'Star Wars Battlefront II' Beta Arrives Early October

We first played Star Wars Battlefront II at EA Play, but you will be able to try it out for yourself in a few months. DICE announced that the beta will be available for players in October along with two game modes.

Those who pre-ordered the game will get to play on October 4. Fans who didn’t pre-order a copy will join two days later on October 6, and the beta runs through October 9. In the beta, you can participate in a massive 20-versus-20-player match of Galactic Assault. You can choose to join the ranks of the clone troopers of the Republic or the Separatist droids for control of the palace on Naboo’s Theed City. There’s also the Starfighter Assault mode, which will let you take combat to space as you pilot some of the iconic spacecraft from the series. DICE plans to reveal more information about the Starfighter Assault mode next month when the gaming industry gathers once again in Cologne for Gamescom.

The multiplayer gameplay of Star Wars Battlefront II differs in two major ways from its 2015 predecessor. There are now four classes to choose from (Assault, Specialist, Officer, and Heavy) before you head out into combat, which makes it similar to the classes featured in DICE’s Battlefield franchise. When you’re fighting against other players, you’ll also accrue Battle Points, which you can use to purchase stronger units, aerial vehicles, or even heroes (or villains) to use. Even with these changes, the game still manages to provide intense and chaotic battles within the many battlefields of the Star Wars universe.

If you want to learn more about the multiplayer mode, you can check out our coverage from EA Play, which also includes gameplay footage. Star Wars Battlefront II also features a new single-player campaign, and we tried a short level from it at the show.