After selling like hot cakes last fall and holiday season, EA and DICE have pulled back the curtain on the first of their four planned Battlefield 1 Premium expansion packs today.
The new expansion pack, They Shall Not Pass, will feature 4 all new maps: Fort Vaux, Soissons, Rupture, and Verdun Heights.
Verdun Heights: The opening barrage of the Battle of Verdun created massive forest fires in which players will fight for domination. This is an uphill battle towards the massive fortresses of Verdun. A constant grinding struggle where the artillery never stops. Where the forge and “the Devil’s Anvil” continues to consume even the bravest combatants.
Fort Vaux: The first big engagement inside a fort during World War 1 takes place in the dark underworld of Fort Vaux. Down in the maze of dark galleries and wet stone corridors, French and Germans fight ferociously with grenades, guns, bayonets, and flamethrowers. Watch your corners!
Soissons: Take part in one of the biggest tank assaults of World War 1. The French 10th Army moves to take back Soissons using their powerful Saint Chamond tanks. Planes, tanks, and infantry clash in the beautiful French countryside in the early hours of a hot summer day. Only the thunderstorm is louder than the war.
Rupture: In dire need to capture key bridges across the Aisne river, the French find themselves back into battlefields where poppies grow over a rusty wreck from previous tank battles. It might seem calm but this maze of steel beasts provides an excellent place for those who plan an ambush. As the sun sets over Fontenoy, the battle wakes up.
The French Army will also join the fight for the first time. "Hardened and fearless, the French join the fight. Don the faction's characteristic blue uniform and defend your homeland." Reads the description on the Battlefield 1 Blog.
A new game mode, Frontlines, wil also be made available. The game mode is "a mix of Conquest and Rush as you fight for chained control points in a tug of war frontline." Both teams will fight fo one flag at a time. When the flag is captured, the action moves to the next point. If you capture the enemy HQ, the game turns into a rush-style section where teams will need to attack or defend telegraph post.
New tanks are also entering the battlefield, with a Char 2C tank and St. Chamond tank being used for the first time.
The Trench Raider Elite Class will also spawn randomly on the battlefield in certain situations. This will be a melee based class which will have "an impressive grenade arsenal" with it as well.
New stationary weaponry will also be available. The Siege Howitzer will operate similar to mortars and vehicle artilery.
All of these additions make for an incredible sounding expansion. They Shall Not Pass will release in March of 2017 across all platforms. Battlefield 1 Premium Members get the expansion two weeks early.