Today, a brand new content update for Star Wars Battlefront 2 arrives, bringing the highly-anticipated planet Scarif!
The beautiful planet from Rogue One will be coming, as well as several new hero appearances, a few updates to game modes, and more! But, sadly, it is also the final update. You can check out the trailer for it below:
As you can see, at the end of the trailer, it is revealed that this will be the final content update to the game. This is something that has been wondered, but now is confirmed. Events and the like will continue, so the game isn’t dying, but the new content is done.
So I think it’s worth reflecting for just a moment about what an incredible job the developers have done on this game.
If you remember all the way back shortly before the release of the game, there was a massive controversy surrounding the use of loot boxes. Quite simply, it appeared to be a mess. The game released and immediately went into damage control, cutting back on the loot boxes. But the damage was done, and many fans were left with a sour impression whenever they thought of the game – with many even unwilling to give it a try.
But it wasn’t just that it was a pay-to-progress game initially; the content – while expanded from the previous Battlefront game – was still lacking. Rather than give up on the game and feel that it was a lost cause, however, the developers got to work. And slowly but surely, they turned Battlefront 2 into the game we all hoped it would be.
All DLC content was promised to be free for players, which was an obvious decision but one that helped engender a bit of goodwill to bitter fans. That DLC content began with The Last Jedi, with the Crait map and Finn and Captain Phasma arriving – as well as an extra chapter in the campaign. Then came a Solo season, with Jabba’s Palace and Kessel arriving to the game, alongside a number of new skins for characters. Additionally, around that time a new game mode was added, Ewok Hunt, which was tremendously fun and creative.
The new maps were fantastic and the content was a good start, but the best was still yet to come. The next season was the biggest and longest one, with a return to the Clone Wars. New heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Count Dooku, and General Grievous arrived, as well as a brand new map (Genonosis) and a brand new game mode (Capital Supremacy). The update was a major victory, and it moved us into the territory that fans had been hoping for all along, with game modes centered around capturing command posts. A new game mode was later introduced, Co-Op, that went right along with that very idea, and it’s still my favorite mode to play in the game. Additionally, the planet Felucia arrived to various modes. With the Clone Wars season, the game really began hitting its stride, increasing in players and content. It basically had turned into a brand new game, and it seized on that momentum by carrying it forward.
That meant a focus on the sequel trilogy era, with the release of The Rise of Skywalker. Ajan Kloss came as a new map, BB-8 and BB-9E as new heroes, and co-op and Capital Supremacy as new game modes for the era – as well as new appearances. It was, once again, a tremendous update that brought the best of the Clone Wars update to a focus on the sequel trilogy.
All that was left, then, was to address the original trilogy. They brought co-op and Capital Supremacy to the era, and now, Scarif and new appearances.
It is really remarkable to think about how far this game has come, and it’s a totally different game than the one that came out at launch. I remember having pre-ordered this game and waiting anxiously to play it… until that excitement was dampened by the chaos. I enjoyed the game for what it was early on, but was still a bit disappointed by what it wasn’t. Now, a few years later, I can safely say that this is the Battlefront game I always hoped for. The gold standard in this series has always been the original Battlefront 2, but this game can now hold its own. It’s hard to overstate how big the Capital Supremacy and Co-Op modes were for the game, the new maps have been excellent and beautiful, and the heroes/villains have been (mostly) very exciting. All of this helped expand the game, and it’s a thrill.
If you haven’t checked it out, it is worth doing so. It’s a fantastic game, and because of that it’s bittersweet to hear the news about this being the final update. It’s bitter because it’ll be sad not to have new content continuing, but it’s sweet because it gives us a chance to reflect on just how far this game has come.
Star Wars Thoughts 