Battlefront 2 is a deep dive back into the Star Wars universe, taking inspiration from every major era. From maps to new modes, here’s what’s new.

A Single-Player Campaign

Players of the first Battlefront lamented the lack of a single-player campaign, and its sequel seeks to remedy that.

In a story spanning 30 years, Battlefront 2 flips the coin and follows the Dark Side - specifically Iden Versio, commander of the imperial army’s black ops team, Inferno Squad.

The story is co-written by Walt Williams, the author behind Spec Ops: The Line, which was praised for its prodigious portrayal of war’s brutality. His team has confirmed Battlefront 2’s campaign slots into the actual Star Wars timeline, meaning Iden’s story stands alongside familiar cinematic heroes.

2. Maps From All Three Eras

Star Wars Battlefront 2

see deal Star Wars Battlefront II [Online Game Code] $59.99 on Gamestop

New areas include Theed (the capital city of Naboo); Starkiller base, Takodana, and Yavin IV. In multiplayer, Battledroids push through Theed wielding prequel-era equipment, while Starkiller Base pits the Resistance against the First Order.

3. Galactic Assault

Galactic Assault is a 40-player fight where, a bit like Battlefield 1’s Operations, the attacking team’s goal is to complete a series of objectives. Meanwhile, the defense has to stop them.

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On Naboo, this means attackers must escort an trooper transport and disable the palace’s security systems before storming the throne room, but different maps will have different objectives.

4. Starfighter Assault

Again, Starfighter Assault is an objective-based mode split over three phases, with one key difference: You’re in command of a Y-Wing, or a TIE Bomber, or even the Millennium Falcon.

You’ll need to prove your skills as a pilot in dogfights that vary from one map to the next. For example, Fondor is an Imperial Shipyard where attackers seek to blow up a Destroyer that’s docked for repairs, and between aerial battles you must take out shield generators, a reactor, and the clamps holding the destroyer in place.

5. Four Distinct Classes

Players now select from one of four new classes every time they spawn into a multiplayer match.

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Assault is your average Stormtroopers or Rebel Soldiers who are good all-rounders; Heavy troopers are slow but make up for it by carrying powerful weapons and a personal body shield; Officers are a support class who can buff and heal allies, plus build automated sentry turrets to lay down extra firepower. Finally there’s the wily Specialists, who can create traps, snipe from a distance and have the ability of revealing the location of enemies on the map.

A revamped Star Card system means these classes offer more customisation options, including both cosmetic tweaks and ability upgrades to use in combat for soldiers, heroes and starfighters.

6. Battlepoints

The old blue tokens from the first Battlefront are gone. Instead, a new system called Battle Points unlocks powerful heroes, vehicles and reinforcement characters on the field.

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You can spend them immediately to spawn as, say, a V-Wing or a Clone Jumptrooper, or you can save them up for more to become a more expensive reinforcement like Darth Maul or Rey.

It’s a system that rewards both individual performance and teamwork rather than luck.

7. Loot Boxes

All Star Wars Battlefront 2 DLC will be free, so there’s no season pass and importantly no splitting of the playerbase. What will cost money, however, are loot boxes, known as Supply Crates.

Battlefront II introduces Supply Crates - a loot box mechanic that will be familiar to players of games like Overwatch. Supply Crates can be bought or earned for free through playing matches and contain cosmetic, ability and weapon-based rewards.

8. More Playable Heroes

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With more eras included, there’s an expanded roster of heroes and villains. Captain Phasma, Darth Maul, Kylo Ren, Finn, Yoda, and Rey are all new, plus old characters have been upgraded with new abilities, like Boba Fett’s concussion rocket.

9. Arcade Mode

Arcade Mode tests heroes and classes in an offline battleground where players are able to hone their skills against AI enemies. Before battle commences you can finetune your loadout, including Star Cards, weapons, and abilities unlocked in multiplayer, as well as the difficulty and enemy trooper classes. It means you can test out new strategies before you try them online.

And, best of all, you can couch co-op in Arcade mode with split screen versus - but only on console. PC players will have to make do with AI bots.