Battlefield 1 is one of the most anticipated games releasing this year and could be the first title to dethrone Call of Duty in terms of holiday sales. This is due to developer DICE deciding to take their game’s setting out of the modern era and have their title take place during World War I. Fans have been requesting this change for some time, so with each new streaming of the game fans have been eager to dissect every ounce of game footage. Thankfully, DICE decided to showcase a series of matches on a never before seen map during this years Gamescom.
Here’s everything you need to know about Battlefield 1’s Gamescom Stream:
1. There Will be a Calvery Class That Can Attack on Horseback
(DICE)
Even though horses were featured quite prominently in the various Battlefield 1 trailers we didn’t know how they would fit into the mechanics of the game. Horses will act just like any other vehicle in the game, in that you will be able to spawn with one at the deployment area. Once you spawn with a horse you will be designated as the “Calvery Class,” which can use a sword against foes while on horseback. We also saw that you can trample over enemies and instantly kill them, allowing for their speed and mobility to cut through lines of troops.
Horses are clearly used for hit and run tactics, with them used to disrupt enemy lines or quickly close in on enemy deployment areas. One interesting aspect is that the horse will have more health than the rider, making it so the animal can survive a firefight if the rider is killed. You can then mount a wild horse if there’s no rider, which could make for some truly interesting moments.
2. The Armored Train is Incredibly Powerful and Can Turn the Tide of Matches
(DICE)
Behemoths are powerful, massive vehicles that enter into a match around the halfway point and can be used to single-handedly win an entire match. These are rewarded to the losing team in order to give them a fighting chance at catching up to the team that is currently in the lead. Up until now we have only seen the war zeppelin in action, but that changed with Gamescom 2016 as DICE introduced players to the armored train.
This moving weapon features six guns, one of which is an anti-aircraft weapon that can tear through passing biplanes. Even though the train can only move along a set path, it passes by a few of the seven control points scattered across the map. It’s also important to note that if the train is destroyed, it will crash along the tracks and a new one will not spawn.
3. Melee is a Viable Option in Combat
(DICE)
In previous Battlefield games meleeing an opponent was not a common method for dispatching an enemy soldier. The only reason most players would stab an opponent was either to remain hidden or to just embarrass whomever they’re fighting against. However, after the Gamescom stream, it’s quite clear this fighting up close will be far more viable. Multiple times throughout the stream we saw large melee engagements where players would bayonet charge at one another instead of reloading their weapons. This makes the combat move at a faster pace and turns close range engagements into frenzied battles.
4. The Rules for Domination Have Been Adjusted
(DICE)
Domination is one of the Battlefield franchise’s most popular game modes that has made its way into every single title in the series. However, the rules are being adjusted for the first time in years to push a more objective focused concept. Originally, teams would have to fight over an odd number of control points in order to deplete the enemy team’s bar down to 0. While the bar would slowly tick down based off of how many control points your team had, it would also deplete when you killed enemy players.
This is being adjusted and will no longer take player deaths into account for how fast the enemy bar depletes. This puts an even greater focus on capturing control points and holding them from opponents. The bar will also now increase instead of decrease, making the team with the highest number at the end of the round the winner.
5. There Will be an Open Beta at the End of August
(DICE)
DICE has always held a number of Alphas and Betas to test their games, but most of the time these are closed off to the majority of players. Thankfully, they confirmed yesterday on their Gamescom stream that an Open Beta will be held and it begins on August 31. This will be across all platforms that Battlefield 1 is coming too, so make sure to sign up for the Beta if you haven’t already.
If you want to watch the full matches, visit the EA Twitch Stream here.