As part of the Outer Rim digital expansion pack, the first to arrive in Star Wars™ Battlefront™, an all-new game mode is on its way: Extraction. This is an intense mode, and to make sure you get all the details you need about it, we chatted with our trusted Lead Designer Dennis Brännvall.
“We know players who are after massive, epic experiences with plenty of players and large levels have taken to Walker Assault, because of the deeper tactical mechanics present in the game mode – like seeing iconic characters like Leia and Luke out on the field together in the truly authentic Star Wars™ universe we’ve been able to create.,” says Brännvall.
“In an effort to encourage the community to rally around our smaller, close quarter game modes in the same way, we’ve created Extraction. This mode features high-intensity choke points, rewarding flanking routes, deeper tactical mechanics and, of course, heroes.”
“Extraction is different in the way that it presents a depth to the strategy and choices you make. If you made a mistake in the beginning, it most certainly will show in the last minutes of the match if your resources have run out.”
Extraction takes place on four maps: two different locations within Jabba’s Palace and two areas in the factories of SoroSuub. Rebel forces have entered some of the most dangerous places in the Outer Rim in order to extract a valuable shipment of resources. Now they must bring the shipment to their transport ship before time runs out. The Empire has scouted their location, realized their intentions and arrived to stop them from reaching the extraction point.
“Your job as a Rebel is to push the shipment through the entire level to reach the extraction point – where a Rebel transport will fly down and take the shipment away. The shipment will pass through several checkpoints along the way that adds more time for the Rebels. The timer starts out at 5 minutes and each checkpoint adds another 5 minutes to the timer, for a total of 15 minutes to get the shipment to the Extraction Point,” Brännvall explains.
“The shipment is the key objective of this mode and you can use it to your advantage in several ways. If you take cover and stay close to the shipment your Star Cards will come off cooldowns much faster, meaning you can use them more often. The Rebels have also placed a generator on the shipment that creates a Squad Shield, keeping anyone within it safe from blasters and explosives for a brief moment. It’s a useful tool to help you through a rough chokepoint where the Imperials have set a trap. Use it carefully however, since the cooldown for the Squad Shield is quite long and should only be used when absolutely required.”
The main resources, of course, are the Heroes and Villains. Each team gets two hero pickups for each level - including the new playable heroes Nien Nunb and Greedo. But be careful as once a hero is defeated, they will not respawn. Each checkpoint spawns a hero pickup that are team specific: it starts off with the Rebels receiving one hero by the first checkpoint, followed by one hero for each side by the second checkpoint, and ends with the Empire receiving the last hero.
This creates a strong opening for the Rebels who can use their early hero to fight through early Imperial pressure, while also providing a difficult boss fight towards the end of the level, where Darth Vader or Boba Fett can arrive to stop the shipment permanently from reaching the transport ship.
By using offensive pickups for the rebels and more defensive ones for the Empire, you have to create your own chokepoints in the narrow corridors and pick defensive positions early on.
“Know your surroundings and create your own advantage points from it”, Brännvall explains and continues to share the story behind the maps.
“We are always exited to work on Star Wars and extend the universe we get to experience in the movies. For Jabba’s Palace, we tried to put ourselves in the space and its culture, and think about what he could need in his palace. For example, how do they power up the palace? Should we do something cool with that? How about his garage?”
But what if your strategy doesn’t really work against your foes? Dennis Brännvall has the tips you are looking for:
“Define your weapons reach and distance. People are going to jump in with their favorite loadouts, but realize that they might have to try something else for this section of the map. Each checkpoint presents different engagement distances, so you might want to switch weapons every now and then. You definitely want to make sure you consider both of your Star Cards hands before joining the match. ”
“Another important strategic and more long-term move is to be careful with your heroes, since they do not respawn and only the Empire gets a hero pickup for the final section of the level. You might regret that early Han Solo killstreak that got you defeated and made your team lose a hero when Boba Fett is taking out every Rebel that sticks their nose out and Darth Vader is Force choking anyone who tries to get close to the shipment. It is really about resource management, tactics and teamplay here.”
Armed with this info and these tips, we hope you really will enjoy Extraction mode. If you want to secure Outer Rim and the other expansions - have a look at the Star Wars Battlefront Season Pass.