StarCraft: Remastered - How to Unlock "Dark Origin"

Explore a secret facility and learn about a terrifying combination that finally gets paid off in StarCraft 2 with this bonus level locked away in StarCraft: Brood War — included in StarCraft: Remastered. The secret level is pretty infamous, and the plot is a little tricky to reconcile with revelations learned in StarCraft 2, but when this was released, this was a mind-blowing extra level.

We won’t spoil all the details here, so keep scrolling. All the plot-specifics, I’ll talk about after the quick guide explaining how exactly to get into this bonus level. This is an Act VI secret, and (annoyingly) it can’t be accessed with cheat codes. You have to actually complete the required challenge to enter.

StarCraft: Remastered is an enhanced port for the original version of StarCraft, complete with StarCraft: Brood War. It’s actually required that you download the free installer for the original version of the game, available on Blizzard.com — the links to the free game on PC or Mac are available below.

More StarCraft: Remastered guides on Gameranx:

How To Unlock “Dark Origin” | Secret Level Guide

NOTE: This secret level cannot be accessed with the Level Select cheat code.

To unlock the secret level in Brood War Episode VI:

Complete the mission The Reckoning with 5 minutes or less on the timer.

The Reckoning is the 9th Zerg Mission in Brood War. To access that level with a cheat code, enter Ophelia -> xzerg9 — you’ll jump straight to The Reckoning.

So, what’s so special about Dark Origin? This is the mission that introduces a secret project to combine the Protoss and the Zerg into a diabolical, unstoppable alien hybrid. The hybrids would return as a major presence in StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void. The hybrids are their own unique alien faction, a combination of Zerg and Protoss, and appear in multiple impressive forms in the Protoss campaign for StarCraft 2.

The original (non-upgraded) version of StarCraft is still available for free on Blizzard’s official platform. Download the installer right here. It’s required before purchasing StarCraft: Remastered.