Battlefield 1 Elite Classes, How Horses Work in Multiplayer & Beta Early Access Detailed

Following their reveal of the new Battlefield 1 gamescom 2016 gameplay trailer, DICE has granted us more details on the game’s multiplayer. Posted on the official website, new information has been given on Elite Classes, how horses will function, and early access to the beta.

It looks like the success of Star Wars Battlefront has impacted the new Battlefield title, with powerful Hero-like Elite Classes. 

Not every soldier is created equally. Some are more powerful. Some are more… Elite. In Battlefield 1, you’re able to battle as one of three Elite Classes, destructive forces that – if played well – can change the course of the battle.

Three of the Elite Classes have been revealed, along with their various sets of skills:

Flame Trooper – 

Wrapped in fire-resistant gear and carrying a powerful flamethrower, the Flame Trooper brings with him chaos. He’s far from indestructible, though. Part of his kit has him permanently affixed with a gas mask, slowing him down and keeping his vision lowered. Attack from afar, and you might escape un-scorched.

Sentry – 

Distance won’t help you as much when the Sentry, who is strapped with thick armor plating. The Sentry moves like a human tank, equipped with a water-cooled machine gun at his hip. He can shower enemy positions with lead while still being able to withstand a lot of damage, but unlike the Flame Trooper, he can’t wear a gas mask at all. You know what to do about that.

Tank Hunter – 

Meanwhile, laying prone at a safe distance away and carrying a weapon taller than most men is the Tank Hunter. This Elite Class has mastered the use of the 1918 Tankgewehr, an absolute beast of a weapon that can lay waste to enemy infantry and vehicles alike (so long as the Tank Hunter is prone). A well-placed shot from this weapon is capable of knocking out a vehicle’s tracks, machine guns, or cannons on armored vehicles. They don’t call it the Tankgewehr for nothing.

When players aren’t causing chaos as one of the badass Elite Classes, there’s the new horses to mount and ride into battles. For DICE, horses were a must-have feature for BF1, as “not only did horses play an important role on many fronts in the war, they are one of the many elements that made the era truly unique.”

Horses are unique in Battlefield 1. While they might not be as sturdy as tanks, they’re still effective in close-quarters combat. Their speed and agility means they can trample enemies under their powerful hooves, and they’ll get you close enough to slash them down with a saber. If you prefer to stay back a bit, you’ll have access to powerful rifles for medium range combat that can be fired from horseback.

Horses are even effective in anti-vehicle assaults using grenades – you can run circles around the slower mechanized vehicles and harass them with explosives. Horses also have a secondary use as a mobile supply station of sorts, so in addition to these offensive capabilities, players can drop ammo and bandages from the saddlebags to assist team members and help them stay in the fight.

Since you’ll be a bigger target on a horse, getting too close can be dangerous (while horses have quite a lot of health – a lot more than the rider – they’re still vulnerable) but if you stay on the move and use speed to your advantage, they can be seriously effective.

Spawn onto a horse from the Loadout screen or jump onto any you come across you’ll and you’ll have access to a suite of weapons and gadgets to take advantage of the mount. But just like the other vehicles in the game, you’re able to jump off the horse if you’d rather do battle on-foot (though someone could sneak over and steal it). Just because they share similarities with many of the vehicles in the game doesn’t mean they feel like a vehicle. The team spent a lot of time making sure the horses feel less like motorcycles and more like… well… horses.

If you’re looking forward to mounting a mighty steed, you’ll be happy to hear that horses, along with the aforementioned Elite Classes, will be available to try out in the Battlefield 1 open beta, which begins August 31st. However, if you’re an “Insider”, you’ll get one day early access.

Don’t fret if you haven’t yet signed up to the Insider program, as you do still have time. Click here and enter your details before August 21 to make sure you don’t miss out.

Looking forward to the Battlefield 1 open beta? Liking what you’ve seen of the game so far?

[Source: Battlefield.com, Twitter via VG247]