‘Battlefield Hardline’ Premium Full Details, AMD Mantle Support And 4 Confirmed DLCs Announced

A Los Angeles Street Battle Scene In The Beta Version Of 'Battlefield: Hardline' — People are shown a Los Angeles street battle scene in the beta version of "Battlefield: Hardline" at the Electronic Arts (EA) World Premiere: E3 2014 Preview press conference at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, June 9, 2014. The event takes place on the eve of the annual three-day Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game conference. Reuters/David McNew

“Battlefield Hardline” is looking at a little over a fortnight before its release. But EA and Visceral Games are giving fans a new service that would add to the overall experience of the newest title.

The companies announced “Battlefield Hardline” Premium, an exclusive membership program designed to give more content and privilege to fans who want more out of the game. From new features to a two-week early access to the game, there are a lot of things that put the premium in the membership.

There are four super features that come with the program. Player masks bring gameplay benefits specific to each mask. The Gun Bench lets players visually customise weapons and track kills. The progression system can now be replayed in its entirety with the Legendary Status. There’s also a premium-access to tournaments and ladders for competitive play.

Players of the PC version also have something to look forward to, as AMD confirms that Mantle support for “Battlefield Hardline” is coming. The company emphasised that 2015 will be a year of transition, mainly due in part to the shift in generation for gaming development.

What’s even more interesting, however, is the confirmation of four DLC expansion packs coming to “Battlefield Hardline.” The packs will feature multiplayer maps, vehicles, modes, more content and a story that’s themed throughout the add-ons. Two expansion packs are expected to come out in summer 2015, “Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity” and “Battlefield Hardline: Robbery.” The former features destructible maps and small-time jobs for criminals, while the latter will boast more cinematic action.

“Battlefield Hardline: Getaway” will come out this fall, and, as the title suggests, will feature cars, chases, and heists. The last will release in winter 2016, with an exciting game of finding the traitor in your midst.

Getting the “Battlefield Hardline” Premium membership will allow players to access the expansion packs two weeks earlier before release. In addition, the offer also comes with 12 gold battlepacks, new personalisation options and exclusive “Battlefield Hardline” premium double XP, in-game missions and events and server priority.

Fans are already divided about getting the premium membership program. In a Reddit discussion, fans have been talking about the advantages, with a lot of them voicing excitement, disappointment and frustration in relation to the premium offer. On the one hand, some players are interested in new features and offering. On the other side of the court, players are worried that the paywall for exclusive features may pave the way towards a pay-to-win experience for “Battlefield Hardline.”

Apart from the new premium package, AMD also announced via its latest blog post that it will be pushing support to long-time partners in Mantle, one of which is “Battlefield Hardline.” The support for Mantle, however, has not been clarified as to whether or not it will come on day one or via a patch, according to VG 24/7.

GDC 2015 does hold something for Mantle, as the “public Mantle SDK” will be further discussed on March 5 during the event. There’s already a 450-page guide and API reference for Mantle, made available just this month.