Now that Battlefield 1 is officially announced, DICE has been steadily revealing details about the game. To catch you up on what we know about the upcoming entry in the Battlefield series, we've collated everything that has been revealed so far.
Setting
Battlefield 1 is set during World War I, and will take players across an assortment of locations throughout the world. As of writing, confirmed locations include: Arabia, the Western Front, and the Italian Alps.
Single-Player
Not many details about the game's single-player component have been announced. However, lead designer Danny Berlin has revealed that the campaign "will more accurately reflect Battlefield's open sandboxes." There's also going to be more choice and variety throughout the campaign, and it will feature a story told from multiple points of view. This structure should be good news for fans that might've criticized the corridor-based level design from the previous games' campaigns.
Multiplayer
Battlefield 1's multiplayer features first-person shooting in large maps that support up to 64-players, waging battles that span land, air, and sea. Not much is known about the specific modes the game will have, however, a recent Twitter Q&A with senior producer Aleksander Grøndal confirmed that the game will sport a variety of new and classic modes.
The game features a new squad system, which lets you and others jump between servers and persist as a team without having to separate. Lead designer Danny Berlin stated that there's going to be a server browser as well, but he didn't clarify if this was PC-only or offered on consoles, too.
Like past games, there will be environmental destructibility. While there aren't many specifics yet, design director Lars Gustavsson revealed that it's possible for a player controlling a Royal Navy battleship to level entire an map with its firepower.
Vehicles
An assortment of World War I-era vehicles are going to be featured, such as biplanes, triplanes, naval vessels, heavy tanks, armored trucks, motorcycles, and horses. While a Zeppelin has been featured in early footage and screenshots, it has not been confirmed whether or not you can commandeer one.
Some vehicles can hold more than one person. According to Berlin, you can pilot a biplane while a player in the rear seat fires a mounted machine gun at pursuing enemies. Currently, planes, motorcycles, and tanks are the only vehicles capable of holding multiple players so far.
Weapons
Battlefield 1 contains an arsenal of era-authentic weaponry, which includes: bolt-action rifles, automatic rifles, semi-automatic rifles, artillery, flamethrowers, and much more.
According to Berlin, DICE has also designed a new hand-to-hand combat system to accommodate the game's stronger focus on melee combat. It's now possible to charge enemies with bayonets in battle, slice them with sabres, or pummel them with shovels and trench clubs.
Beta
A beta is confirmed for sometime later this year. By registering as a Battlefield Insider for free, you can get access into the beta early. If you're interested, sign up as an Insider here on the official Battlefield website.
Release Date
Battlefield 1 launches on October 21 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, though people with EA/Origin Access membership, or those who pick up the deluxe edition, can get it on Oct 18. While the game will have physical and digital console editions, the PC version in North America will only be available as a digital download.
