New Battlefield 3 maps revealed

Now that Battlefield 3 is nearing release, DICE is finally starting to open up about the rest of the final game’s array of multiplayer maps.

In a post over on the Battlefield blog, DICE revealed and detailed two all-new maps, one map that was recently shown off to press, and a map that is already all-too familiar with those who participated in the Battlefield 3 beta: Operation Metro.

The first of the two new maps revealed in the blog post is Tehran Highway. As DICE’s Niklas Astrand explains in the post, the map was inspired by a real photo of Tehran’s night skyline. It’s said to have a balanced mix of infantry and vehicle combat, with one part of the map being designed mostly for infantry combat.

Next up in the reveal is Damavand Peak. Internally, the map is known as “Base Jump”, and for good reason. Players will start atop a high-up mountain ridge and will need to make the 500-meter decent down to the mining facility below – in other words, you’ll need to base jump to get into the action.

Astrand also dropped a few details on the Operation Firestorm map, which was recently shown off to press. It’s an open map, much like Caspian Border, that is one of the game’s largest maps. It’s a desert map with oil fires raging on one end and clear, blue skies on the other with construction sites scattered about the map for infantry players to shack up in.

Lastly, DICE explained Operation Metro, the map which, if you were playing on the console version, is probably the only map you’ve played. It’s a noticeably different direction as far as Battlefield maps go, and Astrand says that it’s by design.

“It is a map that perfectly illustrates that we want to take our players on a journey,” explained Astrand. “Especially in Rush, you can see how Operation Métro is almost three maps within one: You start out in a lush park, then move into a bombed-out section of the subway tunnels, to finally emerge in a dense urban environment outside the Paris stock exchange. It’s a map that asks you to constantly adapt your class and load out for the diverse situations you will find yourself in.”

You can check out an additional shot or two of the new maps over on the Battlefield Blog.