Regardless of the fact that StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is not a full-fledged game and just an expansion, Starcraft 2 followers are crazy about it. When the original Starcraft 2 got released, gamers across the globe had to face some issues, which were fixed over time.
This time, I just hope that you get to run the expansion without any serious nuisance. In any case, we are here with our troubleshooting dose that can help you fix the minor issues that you may come across during installation or playing the game.
Before proceeding to the listing, make sure you read these requirements for playing Heart of the Swarm:
- I hope you already know that in order to play Heart of the Swarm, you need to have Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty installed on your computer.
- If you have the latest patch (2.0.5.25092) installed, then ‘File Optimization’ will be the next step for you. You just need to start the launcher and the optimization will start on its own after a simple pop-up. Try not to interrupt the optimization as doing so may need you to repeat the process from the start.
- After the file optimization is complete, you are ready to launch the expansion. Before that, while logging in to the game, make sure you have the proper expansion level selected (from the logon screen, click on Options> Gameplay > Expansion Level).
- If the Expansion level option is greyed out, it means that the expansion has not been released in your region yet.
Note. Below are the common issues you may come across while attempting to play Heart of the Swarm. For more assistance, you can also check out our Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty troubleshooting guide.
#1 Star Craft 2: Heart of the Swarm Optimization Error Fixes
If you are having issues during the optimization process, you should try out the following:
- You should run the launcher as administrator so that it has the necessary permissions for the update.
- Be sure to disable read only settings on any game and launcher executable files (files that end in .exe) in your game folder.
- Also make sure that your firewall/antivirus software is not blocking the launcher. You should add the exception or uninstall the security tools temporarily.
#2 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm – Blizzard Update Agent files are missing or corrupt
If you are getting this or related errors, you need to delete the Battle.net Tools folder so that the Update agent automatically install the new files needed to run the game.
#3 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm DirectX/OpenGL Error
Nvidia did release the beta drivers to boost the performance for Heart of the Swarm but the drivers seem to have some issues with some cards. Things you can do to avoid the crash are:
- Try resetting the Nvidia Control Panel to defaults.
- If that doesn’t work, you need to roll back to the stable version (310.90) of the drivers.
#4 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Login/Password Problem
If the game has not been released in your area, you won’t be able to login. Otherwise, enter the login first and then press connect. This should make the password bar visible. If it too doesn’t work, more patience is needed.
#5 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm – Out of Memory Error
If you are sure that your hardware is good enough to run the game and you are still facing this crash, try the repair tool in help menu on the launcher. It can help you replace the damaged files.
#6 Unable to buy to Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
If you are receiving error during the purchase then it may well be due to the server being overloaded. Wait for sometime and try again.
#7 s2-24621-24621-Win-swarm-rebase.MPQ iss Corrupt Error
You need to delete the corrupted file (C:\Program Files (x86)\StarCraft II\Updates\s2-24621-24621-Win-swarm-rebase.MPQ) and run the launcher again as administrator. The repair tool (in the Help menu) can also help you fix the problem.
#8 Unexpected Error Occurred While Launching Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
The error most probably is permission related. Start the Launcher as Administrator and also make sure that your firewall or other security software is not blocking the launcher.
#9 Star Craft 2: Heart of the Swarm Downloading Instead of the Disc Install
Some users have reported about the issue that the game is still downloading instead of being extracted from the disc. I am not sure about the size of the download but even if you have the expansion on disc, the update process is still needed so that download you are experiencing may well be just the update.
#10 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Slow Download Issue
The slow download speeds can be attributed to the overcrowding of the servers. So if you own a digital copy, you need to stay put and wait for it complete. Just make sure that your firewall or other security software is not blocking the blizzard launcher.
#11 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Stuck During Update
If you are stuck during optimization/updating, you can try the fixes mentioned in this link to resolve the issue.
#12 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm Black Screen Fix
You can use the following steps to avoid the blackscreen during startup or during the gameplay.
- First things first, make sure that your gfx drivers are updated.
- Make sure that your windows firewall or softwares like ZoneAlarm and McAfee Firewall aren’t blocking the launcher “.exe”.
- Try running the repair tool to replace the damaged files.
- Also make sure that the Blizzard launcher is in the same folder as the game.
#13 Error: BLZAPPBTS0000K – Failed to Run Blizzard Setup as Administrator
You can do the following steps to avoid this error:
- Like always, try running the launcher as administrator.
- Make sure that Windows’ Secondary Logon is enabled, which Agent requires to run correctly.
- If there are any background programs running, try shutting them down.
- If you have any additional security tool or antivirus installed, try disabling it temporarily to see if the issue is fixed.
#14 Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm NV4DSP.Dll Crash
The crash is related to the gfx drivers. If you are running the latest version of the drivers, try rolling back to the older version to fix the issue.
If you are facing any other issue or have a related fix, don’t hesitate to share with us in the comments below.
