What Multiplayer Modes are Available in Star Wars Battlefront?
Star Wars Battlefront is mostly multiplayer. So what will you be playing when the game launches?
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
If you've been playing Star Wars Battlefront's beta, then you've probably come to terms with the three available game modes: Survival Missions, Drop Zone, and Walker Assault. There's still more game modes that will be coming for launch though, and today, EA and DICE revealed what's next. Three of the gameplay modes - Blast, Fighter Squadron, and Supremacy - were detailed this past summer, but today those are joined by explanations of Droid Run, Cargo, and Hero Hunt.
Here's what you can expect from Star Wars Battlefront when it launches on November 17, 2015. Descriptions of the Beta game modes are pulled from my full impressions of the beta.
Survival Missions (Up to 4 Players Co-Op)
Survival is a single-player or small co-op experience, pitting you against growing waves of Imperials. You'll start off with standard Stormtroopers, followed by snipers, heavy assault Troopers, and even AT-STs. The objective is simple: kill every wave and survive until the end.
The beta only has 5 waves, but the full game will feature 15 waves on each map.
Drop Zone (16 Players, 8v8)
Drop Zone is the mid-range mode available in the Beta, focusing on straightforward PVP with 16 players in total. You have to claim and hold drop pods as they fall randomly around the map. Whoever controls the most pods wins the map. The Pods come one at a time, so combat on the map shifts in roaming area.
Walker Assault (40 Players, 20v20)
Walker Assault is one of Star Wars: Battlefront's biggest modes, with a total of 40 players playing as either the Imperials or the Rebels. Both sides are looking control of three uplink stations in a shifting region. The Rebels are trying to hold the uplinks because they allow them to call in B-wing bomber strikes on the Imperial AT-ATs at regular intervals. The Imperials want their AT-ATs to march forward and destroy the Rebel base.
Most of the combat plays on foot, but there are vehicle icons - A-Wings and X-Wings for the Rebels, TIE Fighters and AT-STs for the Imperials - that you can pick up randomly on the battlefield. When you walk up to the icons, you'll gain a limited power-up. Activate the power-up and you'll take to the skies in a vehicle after a couple of seconds.
Blast (20 Players, 10v10)
This is Star Wars Battlefront's basic team deathmatch mode, featuring 10 versus 10 combat. Both sides are sprinting for one of two finish lines: either one team reaches 100 kills or the winner is the team ahead at the end of 10 minutes. According to DICE, Blast maps are more self-contained to keep the fighting furious and there are no vehicles or Heroes in this mode.
"One battle you'll be fighting within interior levels on Endor or Sullust," explained Battlefront lead level designer Dennis Brannvall about the various maps you can expect in Blast. "In the next battle, you might find yourselves among Tatooine's dusty canyons, or inside the undeniably cool Ice Caves on Hoth. My favorite is the verticality of Tatooine, fighting by the Sandcrawler."
Supremacy (40 Players, 20v20)
Supremacy is a Domination-style mode like Drop Zone, but played out on a larger battlefield, like Walker Assault. In Supremacy, both sides are trying to gain control of five control points on the map. Each team of 20 players starts with control of two points and both sides have to fight it out for the center control point. The thing is, the control points have to be captured in order, keeping the fight focused on one or two points at a time.
"When you spawn into Supremacy, you don't have to move far to see a lot of friends – and enemies. You're thrown into a massive frontline, where your screen is filled with adversaries: infantry, Heroes, Walkers, and starfighters. You can prepare for very heavy and focused Star Wars action," said Brannvall.
For Supremacy, everything is at your disposal. You'll see vehicles and Heroes in this mode. Conceptually, if you've played a Battlefield before, Supremacy will seem a lot like that franchise's Conquest game mode. If you find Walker Assault a bit disappointing, perhaps Supremacy will be what you're looking for.
Fighter Squadron (20 Players, 10v10)
This is Battlefront's vehicle-only multiplayer mode. Think of it as an aerial team deathmatch. 20 players split into two teams will participate in dogfights with each other and additional AI ships. Your objective is to get to either 200 kills or be ahead in kills at the end of the time limit.
Both sides get one unique ability to turn the tide: the Empire has speed boosts, while the Rebellion can call on temporary shields. There's also Imperial or Rebel transport shuttles that either side needs to escort for bonus points.
Oddly enough, Fighter Squadron has its own version of Heroes. On the Rebel side, you'll gain control of the Millennium Falcon, while the Imperials get to pilot Boba Fett's Slave-1. These power-ups are found on difficult flight paths, so if you want them, you'll have to put yourself at some risk.
Hero Hunt (8 Players, 7v1)
In Hero Hunt, one player automatically spawns as a hero, determined by which map you're playing on. The other seven players spawn as normal soldiers on the opposing side, meaning this is seven weaklings versus walking battlefield destruction. The point of Hero Hunt is to last the longest as the hero. If you're killed, the player who killed you takes the hero slot and the hunt begins again. It's team game while also remaining competitive. You want to work together, but you also want to keep the killing blow for yourself.
Cargo (12 Players, 6v6)
Cargo is Battlefront's Capture the Flag game mode. In Cargo, both sides have valuable cargo in their bases. You simply walk in the the opposing side's base, take some cargo, and carry it back to your own. Unlike most CTF modes, you don't need cargo in your base in order to capture enemy cargo. Both sides start off with 5 cargo, so you're fighting over 10 objectives at any one time; all you need to do is have more cargo than your opponent at the end of the 15-minute time limit.
"In old school capture the flag modes, a lot of action centered round grabbing the enemy flag and running away to hide, since the enemy could not capture unless their flag was in their base," Brannvall explained. "This resulted in home bases that were rarely defended, since most action took place in the center of the map. For Cargo, we want players to focus on both bases and establishing two very defined gameplay roles – the attacker and the defender."
Droid Run (12 Players, 6v6)
Droid Run is the game's final multiplayer mode, featuring Domination-style play with a twist: you're trying to hold three GNK droids that are roaming slowly around the battlefield. No vehicles or Heroes here, just you and the droids. The objective is to capture and hold all three droids before the 10-minute time limit expires.
"The strategies used are somewhat different than Cargo, where your positions are more strict," said Brannvall. "You can choose a slower, explosive play style by equipping Thermal Detonators and Cycler Rifles. But your team can also embrace the dynamic, chaotic nature of the game mode and equip Jump Packs to get around the map and chase the Droids as fast as possible."
Expect to rock Droid Run on Tatooine, Endor, Hoth, Sullust, and Jakku.
The Star Wars Battlefront beta has been extended to October 13, 2015 and EA has also announced the Battlefront Season Pass. The Season Pass offers four expansion packs for $49.99.