Sometimes, a headline is clear as day. Other times, a story has so many potential factors that its tough to decide which one deserves the featured place. Where do we start with Battlefield 1's season pass? Do we start at the fact that you have to pay $50 to get the Season Pass? Do we discuss the fact that the two nations the pass includes are central to World War 1 and it's insane that they aren't in the base game? Do we talk about the fact that Battlefield 1 continues to use map packs, something that has proven problematic for many multiplayer driven experiences, including DICE's Star Wars Battlefront?
I guess I should be thankful for EA providing me with the whole list of angles to take here with the announcement of the Battlefield 1 Season Pass. They didn't even charge me for it, which I'm sure is an oversight on someone's part.
The newly announced Premium Pass will be expanding the gameplay for the highly anticipated and confusingly named entry in the series, Battlefield 1. It appears to be structured similarly to the Star Wars Battlefront season pass in that it will be delivered in four digital expansion packs, each with a collection of content, and that season pass purchasers will have two weeks early access to the content compared to those who chose to buy them individually.
Here is a quick overview of the content promised to be coming throughout the Battlefield 1 Premium Pass period:
- France and Russian armies playable
- 16 Multiplayer Maps
- New Operations and Game Modes
- New Elite Classes
- 20 New Weapons
- New Vehicles
- 14 Battlefield 1 Battlepacks, to be delivered monthly starting in November 2016
- 14 Unique dog tags distributed over the course of the Battlefield 1 Premium Pass period
What is the Premium Pass period you ask? That hasn't been explained anywhere yet and seems to be an attempt to be intentionally vague. While EA's Press Release states that the Battlefield 1 page will have details and release dates on what is coming up, at this time, that page contains less information then what was provided in the press release.
We do know that the first DLC Set will be arriving in March 2017 and is titled They Shall Not Pass. It will feature the addition of the French army for multiplayer, and presumably with that title will also have some notable maps based on locations on the western front where the line was held. That, however, is speculation, as EA appears to prefer to be vague about it at this time.
Battlefield 1 will be releasing October 21st, 2016 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. You will be able to try it out at the end of August in an open beta.
Quick Take
Okay. If you want to charge $60 for your game, and have micro-transactions, AND have a Season Pass, you should do a better job of explaining what is in your season pass. Battlefront had a similar issue and its season pass has left many users disappointed with it as the cost mounts and PC users were especially so due to the fact that there's a small player-base on the platform. Also, given that France and Russia were two of the major players in the war, it is in my mind insane that they are DLC. You expressed doubts people know the war overall EA, well that means that you have a greater responsibility to at least present some decent information on it. The weapons you are using are going to be a lot of specialized ones and rarities, sure, but why is America in there instead of two nations that were at the forefront of their respective fronts?
Do you think $50 is too much for a Season Pass? Do you think France and Russia should be in base Battlefield 1? Will any of this impact your decision to buy the game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
