War is coming to the galaxy. And it’s getting here sooner than expected.
While Electronic Arts has already announced that Star Wars Battlefront‘s beta will be launching in early October, the company recently revealed that it will be accessible to all players, not just an exclusive group.
This experience will act as a testing mode for EA and the game’s developer, DICE, to let players examine all aspects of the game and report any technical glitches they encounter so they can be fixed before it launches on Nov. 17.
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The beta, which will be available on Playstation 4, Xbox One and Origin for PC (EA’s own distributing service for its computer game), will include the Walker Assault mode set on Hoth and the Survival Mission on Tatooine. There will also be a Drop Zone mode, which was unveiled a few weeks ago. It’s unclear if more maps will be available in the beta.
You will also be able to play as the hero characters Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, which are essentially super-powered versions of regular troops that have special abilities.
PC Magazine is reporting that the beta will launch on Oct. 17, but that hasn’t been confirmed by EA.
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Meanwhile, EA is also launching another game, Base Command, that will function alongside Battlefront. The company says this is a mobile- and web-based strategic card game that players can use to gain currency and powerups in Battlefront. The game, which will be downloadable online and in the Google and Apple stores, also lets you monitor your in-game progress and connect with other friends who are playing Battlefront.
Keep in mind, your progress on the beta won’t be transferable to the actual Battlefront game when it does come out. And there will likely be plenty of glitches left in the game.
That’s not the only news about Battlefront, though. In an interview with PlayStation Lifestyle, an EA executive confirmed that the game will have dedicated servers. What does that mean? It means EA will spend the money to provide servers that can host online multiplayer games among Battlefront players, rather than forcing them rely on other players’ unreliable Internet connections.
Plus, the outlet also revealed that the developers have included a “diorama” in the game geared toward completionists. The diorama will fill with “certain characters” and assumedly things like trophies the more tasks a player completes in the main game of Battlefront. EA is presenting this as an alternative for players who don’t want to just focus on leveling up their character.
The biggest takeaway from all this news is that EA appears to be extremely confident about the state of the game. While it could have limited the beta access to prevent bad word-of-mouth from spreading, the company instead seems to be unafraid for players to get a taste of what Battlefront has to offer.
I’m also digging the diorama idea, which will hopefully cut down on the “grinding” feel that shooters like Call of Duty can have, when all you’re focused on is gaining experience and leveling up. By having to complete certain tasks, the game will feature some variety to break up the repetitive shooting.