Battlefield 1: What We Know So Far

When the Battlefield 1 reveal trailer streamed during EA and DICE's special announcement ceremony online, the fans loved it so much, they played the trailer two more times for everyone. Everyone had this subtle, yet unified, knowledge that this was the Battlefield game we had been hoping for. This was the one everyone’s been dreaming of since Battlefield 1942. And since the reveal, we’ve gotten a whirlwind of information about the upcoming title from DICE and EA.

The Battlefield 1 Trailer

When the reveal trailer dropped during a live online stream with EA and DICE, Battlefield fans lost their minds. While the Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare trailer had debuted shortly before, and topped YouTube’s list for most disliked video ever, one slot under Justin Beiber, it greatly paled in comparison. The response to the video was so overwhelmingly positive, the guys at EA and DICE played it two more times. Days after the reveal, people were still talking about it. I even wrote an entire article about how I couldn’t stop watching the trailer, because of just how awesome it was.

The trailer revealed many gameplay elements about the game including the kinds of weapons that will be accessible and possible vehicles to control in-game, very much like the tanks and planes in previous games.

Why Battlefield 1 Almost Didn’t Happen

It’s been widely reported that Battlefield 1 almost didn’t happen. EA and DICE have said they were worried about tackling the World War 1 theme. But not only that, they were worried their younger audience wouldn’t quite understand the technological advances in Battlefield 1 that really occurred during World War I.

If they hadn’t decided to take a risk and go along with the idea of World War I in a Battlefield game, we might not be sitting here researching everything we know about the amazing upcoming Battlefield 1 game. With just how badly Call Of Duty’s new trailer reveal went for Infinite Warfare, I think it really just made Battlefield 1 look that much better. But I have a feeling this might be one of the best installments in the series, probably because EA and DICE have said they are aiming to make this feel like a real Battlefield game more than ever.

What Is The Battlefield 1 Release Date?

As mentioned above, the standard edition of Battlefield 1 will give players access to the game on its original release date of October 1. But if you get the deluxe edition, you will get access to the game on October 18, before everyone else.

What Is The Battlefield 1 Setting?

Battlefield 1 will be set back in history during the period of World War I. This war started off with minimal technology and advanced into something so profound and technologically-advanced over a period of four to five years. The locations you’ll be able to travel to over the course of the game varies greatly and some include Arabia, The Western Front and The Alps.

Why Is The New Game Called Battlefield 1?

The developer and publisher chose the name Battlefield 1 carefully and for good reason. What they hoped to capture with Battlefield 1 was a concept they felt they had nailed in the beginning with Battlefield 1942. And with that, the name Battlefield 1 was born, back to the beginning of what made the Battlefield franchise great.

I think everyone was really expecting the name of the next title to be Battlefield 5. News outlets had even been referring to it as Battlefield 5, so the fact that they gave it a whole new name was really bold and risky, but I think it will pay off. Really, this is the game fans have been waiting for since Battlefield 1942. World War I was the first major world conflict, so it only makes sense that we start at the beginning where everything was brutal and the rules were blurred.

It’ll be exciting to see just how many different locations you’ll be able to see. EA and DICE did emphasize that they wanted the players to be able to see World War I from all angles, to really get the feel that this war didn’t just take place in one locations. So this is definitely something to keep in mind as more details release for Battlefield 1.

According to Venture Beat, other locations mentioned by EA and DICE include France and the Argonne forest in Belgium. France had a lot of different terrain and probably had a lot of trench warfare. The forest is a different story, with plenty of places for enemies to hide and even a thick fog to take advantage of.

Single Player Campaign

EA and DICE have been extremely tight-lipped about the single-player campaign. Designer Danny Berlin has said the campaign will more accurately reflect Battlefield's open sandboxes.

It’s also been stated that the single-player campaign will allow more player choice in gameplay, more variety and a story told from multiple viewpoints. Introducing choice to gameplay has worked for games like Uncharted and Life Is Strange and has accounted for a number of different gameplay outcomes, so maybe EA and DICE are looking for variety in gameplay in that way? It’s still too early to tell, but I am secretly hoping for a more enriching experience from Battlefield 1’s single-player campaign, mostly because I really want to get the brutal World War I experience outside of the online multiplayer gameplay. And, of course, I’m a sucker for video game narrative.

When Will The Battlefield 1 Beta Be Released?

Official dates for the beta haven’t been released yet, but you can gain access to the beta early if you sign up to be a Battlefield insider. Clever, clever EA and DICE. You can sign up to be a Battlefield insider here, and it will cost you absolutely nothing.

If my computer had the capabilities to run Battlefield, I would join to be an insider in a heartbeat. But if you’re a console gamer, you’ll also want to sign up, because Battlefield 1 is also coming to consoles. I’ve always played Battlefield on a computer and it feels strange to me when I play games like that on console, all except Call Of Duty. It’s kind of like when I played Overwatch on console. Since it played a lot like Team Fortress 2, it felt so strange to be controlling my characters with a controller rather than WASD. I might just have to upgrade my PC. And if you’re a Battlefield PC player, I don’t recommend switching to console, either.

Multiplayer

Battlefield 1 will offer a very familiar-feeling online multiplayer experience with a number of expansive maps and locations. The max number of players allowed on a map at once will be 64, and will take place over land and sea and in mid-air. During a Twitter Q&A, DICE senior producer Aleksander Grøndal said there will be a variety of new game modes mixed with classic ones.

Battlefield 1 will also feature a revamped squad system which will let you and your teammates in your squad move together from server to server so you don’t get matched with someone different every time. This could either be a good thing or a bad thing. I know I’ve gotten matched with some pretty irritating squad members before and it was always refreshing to know my team would be switching in the next server. But, then again, maybe you’ve found a really great squad and splitting up means you’ll never get that kind of synchronicity back, and in that case this new tool will be perfect for you.

And of course, what would a Battlefield 1 game be without a totally destructible environment? Yes, buildings will still collapse under enough stress. This is probably my favorite part about the Battlefield series. I’ve been playing during a match and I was on top of a building when someone blew it out and it was starting to collapse. I had to jump in order to survive the collapse and it was a horrifying yet thrilling virtual experience. A part of me felt like James Bond. I’m just intrigued to learn what I can blow up in Battlefield 1.

Weapons

EA and DICE have made it very clear that weapons in Battlefield 1 will be “era-authentic” meaning everything you use in-game would have existed back during World War I. In the trailer, you can see one of the men holding a trench-raiding club, which was actually used during that time for nighttime trench-raiding. The clubs were usually homemade and topped with some sort of sharp metal object. Talk about brutal and unforgiving.

Other weapons to consider for hand-to-hand combat in World War I for Battlefield 1 are knives, swords, shovels and bayonets hooked on the tops of rifles. Shotguns were also highly used during trench warfare because they were great for taking out the enemy at close range. Machine guns worked, but if they got too hot, you had to pour water on them. Makes you wonder if EA and DICE were so authentic that they made pouring water on your machine guns a thing. And, what would a brutal war be without flamethrowers?

Vehicles

This is probably one of the most important aspects of this guide. Everyone loves taking control of a vehicle in Battlefield. And in Battlefield 1, the experience will be no different. Players will, of course, be able to take control of tanks, and some tanks will even be able to hold multiple people. The same goes for the planes; they will be able to sit multiple people. Really lucky players might even get the chance to fly the Red Baron’s plane. Other vehicles available will include trucks, battleships, zeppelins and horses.

I can tell you right now I’d do anything to take control of a zeppelin. Can you image the feeling of power in controlling an airship like that? We got to see the extent of horses being used in the trailer in what looks like sandy Saudi Arabia, but as the war progressed, so did the technology and the brutality.

The Competition

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1 will be going head to head this fall. Call Of Duty plans on releasing in November while Battlefield 1 is getting a head start in October. Not long before Battlefield 1’s reveal trailer, Call Of Duty revealed their new game, Infinite Warfare, which was met with horrible reviews. People disliked the new trailer so much, it actually ranked as one of the top most disliked YouTube videos ever, right below Justin Beiber. If I remember correctly, it had almost double the number of dislikes than it did likes.

Battlefield and Call Of Duty have always been in heavy competition with each other, mostly because they are reaching for the same target audience. So it’s all about which game can engage them more. And from the looks of things, it seems like EA and DICE might have an advantage over Call Of Duty.

The new Call Of Duty is going to be set in a futuristic time period and partly set in space, which a lot of fans responded negatively to. Some commented that this turns the game into Destiny’s competitor, but Destiny has completely owned that space-shooter genre, so where does Call Of Duty have to turn? Many people even commented on our Facebook page that they think this is the end of the franchise, but I highly doubt that. Even though fans hate the idea of Call Of Duty being set in space, among other things, many will still buy the game because it’s Call Of Duty.

Platforms

In the past, most Battlefield games have been PC only. I say most because Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was actually available on console. The Xbox 360 is where I first played a Battlefield game and found myself in love with it over Call Of Duty. Not only was it more challenging, but it just felt that much more realistic.

I’ll be glad to see Battlefield coming back to consoles in Battlefield 1, mostly because I can’t run a new Battlefield game on my gaming PC for anything. Either I spend the money to update my PC to handle it, or I bite the bullet and just get adapted to console gameplay. At this point, just getting used to playing it on console seems like a better choice.

Editions Of The Game

Currently, there are two editions of the game you can pre-order. There is the standard edition of the game and the deluxe edition. The deluxe edition has a huge perk for those looking to get a jumpstart on everyone else. If you pre-order the deluxe edition of the game, you will get early access to the game on October 18 rather than the original October 21 release date. To me, I think that’s totally worth it.

Many diehard fans would probably jump at the chance to play Battlefield 1 early, but it is slightly more expensive. For most, it’s worth it. For example, on Gamestop.com, the standard edition of Battlefield 1 costs $59.99 as expected. The deluxe edition costs $20 more at $79.99.

The Collector’s Edition is, of course, going to cost you a pretty penny. At $219.99, you get a deluxe edition base game, 14” statue, exclusive steel book, exclusive cloth poster, playing cards, messenger pigeon tube with the DLC, an exclusive patch and premium packaging.

It’s interesting to note that while Call Of Duty comes out the following month after Battlefield 1's release, I still think Battlefield will have the upper hand, because players will go from Battlefield to Call Of Duty thinking “This isn’t Battlefield 1. I want more WWI gameplay.” I mean, if you had to choose between outer space and fighting in the brutality of WWI in a game, which would you choose? Biased, I know, but I’m a dedicated fan. You’ll be able to make your own decision this fall.