Battlefield 1 Vehicle Classes guide – Pilots, Tankers and Cavalry load-outs and strategies explained
Spawning right into a vehicle? Prepare yourself for what happens when you get shot down or blown up.
Thanks to its World War 1 setting, Battlefield 1 has a serious chance to change some things up in its multiplayer, and developers DICE seem to have seized the opportunity. While the broad strokes of the classes in Battlefield 1 might seem familiar to most shooters, there's a fair bit that's different about them.
One thing that's significantly different this time around is that the game has specific classes for each of the vehicles in the game. Instead of spawning and then hopping into a vehicle in your spawn base, you spawn into a vehicle and as a result spawn as a class that's exclusive to that vehicle. This stops dickhead snipers from stealing a plane and jumping out of it near a good sniping spot and things like that. It's a good idea! Here's what you need to know about the classes for Planes, Tanks and Horses.
Remember that for even more help with Battlefield 1 you can hit up our definitive guide hub page, which has just about everything you need to know in one place.
Battlefield 1 Classes: Pilot Guide
The pilot is the class that you'll spawn in as when you choose to pilot a plane. This class has access to a few interesting weapons: by default you'll start with a carbine extended version of a pistol, but you can also unlock different takes on this kind of weapon and the holy grail for this class, a sawed-off shotgun.
The class doesn't start with a sidearm as its default but you can unlock one, the P08 Pistol, after a bit of time. This is a decent enough pistol for mid to short range encounters. Pilots also have a knife for melee and a standard issue frag grenade on spawn.
Pilots come with two gadgets that suit their role, too: A 'Spot' Flare Gun and a Repair Tool. The spot variant of the flare gun shoots projectiles that will then reveal the location of enemies near it on your radar/mini-map. The repair tool can be used to repair your plane or any other vehicle or can be used to sabotage enemy vehicles if you end up behind enemy lines. The repair tool will repair vehicles far more quickly than the self-repair you can do from inside while driving.
The truth for the Pilot (and all of these vehicle classes) is that your real special weapon is the vehicle itself. Use it well, for when you lose it the skills and abilities of this class will pale in comparison to other dedicated classes on the battlefield.
Battlefield 1 Classes: Tanker Guide
Spawning in a tank will give you access to the Tanker class, which has access to a bunch of extended pistols as their primary weapon. If you're cast out into a battle without your tank, you will definitely find your firepower lacking, so beware. Dedication to this class can unlock you a sawed-off shotgun, which is a significant step up if a much slower-firing weapon.
The class doesn't start with a sidearm as its default but you can unlock one, the P08 Pistol, after a bit of time. This is a decent enough pistol for mid to short range encounters. Pilots also have a knife for melee and a standard issue frag grenade on spawn.
Like the Pilot, the Tanker comes with the Repair Tool gadget by default, and this is much more useful here - it's easier to hop out of a tank and do repairs than it is a plane. Keep in mind that the repair tool will repair your vehicle's armor far more quickly than the self-repair you can do while sitting inside it.
If another tank takes yours out and you bail you do have an extra option in the form of the Anti-Tank Grenade, a gadget borrowed from the Assault class. You'll come with two of these, and they can be used to finish off tanks with ease.
As is the case for the Pilot, the Tanker's real special weapon is the vehicle itself. Use it well, for when you lose it the skills and abilities of this class will pale in comparison to other dedicated classes on the battlefield.
Battlefield 1 Classes: Cavalry Guide
Not all horses are well behaved (as our header image demonstrates) and you might also get unlucky and find your horse murdered by a heartless enemy. If you do, you'll be left alone in the battlefield as the cavalry class, who is uniquely equipped for horseback riding in particular.
The cavalry class only has one primary weapon and one sidearm. The former is a medium-range lever-action rifle with a relatively decent reload time. This is your primary weapon from horseback too. Your side-arm is a pistol, and you also arrive in battle with a couple of Light Anti-Tank grenades. These grenades are a less effective version of Assault's larger anti-tank grenade but still decent in their own right. Their explosive ordinance isn't as useful against infantry, however.
For gadgets cavalry enter battle with a Bandage Pouch and an Ammo Pouch, meaning they can take on a Support-style role and restock a few allies mid-battle. Even with your horse alive, it might be useful to ride up to allies, restock them, then ride off.
The final weapon of the cavalry class is the dedicated Cavalry Sword, which will one-shot infantry with ease. This is great fun to use from horseback, if difficult.