Battlefield 4 Final Stand Launching This Week

Battlefield 4's last expansion pack is almost here. DICE announced this weekend that Final Stand will officially debut this week for Battlefield 4: Premium members.

Final Stand can be downloaded by Premium players on Tuesday, November 18th. Everyone else will have to wait until December 2nd to jump into the new multiplayer content.

The expansion introduces four new maps. All of the maps center around the creation of futuristic technology by Russia and the United States. Some of these inventions are similar to the advanced technology seen in Battlefield 2142. Each map is set somewhere in Russia.

In the first map, "Giants of Karelia," U.S. Marines and Russian ground forces fight for control of a battlewalkers facility and the surrounding villages. "Hangar 21" is set in a mountain hangar where airborne carriers known as Titans are being tested. "Operation Whiteout" brings the conflict to a Siberian research in the middle of a blizzard. Rounding out the set is "Hammerhead," a mountain range with a submarine base and testing facility for a new type of drone.

While playing these maps, players will get their hands on some brand-new weaponry. The Rorsch MK-1, a battle pick-up, is a railgun that can accurately inflict heavy damage at a long range. However, it has a long recharge time between each shot so it's poor for close-range encounters. The SC-42 is a stationary turret that fires a cluster of 40mm grenades that's ideal for repulsing infantry attacks. Existing carbines and designated marksman rifles, meanwhile, can be outfitted with an accessory called TDD that detects enemies in a cone in front of the user.

Two gadgets are included in Final Stand as well. The DS-3 creates a decoy player on the minimap while also projecting gunfire to complete the illusion. Players can use the aerial drone XD-1 Accipiter to take out anti-air missiles.

Final Stand's vehicles are a mixture of old and new. The HT-95 is a hovertank, which is more agile than traditional tanks but also more noticeable. The Pod Launcher, found in "Hangar 21," quickly catapults players to a remote point on the battlefield. The snowmobile functions about the same as the ATV: it's a quick way for two players to get to the battlefield. The passenger can use infantry weapons to ensure that the vehicle's not completely helpless.

DICE released four expansions prior to Final Stand: China Rising, Second Assault, Naval Strike, and Dragon's Teeth. Players who purchase Battlefield 4 Premium get access to every DLC pack as it's released. Perks of that membership also include exclusive double XP events, server queue priority, bonus battlepacks containing random gear and boosters, and exclusive cosmetic items.