EA details first Battlefield 3 DLC

EA and DICE have detailed the first DLC pack for Battlefield 3 and we’re still months away from the game’s release.

Anyone who pre-orders Battlefield 3 will receive the Back to Karkland DLC free of charge, offering fans four of the best Battlefield maps ever created by DICE: Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula.

These classic maps are some of the most played in the history of the Battlefield franchise, accounting for more than 25,000 man years of game time.

“It’s pretty simple, really,” said lead designer Niklas Fegraeus. “These are evidently some of the very best maps we have ever built. We have unquestionable data and feedback from the community saying so. You would be crazy turning down the chance to boost your game with these classic multiplayer maps.”

Speaking specifically about Strike at Karkand he added: “From a gameplay perspective, destruction is the biggest addition compared to the original map in Battlefield 2 back in 2005. I remember this particular building by the square in the original where players could defend very effectively. Now, with the destructive power of Frostbite 2, someone can just RPG that building and expose the defenders within.At the same time, we need to be careful not to add destruction that breaks the tried and tested game flow of the map.”

This isn’t a rushed job either. Fegraeus says Back to Karkland is similar in scope to the Bad Company 2 Vietnam DLC.

“Certainly from the perspective of scope and ambition, they are very similar,” he said. “This is no simple map pack. Back to Karkand will also include iconic Battlefield 2 weapons and vehicles to bring back to the base game, new unlocks and persistence, and more content that we will talk about later. They are also similar in that they are both strongly themed.”

Details on the three other maps will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Battlefield 3 will be released in November for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.