7 things you need to know about Battlefield V
Back to WWII we go, and more than ever it’s all about the company you keep
7 things you need to know about Battlefield V
It’s official: Battlefield has gone full circle… again. It all began back in 2002 with Battlefield 1942, the seminal World War II FPS that was all about character classes, teamwork, and large-scale multiplayer battles on land, sea and in the air. The newly announced Battlefield V will return to the era with an assortment of new features and expanded modes to tempt series veterans and newcomers alike. Here’s what you need to know.
1) It wants to challenge your preconceptions
If you’re a keen gamer, there’s a good chance you’ll be familiar with virtual recreations of the Normandy beach landings. One of Battlefield V’s mission statements is “unseen, untold, unplayed,” which means you’ll be fighting it out in all-new theatres of war. Among the locations confirmed for the game’s whopping sandbox maps are the destroyed city of Rotterdam, the sweltering North African desert and freezing-cold Norway. Variety is key to the longevity of any FPS worth its sights, and Battlefield V should have it in spades.
2) There’s no “I” in team
Although lone-wolfing remains a (reckless) option, more than ever before this Battlefield is about your squad. When you die in-game the first thing you’ll see (after the expletive-inducing killcam screen) are the surviving members of your squad, who you’ll always respawn alongside. The enemy has the opportunity to complete a ‘squad wipe’ if they successfully off your last man standing, but you can now build fortifications and haul your downed allies behind them for medical attention to prevent that from happening. You’ll need to memorise resupply stations too, as you’ll rarely be stocked from head to toe with ammo.
3) Grand Operations sounds brilliant
Battlefield V’s most exciting new multiplayer addition is Grand Operations. They take place over the course of four fictional days, with each map representing a day. Objectives for each one will vary, but your team’s performance on day one, for example, will directly impact the resources available to you on the second day. It’s possible to claim victory by the end of the third day, but if it’s a close call it’ll go to sudden death in the fourth and final battle. One magazine, no respawning – everything or nothing at all. Yikes.
4) Less experienced players are welcome too
Battlefield V’s 64-player free-for-alls can be intimidating affairs for the uninitiated, so DICE is introducing an all-new co-operative mode called Combined Arms. In it, you and a group of pals have to work together to complete dynamic mission objectives assigned to you on the fly. It’s pitched as a sort of halfway house between solo and online multiplayer, and sounds like a great way to get to grips with Battlefield V’s myriad systems.
5) It isn’t ditching single-player
Treyarch’s decision to eschew the traditional single-player story from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 hasn’t gone down well with everyone, but friend-shunners will be glad to learn that Battlefield V is bringing back its predecessor’s surprisingly decent War Stories campaign mode. These bite-sized vignettes place you in the shoes of fictional men and women who lived through WWII, each one with a different story to tell. The only one we know about so far is a resistance fighter in Nazi-occupied Norway.
6) Tides of War ties everything together
Battlefield V’s overarching online service is called Tides of War, which is where you’ll build up your ‘Company’ of elite soldiers, access new content and enter timed events. The idea is that the service will evolve over time, pushing players new themed gameplay experiences on a regular basis to keep the experience fresh. DICE is wisely doing away with the premium pass from past entries. You can’t be emphasising the significance of squad play if one member of the squad is left out because he/she isn’t paid up.
7) It’s coming out before Christmas
7) It’s coming out before Christmas