Battlefield 1

0:0:0

"Experience the Dawn of All-Out War"

- Tagline

Battlefield 1 (also known as BF1) is the upcoming fifteenth installment in the Battlefield Series developed by DICE and published by EA. The game is set during World War I. It will mark the first installment exclusive to current-generation consoles and will be released world wide on October 21, 2016.

Overview
While many elements from past installments return, Battlefield 1 presents vehicles in a much more prominent role than commonly seen in WWI settings, featuring first-generation tanks, bi- and triplanes, and airships. Unarmored cavalry—soldiers on horseback—will also make a first appearance. Due to the prevalence of trench warfare during World War I, melee combat will have an increased focus from past installments. Chemical weapons like Mustard Gas, which were used extensively during World War I, will also be present and can be combated via a vision-obscuring Gas Mask.

Overview
The singplayer campaign of Battlefield 1 will revolve around different people in different aspects of the Great War in campaigns such as the Italian Alps and the deserts of Arabia. Unlike past installments, the story will offer a much larger sandbox to allow players more choice and variety in how they approach different situations. Characters will include a member of the Harlem Hellfighters, and a Bedouin "warrior woman."

Classes
Battlefield 1 features a class system similar to that of Battlefield 1942. Vehicle specific classes are also available, confining players to that role until death. The role of Engineer has largely been removed, with many aspects being transferred to the Assault kit.


 * Assault - The kit is equipped with anti-vehicle weaponry designed to destroy enemy armor and break defensive line.


 * Medic - Similar to early installments, the role of Medic has been separated from the Assault kit, with its focus being to heal and revive teammates.


 * Support - Retains a similar role to recent installments, being armed with light machine guns and the ability to resupply teammates with ammunition.


 * Scout - Similar to the Recon kit, the Scout kit is equipped to gather intelligence and engage enemies at long ranges.


 * Tanker - Introduced with Battlefield 1, players will spawn as a Tanker upon spawning into any type of tank from the spawn screen. Filling the Engineer's role from previous games, the Tanker is the only kit equipped with a Repair Tool, which is now a hammer. The loadout of the kit can be customized, but changes depending on whether or not the player spawns into a light, medium, or heavy tank. Tankers can also passively repair their vehicles, replacing the regenerating vehicle health introduced in Battlefield 3.


 * Pilot - Like the Tanker, players will spawn as a Pilot when spawning into any kind of plane, and the kit can be customized as well.

Maps and Gamemodes
Battlefield 1 will feature maps numerous maps from across the theater of the First World War. Many gamemodes featured in previous installments will return along with the introduction of new gamemodes centered on the new mechanics of the game. Destruction has been overhauled once again, returning to the level of destruction present in the Bad Company games with the graphical fidelity of the Frostbite 3 engine. Maps also now feature dynamic weather systems, affecting combat in various ways; for example, The St. Quentin Scar can either start as a clear, sunny day, a dark, foggy day, or in the middle of a rainstorm, and switch between them during the round.

Conquest and Domination return from Battlefield 4, but now have a point cap instead of a ticket count for both teams, similar to the Assault gamemode from Battlefield Play4Free. The new Operations gamemode is also introduced, playing similar to Evolution from Battlefield Vietnam. Operations takes players across an entire front of the Great War in a sequence of connected rounds, with one team attempting to push the frontline forward by conquering ground while the other attempts to defend their position. The next map played depends on the outcome of the previous one, and the attacking and defending sides will switch accordingly.

Weapons and Gadgets
The game will feature dozens of historically accurate weapons and gadgets, each having had some record of being used during the first World War, whether they were prevalent or not.

Vehicles
Similar to weapons and gadgets, the game will feature dozens of historically accurate weapons that had some record of being used during World War I. Since many military vehicles were still relatively new concepts on the Battlefield at the time, combat will be a bit slower from modern installments in the series. Bi- and triplanes replace modern aircraft, with numerous able to engage on another during matches. Horses are also introduced, allowing for a fast means of transportation while allowing the player to fire a sidearm when riding. Instead of being instantaneous like previous games, there are now animations that show the player entering a vehicle.

Destruction plays a role in the handling of each vehicle as it will affect how each performs in combat - vehicles like tanks can now also be target damaged, with individual parts taking their own amounts of damage. For example, players are now able to immobilize a tank by targeting and destroying its treads.

Behemoths are also introduced, huge map specific vehicles that will spawn for the losing team in larger gamemodes as their last ditch offensive. Behemoths provide massive increases in firepower and a mobile spawn point for the team, but are much larger targets and can be destroyed after heavy fire. Behemoths include the Airship, the Armored Train and the Dreadnought.

Factions
Battlefield 1 features the main combatants of the Great War as available factions such as the United States, German Empire, and British Empire.

Notable Features

 * Battlefield Companion - Replaces Battlelog and allows players to view stats, unlock and customize weapons and loadouts, and coordinate with friends.


 * Destruction - Increased destruction compared to previous installments.


 * Dynamic weather - A feature new to the Frostbite engine that creates random weather effects in matches that can greatly affect gameplay.


 * Bayonet Charge - Animation that causes the player to run faster than sprinting and will result in an insta-kill against any enemy who comes in contact.


 * Behemoths - Massive vehicles that spawn for the losing team partway through a match that can easily turn the tide of a battle.


 * Elite Classes - Specialized kits that can be picked up at certain locations on maps.

Battlefield Premium
Battlefield Premium is available in a similar vein to previous games, granting two-week early access to all four paid expansions at no extra cost, in addition to 14 Battlepacks issued monthly. Pre-order of the Battlefield 1: Premium Pass was put up for sale on Origin on August 24th 2016.

They Shall Not Pass
Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass was revealed alongside Battlefield Premium on August 24th 2016. The pack introduces the French Army as a playable faction in addition to four new maps, and is scheduled for release in March 2017.

"Russian Empire" Pack
The yet unnamed second expansion is planned to introduce the Russian Empire as a playable faction, in addition to four new maps. The release date has currently not been announced.

Development
According to lead designer Daniel Berlin, the idea of a Battlefield game set within WWI was one that DICE had toyed with for a long time.

The game was confirmed on October 28, 2014 by EA CEO Andrew Wilson, following claims from analysts that a new Battlefield game would release in 2016 due to the release of Battlefield Hardline in early 2015 as well as the release of the new Star Wars: Battlefront in late 2015. The game was confirmed by EA CFO Blake Jorgensen during the 2014 UBS Global Technology Conference to be military focused. He said he has already seen the game and it is shaping up to be a "fun, new Battlefield".

The title's 2016 release was reaffirmed during an EA investor call in July 2015, as the company plans for the game to be their core shooter title for 2016.

Following the release of Star Wars Battlefront, DICE announced in December 2015 that the core team had moved on to the development of the next Battlefield.

The official reveal for the game took place on May 6, 2016. In preparation for the game's May 6 reveal, DICE and Visceral began a promotion called Road To Battlefield, offering free expansions to players of Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline, the two previous titles in the franchise.

In North America, the PC version will only be available through digital download.

Beta
On August 15th, 2016 the Open Beta was announced on to start on August 31st, 2016 and ran until September 8,2016 Players who signed up for the Battlefield Insider program before August 21st, 2016 gained access to the Open Beta one day early on August 30th, 2016. The beta featured two gamemodes, Rush and Conquest, on the map Sinai Desert. To celebrate the approaching end of the Open Beta, DICE released an update on September 6, 2016 DICE to remove match timers so rounds could be played indefinitely and unlocked all available weapons within the beta.

Early Enlister Deluxe Edition



 * Battlefield 1
 * Hellfighter Pack
 * Red Baron Pack
 * Lawrence of Arabia Pack
 * Three days early access on October 18, 2016
 * 5 Battlepacks

Collectors Edition



 * Battlefield 1
 * 14" statue of Hell Fighter soldier on game cover
 * Steelbook Case
 * Cloth Poster
 * A Patch
 * French Playing Cards Deck
 * Messenger pigeon tube containing all DLC listed in the Deluxe Edition
 * Three days early access on October 18, 2016
 * Exclusive vehicle skins

Supply Pack Edition



 * Battlefield 1
 * Steelbook Case
 * Action Art Card
 * Tank Pilot Keychain
 * Collector Pins
 * Dog Tag
 * Beanie
 * Exclusive Code Card available 60 days after the launch of game and includes exclusive in-game dog-tag

Reception
Battlefield 1 has received positive reviews from critics.


 * The Metacritic scores for the game are as follows:
 * 89/100 for the PC version, based on 14 reviews.
 * 86/100 for the Xbox One version, based on 12 reviews.
 * No score for the PlayStation 4 version as of this time.


 * On OpenCritic, the game holds a score of 86/100 based on 22 reviews across all versions of the game.


 * Miguel Concepcion from GameSpot gave the game a score of 9/10, praising the game's "memorable" campaign, historic setting, the Operations game mode, and the "visually pleasing" and "engrossing" maps. However, his one point of criticism was the game's "unintuitive" user interface for its multiplayer portion.