Check out EA Battlefront II’s awesome new modes

Over the past six months, EA and DICE have put a lot of work into editing and updating Star Wars Battlefront II. The Solo Season added new skins (Lando, Chewie, Han) and maps (Kessel), as well as a neat little touch where lightsaber-wielding hero characters are now able to turn their lightsabers on and off (hold Y/Triangle on console or gamepad).

In addition, EA has also put in a variety of new game modes, some of which are permanent new additions, and others that are in rotation. All of them can be found under Multiplayer from the Play menu. Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find in these new modes:

Extraction (Operations)

Featured in EA’s previous Star Wars Battlefront, Extraction returned to BFII with the Han Solo Season Update. Extraction is a push scenario where the Rebels try to escort a slow-moving cargo tram through either the Coaxium Mine or Jabba’s Palace. Empire players will be attempting to gun down the Rebels so that none remain present to move the tram forward. This escort goes through three checkpoints, each of which will reset the five-minute timer. Should this timer run out before the Rebels reach the next checkpoint, the Empire wins.

An Extraction match can hold up to sixteen players and does not allow for heroes. Players can, however, unlock enforcer and aerial class units with their earned Battle Points.

Jetpack Cargo (Operations)

Removed on March 5, 2018 but re-instated in EA’s 2.0 patch, Jetpack Cargo is on rotation with the infamous Ewok Hunt (see below) as of the Hero Starfighters Update on July 3rd. Jetpack Cargo features up to 20 players on either Yavin, Tatooine, or Bespin and plays out like a 1-flag Capture the Flag match, with the “cargo” appearing in the center of the map. To win, a side must deliver the cargo to the enemy’s side three times.

Possibly BFII’s most hectic mode, each player spawns as an aerial unit equipped with a blaster and a rocket launcher. Boost cards do not affect gameplay here.

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Ewok Hunt (Operations)

On rotation with Jetpack Cargo, Ewok Hunt is a frightening struggle for survival. Matches begin with 20 players, only two of whom are ewoks. The rest are stormtroopers, but they don’t have it as easy as one might think. Empire players are confined to a first-person view in a completely dark forest with their only light source being a flashlight mounted to their rifle. The light is on a timer, too, meaning that you WILL be in complete darkness at some given time. Brightness settings are also disabled for this mode (nice try) and the minimap is disengaged as well, making for a very alienating experience.

Ewoks, on the other hand, have night vision, a rallying horn, and wisties: A throwable pouch that bursts into a swarm of fireflies, dealing damage over time. Whenever an Empire player dies, they will respawn seconds later as an ewok, slowly increasing their numbers and turning the tide in their favor. Hilariously, this is likely the most realistic depiction of what the Battle of Endor felt must have felt like from the Empire’s perspective.

Empire players may also chance upon weapon caches sparsely littered around the map. After about seven minutes, a shuttle will come down to extract any surviving stormtroopers. A mad dash for the shuttle ensues, reminiscent of a finale out of Left 4 Dead.

Hero Starfighter Assault (Heroes and Villains)

The only new mode to take place off the ground, Hero Starfighter Assault is an eight-player dogfight on either Fondor, Ryloth, Endor, Kamino, D’Qar, or the Unknown Regions. As is typical of the Hero vs. Villains mode, chronology is ignored here and players have access to any hero ship in BFII’s hero lineup.

The first team to defeat all the enemy hero ships wins, and any defeated players will respawn in any normal ship of their choice, also having access to fighters, bombers, and interceptors from all eras.

Hero Showdown (Heroes and Villains)

Hero Showdown is your typical Heroes vs. Villains ground match, but with two distinct differences – instead of eight-player four v. four, it’s knocked down to a four-player two v. two, making for an experienced much more focused on teamwork, strategy, and good communication.

Hero Showdown matches last for five rounds, the winner being the first team to win three. The catch, however, is that the winning team is not able to play as the heroes they just won with. So while you might be able to win easily with your upgraded epic characters, you won’t be able to play as them again!

Choose wisely.

We found it was best to pick two characters with similar abilities and weapons (i.e. two Jedi or two ranged characters) and to stick close by your partner. Matches may take place on Endor, Naboo, Tatooine (Jabba’s Palace), Hoth, Naboo, or Starkiller Base.

Hope our rundown was helpful! For more updates and Battlefront II news and patches, check out their EA’s forums right here.