One of the defining features of 2004's Star Wars: Battlefront and 2005's Star Wars: Battlefront II was Galactic Conquest, a turn-based strategy mode that thrust players into the heart of an expansive conflict. In the mode, players sought to systematically gain an edge against the A.I. to dominate planets on both the ground and in space. 

For many, Galactic Conquest allowed players to create their own narrative campaigns that could have circumvented the relative dearth of single-player content in both the modern Battlefront and Battlefront 2. Like many of my friends at the time, I spent many hours role-playing, tinkering with the various classes and options that the mode provided.

It came as a surprise — and a mighty disappointment — for me and many other fans when 2015’s Battlefront reboot was released with nary a hint of the beloved mode. 2017's Battlefront 2 featured a mode with a similar name, Galactic Assault, but one that reflected very little about what made the original mode so strong. 

The Loss of Individual Tales

While 2015’s Battlefront launched without a single-player campaign and 2017’s outing was bland, uninspired, and short, the freedom afforded in Galactic Conquest allowed players to build their own Star Wars stories and narratives to enhance the gameplay experience, creating moments of nostalgia that many still reminisce about today.

I still remember the first time I throttled into an opposing capital ship in a troop transport filled with my allies, storming the control room, sabotaging the shield generator, and destroying the engines before being mowed down by defending pilots.

It was invigorating stuff. 

The inclusion of multiple planets and expansive lore from the movies allowed the gameplay to feel as though real stakes were involved. Battling on Hoth and Kamino felt awesome because it felt like something was being won or lost. These would be the rebels' or the clones' last stronghold, the last line of defense keeping you from fully realizing your stranglehold on the galaxy.

Even innocuous planets like Utapau or Mygeeto made battles feel intense if you had just started your campaign as a particular side, up against the enemy force which controlled the majority of the planets you hoped to liberate.

The newer Battlefront games feel distinctly lacking in comparison. When online matches are contested, there isn’t an overarching conflict driving you forward — something to make victory more rewarding or defeat more devastating.

In the newest games, battles are simply maps that host tug of war gameplay, with little purpose outside of servicing that small lobby of players. 

A Galaxy In Battle, But Not At War

In its design, Galactic Conquest allowed for variety in gameplay options, something that simply isn’t available in traditional linear campaigns or multiplayer modes, and which is largely absent in modern Battlefront’s single-player offerings.

The skirmishes in the original Battlefront featured ebbs and flows which would change based on bonuses that could be purchased with credits. Strategic use of these bonuses could swing battles wildly in favor of one side or the other.

Couple this with opportunities to purchase new classes of troopers during your conquest, as well as being able to call upon a faction hero (which would vary per map, adding even more variety), and there was a wealth of opportunity in Galactic Conquest on a large scale. 

The offerings in the modern Battlefront series could have expanded on this RTS-lite mechanic. 

Increasing options for attacking and defending, placing more emphasis on the use of building and managing space fleets, utilizing modern class customization, all of it could have gone a long way to creating engaging content to which players could continuously return. 

For multiplayer, expanding the gameplay beyond the simple team deathmatch or planetary assault to a wider strategic element would have given the modern Battlefront games more scope. The recent addition of the Geonosis Galactic Assault to 2017's Battlefront 2 was a step in the right direction but had it been part of a wider Galactic Conquest mode, it could have captured the feeling from those previous games.

Faction Options Are Endless

Most disappointingly for me, however, was how DICE and EA failed to maximize the potential of the new factions introduced into Star Wars lore with the new Star Wars trilogy, namely The First Order and The Resistance.

The original titles made phenomenal use of the source material, with multiple scenarios for Galactic Conquest featuring various factions, the 501st battalion campaign, and a wealth of instant-action variables with which to tinker and experiment. With all-new planets, heroes, units, weapons, and story beats to work from, a Galactic Conquest mode would be ripe for development from the newest trilogy of movies.

Leading First Order troopers with Kylo Ren or Captain Phasma, resisting the onslaught of troopers as Rey or battling in space as Poe was a missed opportunity in the newest Battlefront games. DICE did well to replicate some of those nostalgic moments in 2017’s Battlefront 2, but it would have been all the more enthralling had those experiences played out across a series of battles, conflicts, and tugs-of-war to gain supremacy.

The Past Will Have To Do

The modern Battlefront games are fun. 

While they provided some solid gameplay experiences and multiplayer action, I feel the exclusion of the Galactic Conquest mode, and to a lesser extent the instant-action offering, proved to significantly depreciate the value of the titles, rendering much of their potential null.

Galactic Conquest helped fans establish their own stories, engage with unique gameplay mechanics, and develop their knowledge and understanding of the factions and overall lore. The mode's inclusion wouldn't have fixed everything "wrong" with EA's efforts, but it would have made things more exciting. 

I still revisit 2005’s Battlefront 2 on Steam, diving straight into a new galactic conquest readily. Despite its age and rust, it still provides the same undying thrill of being part of a large-scale conflict in a galaxy far, far away.

Perhaps there’s hope for the future, that EA and DICE may come to the light side and provide the long lost Galactic Conquest mode. Though it’s more likely it will be relegated to Boba Fett’s fate — lost to a Sarlaac Pit with little chance to escape.

Star Wars Battlefront uses a feature called Star Cards to customize your gameplay. These cards do many things ranging from grenades and special weapons to abilities that boost you for a short time. There are different categories of star cards, so it is important to know what you are buying.

I'm going to help by explaining each star cards and separating them into their 3 categories. If you are looking for other ways to customize your character, look at me Star Wars Battlefront Blaster Guide and Tips.

This guide will go over everything about Star Cards and Traits in Star Wars Battlefront including:

• Star Cards Info - A list of every Star Card, separated into 3 categories.
• Star Cards Tips - Info on when it is useful to use certain Star Cards.

Star Cards Info

Star Cards are set to a "Hand", which consists of 2 Star Cards and 1 Charged Star Card. Charged Star Cards have a limited number of uses, but you can buy more with credits or find them during battle.

Once you buy a card, you can spend credits to upgrade it. This can reduce cooldowns, increase the duration of the effect, or provide new bonuses.

Star Cards

Thermal Detonator (Rank 2, 500 Credits)

• Grenade that explodes after a short time.

Standard grenade and useful at any time. Definitely pick this up as soon as you get to Rank 2.

Scout Pistol (Rank 3, 500 Credits)

• Pistol good for killing at short range.

This is an okay card to use at low ranks, but if you are high enough to get other cards, replace this one.

Ion Torpedo (Rank 4, 1,700 Credits)

• Homing torpedo that deals heavy damage to vehicles and stationary weapons.

Ion is effective against shields, droids, and vehicles. This is great when playing a mode with vehicles, such as Walker Assault.

Pulse Cannon (Rank 4, 1,700 Credits)

• Long-range rifle that deals damage based on how long you charge it.

This is a great card for those that like to shoot long range. If you fully charge it, it does a lot of damage. You can also cancel the charge by pressing the melee button.

Impact Grenade (Rank 6, 1,700 Credits)

• Smaller blast radius than a Thermal Detonator, but it explodes on impact.

If you can aim well when throwing, this is better than the Thermal Detonator because there is no delay in the explosion.

Ion Grenade (Rank 9, 2,300 Credits)

• Grenade that deals massive damage to shields, droids, and vehicles.

If you want to take down vehicles fast, this is the grenade of choice. It is very effective to use this, Ion Torpedo, and Ion Shot when playing as Rebels during Walker Assault.

Homing Shot (Rank 11, 3,100 Credits)

• Long-range rifle that shots a homing explosive.

Like the Pulse Cannon, this is great for long range. You have to zoom in and lock-on before you can fire, but it instantly kills most soldiers if it hits.

Jump Pack (Rank 13, 3,100 Credits)

• Allows you jump higher and over large distances.

The jump pack is very helpful for getting to higher places that you can't normally reach. This is useful for getting into a sniper position, or escaping enemies.

Smoke Grenade (Rank 16, 3,100 Credits)

• Grenade that blocks visibility and lock-on weapons.

Smoke Grenades are good when you want to stop people from locking-on to you. It can also provide a distraction for you to attack or escape.

Flash Grenade (Rank 20, 3,100 Credits)

• Provides a bright flash and loud noise to disorient opponents.

This does not deal any damage, but it can stun enemies so you they can be killed by other weapons. Also good for making escapes, similar to the smoke grenade.

Barrage (Rank 24, 3,100 Credits)

• Grenade launcher that fires a volley of 3 grenades that explode after a short time.

This is fantastic for taking out groups of enemies are pushing them out of an area. Even if you don't kill anyone, they can make themselves vulnerable by leaving the area.

Cycler Rifle (Rank 28, 3,100 Credits)

• Long-range rifle that deals kinetic damage.

Unlike blasters, the Cycler rifle does not deal energy damage. That makes this gun ideal for killing enemies with shields. It also does massive damage and at long-range, making this the perfect card for snipers.

Bowcaster (Rank 32, 3,100 Credits)

• Weapon that shoots 1 or more explosive bolts, depending on how long you charge it.

The bowcaster is like shooting multiple explosives at once in an arc in front of you. You can hit multiple people, or focus on one enemy when using this card.

Charged Star Cards

Cooling Cell (Rank 7, 1,700 Credits)

• When activated, vents heat from your main weapons and prevent further heat build-up for a short time.

This is great when you need to keep firing and don't want to worry about overheating.

Focus Fire (Rank 7, 1,700 Credits)

• Stabilizes weapon accuracy for a short time.

This helps keep your weapon stable if you are having trouble aiming.

Ion Shot (Rank 7, 1,700 Credits)

• Causes your primary weapon to fire ion bolts for a short time.

Ion is effective against shields, droids, and vehicles. This is great when playing a mode with vehicles, such as Walker Assault.

Scan Pulse (Rank 13, 1,700 Credits)

• Reveals enemy soldiers in a 360-degree radius for a short time.

If you don't want enemies to hide from you, this is the Charged Star Card to use.

Explosive Shot (Rank 18, 1,700 Credits)

• Causes your primary weapon to fire explosive bolts for a short time.

This is good for doing extra area damage to take out multiple enemies.

Personal Shield (Rank 22, 1,700 Credits)

• Provides protection from energy weapons, but no defense against kinetic weapons like grenades and Cycler Rifles.

If you need some extra defense against blasters, this card helps a lot. Just remember grenades and Cycler Rifles will still hurt.

Traits

Traits are a special star card. You don't put this in your hand and instead choose only one. These give kill streak rewards every 3 kills. You start at level 1 every match and can go up to level 3. If you die, you only go down one level. For example, if you are level 3 and die, you go down to level 2. This way, you don't need to start from level 1 again.

Bodyguard (Rank 15, 7,000 Credits)

• Level 1 - Decreases explosive damage by a small amount.
• Level 2 - Decreases explosive damage by a medium amount.
• Level 3 - Decreases explosive damage by a large amount and blaster damage by a small amount.

Scout (Rank 15, 7,000 Credits)

• Level 1 - Sprinting does not show on enemy scanner.
• Level 2 - Sprinting and firing your primary weapon does not show on enemy scanner.
• Level 3 - Sprinting and firing your primary weapon does not show on enemy scanner and killing an enemy resets weapon heat.

Survivalist (Rank 15, 7,000 Credits)

• Level 1 - Health regeneration starts a bit faster.
• Level 2 - Health regeneration starts faster
• Level 3 - Health regeneration starts much faster and replenish a small amount of health with each kill.

Bounty Hunter (Rank 26, 7,000 Credits)

• Level 1 - Low chance to get a Power-up with each kill.
• Level 2 - Medium chance to get a power-up with each kill.
• Level 3 - High chance to get a power-up with each kill and resets cooldown with each kill.

Sharpshooter (Rank 26, 7,000 Credits)

• Level 1 - Headshot kills reduce cooldowns by a small amount.
• Level 2 - Headshot kill reduce current cooldowns by a medium amount.
• Level 3 - Headshot kills reduce current cooldowns by a large amount.

I think that Scout and Bounty Hunter are the Traits to focus on. The enemy not seeing you on radar is huge and lets you sneak up on them with ease. This is helpful in all game modes and can turn the tide of battle.

Bounty Hunter is great as well because you have a chance to get a power-up with every kill. You can get some good power-ups without the need to look for them on the map.

That's it for my Star Wars Battlefront Star Cards and Traits guide. Let me know if you have any questions! Be sure to visit my Beginner's guide for more tips.

There are 11 blasters in Star Wars Battlefront. They have different types and are useful in different situations. In the end, only you can decide if you can use a weapon well, but I can help by giving you details on each one.

If you want to get an idea of how each blaster is before spending your hard earned credits, then this guide is for you! Check out by beginner tips and tricks for more Star Wars Battlefront help.

This guide will go over all 11 blasters in Star Wars Battlefront including:

• Blaster Info - A list of the blasters, what rank you need, and how many credits they cost to unlock
• Blaster Tips - Detailed info on how each blaster plays and tips on using them.

Blaster Info and Tips

When you start, you don't have anything unlocked. Instead, you use the default blasters for each faction. These are the A280C for Rebels and E-11 for Imperials. I'll separate all the blasters by type.

Blaster Pistols

DH-17 (Rank 3, 550 Credits)

• Fully automatic pistol
• Good for medium-range combat.

This is a basic blaster pistol. Good when you need a blaster pistol with no other choice, or if you want to use a pistol at medium-range.

SE-14C (Rank 14, 2,500 Credits)

• 5-round burst fire
• Good for close range.

This is a burst fire weapon, so it is excellent at close range. Blaster pistols, in general, are better at close range that most other guns, so if you use a pistol, this is usually a better choice than the DH-17.

DL-44 (Rank 25. 2,500 Credits)

• Very high damage
• Overheats quickly

This is the blaster made famous by Han Solo. It will do a lot of damage at close range, but it overheats quickly.

Blaster Rifle

A280C (Rank 8, 1,550 Credits)

• Higher rate of fire and cooling power than E-11
• Less damage than E-11

This is the standard blaster you use when playing as Rebels if you don't pick any other blasters. It has decent overall stats and it the better of the two standard weapons if you want higher fire rate.

E-11 (Rank 8, 1,550 Credits)

• Higher damage than A280C
• Lower rate of fire and cooling power than A280C

This is the standard blaster you use when playing as Imperials if you don't pick any other blasters. The higher damage makes up for the lower fire rate and quicker overheat.

EE-3 (Rank 17, 2,500 Credits)

• Shoots a 3-round burst
• Higher range, cooling power, and rate of fire than the other Blaster Rifles

If you like burst weapons, this is for you. It has lower damage than the E-11, but the superior range, cooling power, and rate of fire make up for it.

Heavy Blaster

DLT-19 (Rank 3, 550 Credits)

• High rate of fire and cooling power
• Decent range and low damage

Heavy Blasters are like machine guns. They fire quickly, but have low damage per shot. The range of the DLT-19 is only slightly lower than a Blaster Rifle.

RT-97C (Rank 5, 1,250 Credits)

• Higher damage and range than DLT-19
• Replaces DLT-19

This is better than the DLT-19 in every way. It has higher damage and range, and the other stats are the same. If you are using Heavy Blasters before you unlock T-21, this is the only choice.

T-21 (Rank 10, 2,500 Credits)

• Very high damage
• Very low rate of fire and cooling power

The T-21 has the same range as RT-97C and extremely higher damage. It shoots a lot slower and overheats quick, so aim your shots more carefully.

Special

CA-87 Shock Blaster (Rank 8, 1,550 Credits)

• Maximum damage
• Low stats everywhere else

The shock blaster is basically a shotgun. You will kill nearly everything in 1 shot at close range, but it is useless at any other range. It overheats quick and shoots slow, so make your shots count.

T-21B Targeting Rifle (Rank 21, 2,500 Credits)

• Maximum Range and very high damage
• Low rate of fire and cooling power

This is the Star Wars Battlefront equivalent to a sniper rifle. The high range and damage lets you kill people from far away, but you can't shoot too often with the low rate of fire and cooling power.

That wraps up my Star Wars Battlefront Blaster Guide and Tips. Let me know if you have any questions or tips of your own!

Star Wars Battlefront delivers a great experience for Star Wars fans. It isn't perfect and there are things I would love to change, but it delivers well on what it set out to do.

Before I start, I think most fans will enjoy this game. If you don't like Star Wars, or shooters in general, you aren't going to like this game. This should be obvious and that's okay, it wasn't meant for these people.

Ultimate Star Wars Experience

Something I think that Battlefront does well is capture the essence of Star Wars, specifically in the Supremacy and Walker Assault game modes. These are huge 40 player battles with vehicles, heroes, and objectives. All you could want out of the game is in these 2 game modes. 

Does that mean they are the only ones worth playing, or that they are flawless? Not at all! I just mean that it combines every aspect of the game into those 2 modes.

Heroes and Villains

What separates Battlefront from other games is the Heroes feature. You can play as iconic Star Wars characters during these battles and it feels like it should.

If you play right, you can run through several troops as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader without even breaking a sweat. Are they overpowered compared to the average soldier? Of course they are, they should be. This doesn't mean the game isn't balanced or that you can't kill them. It is also not easy to become a hero or villain on the battlefield.

This is one thing I wish was different. You can only become a hero or villain during normal game modes, and only if you find a hero pick-up on the map. These are random each time so you just have to be lucky. If you don't use it in time it also goes away.

That's great for keeping heroes rare, but I hate the randomness.

Multiple Game Modes

Star Wars Battlefront has 9 multiplayer game modes. Even if some games modes are similar, they have their own purpose. Just because you can only play as soldiers in Blast, for instance, and it is team death match, doesn't mean it isn't fun.

These other games modes are there to give the player options, different objectives to play, and a pick-up-and-play attitude. Sometimes you don't want to do a long battle to capture points and take down a walker. Sometimes you just want to shoot stuff, or play a quick Fighter Squadron battle.

Speaking of Fighter Squadron, it is one of my favorite modes. I only wish they would add more to objectives to it, or other modes that focus only on flying ships.

Missions, the solo and 2-player options, are pretty bland. Besides trying them out a few times, I think most people will skip this part of the game. People that want to play split-screen couch co-op will enjoy the missions, though.

The only real enticing mode in this section is Hero Battle. You can play as any hero the entire match. You can also play 1v1 so you can have iconic battles with Luke vs. Vader, or Boba Fett vs. Han solo.

Customization

I think the game has reasonable customization, but it could definitely have more. They give you a few head appearance options, but I'm honestly fine with that.

There are several blasters, but it would have been cool if we could modify them in some way. This isn't the game's intent, so I won't complain too much about that.

The star cards and traits are where the real customization is at. You can greatly change your gameplay through the main choices found here, and you can only set 3 cards to a hand. You can even use a partner's hand, so you can work out with a friend that cards to get to give you more options.

Overall, people will love this game if they love Star Wars. Look at the game for what it is and what it has always been, a great Star Wars experience.

The point of Star Wars Battlefront is to capture what it would be like to be in the movies and on the battlefield of a Star Wars fight. It does exactly that, and it does not disappoint.

Star Wars Battlefront has several game modes to keep you busy. There are also multiple customization options. The gameplay can change drastically depending on which mode you play and there is a lot to take in when starting.

I'll help you get the basics of Star Wars Battlefront, especially if you have never played one before. I'll also go over each game mode and give you the basics on customization.

This guide will cover everything about getting started in Star Wars Battlefront including:

• Game Modes and Mechanics - All 9 game modes, how to play, and what you need to do to win in each.
• Missions - The single or 2 player options.
• Collect - The customization options you can unlock.
• Stats - All your stats, challenges, and more.

Game Modes and Mechanics

Each game mode has its own rules and I'll go over all of them. First, I want to give you a quick overview of what you can do in Battlefront.

Soldier

This is where most of your play will be, unless you only play the special modes. You play as a Rebel or Imperial solider and run around with a blaster. You can customize their appearance, loadout and more, but I'll get to that later.

Hero or Villain

These are special, iconic series characters that consists of 3 heroes and 3 villains.

Heroes - Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo.

Villains - Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Boba Fett.

Each one has special combat mechanics and can kill more easily. You can pick up an item during normal game modes that lets you play as one them. There are also game modes focused on playing heroes and villains.

Vehicle

You can pilot several vehicles in Star Wars Battlefront. In normal games, you can get item pick-ups to use vehicles like Walkers and Ships. There is also a game mode that only allows ship combat.

If you are playing with one or more friends, you can set one of them as your partner. You can spawn on your partner during combat, or use their star card hand. More on star cards in the Collect section of this guide.

There is a tutorial when you first start the game and I highly suggest you complete all of them before playing the other game modes.

Now for the game modes. I'll also list how many maps you can play on in each game mode.

Blast - 9 maps

This is your standard team deathmatch. You get points based on kills and the team with the highest score, wins.

Supremacy - 4 maps

This is a huge battle with up to 40 players. You play on huge maps and try to take control over all the points in the map. Each team will have one point they can capture at a time. Your goal is to push the enemy back to their last point and capture it.

Walker Assault - 4 maps

The Rebels must defend their base while the Imperials attack with AT-AT walkers. There are uplinks that each team can control. Rebels can damage the walkers when they control all uplinks.

Fighter Squadron - 4 maps

A fighter ship only game mode. There are A.I. ships as well as other players, and you get points for killing both. Players can get hero ships, like Millennium Falcon, which are very hard to destroy.

There are also transport ships that appear and your team must either protect it or destroy it. If you must destroy, you get several points for doing so.

Cargo - 4 maps

This is the same thing as capture the flag. You must take the enemy cargo from their base and bring it back to your base, while defending your own. The team with the most captures, wins.

Droid Run - 6 maps

This is similar to a zone control game, but slightly different. There are 3 Droids on the map and you must capture them all to win. If time runs out, the team with the most Droids captured, wins.

The Droids also move around, so it makes the game mode slightly more chaotic.

Drop Zone - 6 maps

This is like a team king of the hill. Drop zones appear throughout the game and your team must hold the point until it is captured. First team to 5 wins, or the team with the most captures when time runs out.

Hero Hunt - 7 maps

In this game mode, one player plays as a hero, and the rest try to kill the hero. The player that lands the killing blow becomes the next hero. You only get points for killing the hero and kills as the hero.

Heroes vs. Villains - 9 maps

All heroes and villains play at the same time in this round-based game mode. Each team has 3 players as heroes or villains and 3 as soldiers. Each round is over when all 3 heroes or villains on one side dies.

Hero or villain players that die can respawn as normal soliders. Leia and Palpatine can have 2 guards. These are characters with special weapons that other players can choose, as long as that hero or villain is alive.

Missions

These are modes you can play solo or with one other player.

Battles

There two types of battles: Normal and Hero.

Both game modes involve you fighting against an enemy force and collecting their tokens when you kill them. When you get 100 points, you win. Hero battles let you play as a hero the entire game.

You can play this alone or against someone. It also allows split-screen.

Survival

You can play this solo, with a friend, or split-screen. In this game mode, you must fight waves of enemies until the match is over.

Collect

There are so many customization options and things to unlock. First, I'll go over Star Cards.

Star Cards

These are items you can equip your character with to use during battle. They come in 2 types: Normal and Charged.

Normal cards give special weapon or utility skills that you can use on cooldown during a match. These are things like grenades, jump packs, and rifle shots. After you use one, you must wait for it to recharge before you can use it again.

Charge Cards have a limited number of uses and give you a type of power up, such as personal shield or increased accuracy for a short time. You can get more charges during matches, or buy them with credits outside of a match.

You can select 2 normal cards and 1 charge card for your hand. When you rank up enough, you can save multiple hands so you can switch during battle.

If you have a friend you play with a lot, try organizing with cards each of you will get. You can have access to a greater amount by using them as your partner.

There are also traits you can unlock, starting at rank 15. These are passive abilities that boost your character in some way. They can do things like reduce the damage you take, reset weapon heat when you get a kill, or give you a chance to get a power up from kills.

You can only set one trait at a time.

Customization

There are 11 blasters you can unlock and 125 heads.

Blasters are the main weapons when playing as soldiers. 

The heads are what your soldiers look like. You can select options for Rebel and Empire and you will play as that whenever you join a game.

These, as well as Star Cards, require credits to buy. You gain these from playing matches, or getting stars in the Base Command app. Check out my Star Wars Battlefront Companion app guide for more details.

You also need to rank up for many of them. You get experience points to rank up from playing game modes.

Stats

You can look at all the detailed stats you can think of, from number of kill or wins, to how long you've played. There are also many challenges you can complete.

There are 60 Challenges in the game that give you credits and experience points for your rank. You can only complete 3 at a time and they are random. You can spend 500 credits on any challenge, that isn't the tutorial, to randomly select a different one.

That's it for my Star Wars Battlefront Beginner Tips and Tricks. Let me know if you have any questions!