If you’re a listener of Talkin’ Tauntauns (which you should be if you’re not), you know I have been very excited for the latest Star Wars Battlefront 2 update to drop, which puts the spotlight on my favorite Star Wars era— the Galactic Civil War. But was it worth the wait? And now that we know it’s going to be the last major content update for the game, is it the swan song that Battlefront 2 deserves?
Before we really dive into this update let’s make one thing clear — Star Wars Battlefront 2 has been molded into an incredible game over the last three years. Yes, it had probably the worst launch in online multiplayer history. But EA and DICE have been committed to improving the game since that launch, and they should truly be commended for how the stream of free DLC and updates transformed the game into something entirely unrecognizable from the trash heap that launched in 2017.
Unfortunately, both EA and DICE are a victim of their own success with this final update, as it fails to live up to the expectations set by the Age of Republic and Age of Resistance era content drops. While previous updates gave players all-new heroes, villains, specialists, maps, weapons, and massive Supremacy battles, this final update feels disappointingly lacking — especially when you think about how long players have been waiting to play Supremacy in the Galactic Civil War era.
This content drop is undoubtedly the lightest update yet and feels like a huge missed opportunity to not just give Battlefront 2 the send-off it deserves, but also pay homage to the Age of Rebellion. Unlike past updates, the Battle of Scarif patch features just one new map, a handful of new hero skins, and no new heroes or game modes for existing maps.
The main draw of this update is bringing Supremacy to the Galactic Civil War era, adding Scarif as a playable map while opening the conquest-style game mode to Hoth, Yavin IV, Tatooine, and the Death Star 2. While it’s great to finally be able to play Supremacy as Rebels and Imperials, the results are mixed depending on the map you’re on.
On a positive note, Scarif is a beautifully rendered map and is rife with frenetic firefights thanks to a design that creates frequent choke points across the terrain. Hoth also stands out as a great map for Supremacy allowing for a mixture of intense close quarters trenches combat alongside more strategic sniper duels.
Yavin IV and Tatooine, on the other hand, are frustratingly unbalanced maps that greatly favor the Empire thanks to the aggressively over-powered AT-ST Walkers that absolutely dominate the battlefield. These vehicles are easily unlocked at just 800 points and are incredibly tough to take down with the weapons provided to Rebel forces.
Both maps make it way too easy for Imperials to suffocate Rebel advances with just one AT-ST, making some matches an endless cycle of death by walker. I am well aware that it is canonically accurate to give the Empire superior firepower over the Rebels, but that doesn’t mean it translates into a quality gameplay experience.
Adding to the frustration is the decision to pull capital ships out of all Age of Rebellion Supremacy matches. Without the chaotic, explosive, and claustrophobic capital ship battles to bookend these matches, Age of Rebellion Supremacy feels utterly lacking and just like any other capture and hold game mode.
I can’t help but feel this was a decision made in order to get the content out faster, especially since you can see capital ships above every map — even Death Star 2. Of course, you can’t have capital ship fights on Scarif for story reasons, but it still would’ve been awesome to move into the actual research facility in lieu of the capital ships battling above. Without the capital ships, Supremacy just loses its luster.
As for the rest of the content released, the only other highlights are the new Rey Skywalker and Palpatine Sith Robe skins. Love or hate The Rise of Skywalker, both of these skins look awesome and the fact that they’re immediately available without any absurd milestones is a treat for players. There’s also the addition of Shoretroopers, which might be minor but is awesome nonetheless.
Oh and speaking of absurd milestones, the fact that you have to rack up 5,000 kills to unlock the (admittedly awesome) Rebels inspired Darth Maul skin is a slap in the face to long-time players. Sure, players can grind on co-op or Heroes vs. Villains to reach the milestone faster, but is all that work really necessary for just a skin? And why give the other skins away immediately but put this one behind such an insane, time-consuming kill count? It’s a baffling decision that makes no sense to me.
The fact that there are no new heroes or villains attached to this update is a huge disappointment as well — especially the lack of Rogue One characters. Rogue One is one of my absolute favorite movies so I might be a bit biased, but fighting on Scarif without Jyn Erso or at least Cassian Andor to lead the charge against Orson Krennic just doesn’t feel right. With Cassian Andor set to lead his own Disney+ series in 2021 it’s completely puzzling to leave him out of this update and furthers the notion that it was rushed out the door.
While the final update for Star Wars Battlefront 2 may have been disappointing, it in no way diminishes the improvements and polish DICE added to the game over the last three years. If you were frustrated by the game at launch, please, I implore you to give it another shot, because it is practically an entirely different game. It may be a long wait for Battlefront 3, but I have a feeling the war won’t end anytime soon. See you on the battlefront, and may the Force be with you.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.