If you read the title above you'd be forgiven for thinking this new DLC pack might be a crossover between the World War 1 and Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings. While this notion isn't as far-fetched as you would think, the next DLC pack for DICE's gritty World War 1 shooter Battlefield 1 serves up another helping of realism not present in Tolkien's trilogy.
This new DLC is called They Shall Not Pass and adds 4 new maps to the game in addition to a new game mode, new vehicles, the French army and a completely new class for players to play as. Let's take a look at the new maps first!
The first map is set in Verdun during the opening barrage of what would become one of the largest and longest battle fought on the Western Front between French and German armies. The order given by French General Robert Nivelle during the fight was 'On ne passe pas' or, you've guessed it, They Shall Not Pass! The map's aesthetic is a fitting backdrop for a battle that is mostly remembered for its brutality and has you fight in between neverending artillery fire and burning trees.
The second map is Fort Vaux, a French fortress that was the second fort to be captured by German forces during the Battle of Verdun. It was here were a small group of French soldiers garrisoned in the fort fought the invading Germans to the bitter end, with French soldiers only giving up after the last of their supplies had been used up. The French recaptured the fort on November 2, 1916, and it still wears the scars of this battle to this very day.
The third map is Soissons, the place where the largest tank assault of World War 1 took place. Over the course of a few days, 24 French divisions supported by 2 U.S. divisions took on the German army with approximately 478 tanks. This place was the backdrop for one of the most brutal battles of the war and it became the final resting place of 275,000 soldiers. Despite the rather insanely high number of casualties on both sides, the French army won the day by taking back most of the ground lost after the German Spring Offensive in 1918.
The last map is called Rupture and is set in the Aisne River area, which was the site of the First Battle of the Aisne and the First Battle of Marne. This usually so idyllic landscape got turned into a slaughtering grounds after the German army decided to face their French pursuers - a tactical choice that resulted in a stalemate between the 2 armies as supplies dwindled and neither side gaining a permanent foothold.
This DLC also introduces a completely new game mode called Frontlines. This mode, which apparently is a mixture between the combined arms Conquest mode and the smaller scale Rush mode.
Both teams fight for one flag at a time and when this objective is captured the action moves on to the next. Capture the enemy’s HQ control point and the game turns into a Rush-style section where telegraph posts need to be attacked or defended.Also coming with this DLC is a duo of new tanks for you to use on the battlefield. The first one is the largest tank ever made: the Char 2C. While this tank was developed during World War 1, it would not be used until after the war was officially over. The second new tank is the Saint-Chamond. The French used this tank with varying degrees of success, with the tank's effectiveness increasing as the armies moved on from trench warfare.
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="122033,122034"]
Speaking of trench warfare...
The Trench Raider Elite Class is a new class that is more focused on short range and melee range combat than anything else. Equipped with a Raider Club and a wide range of grenades on his person, the Trench Raider is sure to escalate the already pretty overwhelming action in the game's multiplayer to an even greater level.
Lastly, we have the Siege Howitzer artillery gun. This weapon can be manned by an infantry player and is used in the same way as mortars.
They Shall Not Pass is scheduled to be released sometime in March for Battlefield 1.
What do you think of the new maps, mode, vehicles and player class? Let us know in the comment section below!
