Battlefield V open beta marches out on September 6
Or earlier if you give EA money - don't do that
You don't need me to tell you that war is good for absolutely nothing, but you might be wondering: is this terrible waste any fun? See for yourself from September 6th, when Battlefield V will launch a short free open beta testing inviting all and sundry to investigate their shiniest version of World War 2 yet. Or earlier if you pay EA extra. Don't do that.
Pre-loading for the Battlefield V open beta will begin at 9am (1am Pacific) on Monday, September 3rd. The beta will then open on Thursday the 6th and run "for a limited time". Battlefield 1's open beta ran for about a week, and I'd probably expect the same here. Though if you pay EA money in one of several ways they'll let you play the beta from September 4th. One of those testing-but-also-marketing betas, y'see.
What's actually in the open beta? EA detailed it in yesterday's announcement:
"Players can jump into the up 64-player Conquest mode on the Rotterdam map, set in the embattled Holland city, or the Arctic Fjord map, set in icy Narvik, Norway. In Conquest, you must battle for control of key locations on a massive multiplayer map, using the new Fortifications, towable weaponry, and Squad Reinforcements system.
"Two 'days' of Grand Operations are also available to players in the Open Beta. In this modular narrative experience inspired by historical events, each day is represented by a round of play, and player actions have a direct impact on the next round. Up to 64 players can deploy in the Airborne and Breakthrough modes on the Arctic Fjord map."
Grand Operations are the headline mode EA had quietly said wouldn't be in the game at launch, though they seemed to change their minds sharpish once the Internet noticed.
Battlefield V is slated to launch on October 19th, priced at £55. Or it's out on the 16th if you pay £15 extra for the Deluxe Edition. Or on the 11th if you're an Origin Access Premier subscriber. Or as a short trial from the 11th for regular Origin Access subscribers. Oh EA, you are awful.
In the meantime, you can read Edwin Evans-Thirlwell's interview with senior producer Lars Gustavsson, covering everything from its focus on squads to microtransactions.