The more time that we sink into the Battlefield Hardline beta, the more we get that super cool Medal of Honor: Warfighter vibe. Some people might disagree on the description, but Warfighter was a better game than many gave it credit for. It featured quite a few mechanics that shined, even though the overall game wasn’t well received. A few of those concepts made their way over to Hardline, and that’s perfectly fine by us.
Last night we jumped into the beta and grinded the all-new Heist game mode for a total of six hours. We won more than we lost, killed more than we died, and figured out helpful tips, tricks and strategies to pass along to those who can’t put as much time into it as we did.
Health and Ammunition Pick Ups
As players move around the maps, they may notice certain cabinets or wall mounted first aid kits they can interact with. Actually, there are even defibrillators mounted to the walls in some areas, all of which are free to use. This means that shooters no longer have to chase random teammates around demanding those critical battlefield resources. Rather, they can just snag them from the environment while going about their business. What a concept!
Steal Ammunition and Health
Straight out of Medal of Honor: Warfighter is the ability to approach a teammate who is carrying an Ammo Box or First Aid Pack and take the health or bullets needed. It serves the same purpose as our first tip, which is to make sure that even clueless comrades can be of use. To do this, players need to approach a member of their team and look for an option to take what they need. If it shows up, hit the button indicated on screen and get back into the fight.
Zip Lines and Grappling Hooks
The Heist game mode is all about getting in, stealing the package and then making a daring escape. All of these objectives are more easily completed with the use of the Grappling Hook and Zip Line, two of the gadgets in Battlefield Hardline.
The Grappling Hook can be used to attach to certain rooftops, allowing operators to climb up and take an alternate route. This is especially useful on the map Bank Job, where the Criminals can breach the bank vault through the roof. Once they’ve stolen the cash from the vault, those same players can exit back the way they came, then head for any of the map’s three escape zones, all of which are more quickly reached by setting up a Zip Line. Why fight through a never-ending swarm of Cops when it’s easier to sneak in and out like a thief in the night?
Rather than have all members of your squad running with the same gadgets, however, it might be a good idea to plan this maneuver ahead of time, ensuring that not everyone is carrying the same gear.
The Taser and Interrogations
While the C62 Cew Taser is likely going to take some getting used to, it’s a great option for players that make good use of the radar in Battlefield Hardline. First of all, it allows gamers to watch their opponents get hilariously electrocuted right before their eyes, but it also provides the operator with a chance to interrogate that downed opponent, revealing all their nearby teammates on the radar. As if getting shot with a taser and soiling oneself wasn’t bad enough, now players have to live with the fact they involuntarily snitched on all of their pals.
Remember to Open Battlepacks
Battlepacks are returning from Battlefield 4, but even in the beta it’s easy to see that some big improvements have been made. First of all, they look much cooler than the ones in Battlefield 4, even if looks aren’t everything. Second, what’s inside impressed us already. Yes, there are the same bits of camouflage and whatnot, but there are also things called Vouchers.
In our case, we received a Voucher that allowed us to unlock an attachment. It was an ACOG [4X] Voucher, meaning we could use that to unlock the ACOG scope on any gun in the game. In Battlefield 4, players could receive an ACOG unlock in their Battlepack, although it was for a specific yet random weapon. Of course, the new concept doesn’t just work for an ACOG, but rather many more attachments and game concepts. Well done, Visceral Games. Well done.
For players who are unsure how to open their hard earned Battlepacks, pause the game and navigate down to the Battlepacks option in the menu. The ones that are already unlocked will show up on the left side of the screen. Battlepacks can also be opened by utilizing Battlelog, but that’s an article and walkthrough for another day.
The Battlefield Hardline beta is currently running on all major platforms, and will continue to do so until February 8, 2015. For gamers that have a PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 or Xbox One, we highly suggest getting in on the action and trying it for free.
