Battlefield 1 June Update Brings Frontlines Multiplayer Mode To Non-DLC Maps

Battlefield 1 monthly free updates keep coming, and June’s offers a nice surprise for those who haven’t forked over the cash to buy the They Shall Not Pass expansion. That DLC’s exclusive mode, called Frontlines, will be available for everyone to try in just a few weeks.

The news arrives via a tweet from the official Battlefield account Thursday afternoon.

“Frontlines mode is coming to Argonne Forest and Amiens for all Battlefield 1 players with this month’s update,” it reads. The message then tells fans to “stay tuned” for additional details.

While pretty exciting for those playing Battlefield 1 for free, bringing Frontlines to a non-DLC environment may not be too surprising to those who follow the game closely. At the beginning of June, both Argonne and Amiens were being tested for Frontlines playability in the PC’s limited Community Test Environment. Clearly the CTE passthrough went well, because now the feature is ready for primetime.

For those who missed the boat on what Frontlines is all about, it’s basically a combination of the existing Conquest and Rush multiplayer modes. The first task for teams is to capture a centralized flag. After that, a second and third flag must be captured as well. However, in a tug-of-war-like fashion, each time a flag is successfully defended by the opposing team, the battle moves backward to the previous flag. Once every flag is captured, two telegraph targets must then be destroyed. It’s a tall order to come away victorious, but the fun is in the struggle.

Frontlines first debuted in March’s They Shall Not Pass expansion and has previously been relegated to maps like Verdun Heights, Fort De Vaux and Soissons. Now, just three months later, the chaos will be available for everyone. As part of the CTE testing, players were asked to comment on certain aspects like flag placement, telegraph placement and overall weapon balance.

This week was a pretty big one for Battlefield 1 and its publishers at Electronic Arts. During the E3 EA Play press briefing, much emphasis was placed on the game’s next big DLC expansion, In The Name Of The Tsar. As its name implies, this time the focus is placed squarely on the Russian front of World War I. The expansion comes with six new maps, a new mode called Supply Drop and 11 new weapons. Amidst this new content, players will be able to take control of the Women’s Battalion of Death. It’s the first time in franchise history that a female protagonist has been offered.

There’s more to expect from Battlefield 1 even further down the line as well. DICE has announced that it will be sharing details about a “new competitive experience” for players during Gamescom in August.

Battlefield 1 is available now on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. In The Name Of The Tsar is expected to launch this September.

What do you think of Frontlines mode going public? Are Argonne and Amiens good multiplayer maps to select? Tell us in the comments section!