Battlefield 5’s battle royale mode, Firestorm, has finally leaked a first glimpse at gameplay footage after fans have waited months just to take a peek. The tutorial video for Firestorm appeared as an extremely low-quality YouTube video late yesterday, and confirmed many of the details that were hinted at by a datamine leak earlier this week.
Battlefield 5’s battle royale mode has been a hot topic recently, since DICE has yet to show off any official gameplay while its competitors continue to innovate the genre. Fortnite announced the Fortnite World Cup 2019 and, despite being criticized for poor practicing conditions, has remained in the headlines because of that event’s $100 million prize pool. DICE’s own publisher, EA, has also gotten in on the action with the release of Apex Legends, a game that’s growing faster than Fortnite and has already eclipsed 50 million players just a month after its launch.
As those familiar with Battlefield 5 might expect, the Firestorm tutorial follows the same presentation style that has been seen in introduction videos for the other modes present in the game. The video, hosted on YouTube by JROBtheFinesser, does confirm many of the characteristics that will color players’ experiences with the new mode, though, and serves as an unofficial info dump for those interested in learning more:
Here’s what we know about Firestorm so far, based on the video and previous information. Everyone will parachute onto the map and look for the standard battle royale fare of weapons, armor, healing kits, and more. Loot will come in three rarities: common, rare, and epic, and they’ll come pre-equipped with attachments provided they are some of the higher-tier weapons available. Ammo will also be divided by weapon class rather than calibre, and players will be able to fire their sidearm when they’re knocked out, which should add an interesting wrinkle to the gameplay offered by Battlefield 5’s battle royale mode.
Firestorm’s map will also contain major objectives that, once completed, will unlock vehicles. Higher loot will be hidden behind safes that are scattered all over the map, and traditional Battlefield 5 classes will not carry over their usual benefits into Firestorm mode. The official Battlefield Twitter account sort of acknowledged the leak, too, sharing a short teaser that promised players more details in the future:
A Reddit post also dug in to some of the vehicle reinforcements that will be available. It appears there will be a 40% chance players receive a M3 or Hanomag (British and German halftracks respectively) and a 20% chance they’ll get a Panzer IV, the game’s choice of tank. There will also be a reinforcement called “Danger Zone” that is an artillery strike and “Strafing Run” that appears, by all accounts, to be an AI controlled Stuka. Again, DICE has yet to confirm these officially, but the datamining done here appears thorough enough to be trustworthy.
Despite Battlefield 5’s rocky reception, fans are genuinely excited by the prospect of playing a battle royale game with the mechanical pedigree offered by the title. Honestly, Battlefield 5’s Firestorm actually looks pretty good, too. There’s a lot to like about the details we have now, and there are likely some surprises still in store for the official reveal. With that said, it’s hard to imagine Firestorm gaining much traction right now between Fortnite and Apex Legends. The battle royale genre is starting to get a little crowded, and being good but a little different might not be enough anymore to get the kind of response many of these developers are looking for.
More: Battlefield V Player Visibility Issues Hilariously Exposed by YouTuber
Source: JROBtheFinesser
