Two years after the series reboot, EA is releasing Star Wars Battlefront II, which brings characters, locations, and vehicles from all three eras of Star Wars. And unlike the 2015 original, Battlefront II also has a single-player campaign, featuring an all-new canon storyline from the Empire’s perspective that will bridge the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
Better yet, there won’t be a paid Season Pass like with its predecessor, as Battlefront II is opting for free downloadable content (DLC) instead, to avoid fragmenting the player community. You’ll need a free EA account for all future additions, though.
If you’re wondering what to expect from the new Star Wars game, here’s what you need to know.
Star Wars Battlefront II release date
Battlefront II is out November 17 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but you can avail early access in one of two ways. Pre-order the higher-priced Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition and net a head start of three days, starting Tuesday, November 14. Or sign up to the subscription-based EA Access on Xbox One or its PC counterpart, Origin Access, which grants you 10 hours of playtime starting Thursday, November 9.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 system requirements
For those who plan to play Battlefront II on PC, here are the minimum and recommended system requirements.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 system requirements (minimum)
- OS: 64-bit Windows 7 SP1/Windows 8.1/Windows 10
- CPU: AMD FX 6350 / Intel Core i5 6600K
- RAM: 8GB
- GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB / Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB
- DirectX: 11 Compatible video card or equivalent
Star Wars Battlefront 2 system requirements (recommended)
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
- CPU: AMD FX 8350 Wraith / Intel Core i7 6700
- RAM: 16GB
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 480 4GB / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
- DirectX: 11.1 Compatible video card or equivalent
Beyond that, you’ll need a 512 Kbps or faster Internet connection for multiplayer action, and 60GB free hard drive space to install the game.
Star Wars Battlefront II price
No matter your platform of choice, there are two options for game editions. The Star Wars Battlefront II Standard Edition – at Rs. 3,500 in India, and $60 in the US – is the base choice. If you choose to pre-order, you’ll get various bonuses:
- Exclusive Star Wars : The Last Jedi outfits for Kylo Ren and Rey
- Instant access to six hero and starfighter epic Star Cards
- Kylo Ren: Power Reach and Solid Freeze
- Rey: Far Sight and Deep Mind
- Starfighters: Enhanced Auxiliary Power and First Order ship upgrade
- Instant access to Star Wars : The Last Jedi Millennium Falcon with updated sounds and appearance
And then there’s the Star Wars Battlefront II Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition at Rs. 4,800 in India, and $80 in the US. If you choose to pre-order, you’ll get all above bonuses in addition to:
- Access to play Star Wars Battlefront II on November 14—a 3-day head start
- Upgraded versions of all 4 trooper classes (Officer, Assault, Heavy, and Specialist)
- 4 epic ability upgrades—one for each trooper class
Star Wars Battlefront II characters
At launch, you’ll have a total of 14 playable heroes from all three eras: Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Yoda, Rey, Kylo Ren, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, Bossk, and Iden Versio. Only a select few – Versio (the game’s protagonist), Skywalker, and Ren – are part of the story mode.
EA has said that each of these heroes (or villains, in some cases) will have “unique, upgradable abilities” that let them bring out “their distinct powers and personality to the battle”.
More characters will be added as part of free DLC. The first of those – arriving in December around the release of The Last Jedi – will bring Finn and Captain Phasma.
Star Wars Battlefront II game modes
Battlefront II expands on the 2015 reboot with deeper multiplayer and an all-new single-player campaign. The latter begins with the destruction of Death Star II, and the death of Emperor Palpatine. The protagonist Iden Versio – played by Janina Gavankar – is an Imperial soldier, and the leader of a special forces group known as Inferno Squad, who’s bent on revenge.
The campaign spans thirty years, and will find Versio taking part in multiple events leading up to The Force Awakens, climaxing around the time of destruction of Starkiller Base.
In between, the Battlefront II campaign will have segments where the player will be able to control other characters such as Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren.
That brings us to multiplayer, which can support up to 40 simultaneous players, thanks to Galactic Assualt battles. The likes of Starfighter Assault – featuring 12v12 – will involve dogfights in both space and the sky, Blast puts you in 10-v-10 deathmatches, and Heroes vs Villains will have 4-v-4 duels starring characters from all three eras.
Star Wars Battlefront II locations
You’ll get to fight on the surface and in the skies above diverse planets from all three eras (again). That includes the likes of Death Star II, Endor, Fondor, Hoth, Tatooine, and Yavin 4 from the original trilogy; Naboo, Kamino, Kashyyyk, and Ryloth from the prequels; and Jakku, Starkiller Base, and Takodana from the sequel era.
As with characters, future DLC will add new locations too. The December one will bring Crait, from The Last Jedi.
Star Wars Battlefront II vehicles
As with characters and locations, Battlefront II will let you take control of vehicles from all three eras of Star Wars. That includes massive AATs, sleek starfighters, thundering walkers, and your favorite hero ships.
Star Wars Battlefront II DLC
EA is getting rid of the Season Pass system, as we said above, in lieu of free DLC for all. That’s because it believes paid expansions fragmented the player community, and the new system will allow all players to play longer.
Battlefront II will have multiple free DLC, with the first of those releasing around The Last Jedi in December. It’ll be based on the movie, as you’ve probably guessed, and will include Finn and Captain Phasma as heroes, the planet Crait as a ground map, and a space map above D’Qar.
Star Wars Battlefront II loot boxes
The downside of free DLC seems to be inclusion of loot boxes and crates, which have become prevalent in all big games these days. The items in them won’t just be cosmetic, but will include new weapons and upgrades (Star Cards). It’s a move that has heavily criticised since its presence was known in the open beta, and players are worried that it will lead to “pay to win”.
In response, EA issued a statement saying it was rectifying a few things based on feedback, tying more things to playing through the game, and would continually monitor and iterate on.
All in all, EA claims Battlefront II has three times more content than the 2015 original. Are you looking forward to playing it? Do you have any questions? Share them via the comments below.
