Since September 5th, as owners of the Premium Pass in Battlefield 1, you can shoot each other on the snowy maps of the new DLC. I took a closer look at the maps and weapons. My impressions are available in this playtest of the DLC “In the Name of the Tsar.”
In Battlefield 1, I have accumulated hundreds of hours of gameplay and I am still not tired of battling in the First World War.
On the release day, I waited all morning to finally play the new expansion. Quickly selected my class and off to the battlefield. I was playing as a sniper and managed to take out some enemies; suddenly, a heavy snowstorm swept across the map – man, what a feeling!
That was my first few minutes of gameplay in “In the Name of the Tsar.” And then there’s the atmosphere! Rarely has a game made me experience the battles so intensely.
The Maps – Winter is Coming
The expansion “In the Name of the Tsar” offers 6 maps. There’s something for everyone, as there are maps that focus more on infantry battles and expansive battlefields with planes and tanks. I tested all the maps in the “Conquest” mode.
- On Zaryzin, the Russian forces battle it out in a small town with a cathedral in the middle. The focus is on dense infantry action. If you want to take out a few soldiers quickly and prefer not to run across the entire map, you will feel at home here. However, in some of my rounds, enemy forces marched right in front of our spawn. The developer needs to tweak this.
- Albion reminds me a bit of the good old days when I played “Wake Island” non-stop. There are also several islands on Albion, but this time in a snowy appearance. For transportation, you have various ships here, but a real soldier will also jump into the icy waters. Also interesting: Heavy artillery batteries are at your disposal to cause total devastation.
- Thirdly, there’s the map Brussilov’s Fortress. Here we battle it out in a small mountain village. Bitter infantry fights are on the agenda, but smaller vehicles, like the artillery wagon, also get involved.
- Volga is one of the more open maps where tanks are waiting to crush soldiers like me. If you enjoy sniping, you should take a closer look at this map. Weather changes, such as a heavy snowstorm, sometimes rob you of visibility..
- Galicia is almost like Volga, just with a little less snow. This map is, in my opinion, way too open. While there are a few cover spots, you’re mostly easy prey for lurking snipers.
Lastly, there’s the map Lupkow Pass, which I have hardly played at all. This is because no one votes for this map after the round ends; somehow, the trip to the mountains seems to be one of the least popular. When I did find a suitable server, I looked for enemies who had set up camp somewhere in the mountains. My favorite is currently Zaryzin, I just love dense infantry battles. If you share this love with me, you should definitely check out this map. The map that impressed me the least is Galicia. It’s just too open and there aren’t enough cover options. The fact that about 60% of the enemy team plays as snipers doesn’t make it any better.
The Weapons – Something for Everyone
I was more excited about the weapons than the maps. This has been the case in every Battlefield expansion so far. 11 new guns are waiting to be extensively played by you. However, you first have to unlock them by completing small tasks. Some of these tasks can drive you to frustration.
For example: To unlock the Mosin Nagant M91 bolt-action rifle, you need to achieve 15 kills with the tripwire bomb. If one eventually runs into my trap, they usually don’t die! It can sometimes take a few hours to successfully complete such a task. Little tip: Go on a hardcore server; soldiers there have less health and ideally die right in your deployed net.
From submachine guns to heavy rifles, every type of weapon is represented. If you prefer close combat and want to burn through ammo, you should try the SMG 08/18. This submachine gun is similar to the MP-18 but has a larger magazine. However, I felt that you need a bit more rounds to take down a soldier. One weapon I also liked is the so-called Obrez pistol. When applied correctly, this piece is a real beast and can send enemies to the afterlife with just one shot, if you’re lucky.
The New Mode – For a Quick Round
With the latest update, a new mode was also introduced: “Supply Drop.” Here, boxes are dropped from the sky that you need to capture quickly after they land. What I notice: You have to stand really close to the boxes to capture them. While soldiers stand by the box, they generate points. At 500 points, it’s over, and the respective team wins. After a certain period, a second crate lands, and at the latest now, soldiers must split up. The crates only give a certain number of points and then disappear, but as a thank you, they leave us an elite class. Supply Drop plays out fairly quickly, and if you enjoy infantry action, you should be very well satisfied here. What annoys me: Since you have to get so close to the crates, you become an optimal target for mortars.
Specializations, Assignments, and a New Army
With the BF1 DLC “In the Name of the Tsar,” new specializations are also included, as you already know from older Battlefield games. At the start, you already have 3 of these specializations:
- Flak: You take less explosive damage
- Cover: Incoming suppression is reduced
- Fast Regeneration: Auto-regeneration outside of combat occurs faster
You need to unlock the rest through assignments, and it takes a while to complete all these small missions. However, it’s definitely worth completing these missions, even if some tasks present true challenges. I am currently stuck on the assignment “Storming the Gates” and still need to take out a few soldiers with dynamite. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Most of the time, you hope for luck that a confused player walks right into my explosives.
If you want to level up, you should take a closer look at the “First Steps” assignments category. Here you can earn up to 50,000 XP upon completion. “In the Name of the Tsar” integrates the Russian Army into the shooter, alongside new weapons and maps. Here, DICE takes a step forward and allows female characters to participate in the war. In the Women’s Battalion of Death, you get to play as a soldier in the role of a scout.
New Expansion, Old Weaknesses
First of all, I find that “In the Name of the Tsar” offers a wide range of content. Nevertheless, there are still some things that annoy me. One would be the almost non-existent auto-balance on the official servers.
While you can’t switch teams with a large player difference, players still gradually leave the servers, and balance should actually intervene and switch players to the other team for fairness. I have often found myself in situations where suddenly there were 5 too many players on one team, and you can definitely feel that on the battlefield. Another point is the medics. Somehow many players play this class, but they are more or less unwilling to help fallen allies. Maybe DICE should raise the points for reviving to make it a bit more appealing.
Conclusion: Is “In the Name of the Tsar” Worth It?
The expansion offers a lot compared to older DLCs. Just the fact that besides the 6 maps, there are a total of 11 new guns waiting for you makes “In the Name of the Tsar” the largest expansion yet in Battlefield. The new maps play out quite smoothly, although some are really too open for my taste.
Then there’s the pile of weapons, and it takes some time to unlock them all. For 14.99 Euros, I can highly recommend the expansion. If you haven’t purchased the main game yet, you should look for the “Revolution Edition,” which gives you access to all expansions alongside BF1.
If you do not own the Premium Pass and want to purchase the expansion separately, you’ll have to wait until September 19th.
Also interesting: Battlefield 1 – Is the shooter worth it in 2017?
