Getting into Battlefield 1 can be intimidating. Maybe you weren’t into shooters until EA launched its exciting new WW1 title, or maybe you cut your teeth with Call of Duty or Overwatch, but Battlefield isn’t clicking. Either way, Battlefield games have its own unique rhythm and can be very overwhelming.
So you jumped into a game of Operations and after spawning, standing up and getting mortared for an hour straight, you’re ready to call it quits. My advice for you: Don’t. The war effort needs you. Below is a guide to the different game modes and tips about how each one will prepare you for the main event – Operations.
Let’s take a look at the different modes:
Conquest:
If you’ve played any Battlefield game, then you know Conquest. It takes place on a large map with multiple control points, or flags. Each team fights over the various flags. The more you control, the faster your team racks up points. You also get points for scoring kills but it’s really about controlling the flags. First team to 1,000 wins.
Who it’s Good For:
This mode is a great starting point for the Halo player that loved tooling around in the Warthog in the middle of the map. Conquest is also good for players that prefer deciding where to go and when by themselves. Unlike other game modes, there is no ‘front’ set by the game. The battlefield evolves organically and you could stay at one point the whole game and hold it for your team, or you could drive from point to point in a tank as a mobile strike force.
Intensity Level:
Relatively low. There are multiple opportunities to escape from the carnage and catch your breath. It doesn’t capture the feeling of war like the other modes but also won’t send your anxiety through the roof. This is a great starting point.
Rush:
If you’ve cut your teeth on Conquest and looking for something a little tactical, then Rush is a great next step. In this mode there are attackers and defenders. The attackers need to plant bombs at telegraph points and protect the bombs until they blow up. The defenders try to prevent the bombs being placed and defuse them when necessary. Once both points are blown, the defenders fall back to a new set of telegraphs and repeat. The attackers have a limited number of respawns but the defenders have infinite. If the attackers run out of respawns before taking all the points, they lose.
Who it’s Good For:
This mode can be seen as a training wheels to Operations. The modes have a lot in common but Rush is on a much smaller scale and the matches are far shorter. You’ll start learning the ebbs and flows of battlefield warfare without being totally overwhelmed.
Intensity Level:
Rush can get very intense in a small scale tactical way. But it does not have the chaos that Operations has.
Operations:
This is the mode that Dice is pushing real hard. Rightfully so – I’ve never played a multiplayer mode in any game that captures the intensity and horror of the war it represents so well. Like Rush, this asymmetrical mode has an attacking and defending team. The attackers must push forward and hold several points on the map. If they control them all at the same time, then they take that sector and proceed to take points further on. Also like Rush, the attackers have limited respawns. However, in this mode when the attackers run out of respawns they get two more battalions, or attack waves, to try again.
If the defending team can get the attackers to use all respawns in three attack waves before being pushed off the map, then they win. These battles take nearly an hour, exist across two entire maps each and accommodate 40 or 64 players.
Who it’s Good For:
If you feel comfortable with Rush, either from Battlefield 1 or prior Battlefield games, then you might be ready for Operations. Also good for history buffs as you’re told the history of the battle before it starts and how a victory for either team might have changed events to come.
Intensity Level:
Insane. Watch out for falling Zeppelins.
The above three are the core Battlefield experience, but the game also offers a few other modes that I’ll touch on briefly.
Team Deathmatch:
Like every Team Deathmatch you’ve ever played. Two teams, the first to get a certain number of kills wins.
Domination:
Basically a shrunken Conquest with smaller teams. Expect more tactical play in the Conquest style.
War Pigeons:
A small, sillier mode that I generally only play when I’m too war weary for Operations but not ready to turn off Battlefield. Similar to capture the flag… but with pigeons. Small teams will fight over pigeons. Once they capture one they have to hold it for a certain time then release it. First team to capture three wins.
Train up. Find the mode that’s right for you. I’ll see you in the trenches.
Also check out these guides on finding the right class for you, and general Battlefield 1 tips.
