The multiplayer beta for Star Wars: Battlefront II was released today for those of that us that pre-ordered the game, and I spent some quality time testing it out. The beta gives you access to several maps, a massive space battle, and an arcade mode. There are several notable enhancements since the first game that affect controls, strategy, and the rewards system. After a few hours of testing it out, I can’t wait to experience the full version in November. Battlefront II is a well polished machine.
Battlefront’s On The Ground Missions
There are two different maps available in the Battlefront II beta – Naboo and Maz’s castle on Takodana. The multiplayer scoring and upgrading system has been upgraded for the better. There are now four classes of soldiers to choose from: Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist. Each one has their own specific Star Cards and weapons. As you progress through the ranks, you receive rewards in the form of crates that are filled with items like weapons modifications, star cards, and gestures. The third-person view has also been traded in for a first-person view, although you can switch back to the third-person if you like.
Naboo is the home of the Galactic Assault mission where you either take part in the clone army or the separatist droid army. Depending on your faction, the first part of the mission is to either escort or destroy a droid MTT that is on its way to the Royal Palace. The clone army tries to obtain ion cannons that are staged in a couple of places to fire upon the MTT so that it is vulnerable to blaster fire. Once the MTT reaches the palace, the second part of the mission involves stopping the droid army’s invasion from reaching the throne room of the palace. In my play-throughs, the separatists always won the last battle because someone had always obtained Darth Maul, who is a force to be reckoned with due to his blazing quick speed.
Maz’s castle on Takodana is the setting for the Strike mission where you are either with the First Order or the Resistance. The objective in the Strike mission is to recover an artifact from the resistance and escape the planet with it. Although the mission takes at Maz’s castle, most of the fighting seems to take place in the forest just outside the castle. The forest is a lush setting with plenty of trees to hide behind, but if you prefer sniping, I suggest the top of Maz’s castle.
Battlefront’s Starfighter Assault
The mechanics of the ships in Starfighter Assault have been rebuilt from the ground up. The targeting mechanics and flight controls are a lot smoother than before. It took me a while to get the hang of the flight controls, but once I figured them out, there is much more control of your actions. The flight controls can also be customized to an advanced mode in the settings menu if you want even more control. The blaster fire of each ship feels the same as before, but the missile targeting is more controlled. Instead of chasing someone until you have a visual lock, the fire button must be pressed once to engage the lock and then once more to fire. This also can be customized in the settings menu to a toggle function instead.
The mission in the Starfighter Assault mode is to bring down an Imperial Star Destroyer while it is docked. There are three phases you have to go through to complete the assault. The first phase is to bring down two Imperial cruisers while trying to fend off tie fighters, interceptors, and bombers. The second phase is to attack the shield generators that are located within the Star Destroyer. This is pretty difficult because the shield generators are located within the body of the ship. Depending on the size of your ship, it can be pretty tricky flying in and out of it. The third phase involves disabling the shield generators so you can reach the reactor. You only have a limited amount of time to attack the reactor before the shields reengage and you have to attack them again. If you are successful, there is pretty spectacular explosion.
This first taste of Star Wars: Battlefront II gave me everything that I had hoped for. It feels like a completely revamped game with new characters and exciting terrains. Make sure to pre-order copy before the game is released on November 17th, and let us know what you think of the Battlefront II beta in the comments below!
