July 28, 2018 Battlefield V’s epic Grand Operations mode, described by EA as “the ultimate multiplayer experience”, will be available at launch after all. EA/DICE updated a post on the game’s website describing the mode and how it will play, and said that plans have changed since July 9, when the post was originally written. Then, the plan was to introduce Grand Operations “shortly after launch,” but the update July 27th revised the post to clarify that the massive mode will be available when Battlefield V launches this fall.
Grand Operations is an upgraded version of Operations mode from Battlefield 1, which was a continuous battle across several maps where the playing field can change as your side wins or loses. Grand Operations by comparison are long-haul endeavours set over several in-game days, that can last for over an hour – where your side is rewarded for victories and things get tougher the more you lose.
According to EA’s update to the official post on Grand Operations, the publisher’s plan for the mode is for it to be available at launch, and with each piece of Tides of War content that rolls out after that.
It’s not entirely clear whether that means Grand Operations will be available early to players who have signed up for Origin Access Premier, EA’s new premium subscription service, which is due to go live next week. The big selling point of Premier is that subscribers get full access to complete games five days early.
We were impressed by Battlefield V when we played the alpha, although we were less impressed by the new ‘Bleeding Out’ mechanic, where now if you’re downed you have to wait for a medic to revive you – which just slows down the game. Hopefully this will be tweaked or removed before the game’s release in October, and especially before the Grand Operations begin.