Overview
Star Wars Battlefront II, not to be confused with the 2005 game of the same name, is a sci-fi fantasy multi-perspective shooter developed by DICE (along with Motive Studios (Company) and Criterion Games (Company)) and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 17, 2017.
A sequel to the 2015 reboot of the Star Wars: Battlefront (Franchise) series, Star Wars Battlefront II builds on the original's large-scale battles set in the Star Wars (Franchise) franchise's Galactic Civil War (Concept) era (from the original film trilogy) with a new single-player story-based campaign and the inclusion of both the Clone Wars (Concept) era (from the prequel film trilogy) and the First Order-Resistance War (from the sequel film trilogy). It also revamps several parts of the original, such as a four-player squad system similar to the Battlefield (Franchise) series and a "Battle Point" system for summoning special units. It received several major updates for over two years, adding new content (some of which were based on recent films at the time) and reworking several gameplay systems.
The game's single-player campaign tells an original story set in the Galactic Civil War (Concept), during and after the destruction of the second Death Star (Location). Its main protagonist is Iden Versio (Character), the leader of an elite Imperial commando squad who defects to the Rebels after her superiors issue the destruction of her homeworld. It later received an epilogue mini-campaign, which is set during the First Order-Resistance War.
Star Wars Battlefront II was infamous during its launch by replacing traditional DLC expansions for its post-release business model (which they believed segmented the player base) with a premium currency system (where in-game Credits and purchasable Crystals can be used to acquire cosmetic upgrades and access to Hero units) and a loot box system that contain game-altering effects and upgrades (Star Cards), the latter of which can be acquired through the currencies of the former (making it sometimes deemed pay-to-win). After much negative attention, including EA's original response to criticisms and the game's role in the debate on whether or not loot boxes in general are gambling, the game received multiple overhauls of these systems, making both systems used for acquiring cosmetic upgrades only and removing the ability to purchase Loot Crates.
Game Modes
- Galactic Assault (20v20) - Large-scale asymmetrical objective-based mode and a successor to the original's "Walker Assault" mode, with one faction attempting to complete all of their forward objectives before the time limit.
- Starfighter Assault (12v12) - Large-scale dogfight mode and a successor to the original's "Fighter Squadron" mode, where players can only pilot starfighters in special maps. Unlike "Fighter Squadron", this one is an asymmetrical objective-based mode (with one attacking faction and one defending faction).
- Strike (8v8) - Small-scale asymmetrical objective-based mode and a successor to the original's "Capture the Flag", "Sabotage", and "Extraction" modes. Depending on the map, the objective for the attackers can be to capture the flag or plant explosives (while preventing them from being defused). Some post-release maps had a third objective type (escorting a payload) and were released as Extraction, before being merged with Strike at a later date.
- Blast (8v8) - Small-scale team deathmatch mode, returning from the original game. Along with a smaller two-squad player count, this version makes use of Reinforcement units.
- Heroes vs. Villains (4v4) - Small-scale last team standing mode with players restricted to their faction's Heroes. Unlike the "Heroes vs. Villains" mode from the original game, the game plays in a single round with respawning and a reinforcement count. Early versions of the mode was point-based, where factions had to eliminate a random "VIP" member of the opposing faction to score a point.
- Jetpack Cargo (10v10) - Small-scale symmetrical objective-based mode and a successor the original's "Cargo" mode, with all players limited to their faction's Aerial reinforcement. Added on February 19, 2018 as a limited-time mode.
- Ewok Hunt (20P) - Roaming team mode (similar to Zombies/Flood from the Halo (Franchise) series) where a squad of Imperial Stormtroopers attempt to survive against player-controlled Ewoks (who have their own unique abilities). Only a few players start as Ewoks, and Stormtrooper players who are killed respawn as Ewoks. Added on April 18, 2018, can only be played on the ground Endor maps, and was originally a limited-time mode.
- Hero Showdown (2v2) - Small-scale round-based last team standing mode and a successor to the original's "Heroes vs. Villains" mode. Teams are split into Light Side (Rebel Alliance, Galactic Republic, Rebellion) and Dark Side (Galactic Empire, Sepratists, First Order). Added on May 16, 2018.
- Hero Starfighters (4v4) - Small-scale dogfight mode, where each player pilots a Hero Starfighter. Being defeated causes the player to respawn as a standard unit, and the first team to eliminate all of their opponent's Hero Starfighters wins. Added on July 3, 2018.
- Supremacy (20v20) - Large-scale symmetrical objective-based mode and a successor to the original's "Supremacy" mode. While the game starts with a tug-of-war with five Control Points, it eventually switches to a second phase where the winning faction infiltrates the opposing faction's capital ship and attempt to destroy it (with the objective based on faction), with the possibility of the defending faction repelling the attack and returning it back to the first phase. Added on March 26, 2019 and originally known as "Capital Supremacy", where it was restricted to the Prequel Trilogy maps. Support for other eras were later added, although the Original Trilogy maps excludes the capital ship phase (making it more like the original's Supremacy mode).
- Co-Op (4P) - Four-player co-operative objective-based mode. Added on September 25, 2019, where it was restricted to the Prequel Trilogy maps. Support for other eras were later added.
Reinforcements & Heroes
In some modes, players can summon one of their faction's special Reinforcement/Hero units to control by earning enough Battle Points during the match. Each unit has special abilities and weapons, both of which can be upgraded with Star Cards.
Heroes
Light Side
- Luke Skywalker (Character)
- Yoda (Character)
- Rey
- Han Solo
- Leia Organa
- Lando Calrissian
- Chewbacca
- Finn (Season 1)
- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Season 3)
- Anakin Skywalker (Season 3)
- BB8 (Season 4)
Dark Side
- Darth Vader
- Darth Maul
- Emperor Palpatine
- Kylo Ren
- Boba Fett
- Bossk (Character)
- Iden Versio
- Captain Phasma (Season 1)
- General Grievous (Season 3)
- Count Dooku (Season 3)
- BB9E (Season 4)
Hero Starfighters
Light Side
- Luke Skywalker's Red Five X-Wing
- Yoda's Interceptor
- Poe Dameron's Black One X-Wing
- Han and Chewbacca's Millennium Falcon
- Rey and Chewbacca's Millennium Falcon
- Tallissan Lintra's RZ-2 Starfighter (Season 1)
- Lando and L3-37's Millennium Falcon (Season 2)
Dark Side
- Darth Maul's Scimitar
- Darth Vader's TIE Advanced X1
- Boba Fett's Slave I
- Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer
- Iden Versio's TIE Fighter (Post-Season 1 Update)
Maps
The base game included 14 ground maps and 5 Starfighter Assault maps, with additional maps added post-release (for a grand total of 23 ground maps and 6 Starfighter Assault maps). Only two maps return from the original Star Wars Battlefront (Bespin: Administrator's Palace and Tatooine: Jabba's Palace). Each map has their own compatibility with different modes, with not every ground map compatible with every ground-based mode.
Original Trilogy
These maps pit the Rebel Alliance (Concept) against the Galactic Empire (Concept) during the events of the Galactic Civil War (Concept).
- Death Star II: Command Sector North
- Endor (Location): Research Station 9
- Endor: Ewok Village
- Hoth (Location): Outpost Delta
- Bespin (Location): Administrator's Palace (added on March 21, 2018)
- Tatooine (Location): Jabba's Palace (May 16, 2018)
- Kessel (Location): Coaxium Mine (added on June 12, 2018)
- Scarif (Location): Scarif Beach (added on April 19, 2020)
Starfighter Assault Maps
- Endor: Death Star Debris
- Fondor: Imperial Shipyard
Prequel Trilogy
These maps pit the Galactic Republic (Concept) against the Separatists during the events of the Clone Wars (Concept).
- Kamino (Location): Cloning Facility
- Kamino: Republic Attack Cruiser
- Kashyyyk (Location): Kachirho Beach
- Naboo (Location): Theed
- Naboo: Palace Hangar
- Geonosis (Location): Trippa Hive (added on November 28, 2018)
- Geonosis: Pipeline Junction West (added on March 26, 2019)
- Felucia (Location): Tagata (added on September 25, 2019)
Starfighter Assault Maps
- Kamino: Research Outpost
- Ryloth: Lucrehulk Battleship
Sequel Trilogy
These maps pit the Resistance against the First Order (Concept) during the events of the First Order-Resistance War.
- Jakku (Location): The Graveyard
- Jakku: Resurgent-class Star Destroyed
- Starkiller Base (Location): Command Center
- Takodana (Location): Maz's Castle
- Takodana: MC85 Star Cruiser
- Crait (Location): Abandoned Rebel Outpost (added on December 13, 2017)
- Ajan Kloss: The Klosslands (added on December 20, 2019)
Starfighter Assault Maps
- Unknown Regions: Resurgent Star Destroyer
- D'Qar: Resistance Base Evacuation (added on December 13, 2017)
Similar Games
- Name
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Release Date
- November 17, 2017
- Platform
- PC (Platform)
Xbox One (Platform)
PlayStation 4 (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Action (Genre)
First-Person Shooter (Genre) - Theme
- Sci-Fi (Theme)
- Franchise
- Star Wars (Franchise), Star Wars: Battlefront (Franchise)
- Aliases
- Battlefront 2