After two or arguably more years in the making, Battlefield 4 is at last on physical and digital store shelves for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but what will separate this particular title from other shooters in its class this year?
Is it the gorgeous visuals powered by the new Frostbite 3 engine, the large player counts spread across expansive battlefields, or the epic vehicular wars waged across land, sea and air? Perhaps the most prominent innovation we could point our fingers to is a feature developers DICE are touting as “Levolution.”
Uniquely different to each and every Battlefield 4 multiplayer map is a significant map-changing event that will alter the tactics used during any given match in one way or another. Be it a collapsing building, flooded streets, or a massive war ship crashing ashore, there is always something interesting to look forward to in each game of Battlefield 4 multiplayer.
Let’s take a look at each of the primary Levolution events across all 10 of Battlefield 4’s multiplayer maps and how each will affect the gameplay.
Dawnbreaker
Maximizing pressure in the gas pipelines that run along the central avenue by operating two valves beneath the street will cause them to explode, destroying and collapsing the bridge up top.
The destruction will, of course, disrupt vehicle usage along the roads above and below but also provide more cover within one of the more heated areas of the map.
Flood Zone
A levee holding back a large body of water can be destroyed using C4, grenades, rockets, or any other explosive devices aimed at a large crack in the structure.
Breaking it will flood the streets, allowing the usage of amphibious vehicles, and will open up new routes while closing others. A battle pickup will become unavailable.
Golmud Railway
A capture point placed on a train moves closer to the spawn of the team that has captured that objective. IED’s are also placed throughout the map which are capable of mass damage. They can be triggered with explosive weaponry or detonated with various control consoles.
IED explosions create huge craters in the map, changing the landscape. The moving train, which also carries mounted weapons, will make the capturing team’s job much easier the closer it moves to their base.
Hainan Resort
Oil spills set ablaze with explosives will cause the left and right wings of the central hotel to burn down.
Visibility is reduced due to black smoke while areas in the hotel become inaccessible.
Lancing Dam
Using rockets and other explosive devices along the large crack, the large dam can be broken, sending large pieces of debris crashing to the ground.
The landscape around the base of the dam is altered and visibility is reduced while all electricity within the area is also shut of. A battle pickup available previous to the event becomes disabled.
Operation Locker
Players can lock enemies within the prison gates where a tower will crumble if hit with enough explosive munitions, killing the trapped soldiers within. The snowstorm that rages outside of the prison will intensify and calm throughout a match.
Opening and closing the prison gates will alter various routes while weaponry stationed in the tower will not longer be functional after it is destroyed. The crumbling tower will also slightly alter the map’s layout while the blizzard outside will make it more difficult to see in and out of the prison.
Paracel Storm
After it is struck with lighting by the oncoming storm, a wind turbine can be destroyed, sending a gigantic US destroyer ship crashing ashore.
The crashed ship will alter the landscape in a high-traffic area on the map and allow access to the ship’s AA guns and a new battle pickup. The ever increasing storm will reduce visibility and result in larger waves, making battles on the water a little more complicated.
Rogue Transmission
Destroying the cables supporting a large radio telescope receiver will send it crashing down to the dish below.
The playable area underneath the receiver will be altered and will no longer spawn a vehicle.
Seige of Shanghai
The central sky scraper will fall if its support structures are destroyed by explosive weaponry. Bollards on the bridges accessing the tower can be raised and lowered.
The debris will reduce visibility and drastically alter the area surrounding the the building, even changing the elevation of a capture point. Vehicles will be unable to advance across the bridge with raised bollards.
Zavod 311
A timer inside the central building can be toggled. Upon reaching zero, a large warhead will explode, sending the smokestack above tumbling to the ground.
The area in which the explosion and tower crash takes place will become inhospitable to vehicles and can also damage players who enter the area with radiation poisoning.
Clearly, all these Levolution events and more can make for a very dynamic battlefield that shape shifts throughout the course of a match. Let us know in the comments, which scenarios have you experienced so far, and feel free to vote in the poll below for the Levolution event you think is the coolest!
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