DICE’s flagship historical shooter, Battlefield V, is on course to spoil players with a host of innovative multiplayer modes when the title launches on October 19th. However, there’s one not so small caveat. The much touted Grand Operations mode won’t be available from day one, nor will the anticipated ‘Royale’ mode.
In a post on the official Battlefield V news page, the developer revealed that ‘shortly after launch, you will be able to take part in the first Grand Operation’. The terminology is as vague and non-committal as it gets – the mode could come within days or weeks, if not later.
Grand Operations is set to offer ‘the ultimate multiplayer experience, designed to seamlessly showcase the maps and modes of Battlefield™ V. Each Grand Operation presents a powerful narrative experience inspired by historical events’. 64 players are pitted against each other in hour-long sessions, divided in three separate 20 minute stages or rounds representing different in-game operation days. The idea being to inject a sense of scale and tell the story of World War II’s less known battles.
Each session starts off with parachute insertion rounds named ‘Airborne’. Squad success and failure in day one will have an impact in subsequent days both in terms of game play options and narrative arc. As an example, DICE says ‘play well on the first day and deploy with an adequate supply of ammo or vehicles when the map shifts, for example. Do poorly, and you’ll deploy the next day with perhaps fewer respawns, vehicles, or other resources’. Should the situation be at a stalemate come day three, the session ends in a sudden death match dubbed ‘Final Stand’ with limited respawns and equipment.
Once Grand Operations gets into a regular groove, new content and operations will release on a monthly basis showcasing new locations and battles. Though with today’s news, how reliable this model will be has yet to be confirmed. While we wait for Grand Operations, Battlefield V is fortunately packed with other modes such as the classic Conquest, the objective control-oriented Breakthrough, and Team Deathmatch.
Battlefield V launches on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 19th.
