StarCraft II 5.0.16b Hotfix Patch Notes (16th July 2026)
Blizzard's latest hotfix rebalances Protoss and Terran against Zerg, with Command Center cost cuts and Colossus buffs leading the charge.
Blizzard's moving fast. The 5.0.16b hotfix landed today with a clear mission: pull Protoss and Terran back into line with Zerg's current strength. Player data and feedback have shaped this one, and the studio promises to keep watching the meta.
Protoss gets the sharper adjustments. Colossus damage jumps from 10 to 12, Adepts gain a doubled damage modifier per upgrade, and the Gateway/Warpgate transformation now locks in at 4 seconds flat instead of the old 7 and 5. The real shift here is the Warp Gate research bonus climbing from 40 to 50 per cent. That's breathing room for unit production timing. Terran's changes are more surgical: Command Center cost drops 100 minerals to 300, Ghost supply shrinks from 3 to 2, but Planetary Fortress gets pricier at 250/150.
The bug fixes matter too. Gateway train visuals no longer spam at low graphics settings, workers behave correctly around allied structures now, and the selection system for Gateways and Warpgates has been overhauled so they're treated as distinct units. The Load Nearby Transport ability reverted. Blizzard will revisit that later.
Full Patch Notes
▲ Buff▼ Nerf✓ Fix◆ TweakWe are making changes based on player data and feedback. We are calibrating both Protoss and Terran to help deal with Zerg. We will continue to monitor and make changes if necessary.
Protoss
- Colossus damaged increased from 10(+5 vs Light) to 12(+3 vs Light).
- Adept damage modifier per attack upgrade increased from 1(+1 vs Light) to 2(+2 vs Light).
- Gateway unit train time reduction bonus from researching Warp Gate increased from 40% to 50%.
- Gateway/Warpgate transformation duration is now always 4s (reduced from 7s and 5s).
- Disruptor phantom weapon range decreased from 11.35 to 7.
Terran
- Command Center cost reduced from 400 to 300 minerals.
- Planetary Fortress cost increased from 150/150 to 250/150.
- Ghost Supply reduced from 3 to 2.
Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Updates
- Load Nearby Transport ability reverted (we will look at re-introducing this at a later date).
- Gateway train visuals will no longer trigger if 'Effects' graphics options are set to low.
- Fixed an issue where workers interacted incorrectly with allied structures.
- Warpgates now have selection subgroup priority over Gateways.
- Warpgates and Gateways are now considered distinct units when issuing 'select all' commands.
- Gateways and Warpgates can now be issued orders to transform regardless of which is the primary subgroup selection.
- Reverted spawned Hallucinations inheriting their caster's order queue.
- Selection radius color is now distinct for primary subgroup selection when Colorblind mode is enabled.
- Fixed an issue in Team games where Cyclones could fail to deal damage to units detected by an ally.
Sources
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Written by
Nathan LeesGaming journalist and founder of XP Gained. Covering patch notes, breaking news, and updates across 160+ games.
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