Road to End Game: High-speed warfare

01.31.13 [DICE] H Brun | 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.