Electronic Arts has updated the Battlefield 1 website with news that the game’s open beta for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC will start on August 31. It should be noted that the company specifically states “Origin for PC” in its update, meaning you’ll need the company’s desktop client to play the open beta and eventually purchase the full digital game. Those who sign up for the open beta before August 21 will receive instructions on when and how they can play the early preview.
According to the company, the open beta will focus on the Sinai Desert, a location just east of El-Jifar. Players on the ground will engage in combat throughout the narrow streets of Bir el Mazar while other players in the air will participate in dogfights taking place above “majestic cliffs.” Backing players when the battle seems hopeless is an Armored Train that will blaze through the desert packed with plenty of weapons for either team.
“Ride agile horses across the sand dunes,” the company states. “Take out enemies with a deadly slash of your saber, or attack from afar with powerful rifles fired from horseback. Horses are even effective in antivehicle assaults using grenades — you can run circles around the slower mechanized vehicles and harass them with explosives.”
The open beta will provide two gameplay modes: Conquest and Rush. In Conquest, up to 64 players fight for control of key objectives. Rush, on the other hand, supports up to 24 players and charges the attacking force to find and destroy telegraph posts maintained by the defending force. To protect these posts, the defending force must disarm the explosives planted by the enemy team. If the telegraph posts are destroyed, the defending force falls back to the next area to defend another set of posts.
Gamers who want early access to the open beta will need to agree to EA’s terms to willingly receive emails from the company regarding Battlefield 1 and other EA-based games, as well as events related to these titles. After agreeing to the terms, gamers must sign in with their EA Account, or create one if tat’s not done already. Once completed, gamers will be a part of the official Battlefield Insider program and can choose their preferred platform.
“You’re a Battlefield Insider, which means you get in-game rewards, exclusive content, and a sneak peek at news about Battlefield (plus news about other EA games, services, and events). And, of course, you get early access to the Battlefield 1 public beta,” the company states. “But before you’re able to play, we need to know your preferred platform — this is the platform we’re going to be emailing you a code for.”
Battlefield 1 is slated to arrive on October 21, and players can choose between the $60 Standard Edition and the $80 Deluxe Edition. While both currently offer two pre-order bonuses (the Hellfighter Pack and early access to a free map drop), the Deluxe Edition grants a three-day head start over standard customers, the Red Baron Pack, the Lawrence of Arabia Pack, three vehicle skins, and five additional battlepacks.
So far, the Origin service isn’t listing the hardware requirements for the PC version. However, if it’s running the same version of the Frostbite engine that powers Battlefront 4, then PC gamers may need an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 processor at the very least, a Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT or AMD Radeon HD 3870 graphics chip, 4GB of system memory, and 30GB of free storage.
We expect to see the official Battlefield 1 system requirements roll out within the next week before EA unleashes the open beta on the masses.