‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Won't Feature Classes or Squads, Devs Talk Development Process

Following its high profile reveal at last month’s “Star Wars Celebration 2015,” gamers have been eager for more information regarding development and progress on “Star Wars Battlefront.” The developer finally appears to be obliging, as it’s recently released new information detailing gameplay, specifically with regard to classes and squads, or the lack thereof.

Speaking to the Official Xbox Magazine via GamesRadar, “Star Wars Battlefront” Design Director Niklas Fegraeus said that the game would not feature any classes or squads. The decision was made to ensure gamers could think on their feet in the heat of battle and adapt their gameplay style quickly.

Fegraeus explained that gamers would be able to equip whatever weapons they want before the game starts, and pick up other weapons via XP unlocks. Ditching the popular squad mechanic that drives “Battlefield,” “Battlefront” will instead rely on an all new Partner system. When a player spawns, he or she is linked to another player, or partner. They are able to view each other’s HUD’s and can also respawn at each other’s locations. In addition, partnering with a higher level player will give the lower level player access to weapons and items of a higher level.

The move away from squads comes after DICE announced a desire to differentiate “Star Wars Battlefront” from its marquee first-person shooter franchise, “Battlefield.” The developer also recently announced that “Battlefront” players would have extensive character customisation options.

If the extent of the changes sounds alarming, DICE is quick to point out that they’re doing extensive playtesting to ensure the game remains fun. Speaking on Reddit, Producer Jasper Nielsen stated that while multiplayer balancing is challenging, the team continues to work on it diligently.

“Balancing is definitely one of the most challenging parts of MP game design, and it requires a lot of testing, tweaking and more testing. There’s no silver bullet, but the more we play the game ourselves, the more we understand what needs to be tweaked and see if previous tweaks have worked, so we make sure to play the game a lot,” he said.

“Star Wars Battlefront” is set for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on Nov. 17. It represents the very first Frostbite Engine-powered title developed by DICE exclusively for the eighth generation of consoles and PC.