Battlefield V

"Enter mankind’s greatest conflict with Battlefield V as the series goes back to its roots in a never-before-seen portrayal of World War 2."

- Battlefield

Battlefield V (also known as Battlefield 5, BFV or BF5) is the sixteenth installment in the Battlefield Series developed by DICE and published by EA. The game brings the series back to its origins, being set during World War II. The open beta of the game was start on September 4th, 2018 for EA Access and Origin Access members and available worldwide on September 6th, 2018 until September 11th, 2018. The game was released November 9th, 2018 for EA Access and Origin Access members, and November 15th, 2018, for owners of the Early Enlister Deluxe Edition. It was released worldwide on November 20th, 2018.

Overview
Battlefield V returns to the major conflict of World War II, with a heightened focus on the lesser known battles of the war. The game is designed to be the most immersive experience in the series, with storylines ranging across major battles of the war. Game mechanics have been completely redesigned such as player movements, health regeneration, etc. Additionally players will have a more interactive role in gameplay by having to physically open doors, enter vehicles, or picking up health or ammo.

Customization has been vastly improved, allowing players to customize all clothing, weapons, and vehicles in multiplayer with the introduction of The Company. However, they do not affect the stats or gameplay of weapons, the only exception being the Recon class, in which using scopes will require longer reloads.

Singleplayer


Similar to Battlefield 1, Battlefield V's main campaign is made up of a collection of different War Stories. These stories document the lesser known conflicts of many soldiers across various locations during World War II. Similar to past installments, collectibles are available in each War Story in the form of Letters and War Story Challenges. Unlike Battlefield 1, all characters speak in their native languages with subtitles available.

My Country Calling
The Prologue of Battlefield V serves to introduce the player to different areas of gameplay, such as using weapons, tanks and aircraft. Separated into five sections, the player assumes the role of unnamed British and Free French Tirailleur characters, as well as German tank commander Peter Müller and pilot Yellow-Seven.

Under No Flag
Under No Flag takes place in 1942 in North Africa. Players take control of hapless career criminal turned SBS recruit Billy Bridger, seeking to redeem himself and win back his freedom by destroying enemy airbases and installations across the region.

Nordlys
Set in 1943 during the German occupation of Norway, Nordlys tells the story of Solveig Fia Bjørnstad, a young woman in the Norwegian Resistance who must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her mother Astrid, and sabotage German heavy water production vital to their atomic weapons program.

Tirailleur
Tirailleur follows Deme Cisse, a Senegalese Tirailleur who fought in France during in 1944, now recounting this forgotten episode of the war as an old man. The story pits Deme, his brother-in-arms Idrissa and the other colonial troops against seemingly insurmountable odds in their quest for glory and recognition.

The Last Tiger
The Last Tiger was released with the Overture Tides of War chapter. It follows the story of Veteran Tank Commander Peter Müller as he and his crew start to question the ideology of how they got to that point.

Co-Op Campaign
Battlefield V features Combined Arms, a co-op campaign similar to Co-Op from Battlefield 3. The mode allows a squad of four players to complete missions across different theaters of World War II. Missions include assassinating targets, arming or capturing objectives, and more .The co-op mode was released free to all players with the release of the Lightning Strikes Tides of War chapter.

Ranks and Awards
Battlefield V's multiplayer has fifty-one ranks available, with Company Coin being awarded for each rank. Assignments are challenged based tasks that award company coin upon completion of a set number of tasks. Four assignments may be tracked at once and can be switched with other assignments at any time. Daily Order assignments are also available which only require the completion of one specific task for a smaller amount of company coin as a reward. Ribbons are awards obtained in matches through the completion of specific tasks and award additional experience points. Medals are awarded upon obtaining a specific number of ribbons and provide substantial amounts of experience.

Classes
Battlefield V has drastically changed the class system compared to previous installments. While the base four kit system returns, Combat Roles have been introduced which allow players to better specialize it for a certain situation. As progression is earned through a class, more Combat Roles are unlocked, with further additions said to be coming as part of Tides of War.



Assault - The kit retains its use of anti-vehicle weaponry designed to destroy enemy armor and breaking defensive lines. With the introduction of fortifications, the assault kit is equipped with the most explosives to destroy them. The kit features assault rifles and semi-automatic rifles.



Medic - The kit retains its role as the primary medical support kit. While all players are now capable of reviving downed squad members, only a medic can perform a revive to every teammate. They also perform the revive animation much quicker than the squad revives animation. Due to the emphasis on reviving teammates, the kit features close range weapons such as submachine guns and smoke grenades for temporary cover.



Support - Retains a similar role to recent installments, having the ability to resupply teammates with ammunition and perform fire suppression on enemies with machine guns which also allows them to 3D spot enemies. Additionally, their role has been expanded to allow for the construction of offensive Fortifications and faster construction times compared to other classes. It along with the Recon kit are the only classes that can 3D spot enemies. The kit features light and medium machine guns as well as shotguns.



Recon - The kit retains the role of engaging enemies in mid to long range combat and reconnaissance. It and the Support kit are now the only classes that can 3D spot enemies. The Recon kit does this through binoculars or through the scope of rifles. The kit features slower-firing bolt action rifles or hard-hitting self-loading rifles.

Maps
Battlefield V features maps that are set across the military campaigns of World War II. The Tides of War support for the game will introduce free maps that focus on specific campaigns of the war as they happened, starting in the early 1940s.

Gamemodes


The game features the return of several gamemodes much past installments such as Conquest and Team Deathmatch. The new gamemode Airborne has been introduced as well as the expanded Operations from Battlefield 1 known as Grand Operations. This new mode splits matches over the course of four fictional days, providing players with four unique and distinct gamemodes, each with their own custom rules and map layouts. The outcome of each day affects the team's status in the day. If on the final day both teams remain at a stalemate, each player on both teams will spawn with only one life and limited ammunition.

Weapons and Gadgets
Similar to Battlefield 1, Battlefield V features dozens of historically accurate weapons and gadgets that had some record of use or were in development during the Second World War. Weapons still remain class specific. Weapon customization has also greatly expanded compared to past installments, with weapons able to be fully customized both in their attachments and their cosmetics. Attachments are unlocked as players obtain weapon ranks through continued usage of their respective weapon. Cosmetics may also be obtained through using a desired weapon and do not affect gameplay.

Vehicles
Vehicles are similarly affected by the attrition gameplay adjustments which aim to limit the staying power of tanks and aircraft as well as encouraging team play. Vehicles now have a limited, non-replenishing supply of ammunition for both main guns and machine guns, in addition to vehicle specialization abilities and countermeasures which now have a limited number of uses. Vehicles are now required to be restocked at Supply Depots once they run out of ammunition. Specialist vehicles such as the Churchill Crocodile and Sturmtiger can be called in by Squad Leaders through use of the Squad Reinforcement system.

Improved over Battlefield 1, vehicles now have both entry and exit animations.

Factions
The game features two factions, the Allies which is currently made up of the United Kingdom and the Axis Powers which is currently made up of Germany. More factions will be added in the Tides of War service through other theaters of the war. Additionally, vehicles, and customization items are locked to their respective faction.

Notable Features

 * The Company
 * A feature that vastly expands customization compared to past installments. It allows players to customize the loadout of each kit as well as the appearance of their soldier, weapons, and vehicles in multiplayer, with hundreds of potential variations.


 * Combat Roles - A new system that allows players to specialize each kits role on the Battlefield. Each class currently features two combat roles each with more being added in future updates.


 * Specializations - Perks for weapons and vehicles that affect performance. Specializations are organized into progression trees and are unlocked for purchase through continued use of that weapon or vehicle. Specializations may be reset at any time.


 * The Armory
 * The in-game store of Battlefield V where unique cosmetic items may be purchased with Company Coin. Awarded weapons, attachments, and cosmetic items may be claimed here in the form of shipments.


 * Fortifications
 * Allows all classes to construct their own fortifications like barbed wire, trenches, fox holes, or structural repairs. Emplacements may also be constructed and can now be towed with vehicles via cables to relocate them depending on the situation.


 * Attrition
 * In order to promote teamplay, players now have limited ammunition and health regeneration. Ammunition and health must be resupplied either at supply stations or from the bodies of downed players. Players also no longer automatically resupply or heal and must interact with the objects in order for this to happen. The attrition system also applies to all vehicles which no longer have unlimited ammunition and must be resupplied at supply stations as well.


 * Destruction
 * Increased destruction compared to previous installments. Ammunition can now penetrate structures depending on the caliber, leaving physical holes in walls. Structures will also react depending on how they were destroyed, such as caving inward if destroyed from the outside. Structures will also slowly crumble when damaged due to their structural integrity being compromised. Destroyed structures can also be rebuilt and repaired through the use of fortifications.


 * Dynamic weather
 * A feature that creates random weather effects during and in between rounds that can greatly affect gameplay. New weather effects include driving snow that interacts with objects. Rounds may also be played at different times of day, especially during Grand Operations.


 * Squad Reinforcements
 * Various assets given as rewards for good squadplay, provided to the squad leader on demand. The system features less-common, situational vehicles, and tactical support.


 * Assignments
 * Similar to past installments, the game features weapon assignments which require players to complete specific criteria for completion.

Downloadable Content


Unlike previous titles, Battlefield V does not offer a Premium Pass or charge players for additional content. Instead the Tides of War system has been introduced, releasing new content periodically at no additional cost while also telling an overarching narrative of the war.

Overture
Battlefield V: Overture is the first chapter in Tides of War. The chapter revolves around the United Kingdoms declaration of war against Germany as well as the Western Front theatre during the early months of the war. It was released on December 5th, 2018.

Lightning Strikes
Battlefield V: Lightning Strikes is the second chapter of Tides of War. The chapter revolves around the introduction of new gamemodes to the game. It will be released on January 17th, 2019.

Trial By Fire
Battlefield V: Trial By Fire is the third chapter of Tides of War. No other information is currently known about the expansion except that it will be released in February or March 2019.

Soundtrack
The Battlefield V: Original Soundtrack was originally released as an EP on October 4th, 2018 for SoundCloud and Apply Music on October 19th, 2018 and consisted of seven tracks. The full version, consisting of sixteen tracks, was released on November 16th, 2018 for Apple Music. All songs were composed by Johan Soderqvist and Patrik Andren

Development
The game was confirmed by EA CEO Andrew Wilson on July 28, 2017. Multiple EA employees tweeted about the game on February 1, 2018, confirming only that it would be using the Frostbite engine. The game was officially announced on May 23rd. It was announced that at EA Play 2018, held between June 9th and 11th, the game will be playable for those that attend the event.

On May 16th the official Battlefield website was updated to include Battlefield V as the next game, with additional info such as a new timeframe different from Battlefield 1 's World War I setting, the return of War Stories narrative from Battlefield 1 and the possible return of Operations.

On May 23rd, the Reveal Trailer was released and uploaded on YouTube. Later on June 9th, the Multiplayer Trailer was also released during EA Play, along with the Singleplayer Teaser Trailer during the Xbox E3 Briefing in the following day. On August 15th, the Gamescom Teaser Trailer was released, which means on the following day, the Gamescom Trailer (Devastation of Rotterdam) has been released, along with The Company Trailer on August 21st.

An Open Beta was held on September 4th, 2018 for EA and Origin access members. The beta became available worldwide on September 6th, 2018, and end in September 11, 2018.

While DICE had been interested in returning to the World War II setting for some time, the team was hesitant to retread ground already covered in Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 1943, as well as numerous other World War II era games that saturated the market for a time. After successfully developing Battlefield 1, its development mantra of "untold, unseen, unplayed" was applied to setting of World War II, enabling the team to create something fresh by focusing on lesser known locations and engagements during the war. In multiplayer, some of these locations included early engagements along the Escaut during the German offensive into France and the Battles of Narvik in Norway in 1940. For singleplayer, the team opted for Battlefield 1 's  War Stories narrative again as opposed to an overarching story, again wanting to provide unique perspectives and experiences of the war to present to the player.

The Company was created with intention of providing the player a personal "journey" during multiplayer, giving players a more specialized experience through customizing all aspects of their soldiers and vehicles. DICE wanted all soldiers, weapons, and vehicles to have a "story" to them and wanted players to express these stories through personal customization. Similar to Battlefield 1, Battlefield V presents a combination of both well-known and lesser known weapons and equipment that were present during the war, such as the inclusion of V-1 Rockets and tank chassis with multiple variants.

Pre-Order Edition

 * Battlefield V
 * Early Access to Open Beta
 * One Paratrooper Outfit
 * Firestorm Ranger Set
 * Immediate access to five weapons in Battlefield 1
 * Special Assignments

Deluxe Edition

 * Battlefield V
 * Early Access to Open Beta
 * Five days early access on November 15, 2018
 * Five sets of Paratrooper Outfits
 * Deluxe Edition Special Assignments
 * 20 Weekly items with the Airlift System, containing cosmetic customization items that are the same for all recipients. One item is released every week of when the Deluxe edition was obtained for 20 weeks.

Pre-release
The announcement trailer was met with a backlash from fans of the series who criticized the game for a lack of historical accuracy and authenticity. Complaints were given to the use of certain weapons, prosthetics, and body art as being very uncommon in that time period. Some fans were also frustrated with the portrayal of women in the game, specifically with the British woman featured in the trailer as British women never participated in frontline combat and were mostly relegated to supporting roles.

Although acknowledging that British women were rarely on the frontline, critics have responded that female soldiers did participate in World War II, highlighting real-life examples from multiple countries, and that previous games in the Battlefield series are not seen as a completely realistic portrayal of war. Some also suggested that the backlash was partly due to misogyny, rather than genuine worries over historical accuracy.

In August, the Cowen Group, gaming industry analysts, reported that pre-order sales of Battlefield V were "weak", being 85% behind those of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

Critical response
Battlefield V has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.


 * The Metacritic scores for the game are as follows:
 * 81/100 for the PC version, based on 50 reviews.
 * 73/100 for the Xbox One version, based on 23 reviews.
 * 78/100 for the PlayStation 4 version, based on 38 reviews.


 * In Game Informer's 8/10 review, they wrote, "Ultimately, Battlefield V will be defined by the success or failure of the pending Combined Arms cooperative mode, Firestorm battle royale mode, and whether or not DICE can continually provide new and engaging content."


 * GamesRadar+ gave the game 3.5/5 stars, praising the gameplay but criticizing the online multiplayer, writing: "Not as drastic a change up as its WW1 predecessor, nor as wild or wondrous, Battlefield 5's deliberative design sidelines its strengths as a simulative sandbox."

Trivia

 * The “V” in Battlefield V was confirmed by the Official Battlefield Twitter to represent 'V for Victory'. This phrase was popularized by as a rallying emblem during WWII.


 * The original release date was October 11, 2018 for EA Access and Origin Access members, October 16, 2018 for Deluxe Edition and October 19, 2018 for worldwide release.