In Battlefield 5, Chapter 5 starts on October 31st and brings the long-awaited Pacific scenarios. The scope of the DLC is reminiscent of expansions from earlier days, and some players are wondering – Is this the turning point for BF5?
What is the current state of Battlefield 5? The WW2 shooter Battlefield 5 celebrated its first anniversary at the beginning of the month. However, fans had little to celebrate in the first year. There were ongoing issues with microtransactions, delays of content, and various bugs.
It took 5 months for the first real map to be released after the launch, and a drought of content followed one after the other, leading even the most dedicated fans to put the game on the digital shelf for a while.
Developers announce major expansion for next week
This has now been announced: The developers at DICE are pulling out all the stops and are bringing the Pacific Chapter 5 next week. After the remake of the popular Underground map “Metro”, Battlefield is bringing back some legendary fan favorites and wants to show players: Battlefield 5 continues!
But what are the chances that BF5 can turn things around with this DLC?
What does the DLC content look like? The announced content is quite extensive. In addition to the maps, many new weapons and vehicles are being added. Here is an overview of the announced content.
Content available at launch on October 31st
Two new maps
- Iwo Jima
- Beaches, tunnels, lots of vehicles
- Pacific Storm
- Multiple islands, rapid weather changes
Weapons for all classes
- Assault Soldier: M1 Garand
- Single-shot rifle awaited since release
- Scout: Arisaka Type 99
- One of the strongest bolt-action rifles
- Medic: Type 100
- Japanese SMG with a high rate of fire
- Support: M19 19A6
- Medium LMG for medium to long range
Two new factions with elite soldiers
- US Armed Forces
- Elite: Prowler – Jack Culver
- Imperial Japanese Army
- Elite: Officer – Keisuke Nakamura
New combat pick-ups for BF5
- Function similarly to weapon pick-ups from BF4
- Flamethrower
- Katana
Many new vehicles
- One tank for each faction
- USA: M4 Sherman
- Japan: T97
- Both tanks have similar characteristics, medium support tanks with above-average speed for this class
- One plane for each faction
- USA: F4U Corsair
- Japan: Zero
- Both planes also come with similar characteristics and can be equipped as fighters or bombers
- Completely new amphibious vehicle
- Maritime environment requires vehicles that are effective on land and water
- Landing boats, dinghies
Content throughout Chapter 5
- Wake Island in December
- Legendary Battlefield map will be remade
- Many new weapons with “Tides of War”
- An explosive mine for assault soldiers against tanks
- Shown in the trailer as “Grenade Launcher”
As you can see, the list is very extensive and the developers are firing with this update from all cylinders to prepare a pre-Christmas gift for the community. However, there are still some issues that developers must continue to work on until the end of the year.
Content scope reminiscent of DLCs from other times
What is being received best? After the ongoing content droughts, players are somewhat excited about the quickly scheduled expansion. These points are particularly celebrated:
- 2 new maps directly at launch
- Iwo Jima and Pacific Storm
- 2 new factions
- US Armed Forces
- Imperial Japanese Army
- Wake Island in December
- Many new weapons
- Release already next week
In particular, the map “Wake Island” is an absolute fan favorite and has been remade multiple times within the Battlefield series. For example, it was part of the small standalone “Battlefield 1943” and the main series game “Battlefield 3” also offered players a Wake Island experience.
DICE made the right decision to bring Wake Island to Battlefield 5. I can hardly wait to finally play the map!
Dom Productions on Twitter (translated)
Fans of the series are excited not only about the announced content, but the scope is a reason for many players to be pleased. It reminds them of earlier days when they still had to pay for DLCs but received a substantial amount of content in return.
Major expansion can backfire
What could go wrong now? Both the release and subsequent DLCs have repeatedly faced delays or shifts. DICE often failed to deliver new maps at the quality players expected. There were outrageous bugs, such as invisible enemies or frequent crashes.
This danger is also present for the new DLC. Although the relatively short announcement time suggests that the content is mature or at least nearly finished, the developers have already lost much credibility here. Until the first test, the announcements should therefore be taken with caution.
I am very curious to see how many bugs will be present this time
Despair on Twitter (translated)
Additionally, some players are disappointed by the absence of private servers, which allow each player to create their own server. After the announcement for September and the subsequent postponement into Chapter 5, it has become suspiciously quiet about private servers.
Developers must deliver now
Can this chapter make a turnaround? The contents of the new update look promising, and DICE is betting a lot on the Pacific trump card. If everything works and comes as planned, the rest of the year should be a nice time for Battlefield players. However, if similar problems arise as with the releases of previous DLCs, even the most die-hard fans will surely have no good words to say.
Even if Chapter 5 is well received, the developers will need to follow up. Between the last major BF title, there were always about three years. A good DLC per year will not keep players engaged for so long.
Battlefield 5 buys itself a little time with Chapter 5, and if everything goes well, the shooter can certainly win back a bit of trust. However, the developers need to stay on track now, and it could indeed turn into something with the otherwise truly great battle fest.
What do you think of the presented content? Hype or better wait and see?
