— Tagline
Battlefield 1 (also known as BF1 and development code-named 'Tunguska') is the fifteenth installment in the Battlefield Series developed by DICE and published by EA. The game is set during World War I. It marks the first installment exclusive to eighth-generation consoles and was released worldwide on October 21, 2016.
The game was released on Steam on June 11th, 2020, alongside Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline and Battlefield V.[1]
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. Armored cavalry—soldiers on horseback—will also make a first appearance. Due to the prevalence of trench warfare during World War I, melee combat features an increased focus from past installments. Chemical weapons like Gas Grenades, which were used extensively during World War I, are also present and can be countered by the vision-obscuring Gas Mask.
Singleplayer
Overview
The singleplayer campaign of Battlefield 1 takes place during World War 1 across six different "War Stories" which 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 offers a much larger sandbox to allow players more choice and variety in how they approach different situations.[2]
The singleplayer features Codex Entries which require specific actions to be completed in order to unlock. Once obtained, Codexs give players insight over World War I history. Field Manuals are collectibles introduced and can be found throughout each war story. Weapon Crates also return, featuring a variety of weaponry and gadgets that can greatly affect gameplay by allowing players to change tactics depending on the situation. Crates also feature Singleplayer exclusive variants of weapons such as suppressed sidearms.
Storm of Steel
Storm of Steel is the first mission featured in the singleplayer campaign. Serving as a prologue to the war stories, the mission takes place in 1918 somewhere on the Western Front, as the American 369th Infantry Regiment, as well as their French and British allies, make a desperate last stand against an onslaught of Imperial German Army forces.
The mission is unique in that the player controls several different soldiers over the course of the mission, all of whom (excluding the final unnamed soldier) eventually die during combat. The character's names are random for each playthrough and their dates of birth briefly appear following their death. Afterwards, the player swaps into the next soldier.
Through Mud and Blood
Through Mud and Blood is the second mission in the singleplayer campaign. Taking place late in the war, the player assumes the role of Danny Edwards, a British recruit joining the crew of a Mark V Landship named Black Bess as their new tank driver. New to the war and inexperienced in driving the unreliable vehicle, Edwards is given a trial by fire with his first mission: punch through the German line at Cambrai with a broken tank and a crew that has no trust in him.
Friends in High Places
Friends In High Places is the third mission featured in the singleplayer campaign. Players assume the role of Clyde Blackburn, an American pilot posing as George Rackham, an officer in the Royal Flying Corps. Blackburn is tasked with flying a Bristol F2.B along with a gunner/photographer named Wilson in various reconnaissance and combat missions around the Western front of the war.
Avanti Savoia!
Avanti Savoia! is the fourth mission featured in the singleplayer campaign. The player takes the role of Luca Vincenzo Cocchiola, a soldier in the Royal Italian Army's Arditi regiment as he is in search for his twin brother Matteo while fighting to push back Austro-Hungarian forces in the Italian Alps.
The Runner
The Runner is the fifth chapter mission in the singleplayer campaign. Player take control of Frederick Bishop, a message runner in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during the British Army's landing at Gallipoli, who develops a special relationship with the aspiring ANZAC recruit Jack Foster.
Nothing Is Written
Nothing Is Written is the sixth and final mission featured in the singleplayer campaign. Players assume the role of the Bedouin Warrior Zara Ghufran who is involved with the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Acting as the right hand of T. E. Lawrence, the rebel assists in securing weapons and supplies as Lawrence's band of fighters prepares to face The Canavar, an Ottoman Armored Train that has been wreaking havoc on the rebels.
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Multiplayer
Ranks and Awards
Battlefield 1's multiplayer has one hundred and twenty ranks. There are in total sixty medals in the game (including twelve added in DLC), each being able to be earned one hundred times. Medals still require the completion of specific criteria to unlock, with three to five tiers needing to be completed in order to be awarded the medal. Unlike past installments, however, players may only earn a maximum of five medals a week. Only one medal may be tracked at a time though other medals may be tracked if the player changes their kit or gamemode. At the end of each week, the progression for these medals is reset and rotated out for another set of five medals.[3]
Ribbons were first introduced in the Community Test Environment and were added to the retail game on February 14, 2017, in the Winter Update. Similar to past installments, they are awarded upon completion of specific tasks in a round and can be obtained more than once. They have no relation to the unlocking of Medals.
Similar to Assignments, Codex Entries are also introduced and are unlocked through the completion of certain tasks. Once unlocked they will give players greater insight on the history of World War I. Elite Codex were added in the Winter Update on February 14, 2017, and award 25,000 XP upon completing them.
Classes
Battlefield 1 features a class system similar to that of Battlefield 1942. Vehicle specific classes are also available, which are spawned in via vehicles instead of on foot. Only Infantry and Vehicle kits are dropped upon death, and can only be picked up by other Infantry or Vehicle class players. The role of Engineer has largely been removed, with many aspects being transferred to the Assault kit. Each class features a total of fifty ranks with weapons and dog tags unlocked upon reaching certain ranks.
Infantry Classes
- Assault - The kit is equipped with anti-vehicle weaponry designed to destroy enemy armor and break the defensive line. Their main weapons consist of submachine guns and shotguns.
- 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. Their main weapons consist of semi-automatic rifles.
- Support - Retains a similar role to recent installments, having the ability to resupply teammates with ammunition and suppress enemies with explosive gadgets. Their main weapons consist of light machine guns.
- Scout - Similar to the Recon kit, the Scout kit is equipped to gather intelligence and engage enemies at long ranges. Their main weapons consist of scoped single-action rifles.
Vehicle Classes
- Tanker - Introduced with Battlefield 1, players will spawn as a Tanker upon spawning into any type of tank (or Destroyer) from the spawn screen. Filling the Engineer's role from previous games, the Tanker is equipped with a Repair Tool and special pistol carbines as primary weapons. 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 internally 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 aircraft, and the kit can be customized as well. However, this kit is equipped with a Flare Gun instead of Anti-Tank Grenades like the Tanker.
- Cavalry - Like the other two vehicle-based classes, the player will spawn as a Cavalry only when spawning into the horse. They wear extra plate armor and is thus much more durable than a standard class. Their kit however, is not customizable at all, being locked to the Russian 1895 Cavalry, a Cavalry Sword, a pistol, Ammo Pouch, and Bandage Pouch as gadgets and the Light Anti-Tank Grenade as the grenade.
Elite Classes
New in Battlefield 1 are the Elite Classes. They replace the weapon Battle Pickups found in previous games, spawned into the game at special intervals, and granting the players who pick them up with a special set of powerful equipment.
- Flame Trooper - Flame Troopers are equipped to be resistant to other incendiary troops and immune to chemical weapons due to always wearing a gas mask. They wield the Wex flamethrower and three Incendiary Grenades.
- Sentry - Sentries can soak up large amounts of damage and resist headshots, but their heavy armor slows them down considerably, their helmet slightly restricts their vision, and they cannot wear a gas mask. They wield either the MG 08 heavy machine gun or the Villar Perosa submachine gun, depending on where this kit was taken from, along with a single Frag Grenade regardless whether or not its a Central Powers soldier or Allied Powers.
- Tank Hunter - Tank Hunters are designed to cripple enemy vehicles. They wield the 1918 Tankgewehr anti-tank rifle, a Sawed-Off Shotgun, a couple of Anti-Tank Grenades, a Trench Periscope and several Frag Grenades.
- Trench Raider - Added in the Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass DLC, Trench Raiders are close-quarters-focused Elite Class with a high movement speed. They wield the Raider Club as a primary weapon and a No. 3 Revolver for backup, as well as a Medical Crate, and can also spam smoke grenades and three frag grenades.
- Infiltrator - Added in the Battlefield 1: Turning Tides DLC, Infiltrators provides the explosive power and high mobility. They wield the Martini-Henry Grenade Launcher as primary weapon, Sawed-Off Shotgun as secondary weapon, Signal Flare to call down artillery strike, Heliograph that provide spawn point for teammates and two of smoke grenades
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Maps and Gamemodes
Battlefield 1 features numerous maps from across the theater of the First World War. Many gamemodes featured in previous installments 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 more freeform 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 game mode from Battlefield Play4Free. The new Operations game mode is also introduced, playing similar to Evolution from Battlefield Vietnam. Operations take 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.
The other gamemode introduced is War Pigeons. Players are tasked with capturing Carrier Pigeons and surviving long enough to write a message and successfully release the pigeon. If successful, players will call in an artillery strike against the enemy team.
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Weapons and Gadgets
The game features dozens of historically accurate weapons and gadgets, each having had some record of being used or were in development during the first World War, whether they were prevalent or not. Weapons and gadgets are able to be unlocked upon obtaining a certain class rank. Afterward, they become available for use after purchasing them through Warbonds.
While multiple Weapons Attachments are shared across different weapons, their use is locked to specific premade Weapon Variants. The player's freedom of customization is limited to the Bayonet, the Iron Sights, the weapon skin, and two special customization, recoil direction, and zoom distance.
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Vehicles
Similar to weapons and gadgets, the game features dozens of historically accurate vehicles 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, some of which can be crewed by multiple players, replace modern aircraft. Horses are also introduced, allowing for a fast means of transportation while allowing the player to fire a weapon when riding.
Instead of being instantaneous like previous games, there are now animations that show the player entering a vehicle, as well as animations for switching between different positions on a plane. Passenger animations mean players may directly enter specific seats within light vehicles by entering the vehicle from the corresponding side, removing the need to first jump into the drivers seat. As a consequence, players cannot enter the vehicle from certain sides if a teammate is already in the seat for that side. Furthermore, light vehicles have the ability to handbrake, a feature carried over from Battlefield Hardline, which allows drivers to make rapid turns while maintaining high speed.
Destruction plays a role in the handling of each vehicle as affects 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. Aside from emplacements or light armored vehicles, all vehicles contain three Vehicle Packages that determine which Vehicle Specializations may be used. Each vehicle features a default vehicle packages with additional packages requiring Warbonds to be purchased.
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 by heavy fire. Similar to normal vehicles, each Behemoth features weak points that are more susceptible to damage. Behemoths include the Airship, the Armored Train, the Dreadnought, and the Super Heavy Tank.
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Factions
Battlefield 1 features the main combatants of the Great War as available factions such as the United States, German Empire, and British Empire. Subsequent factions such as the French Army, Russian Army will be added in post-launch content. Factions are map specific and cannot be chosen by owners of rented servers.
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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.
- Codex Entries - Feature that provides players greater insight over the history of World War I. Entries are unlocked through the completion of specific tasks.
- Bayonet Charge - Animation that causes the player to run faster than sprinting and will result in an instakill against any enemy who comes in contact.
- Vehicle Weak Points - Feature that allows vehicles to be easily disabled if specific spots are targeted.
- Specializations - Available for both classes and vehicles. Class specializations were introduced as part of the In the Name of the Tsar expansion and were added to the Community Test Environment in August 2017. Vehicle specializations come in the form of Vehicle Packages which allow the use of several different vehicle specializations per package, each centered on specific situations.
- 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.
- Community Test Environment - Feature that allows players to play a separate version of Battlefield 1 and provide DICE with greater feedback to improve the actual game.
- "Sweet Spot" - Sniper Rifles receive a unique damage model where their damage will first increase to 100 or above at a range dependent on the weapon before undergoing normal damage dropoff.
- Refined Movements - Similar to how Battlefield 4 added the ability to leap over low obstacles, Battlefield 1 added the ability for soldiers to scale over medium-height elevations.
- Nearby Medics - A small feature added to the killcam, it displays a small list of friendly medics with Medical Syringes near the player's body and their distance to the player, up to 20 meters. This allows a dead player to anticipate for an incoming revival.
- Medic Revive Intent - Also called "Medic Spotting", it allows a Medic using the Medical Syringe to inform a dead player of their intent to revive them by spotting their dead icon. The dead player will receive a sound notification and receive a new list of Incoming Medics above their list of Nearby Medics, listing all medics who had spotted their dead body.
- Ricochet - Projectiles fired at extreme angles at tanks have a chance of ricocheting, deflecting the projectile elsewhere and dealing greatly reduced damage.
- Assignments - Similar to past installments, the game features weapon assignments which require players to complete specific criteria to be awarded weapons. Additionally Service Assignments are introduced which reward players with new class specializations upon completion.
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Downloadable Content
They Shall Not Pass
On August 24, 2016, DICE announced Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass alongside Battlefield Premium. The pack introduces the French Army as a playable faction in addition to six new maps set in Verdun, Nivelle Offensive and the Aisne-Marne Offensive, new weapons, vehicles, and Codex Entries. It was released on March 14, 2017 for Premium players and March 28, 2017 for non-Premium players.
In The Name of the Tsar
On August 24, 2016, DICE announced a second unnamed expansion for Battlefield 1 that includes the Russian Army and the Red Army as two playable factions. Battlefield 1: In The Name Of The Tsar was formally announced on February 28, 2017. Maps take place on the Russian frontlines across four maps and two maps on Russian Civil War. It was released on September 5, 2017 for Premium players and September 19, 2017 for non-Premium players.[4]
Turning Tides
On February 28, 2017, DICE announced the Battlefield 1: Turning Tides expansion as well as two other expansion packs. The DLC centers on naval warfare of World War I in battles such as the Zeebrugge Raid, Battle of Heligoland Bight and Gallipoli Offensive across four new maps. The first wave was released on December 11, 2017 for Premium players, with the second wave released on January 30, 2018 for Premium players and February 13, 2018 for non-Premium players.[5]
Apocalypse
On February 28, 2017, DICE announced the Battlefield 1: Apocalypse expansion as well as two other expansion packs. It will center on infamous battles of the Great War with the addition of five new maps including Battle of Caporetto, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Passchendaele and other two maps design specially for Air Assault gamemode. It was released in February 20, 2018 and March 6, 2018 for non-Premium players.[6]
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 Superior Battlepacks issued monthly. Pre-order of the Battlefield 1: Premium Pass was put up for sale on Origin on August 24, 2016.[7]
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Soundtrack
- Main article: Battlefield 1: Original Soundtrack
The Battlefield 1: Original Soundtrack was released on October 28, 2016. It was composed by Johan Soderqvist and Patrik Andren and consists of 25 tracks.
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.[8]
The game was originally going to have a more standard campaign format. The campaign was revised into a series of short stories connected by the "theme" of WWI, namely its scale, to show how many people it affected. The idea of making the campaign an adventure game was explored during development.[9][10]
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".[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
The official reveal for the game took place on May 6, 2016.[14] 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.[15]
In North America, the PC version is only available through digital download.[16]
Beta
On August 15, 2016 the Open Beta was announced on to start on August 31, 2016 and ran until September 8, 2016[17] Players who signed up for the Battlefield Insider program before August 21, 2016 gained access to the Open Beta one day early on August 30, 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.
Gallery
Marketing
Standard Editions
Special Editions
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
Frontline/Supply Pack Edition
- Sold with and without Battlefield 1
- Steelbook Case
- Action Art Card
- Tank/Pilot Keychain
- Class Emblem Pins
- Real Life Dog Tag
- Beanie
- Code Card for 60 days exclusive "ThinkGeek" Dog Tag
Ultimate Edition
- Battlefield 1: Deluxe Edition
- Premium Pass
- Discontinued (Replaced by Revolution Edition)
Revolution Edition
- Battlefield 1
- Premium Pass
- 14 Superior Battlepacks
- 14 Unique Dog Tags
- Heroes of the Great War Bundle (Deluxe Edition Upgrade)
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Achievements and Trophies
- Main article: Battlefield 1 Achievements and Trophies
Reception
Battlefield 1 has received positive reviews from critics.
- The Metacritic scores for the game are as follows:
- On OpenCritic, the game holds a score of 87/100 based on 87 reviews across all versions of the game.[21]
- 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.[22]
- Chloi Rad from IGN gave the game a score of 9/10, praising the game's use of its WW1 setting, destructible environments, balance in classes and gadgets, and variety in weaponry. Her criticisms of the game include the map design, which she describes as being "nothing special", and certain parts of the campaign and its length.[23]
- Matt Bertz from Game Informer a score of 9.25/10, giving praise to the game's campaign, destructible environments, dynamic weather feature, and immersion factor through its graphics and sound design. However, he criticizes the game for having "quality-of-life" issues such as not being able to customize loadouts in the main menu, and some of the game modes (such as Team Deathmatch and Domination) for making the game play more like any other shooter.[24]
The game sold 15 million units.[25] As of January 2018, the game has had over 25 million players.[26]
Trivia
- In order to simulate the physical strain experienced by their soldiers, voice actors recorded their lines while wearing weights and playing catch with cinderblocks.[27]
- In Battlefield 1, weapons can get dirty if the player uses them prone in mud. They can be cleaned in rain or by going through water.
- Killing via headshots in Battlefield 1 will cause the victim's helmet or hat to fly off.
- There are different sounds for ejected shells dropping on different surfaces.
- The spelling alphabet used for control points and squad names is the spelling alphabet used by the Royal Navy during World War I.
- Plank boxes scattered around the map can be found with the faint word "Sieverts Kabelverk" marked on them. Sieverts Kabelverk is a Swedish company founded in in 1888, alluding to DICE's Swedish heritage.[28]
- The game was was released for free through Prime Gaming promotion between July 21 to August 4, 2021.[29]
Gallery
Logo & Key Art
Promotional Art
Concept Art
Others
Videos
References
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External links
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