Star Wars Battlefront has been nothing if not controversial ever since EA revived the series in 2015. The 2017 follow up, Star Wars Battlefront II, could have been remembered for many things, but its legacy up to this point has been as the straw that broke the lootbox camel’s back.
Depending on your point of view, that may have been fair at the time, but with lootboxes long gone and some quiet, but determined, work on the game over the last two years, SWBF2 has never been more fun. To top things off, there’s some great stuff coming in the remaining months of the year that looks to improve the experience even further.
Over the past two years, DICE has added numerous maps, game modes, and customization options, including a Conquest style mode called Capital Supremacy and even everyone’s favorite rolly boys, the Droideka. Some less sexy, but equally important, changes include tons of balance tweaks and a complete overhaul of lightsaber combat. In short, the game has come a long way and DICE has done an excellent job at listening to and implementing fan feedback, even if they are a bit slow about it at times.
Last week, I put together my thoughts on Gamescom 2019, but user NorseGod joked that I didn’t squeeze a Star Wars reference into the article. As a huge Star Wars nerd, I definitely laughed, but there was no need to sneak in anything. I actually forgot to mention that EA made some significant announcements for the game at the show and that news got me excited to play the game again.
For one, SWBF2 gets contextual spawning (the ability to spawn on control points) in Capital Supremacy this month, which isn’t a sexy feature, but something that will improve that game mode greatly for me. But you want to know about the cool stuff, right?
Clone Commandos
Well, SWBF2 has a packed September coming up. CIS players got their rolly boys earlier this year, but Republic fans are finally getting their due with the upcoming Clone Commando reinforcements. Watching the teaser video made me wish EA would revive Republic Commando, but I’m excited nonetheless.
Clone Commandos come equipped with the DC-17m repeating blaster rifle, which is capable of switching to a grenade launcher alternate fire mode. They can also disorient and knock enemies back with Repulor Blast and protect themselves (as well as allies) with the ability Battle Focus.
Felucia
Felucia, a fan favorite location briefly shown during Order 66 in Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and in numerous episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, will also drop in September as a new map and it’s designed specifically for Capital Supremacy.
Co-Op & Instant Action
Co-op finally comes to SWBF2! I like to play Arcade now and then, but I have friends who just aren’t into competitive shooters. Co-op will let me play alongside them and fight bots, which should be lots of fun. The entire experience is an upgrade over Arcade, too. AI will play as attackers or defenders, and they will even utilize reinforcements, vehicles and heroes. It’s the full co-op experience, well, mostly. The first iteration of co-op in SWBF2 will be limited to Clone Wars era content, but that’s still quite a lot to play around with.
Offline singleplayer is also coming back to the series with Instant Action. This is basically solo Capital Supremacy with AI allies and enemies.
SWBF2 is in a great state right now and with all the things coming in September alone, I feel like the game will finally live up to its potential. There’s no reason its lasting legacy should be the loot box controversy. Now if only DICE would add in Ahsoka, some more weapons and gadgets, and give the Galactic Civil War era some love, I’d consider SWBF2 the complete Battlefront experience. Here’s hoping 2020 fills in the rest.
