E3 2012 – Battlefield 3: Armored Kill, New AC-130 Details, Bandar Desert Is The Biggest Map, and More

Niklas Fegraeus, Game Designer at DICE, answers questions about the highly anticipated upcoming Battlefield 3 DLC, Armored Kill. For those who don’t know, Armored Kill will have players battling it out over land and air in epic, vehicle-based combat on some of the largest maps Battlefield has ever seen.

We caught our first glimpse of Armored Kill footage in the recent Battlefield 3 Premium trailer as well as in these jaw-dropping screens of the map Bandar Desert.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most important information about the Battlefield 3: Armored Kill DLC from a recent EA Origin live chat with Niklas Fegraeus.

General:

• Five new vehicles will be available
• Each new vehicle will have its own career of unlocks.
• Four maps will be available – all really big and with diverse environments and themes.
• Bandar Desert is the largest map in Battlefield history (demonstrated in the live chat).
• It will also have a very high flight ceiling.
• No comment if more cinematic events will be returning, though players will see some “cool stuff.”
• Armored Kill will introduced the new game mode Tank Superiority. Details are being left for later.

AC-130:

• To use the AC-130, you need to capture the base that harbours it.
• Once captured, you can spawn into the gunner position or simply use it as a mobile spawn point.
• It will respawn like any other normal vehicle. Though if the opposing enemy team has captured the base, it will spawn for them instead.
• It will have two positions: the 25mm auto-cannon and the 120mm “big” cannon.
• You can spawn and paradrop from the AC-130 even if all the gunner positions are occupied.
• Gunners on the AC-130 do have the option to deploy flares if they are being locked onto by other vehicles or weapons.
• Players can also jump into a 360 degree AA turret.
• The AC-130 will serve two roles: suppressing ground units or controlling the air space.
• It flies on it’s own path and is not very mobile. Use friendly fighter jets to protect it.

Tank Destroyer:

• A new tank destroyer class of vehicles is being introduced.
• It is basically a faster moving tank with lots of firepower, although only lightly armored.

ATV:

• 2-man ATV quad bikes will return (as in Bad Company 2) which will allow for driver and gunner positions.

AA Vehicles:

• There will be no new AT or AA infantry weaponry, but players can take control both mobile artillery and tank destroyers.
• Mobile AA is a very vulnerable vehicle yet powerful. Its best defense other than teamwork is good positioning.
• It’s meant to be challenging but rewarding – not just a point and click weapon.

Let us know in the comments what excites you most about Armored Kill. Is it the larger maps, the Tank Superiority game mode or the AC-130 gameplay?

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