Star Wars Battlefront 2 Patch Notes: BB-8 Update Adds Hero Droid And Doppelganger

BB-8 and his evil doppelganger BB-9E have arrived in Star Wars Battlefront II. The update bringing the two droids was due out recently but was delayed from its original January 31 date. However, the update is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Ahead of its launch, the two droids were detailed extensively on the game's forums, so we know what to expect from them. Read on for a look at what each one is capable of and how they differ from one another.

BB-8

BB-8, the famous droid from the recent new Star Wars trilogy, is defined by his speed--not only can he move very quickly, but the droid captures Command Posts at twice the rate of other characters. He can roll even faster with his Rolling Charge attack, which lets roll zoom straight forward into opponents. His Shock Prod attack lets him deal electrical damage to enemies. BB-8 can also use his "Resistance Backing" ability to reveal enemy locations (while also increasing the damage they will take), and he can use his Cable Spin ability to hit enemies around him using three tow cables.

Here's the complete list of other abilities, functions, emotes, and poses for BB-8.

Passive Abilities

Technical Support

• BB-8 will count as two units when capturing a Command Post, and activating an objective device is much faster.

Swift Reaction

• BB-8 increases the cooldown speed of nearby friendly character’s abilities.

Health on Kill

• Upon defeating an opponent, BB-8 will receive some health back.

Movement Type

Dodge

• Quick Dodge to the side

Jump

• A quick impulse jump that is slightly higher than blaster heroes

Speed

• Similar to a Force user in terms of sprinting speed

Flashlight

• Ability to turn on and off a flashlight

Star Cards

Self Repairs

• BB-8’s maximum health regeneration is increased.

Spared Batteries

• Every trooper defeated or 200 damage to villains increases Shock Prod damage.

Shielded Roll

• BB-8 takes less damage while using Rolling Charge.

Headfirst

• BB-8 deals more damage when hitting an enemy with Rolling Charge.

Spinner

• When hitting multiple enemies with Cable Spin, the next cooldown of the ability is reduced.

Whirlwind

• Both the damage and area of effect of Cable Spin is increased.

Uncover

• Enemies revealed by Resistance Backing will take extra damage from attacks.

Trusty Droid

• When BB-8 defeats an opponent that was revealed by Resistance Backing, he will heal nearby friendly characters.

Roll Together

• The increased cooldown speed of BB-8 is improved.

Victory Poses

• Sided
• Thumbs Up
• Wired Parade
• Cables Out

Emotes

• Excited
• Thumbs Up
• Twist
• Angry Beeps

BB-9E

BB-9E, the evil version of BB-8, will also come equipped with his own Shock Prod. He can also emit a smokescreen, which will shield him while also revealing all enemies in the surrounding area for a limited time. His Charge Up attack lets him emit a pulse that allows all friendly units nearby to fire their guns without needing to worry about them overheating for a while, and also reduces the recharge time of abilities for anyone in the vicinity. BB-9E can also use Shock Spin, which pushes and damages all nearby enemies, and overheats the blasters of enemies caught within the wider range of its radius.

Here's everything else you can enjoy with BB-9E once the update hits.

Passive Abilities

Technical Support

• BB-9E will count as two units when capturing a Command Post and activating an objective device is much faster.

Bacta Support

• BB-9E periodically regenerates the main health of friendly characters around him.

Health on Kill

• Upon defeating an opponent, BB-9E will receive some health back.

Movement Type

BB-9E is faster than most and can traverse the battlefront at great speeds.

Dodge

• Quick Dodge to the side.

Jump

• A quick impulse jump that is slightly higher than blaster heroes.

Speed

• Similar to a Force user in terms of sprinting speed.

Flashlight

• Ability to turn on and off a flashlight.

Star Cards

Full Reconstruction

• BB-9E’s maximum health regeneration is increased.

Linked Systems

• Every 200 health healed to friendly characters reduces the shock prod stun cooldown.

Hearty Exhaust

• The radius of smoke screen is increased.

I See You

• Enemies revealed by Smoke Screen will be revealed for longer.

Faster, Faster!

• If shock spin hits enough targets, its damage will be doubled for the remaining time.

Spin me Round

• Enemies hit by Shock Spin will be pushed further away, but its cooldown is increased.

Swift Power

• The cooldown of Charge Up is reduced.

Supercharged

• The radius of Charge Up is increased.

Potent Bacta

• The radius of Bacta Support is bigger, but the cooldown between heals is also increased.

Victory Poses

• Shocking Victory
• Incognito
• Vigilant
• Bow

Emotes

• Suspicious
• Alarm
• Backfire
• Spiral

There's a huge range of additional tweaks and changes coming along with this update, too. It's worth reading the full post to get everything, but here are the main new features and quality of life improvements that have been highlighted.

• Two new Heroes, BB-8 for the Resistance and BB-9E for the First Order, are now available.
• Supremacy and Instant Action are now available on new Planets (Takodana, Jakku, Ajan Kloss).
• Added new Capital Ship interior maps, the MC85 Star Cruiser and the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, as part of the Supremacy game mode on the new planets.
• Hero Showdown is now available on Ajan Kloss.
• New emotes have been added for Finn (Thumbs Up) and Kylo Ren (Showdown), unlockable via milestones.
• Added era selection to Supremacy, including the option for matchmaking into any game.
• Droideka units are added as AI players on Co-Op and Instant Action.

All of these updates are available in the BB update out now.