‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ confirmed with an Imperial Walker

By Adam Rosenberg Published May 29, 2014

Star Wars Battlefront — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Electronic Arts just confirmed the existence of Star Wars: Battlefront with a seconds-long trailer featuring the massive metal foot of the four-legged AT-AT Imperial Walker. We know it’s a DICE game, the studio behind the Battlefield series. And… that’s it. Honestly, that’s all they’ve told us. The Electronic Arts partnership with the newly Disney-owned Lucasfilm was announced just recently, so this one’s probably still in its earliest development days.

For those who need a refresher, the Battlefront series has traditionally been a multiplayer-driven shooter played from a third-person perspective. There’s a mixture of on-foot and vehicular play, which suits DICE rather well. Nothing’s been confirmed about this new chapter of Battlefront, so any of these elements could change in the next-gen. Expect more in the way of improvements than wholesale changes, however; DICE is perfectly suited already to the sort of play that Battlefront traditionally offers.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

The best Syndicate rewards in Star Wars Outlaws

One character points a gun at others while gambling in a bar in the trailer for Star Wars Outlaws.

You will learn very quickly in Star Wars Outlaws that it isn't the Empire that runs things -- it's the syndicates. These crime families each fight for power over the various planets you will explore and all see you as a potential pawn in their schemes. Kay has a lot of useful skills and abilities they want to take advantage of, but it isn't a one-way street. If you can raise your reputation with a syndicate all the way to the max, you can earn yourself some valuable and exclusive rewards you won't find in any container you lockpick. Doing that many jobs for a syndicate takes time, but also tends to incur the wrath of other syndicates at the same time, making it very challenging to keep everyone happy. These syndicates have the best rewards that you should work your way through the ranks to get.
How reputation works

Each of the four major syndicates in Star Wars Outlaws has their own reputation meter you need to manage. These have five major segments: Terrible, Bad, Poor, Good, and Excellent. You raise that meter by doing jobs for a syndicate and lower it by either doing jobs that hurt that syndicate or by fighting or trespassing on their turf.

Gaming

All Experts in Star Wars Outlaws and where to find them

star wars outlaws interview returning characters qi ra

Unlike most other Ubisoft games, or even most RPGs for that matter, you don't level up and unlock skills as you would expect to in Star Wars Outlaws. You won't earn any points or find a skill tree waiting for you here, but rather the new Experts system. As you explore the galaxy and meet new people while hunting for treasures, you will encounter special characters called Experts who are willing to help Kay expand her skills. Well, once you find and help them out, that is. Without their help, you're stuck with your basic abilities for the whole game, so taking a break from your main quest to find them is well worth your time. The galaxy is a big place, so we'll tell you where to find each of the Experts in Star Wars Outlaws.
How learning new skills works

As we mentioned, you won't find yourself leveling up after completing missions or dispatching enemies. The only way to learn any new skills is through finding an Expert.

Gaming

The best abilities in Star Wars Outlaws

Kay sneaks through a base with Nix by her side.

While Kay Vess is no amateur when you begin Star Wars Outlaws, she's far from a pro. She is a decent shot, can hack basic computers, and even pick locks, but she's not much more complicated than that. Unlike a traditional open-world game — especially a Ubisoft one — you won't find any skill trees or XP bars here. Instead, Kay can only pick up new abilities by meeting special Experts. These NPCs are scattered across the various planets and need to be found and befriended before you can start working on unlocking new skills. It's a long process no matter how you approach it, so we're here to pass along the vital info you need on the best skills in Star Wars Outlaws.
Armored Undershirt

The first Ability you should aim for is Armored Undershirt, which you can start on right away since it is part of Bram's set. This Ability is a passive buff that increases your default HP by 1, which is incredibly valuable at the start of the game when you only have three. Hunt down or purchase Ironweave and 8 Coarsweave on Toshara to snag it.
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