Road to End Game: High-speed warfare

01.31.13  | 133 comments

Our fifth expansion pack End Game is looming ever closer. In this first in-depth reveal we detail the overall scope of this massive themed expansion pack – bringing speed and agility to the Battlefield and introducing the all-new dirt bike.

All-new fast and agile dirt bike
When building End Game, high-speed warfare was our mantra. Nothing illustrates this better than the new fast and agile dirt bike, that lets you take a friend to the frontlines at high speed while doing wheelies and quick stops. It’s a true two-wheel vehicle with its own physics engine that is a perfect fit for our returning game mode Capture the Flag.

We have hidden a lot of cool jumps for you on all maps that you can attempt if you need a quick getaway in a daredevil fashion. The dirt bike is clearly the star among the new vehicles in End Game, and we will return shortly with an in-depth blog post focused solely on this agile and versatile addition to the ever-growing Battlefield vehicle line-up.

Call for reinforcements with the new dropship
But that’s not all. You can also jump into the seat of two new AA vehicles or use the new dropship to call in reinforcements or parachute in behind enemy lines. The AA vehicles is the first time in Battlefield 3 that a troop transport has been fitted with a roof mounted AA turret in addition to a rocket launcher, effectively making it able to defend against both ground and air vehicles. The dropship gets awarded to whatever team holds the central flag in Conquest mode and lets you drop in an additional Infantry Fighting Vehicle by parachute, forcing the enemy to keep close tabs on your position or risk being overrun.

Fight all year around
End Game contains four vast and varied maps, each inspired by one of the four seasons. If there’s something our line of expansion packs have shown, it’s how many different flavors of combat Battlefield 3 can cater for. From the classic gameplay of Back to Karkand to the tight infantry combat on Close Quarters and massive all-out vehicle warfare of Armored Kill – we love to give our fans new experiences while staying true to the Battlefield core.

By making each map distinctly unique, End Game serves as a beautiful reminder of the broad range of vistas we can deliver with the Frostbite 2 engine, and how the environment influences gameplay in subtle ways. From the beautiful fall-themed Operation Riverside, with its many rivers and electrical sub-stations, to snowy Sabalan Pipeline, End Game brings all of your favorite settings into one tight package.

The return of Capture the Flag and Air Superiority
Capture the Flag is a classic multiplayer game mode for anyone interested in shooters, and it was actually part of the original Battlefield 1942 released more than 10 years ago. End Game marks the first time in a decade that Capture the Flag returns to the Battlefield, and we think it’s a perfect fit with the new theme of high-speed warfare and mobility that the dirt bike brings to the game. Stay tuned for an in-depth look at our Battlefield version of Capture the Flag in a later blog post in this series.

Also new for End Game is the jet-based Air Superiority game mode where players can take part in massive dogfights, much like when this game mode first appeared in Battlefield 1943. If you’re a Premium member, you can watch an exclusive video right now featuring extended gameplay from Air Superiority mode. Just head to the Battlelog Premium videos section to check it out. We will return with in-depth Air Superiority information later in this blog series, so stay tuned for that.

Like all of our themed expansion packs, End Game is more than ”just maps”. Apart from the new vehicles, Capture the Flag and Air Superiority modes, we are also packing it with new Assignments, dog tags, Achievements/Trophies, and more.

Join us here on the Battlefield Blog for more breaking news on End Game up until the launch this March. Let us know what you think in the poll and comments section below, and we’ll make sure to check in and discuss with you!

Battlefield 3: End Game is out this March. You can purchase it separately for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 – or get it two weeks early at no extra charge if you become a Battlefield 3: Premium member.

What are you looking forward to the most in End Game?

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  • ExLee 01.31.13 at 17:42

    “End Game marks the first time in a decade that Capture the Flag returns to the Battlefield…”

    Hmm… Really ? What about BF2: Modern Combat or are you guys deliberately trying to forget that game ;D. Well I don’t blame you because that game was a disgrace to Battlefield series and just really really bad… Especially compared to BF2 on PC…

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  • GainingAltitude 01.31.13 at 17:36

    Dear Dev,

    First off, thanks for making the greatest game and combat simulator I’ve ever seen. But in the last update, you guys dialed up the stingers/ igla’s to be effective even though an aircraft is out of range, and in some instances, on the ground. I’ve been hit out side the map, skimming along the ground and sometimes while repairing. Since this change, the Below Radar perk and the ECM jammers are almost ineffective. Now, anyone who is hurt from being shot out will lie on their back making snow angels with a stinger pointing to the sky waiting for me. Granted, the stingers would lock and disable a new pilot, but with effective ECM and diving below radar, stingers should make me break contact. As it is, out of bounds and on the ground is still in range for these things? I might be responsible for the initial complaints of jet pilots ripping through the C130 in two passes and shooting ejected pilots, but I practice these things. Why do they get to fire and forget?

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    • Bermbom 01.31.13 at 17:41

      ECM jammer, if used right, will deflect ANY missile time and time again.
      Right use of ECM with its VERY FAST reload means invincible helis and jets versus missiles… but you have to use it right.

      95% of all pilots dont have a clue on how to use ECM jammer right.
      ECM needs a big nerf if any.

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      • AscendedOne360 01.31.13 at 19:36

        Sorry but he has a point. Stingers/iglas seem to make the ECM jammer useless. Anytime I’m in the air using ECM jammer and notice the missile is still coming no matter how low I fly or even after evading long enough and flying far enough away to use the jammer a second time, I immediately know it’s a stinger/igla long before it hits. God forbid there are two or more guys on the ground firing at the same time. Instant death. I have literally been scraping the ground with below radar while using the ECM jammer and still been hit… many times. I don’t have that problem from jets and heli’s attacking me. Only from infantry.

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        • Pofka321 02.01.13 at 13:33

          You DO know you have to use ECM before the stinger is fired?

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    • l Frothy Chimp 02.03.13 at 16:17

      “combat simulator” lol. But yeah, you’re right, the countermeasures need to be fixed.

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  • FIELDSOFGLUE 01.31.13 at 16:52

    Are the balance issues regarding Flankers vs. F-18s going to be fixed in the next patch? If not, AS is going to turn into a slaughter.

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    • Mr Frodo24 01.31.13 at 21:57

      They’ll probably make it more even. To be fair to flankers, they can turn sharper than the F-18. Trust me.

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    • l Frothy Chimp 02.03.13 at 16:18

      What’s wrong with either? I do just fine in both.

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  • TheLordOfWarfare 01.31.13 at 16:48

    And what about the 2 seated jet? Why don´t you bring “powerful” vehicles? Not only Jeeps with an additional machine gun or whatever gun! We want the 2 seated jet from the singleplayer mission!

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  • Bermbom 01.31.13 at 16:21

    I thought ”normal” BF3 was air-superiority mode with the stupid overpowered jets and heli’s that WILL rape you 800-1000m+ away, out of any AA range. (PC version)

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    • FIELDSOFGLUE 01.31.13 at 16:51

      That is false. A good AA driver will completely shut down an airspace with a radius of more than 1 km, basically from it’s base.

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      • Sarcastronaut 01.31.13 at 17:34

        Ya he is definitely right, i Fly jets in PS3 but whenever there is a Skilled AA going anywhere near their sights is suicide, in fact sometimes the AA’s are a bit overpowered, in my opinion, of course i think this because i can be at the mountains over my base and get hit by AA fire, if not deadly at first after 5 minutes it gets annoying

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      • Bermbom 01.31.13 at 17:38

        You never used the MAA versus good pilots yourself, did you?
        MAA has LIMITED effective range. MAA will get killed fast from out of that effective range.

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  • WeHaveATechnical 01.31.13 at 16:15

    Sadly we have enough ‘Air Superiority’ in the normal game thanks to unlimited weapons, unlimited countermeasures, practically unlimited spoting range, and near unlimited fly zone… combine that with AA that you need to be cleaning the windscreen of the jet or helo to get lock, and then a hit merely ‘disables’ allowing all crews to bale and repeat…

    How a jet can spot a single infantryman from edge of map is totally ridiculous… The ECM jammer leaves a stinger infantryman maybe 3 seconds inbetween cooldown and reload, alongside needing 2 stinger hits to get a kill, by which time crews have either…

    1) Baled to get another helo/jet
    2) Flew into enormous redzone to repair and return
    3) Simply flew higher or lower to avoid any lock at all

    Sadly Dice you should have stuck to BF2 format with Airplay and ensure a return to airfield/carrier to rearm or repair, air vehicles have become the new noob tubers of the game thanks to everything unlimited, this totally spoils the game now in my opinion… Dont get me wrong I want airplay but not on the practically unlimited basis as it is now…

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    • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 16:23

      Totally agree :D

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    • Bermbom 01.31.13 at 16:26

      I agree.
      BF2 had bad balance, but BF3 is even worse (PC version)

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      • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 16:32

        As a console player I have to say that the situation is not this bad on console, but we’ll see on End Game…

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        • Bermbom 01.31.13 at 17:39

          BF3 on PC is really horrible. Pilots and unlimited range of 3D Spotting = no fun on airmaps. One the main reasons why AM is so popular, no jets or attack heli’s!!!

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    • Sarcastronaut 01.31.13 at 17:38

      well, #1 it takes a certain amount of skill to shoot infantry with the Jets, that said, spotting someone from the edge of the map yes, but it doesnt appear on the Jets HUD until you are stuck with a 2-3 second run time, tanks are different as are equipment but not infantry and with a simple & as far as stingers go lol, they are far from underpowered, the fact it can fire about 2 1/2 before a countermeasure reloads is good enough, the stinger isnt meant to destroy it that easily, take tanks for instance, they take 5 rockets to destroy, a jet takes 2 but a single stinger disables it,

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    • Dooshed 02.01.13 at 16:14

      Amen!

      Give the Engineers the ability to carry more stingers.

      Oh yeah, and FIX THE HACKS! I’m so tired of people running around knowing exactly where the enemy is.

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  • ekstinkt 01.31.13 at 15:56

    This is the only game that I never did and never will regret paying my money for.

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  • gustavo_pvs 01.31.13 at 15:52

    I will definitely enjoy this DLC, but DICE should correct some stuff for BF4:
    1. Try not to do all the maps with the same theme (bf3: iran iraq, desert) it gets boring.
    2. More players on console.
    3. If you are going to make people pay 40 / 60 dollars for PREMIUM, give them more stuff. The Dogtag/Cammo/ thing is ok, the gamemodes are amazing, but what about fuck!ng WEAPONS!! Air Vehicles, Gadgets, Even a whole new class…
    4. FIX THE DAMN BUGS!
    I’m still a BF fan and that will never change but come on

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    • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 15:56

      and the possiblilty to switch back to your WAR KNIFE, not to use only that fuck!ng box cutter :P

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    • SgtRoderickVI 01.31.13 at 17:38

      they wont do that you point out of premium membership:
      1.- reason: 50 bucks is pretty cheap when compared to cod for example, in which you pay 50 bucks and you get 4 dlc, in bf instead you get 5 dlcs, exclusive camos, new assigments whicch keep the game fresh, etc…
      2.- reason: they wont give us unique weps, classes, etc as that would cause incredible unbalance and it would turn the game to a pay to win

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    • Sarcastronaut 01.31.13 at 17:40

      there is way too many glitches in this game and im not going to lie i sorda dislike DICE and EA (nowadays), that said they are the only one that make this type of game any successfully so i cant hate too much, but the fact that there is re-occuring BUGs and Bugs caused by every fix (EVERY FIX) it gets annoying, that and the fact that the game is dominated by 3 guns lol, i think they should also power up a few more guns (but keep the USAS as a NERF gun)

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    • VLFORCES 02.01.13 at 07:09

      I agree, they should fix the bugs, but also DICE should give us a lot more of camos, at least, maybe some dog tags, the posibility of change knifes, the player thing, as far as I know is for the capabilities of the consoles, also agree with the map thing, but I think the maps are too complex, there should be a map where the two teams are fighting face to face, like in rock and a hard place mission in campaign, and, it will be unfair if they launch vehicle gadgets and weapons with premium, but it will be ok with patches or expansion packs.

      I wil totaly enjoy this expansion pack, as far as I’ve seen this seems to bo the best of al 5 packs.

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  • CG_recon 01.31.13 at 15:45

    As for me it is “just new maps”. Air Superiority – same scale as normal maps, just no spawn on ground and jet’s for everyone. I don’t think there is place for maneuvers (flying low with your sqiad deep in some valley to flank enemy) and ability to do something aside of locking enemy and dying because of some player doing same – locking\shooting.

    I’m pretty sure about it, because DICE are “lowering stress factor” remember?

    And question about “also packing it with new Assignments, dog tags, Achievements/Trophies, and more.” what is this “more” ?

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  • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 15:27

    In my opinion dirt bikes MUST be un-lockable by javelins, or they will be devasted too easily, anyway it is a nice work :D

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    • thaboozz 01.31.13 at 15:29

      I agree, please DICE

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    • [ICS]Empirium 01.31.13 at 15:33

      enter a building with the bike so you can dodge the javelin

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      • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 15:39

        Yes, there are many buildings in the desert, and I’m not going to hide in a factory because of Javelins :P I think that if you spend all your time dodging Javelins you waste this expansionpack; but if anyone else has a better idea, come on, share it to us all

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      • VLFORCES 02.01.13 at 07:11

        It’s not so easy.

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    • Estee McCrawly 01.31.13 at 15:43

      with how fast the dirt bike can go, the bike will be out of range before the lock finishes

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      • donald_duck_15 01.31.13 at 15:47

        Maybe it will be, but I was thinking about a situation like the one in the video, with more bikes running after the flag.. with two javelins it would end in a few seconds…

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    • VLFORCES 02.01.13 at 07:10

      Totaly agree.

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