‘Star Wars Battlefront’ Adding Space Battles, Ability To Blow Up Death Star In Next DLC

Star Wars Battlefront fans clamored for space battles ever since it was first revealed DICE’s take on the franchise would not have them. The developer and publisher Electronic Arts officially announced details Wednesday for the space battles coming as part of the new Battle Station mode for the Death Star DLC expansion coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

The Death Star DLC is scheduled to release sometime this September for Star Wars Battlefront. The expansion pack obviously centers on the iconic moon-sized weapon for the Empire and gives the Rebels a chance to blow it up while the other side defends in the Battle Station mode.

The Battle Station mode will play out in three phases, two of which involve space battles. The first phase will pit Rebel X-Wings and A-Wings against TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors in space with a mix of player and AI combatants. The Rebels will attempt to destroy enough of their opponents to bring in Y-Wing support to weak the defenses of a Star Destroyer. Once the massive ship’s defense are down, the Rebels will attack key weak points to destroy it and move to phase two.

The second phase of Battle Station moves the fight inside the Death Star. Rebels are tasked with extracting a priority droid from within the Empire stronghold while Stormtroopers attempt to stop them. If the Rebels successfully extract the droid, the battle moves back into space for phase three.

X-Wings and A-Wings duel with TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors once again during the third and final phase of Battle Station. Players will have the opportunity to jump into Luke Skywalker’s Red-5 and destroy the Death Star. Meanwhile, those playing on the Empire side will have Darth Vader and his TIE Advanced available to counter the attack. The question remains: How epic will the explosion be?

In addition to the Battle Station mode, the Death Star expansion for Star Wars Battlefront will come with Chewbacca and Bossk as the new playable Hero and Villain. Obviously, there are new maps as well set both inside and outside of the Death Star. These have yet to be detailed by DICE and Electronic Arts.

Star Wars Battlefront fans should also expect to see brand new vehicles, blasters, and Star Cards.

The game was recently updated with the Skirmish game mode for free. This offers players the ability to play Walker Assault or Fighter Squadron offline with bots. Skirmish is available to play on multiple maps and comes with a split-screen option for those that prefer some couch co-op action.

Death Star represents the third expansion to Star Wars Battlefront. DICE has announced Rogue One: Scarif will be the fourth and final DLC for the game and is scheduled to be released during the Holiday 2016 time window. Not much else is known about the add-on at this point beyond the fact it will take place on the same planet seen from the trailers. It will also feature a hero and/or villain from the film as well.

This will mark the second piece of Battlefront extra content set in the new and expanded Star Wars universe run by Disney. The Battle of Jakku was released for free in December 2015 and starred the same desert planet where Rey was introduced.

Star Wars Battlefront II has already been confirmed by DICE and EA and is expected to be released later in 2017. The sequel will take the full jump into the new Disney-run universe of the franchise and will feature characters and content based on the Resistance and the New Order.

What do you think of DICE finally introducing space battles with Star Wars: Battlefront? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via DICE/Electronic Arts]