EA reveals 'Star Wars Battlefront II' beta arrives in October

By Steven Petite July 10, 2017

Star Wars Battlefront 2: Official Gameplay Trailer

Electronic Arts (EA) announced that the Star Wars Battlefront II beta will run from October 6 to 9 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. That’s good news for fans looking to try out the sequel to Dice’s 2015 reboot of the series before they buy. Even better, the beta will be open, meaning anyone can download and test out the multiplayer component of Battlefront II before the full game launches on November 17.

The multiplayer beta will give players access to two of the game’s online modes, Galactic Assault and Starfighter Assault. Over at the PlayStation Blog, details on Galactic Assault were outlined.

Players wishing to try out Galactic Assault will get to first experience it in the commercial streets of Theed, the capital of Naboo. You will either play on the side of the Separatist droid army or the Republic Clones. The 40 players on the ground match will let users test out the four different trooper classes: Assault, Heavy, Officers, and Specialists. Besides the trooper classes, users will get the chance to step in the shoes of Star Wars heroes, along with taking control of prequel-era vehicles.

While specific heroes for the beta haven’t been confirmed, we know that Luke Skywalker, Darth Maul, Yoda, Kylo Ren, Rey, Boba Fett and Yoda. Finn and Captain Phasma will be playable in the full game. Additional heroes, such as Han Solo, Lando, and Leia are rumored to be in the full game as well.

As for Starfighter Assault, EA hasn’t released very many details about the dogfighting, aerial mode. The mode will be set in the original trilogy era, and lets players jump in the cockpit of iconic Star Wars ships. Starfighter Assault will be objective-based, and feature multiple stages. We have yet to get a good look at multiplayer space battles in Battlefront II‘s gameplay footage — the portion of the game developed by Criterion Software — but EA promised that the mode will be shown off at Gamescom in August.

While the beta mirrors the original’s beta in that it is open, you can get in two days early on October 4 by pre-ordering Star Wars Battlefront II. If our early impressions at E3 are any indication, Battlefront II looks to outclass its predecessor in a myriad of ways.

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Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the culmination of the series’ rocky gaming history

Jedi Cal Kestis.

I've played Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Coruscant heist opening multiple times at this point, and every time I play it, I can't help but think about what could've been with Star Wars 1313, the franchise's most infamous canceled game.
The idea of an Uncharted-like game about Boba Fett fighting throughout the Coruscant underworld is such an excellent pitch that I've grieved the loss of a game I never even had a chance to play for over a decade. Playing through Survivor's opening doesn't elicit feelings of disappointment about 1313, though. Instead, I feel happy that at least some fraction of that idea was able to be realized.

Survivor's Metroidanvia-like level design and Lightsaber-and-Force-based combat are much different than what was promised from 1313. However, the idea of cleverly climbing and fighting across a seedy-looking level of Coruscant during a heist was still realized. Reflecting on the lost project ahead of this year's Star Wars Day, I had a revelation about Respawn Entertainment's latest game. Despite technically being a sequel to just Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor feels like the culmination of over a decade of Star Wars games, both released and canceled, that came before.
A walk through Star Wars gaming history
Growing up, two of my favorite video games were the original Star Wars: Battlefront II and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. To this day, 2005's Battlefront II is my favorite game of all time, not only because of all the great memories that I had with it but also because it feels like an authentic Star Wars simulator where multiple eras, planets, and characters are preserved in incredible detail. Survivor feels like it has the same keen attention to detail.
Players may not visit as many planets as they do in Battlefront II, but each location in Survivor is densely packed with content and immaculately packed with detailed environments and characters that faithfully represent the High Republic, prequel, and Imperial eras. While the aesthetics feel as detailed as Battlefront, the gameplay fantasy pulls more from The Force Unleashed.

Gaming

All Stim upgrade locations in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Cal picking up a stim upgrade with BD.

Just like Fallen Order before it, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has many Souls-like elements. Outside of the general flow of combat, and the way Meditation Points work, Stims are essentially analogous to your Estus flas -- a limited healing resource that you can only replenish by resting. You will only start with a meager two Stims, leaving you with very little room for error even on low-difficulty settings. Thankfully, Stim Upgrades allow you to increase that number by one for each you manage to find. Given how powerful these are, you'll want to gather up as many as possible to ensure your survival in the galaxy far, far away. If The Force isn't so strong with you, allow us to guide you to all the Stim Upgrade locations in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

We will outline where to find each Stim organized by the planet they're on, so minor spoilers ahead if you haven't seen every planet in the game yet.
All Stim Upgrades on Coruscant
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Gaming

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor ending explained: What happens to Cal, Cere, and Bode?

Bode helps Cal up in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor finally launched on April 28, continuing the story of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis during the Reign of the Empire era. Its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, ended with Kal, his mentor Cere, Nightsister Merrin, and Mantis pilot Greez destroying a Holocron with the locations of force-sensitive children on it. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor follows Cal five years after the events of that game as he struggles to balance his well-being with his fight against the Empire and uncovers a new threat linked to The High Republic and a mysterious planet.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a lengthy adventure as it takes over 20 hours to experience a story with quite a few twists and turns. Whether you’ve beaten the game and are looking for a recap or want to know how Cal Kestis’ adventures continue, this is a rundown of what happens in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and how it all coalesces into a somber ending.
This article contains spoilers for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
How does Star Wars Jedi: Survivor begin
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor begins with Cal Kestis seemingly captured on Coruscant. While it initially seems like he’s being turned over into the custody of a Utapauian senator, it turns out this is all part of an elaborate heist with a new crew that Cal has been running with since the Mantis crew from the first game disbanded. During this mission, Cal meets Bode Akuna, who tells Cal he’s fighting to protect his daughter Kata from the Empire.

They are eventually able to track down the Utapauian senator’s damaged ship, and all seems to be going well. Unfortunately, they are then ambushed by an Imperial Squad led by the Ninth Sister from the Fallen Order. Cal kills the Ninth Sister and escapes on the Mantis, but everyone but him and Bode is killed, and the Mantis is heavily damaged. With no other choice, he flies to the planet Koboh, where Greez is now living, and crash lands on the planet.
After fighting some of the Bedlam Raiders, led by a powerful Gen’Dai named Rayvis, Cal reunites with Greez. While Greez encourages Cal to settle down, Cal refuses and looks for a piece of technology in the caves beneath Greez’s Saloon. While doing this, he discovers an old ruin from The High Republic era, and frees a droid named ZN-A4 (or Zee) for short, who was sent on a mission by a Jedi Knight named Santari Khri during the High Republic era to find the “Key to Tanalorr.”
Cal investigates this, learning that Santari Khri and a Jedi named Dagan Gera found Tanalorr, a hidden planet beyond the dangerous Koboh Abyss, where they wanted to build a new Jedi base. Cal decides to free Dagan from his Bacta Tank, but he quickly betrays Cal after learning of the Jedi’s fall, adamant about retaking Tanalorr with the help of Rayvis, who owes him a life debt. Now, Cal, Bode, and Greez make it their duty to stop Dagan and potentially claim Tanalorr as a safe haven for themselves.
The quest to stop Dagan Gera
Following this encounter, Cal, Greez, and Bode, who found Cal on Koboh, decide to look for Tanalorr and make it their new home together. Looking for any existing information on Tanalorr, the group decides to go to Jedha, where Cal’s mentor Cere Junda is working with Jedi Master Edo Cordova to rebuild the Jedi Archives and support the Hidden Path, which protects force-sensitive people from the Empire.