Star Wars Battlefront's first bunch of DLC has been released today for those who pre-ordered the game, and while it may be a meager offering, there's still some fun to be had with Battle of Jakku. All in all, there are two new maps (three if you count the Fighter Squadron map as a separate entry) and one new game mode. If you didn't pre-order Star Wars Battlefront, you can still play this DLC when it is released to everyone on Dec. 8.
The first map is the big guy: Graveyard of Giants. This map gets used with the new Turning Point mode as well as Walker Assault and Supremacy. It's also the map you are fighting above when playing Fighter Squadron. This map is awesome. Fighting across the surface of the planet Jakku, this map takes place 29 years before the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Clearly there was a huge battle that went on here, and you're still fighting the tail end of it. There are carcasses of AT-AT walkers strewn about, with many hollowed out to use as cover.
Other bits of shrapnel from the massive dogfight overhead also lend you some cover as you blast your way across the sandy dunes. It really does feel like you are a part of a massive battle, even though there are only 20 players on each team.
I will say that Graveyard of Giants felt somewhat cramped when playing on Fighter Squadron. Despite the map itself being pretty large, players often tended to bunch up in a small corner of the map, and I found myself flying out of bounds quite often. It seems like that was never an issue with the other Fighter Squadron maps, but maybe it was just the matches I was involved in.
The second map is called Goazan Badlands, and is used for Blast, Droid Run, Drop Zone, Hero Hunt, Cargo, and Heroes vs. Villains. This map felt like it encouraged tight play, as there weren't many open lines to take shots from far away on your enemies. This definitely is not my favorite map. I never really got a groove on it, despite it being a cool map to walk around on.
In regards to the new game mode, Turning Points is kind of the counter to Walker Assault. In this mode, the game starts out with the Rebels needing to capture one of three checkpoints. The Empire can stop the Rebels from getting to the points, but cannot win back any progress the Rebels have made. Once one of the three checkpoints is captured, the first set of two checkpoints opens for the next wave. Repeat here until one of the two points is captured, and then the second wave of two checkpoints opens up. Again, repeat this until the Rebels capture one of them, then it's the final stand of only one checkpoint for the Rebels to capture.
It's the counter to Walker Assault, because in this mode, the Rebels are the ones on the offensive. The first wave of three checkpoints seems to happen pretty quickly, with the other two usually coming pretty easily to the Rebels as well. The final checkpoint is where the game goes from a spread out skirmish to an all-out war on one small location. Players are pulling out all the stops with upgrades, vehicles, and more. It gets intense, but that means you will probably be dying more frequently at the end, when the action is best.
Overall, there is some fun to be had in this DLC update, but it's really just more of the same. The new Turning Point mode is definitely not my new favorite, but I'll probably come back to it from time to time. The Graveyard of Giants map is really cool, and I look forward to playing all sorts of modes on it, while the smaller Goazan Badlands is just alright.
What do you think? Have you already started playing Battle of Jakku in Star Wars Battlefront? Will you be waiting until Dec. 8 to dive into the new planet's maps? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
