Battlefield 3 Aftermath: DICE outlines Scavenger mode's risk-reward nature

Battlefield 3: Aftermath sees soldiers battling in ravaged Tehran, moments after it's been hit by a vicious earthquake. DICE has discussed its new multiplayer mode 'Scavenger' with VG247, explaining why it's the best entry point for newcomers, and those looking to take risks.

As part of a VG247 interview, DICE producer Craig Mcleod gave us an introduction to Aftermath's new mode. "Scavenger really is born out of the Aftermath theme. We wanted the players to feel like, 'I've just been trapped in this earthquake and I'm not going to have all of my equipment, I'm not going to have everything I used to have.' So you are literally rising up with a pistol, a grenade and a specialisation."

"From that point on, it's really important for you to explore the map to find new weapons. What we've done with the weapons is tiered them into three levels. So level one is your less-powerful weapons like SMGs, and they can be found around the outskirts and safe zones."

"But as you go up through the levels to level three, then you're really going to have to risk your life to get them."

We replied by saying that the risk-reward potential there is vast, to which Mcleod added, "Yeah thanks, and exactly, it's risk-reward in its basic sense. So if you're on level three you're in open areas, you're around the flags, so you know you're going to encounter someone else out there, and that's exactly what we're going for."

Despite having tiered weapons, VG247 noticed during our hands-on with Aftermath that no guns feel incredibly overpowered, leaving success down to old-fashioned accuracy and skill, meaning anyone can dip in and play on a level field.

"We didn't want just level three weapons to dominate everything," Mcleaod continued, "That just wouldn't be any fun and it wouldn't make any sense. They need to really be balanced and the great thing is – if you think of the Battlefield 3 as a whole – weapons are incredibly balanced anyway."

"That kind of came into Scavenger anyway. The other thing that is really cool is, we think about our players. We just launched Battlefield 3 Premium Edition for new players who are coming into the game a year after its launch."

"They might be a little nervous that some guys have been levelling up for 400 hours, and think 'how can I compete with that?' This mode is perfect for you because whether you've played for 400 hours or one hour, you're all on a level playing field. It's up to you to make the most of your own skill."

Expect our full interview later today. Battlefield 3 Aftermath starts to roll out across various platforms and premium memberships from December 4th.