Essential tips for the Star Wars: Battlefront beta
The Star Wars: Battlefront beta is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One letting players live out their fantasies in a galaxy far, far away. Included in the beta is the Mission mode on Tatooine, which can be played solo, or in local or online coop; the 8v8 Drop Zone, which tasks teams which capturing and holding pods; and the massive Walker Assault mode. Regardless of which appeals to you most, here are some tips that will help you get to grips with the game and contribute positively in a match.
First-person shooters have trained us to bring up our weapon's scope before firing at an enemy. But it has little tangible benefit in Star Wars: Battlefront. Instead, you lose the ability to shoot for a split second and your character slows to a crawl. In the heat of battle, these factors could be the difference between you living and dying.
It may be tempting to jump into the multiplayer fray right away, but playing the survival mission on Tatooine can get you accustomed to some of Battlefront's elements. You'll get your hands on Star Cards that you don't start with in multiplayer, getting you valuable practice time; you can eliminate that desire to aim every time without testing your reflexes against players who must be using the Force; and you get to see what drop pods have to offer.
In Battlefront, attackers can come from anywhere. Elevation can be hugely important, giving players new approaches and angles of attack. Make sure you look up from time to time so that someone doesn't surprise you. By the time you've reacted, it will already be too late. Tatooine is an eye-opening experience as there are a few different levels to it, though you won't be punished quite as badly as when playing against other people.
You won't run out of ammo in Star Wars: Battlefront, but you can overheat your weapon, which will make you a sitting duck. However, while your weapon is cooling down, you'll see a bar in the middle of your screen. If you press Square/X (depending on your platform of choice) when the bar hits the yellow section, your weapon will be ready to be fired again. It takes a bit of practice, but can make a big difference if the enemy is flooding forward together.
Like in Battlefield, you can partner up with someone, which can get you back into the action much quicker when respawning. Of course, you could also arrive straight into a firefight. It's fun to be a lone wolf sometimes, but when capturing and defending points, or crossing open territory, it's much safer to have someone who has your back. In an enclosed space, the additional firepower could drive enemies back. Just watch out for grenades.
Listen out for iconic music from Star Wars when playing on Hoth. If you hear the distinctive theme of the Rebel Alliance or the Imperials, it means a hero has appeared on the battlefield. You won't stand a chance taking them on solo, so team up, take them on from a distance, or if you must get up close, approach from behind.
Getting the opportunity to play as an iconic Star Wars character is actually quite straightforward. Just pick up the relevant drop on the battlefield. Once you spawn as either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, your health will start ticking down, but you can still take a fair whack of damage and your abilities are immensely powerful.
The Walker Assault mode also lets you experience the joys of dogfights in an X-Wing or Tie Fighter. But they can take some time to get used to. The first time you fly one, you may embed yourself in the ground. But practice makes perfect. And once you know your way around the cockpit, you can provide some invaluable air support. That doesn't mean you should take every opportunity to take to the skies. Sometimes your presence on the ground is more important. After all, there are uplinks to be attacked or defended.
Another tip: before you hop in a ship, check if your controls are inverted or not. It can feel strange to fly without inverted controls and if you're not comfortable from the outset, you're sure to take a one-way trip into Hoth's surface.
In many of the games of Drop Zone we've played so far, a team captures a pod and everyone vacates the area as fast as possible. Stick around a couple of seconds more to reap the fruits of your labour like Proximity Bombs, Shields, and Turrets. Some of these drops will help you claim the next pod, while others, such as the Orbital Strike or the Thermal Imploder, can really turn the tide of a battle in a pinch. Three rewards are dropped, and you can only hold one at any given time.
The Jump Pack is unlocked at Level 5, but it is a great piece of equipment for getting around the battlefield quickly, getting to elevated areas, and getting the drop on enemies. One of the Drop Zone pods is located under a piece of elevation that's outside the map's boundaries. But you can still fly up and use this as an element of surprise.
It can also be used as a Hail Mary play to prevent the capture of a pod; if a pod is close to being captured, jump pack in, land on the pod, claim it, and reset the clock. That's assuming you survive...but it might be worth the risk. Combine this trick with a personal shield deployment for added style points.
The number of unlocks in the beta is limited, but you'll still have to choose wisely initially. All Star Cards and weapons cost in-game currency to unlock, and you don't want to miss out on a high level item because you splurged too soon. Choose Star Cards and weapons that suit your playstyle, the game mode you play most frequently, and to counter what you see. If people aren't using shields, for example, you don't really need the Ion Shot, but if you fancy yourself as a sniper you may want to set 4,500 credits aside for the Sharpshooter card.
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