map at the same time!

[@ussfriendship8989]

@@Altercate damn, in my opinion thats an oversight but i (accidentally) found out you can set the rally points of barracks to follow a unit, that should be a good idea right?

[@Altercate]

​@@ussfriendship8989 Setting the rally point to a unit can be useful for sure, although it can backfire if the unit you're rallying to dies in combat. To avoid this, make sure you rally to a strong unit like a siege tank or thor if possible (and avoid rallying to medivacs as they will automatically pick up the marines when they reach the transport). You can also hold shift and rally to multiple units - as long as one of them survives, your new units will keep rallying to your army!

[@zyrosigs4393]

Thanks for the video! It's useful for someone who is 11 years late into the game like me :)

[@Altercate]

Glad I could help! 😀

[@slavickskromul281]

Brother that is a great video. There is saying from " idiot isnt the one that doesn't understand things, idiot is the one that can't explain it" You just expandedy my, you have been so helpful, more then you know! If I could click the like bottom 50 times I would! Thanks for the info man

[@ethanalsop2062]

AWESOME!

[@ThePiposch]

Thanks ❤

[@oleksiyyefimenko3299]

usefull! Thanks!

[@moshikbenuzi]

great, thanks!

[@jules3484]

I've been waiting 9 years for this video, my kids are now adults, I've seen governments shift back and forth, but at least now, I can play Starcraft like a pro ! Watch out, here I come !! (Totally worth the wait, your videos are the best!)

[@TonioGout]

Thanks ! Neat trick, to use ² as shortcut.

[@GarranGossage]

Thanks!

[@kamuranduman7570]

thx for good video bro..

[@scally9341]

just what I needed to get back into things

[@spidermastermoe]

Well done! Thanks for the content...

[@Altercate]

Always glad to help! 😀