Battlefield 3 ‘s fourth map pack, Aftermath , was unleashed earlier today on the PlayStation 3 for Premium subscribers. For those of you on PC or Xbox 360, fret not–you only have a week to go until you get your turn.
If you haven’t been keeping score, Aftermath is an expansion of sorts for Battlefield 3 that adds in four maps set in an earthquake-ravaged Tehran. On top of the new maps, you’ll also get a new weapon (the crossbow), access to three new vehicles, and a new game mode.
DICE is calling said mode Scavenger–it puts players on a “level” playing field with each player only starting with a pistol and a grenade. To find a better weapon, you’ll have to search–or scavenge, if you will–in and around capture points.
Along with the release of the Aftermath expansion, DICE will also be rolling out a new patch that aims to squash a few bugs. On the PlayStation 3 side, DICE is hoping to alleviate the input lag and audio issues that gamers have been noticing since its release last year.
There’s also quite a few weapon balance tweaks included in the patch as well. You can see a list of those tweaks below, or catch two videos worth of Aftermath footage at the bottom of the post.
– M416 : First shot and horizontal recoil slightly increased. This should make the choice between M16 and M416 more interesting again. – L85A2 : Slightly reduced horizontal recoil. – AUG : first shot recoil slightly to increase weapon controllability. – FAMAS : Slightly reduced horizontal recoil. – G53 : Vertical recoil reduced to make this weapon more controllable. – QBZ-95B : Slightly reduced horizontal recoil. – LSAT : Hip accuracy has been increased to highlight the weapon’s role as a highly mobile LMG. – Type88 LMG : Recoil has been decreased to make it a viable option when compared to the M249. – M5K : Increased horizontal recoil and decreased vertical recoil to focus this weapon as a high damage, low control PDW. – UMP45 : Decreased fully automatic fire to differentiate this weapon from the PP2000. – MP412 : Increased its accuracy to better distinguish it from the .44 Magnum. – M26 : Increased aimed accuracy to be in line with the other shotguns.
