Yesterday, DICE rolled out a much-anticipated content update for Star Wars Battlefront II, and it represents one of the most feature-packed additions to the game since Geonosis released near the end of November last year. While it doesn’t introduce any new maps or heroes, it does add an entire new game mode on top of two new playable soldiers. This also comes on the heels of the introduction of Anakin Skywalker as a playable hero which dropped a few weeks ago.
While it won’t be anything groundbreaking to fans of other popular EA and DICE titles, Capital Supremacy—the new mode of play—does shake up the typical Battlefront II gameplay formula. For starters, this is the least linear mode available to players at the moment, and it feels very similar to the Conquest mode from the developer’s many Battlefield games.
Reminiscent of the long, drawn-out campaigns featured in the original Battlefront II, Capital Supremacy is a mode set during the prequel era which sees Republic forces mounting an offensive against a Separatist flagship on Geonosis. It’s a mode set in two stages; players first battle for control of five points on-world, then take to a capital ship to either deal a final blow to or defend the loser of the previous round’s battlestation.
Teamwork is more important than ever when it comes to Capital Supremacy. While objectives are usually so straightforward in other game types that dedicated leadership isn’t totally necessary, coordinated teams will always have the upper hand here. While one or two soldiers could theoretically capture a command post themselves, well-oiled, communicative squads able to pinpoint areas of importance on the battlefield will come out on top more times than not.
What’s more, players tend to operate rather aggressively in this mode. While that’s usually a viable strategy in other gameplay scenarios, Capital Supremacy requires a good deal of defense. It isn’t uncommon to have a recently capped point stolen out from under you by a crafty band of clones or clankers, so it’s important to allocate some resources appropriately without spreading soldiers too thin or focusing on all-out assault.
At the moment, Capital Supremacy is only available on Geonosis. While that’s definitely a point in the mode’s favor—the sandy, poisoned plains of that Outer Rim planet have made for a fan-favorite map in Battlefront II—it does get to be repetitive after some time. Plus, though it may be a quality locale, it rarely caters to close-quarters playstyles. The assault and officer classes are probably going to find themselves outmatched by heavy and specialist troops in most situations in the early-game. However, that dynamic shifts entirely during the second phase, as the comparatively constricting hallways of the capital ship tend to cater toward close encounters.
This coincides well with the two new characters introduced to the game in this new update. The Republic’s ARC Trooper dual wields laser pistols and can be a formidable opponent at close range, while the Separatist BX Commando Droid asks players to take a slower approach and pick off enemies from a distance.
DICE also recently announced a few tweaks coming to the gameplay in the next few days. While an almost unanimously-anticipated nerf for Anakin is in the works, the new mode will be rebalanced to feature a four hero per-team limit, meaning that Geonosis could see a total of eight heroes duking it out at once, which would just be insane. This would make teamwork even more essential, as even a sizable group of uncoordinated soldiers would have a tough time taking out two or more heroes at a time.
As it currently stands, Capital Supremacy is a great addition which has managed to breathe some life into EA’s most recent Star Wars title. While rumors of Jedi Fallen Order releasing later in 2019 have been circulating, it seems like this game mode will remain the go-to place for fans of the franchise for the foreseeable future (assuming DICE maintains their support for it and introduces a few new maps).
