Everything you need to know about Star Wars Battlefront II

A new hope promises players more exciting action in a galaxy far, far away.

A sequel to 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront, Battlefront II is promising to address many of the complaints of the previous title. The first game left many Star Wars fans wanting as it chose to focus exclusively on the original film trilogy of episodes IV, V and VI. While reception to the prequel trilogy of episodes I, II and III was admittedly mixed, there is still a large fan base that enjoys the setting of the Clone Wars just as much as that of the Civil War, and it was a setting that begged to be explored in a video game. Happily though Star Wars Battlefront II will cover aspects of all three Star Wars eras, including director J.J. Abrams’s new trilogy, which at the time of writing consists only of 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens but will most likely release additional content based on the upcoming film Star Wars: The Last Jedi later this year.

Fans of the Battlefront series were also disappointed by the lack of content in the 2015 game; bearing in mind that 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront II and its predecessor are actually a reboot of the first two games in the series released in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Those games are fondly remembered by fans for their expansive multiplayer and additional content such as space battles, single-player campaigns and galactic conquest – a game mode which allowed players to manage fleets, co-ordinate troops and invade various planets in a simulation of either the Clone Wars or Rebellion eras – all of which was missing from 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront. The sequel therefore has a lot to make up for, especially when you consider the fact that 2005’s Battlefront II is still one of the most successful Star Wars games in history – selling around 6.58 million copies across all platforms at the time.

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The first major addition is the inclusion of a single-player campaign. The story takes place right after the events of Return of the Jedi with the second Death Star’s destruction, and sees player’s taking control of Iden Versio, a female stormtrooper and leader of a special forces group known as “Inferno Squadron.” The campaign will explore the roughly 30 year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and Iden’s role in it. There is a lot of potential in Iden, with a chance to depict the Empire in a more sympathetic light than we’ve seen before; telling the story from the perspective of someone who grew up on the Empire-loyal planet of Vardos, and who was no doubt subjected to years of indoctrination and/or propaganda, may create more of a moral grey area in a universe which depicts good and evil as plainly as ‘the light side vs the dark side.’

The single-player campaign will be broken up into missions and gameplay will revolve primarily around on-the-ground firefights where Iden will have access to an assortment of laser weaponry, grenades and other gadgets, as well as her companion droid which can help in combat and assist in various other tasks such as opening locked doors. According to a preview released by GameSpot, a demo of the campaign at E3 this year even allowed players to use stealth in certain situations. There will even be flying sequences where you’ll be able to pilot your TIE fighter against Rebel X-wings in large scale space battles.

The biggest change to the multiplayer is the re-introduction of classes. Players will now choose whether they want to be an officer, heavy trooper, assault trooper or specialist, and every class will have different attributes pertaining to their mobility and durability. Each class will also have access to two abilities reflective of their role on the battlefield. The heavy class, for example, can create an energy shield for defence or equip a heavy weapon for high damage output at the cost of limited mobility. The officer, on the other hand, can deploy automated turrets and passive buffs for teammates such as increased health. Check out the official website for the full breakdown of the different classes.

As mentioned previously, the game will span all three eras, and the locations featured in the game will reflect this. Expect to play as a First Order stormtrooper defending the snowy exterior of Starkiller Base, a rebel soldier battling through the forests of Endor, and as a Separatist battledroid assaulting the royal palace on Naboo, to name a few. Vehicles will be available depending on the map and space battles have now been included which will let players engage in dogfights with other pilots and assault enemy capital ships. The game allows players to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives, though it is often smarter to choose the latter for the increased situational awareness. Lastly players will once again get the chance to play as “hero” characters from the various factions including Darth Maul, Rey, Yoda, Kylo Ren and more.

Star Wars Battlefront II launches on the 17th of November 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. A co-op mode, both online and split-screen, will be available on the console versions and it has also been confirmed that the game will not have a season pass and that all future content for the game (maps, modes, characters and more) will be free.