The second half of Battlefield 1’s Turning
Tides DLC is out in January, and players are
already wondering what’s coming in the game’s
final expansion – Apocalypse.
The DLC is said to feature the most infamous
battles of World War I over bitterly contested
ground, with brutal tools and unique weapons.
It’s due out in early 2018.
For this video I’ll examine seven possible
locations for Battlefield 1’s final maps.
When I think about some of the biggest, and
most brutal battles of World War I, these
in particular come to mind.
The Somme, Arras, Messines, Passchendaele,
the Dolomites, Caporetto, and Belleau Wood.
All of these battles shattered those who fought
there in World War I, and each has unique
settings applicable to Battlefield 1.
Most already have cheeky refences with weapon
camos in-game, which DICE has used to hint
at unreleased maps – like the Achi Baba
skin for the Number 3 Revolver.
These skins play a big role in my selections,
as they leave a road map to where DICE has
been poking around historically for inspiration.
The Battle of the Somme in 1916 was one of
the bloodies battles of the war.
Casualties for both sides totaled over 1.2
million soldiers.
Five days of artillery bombardment preceding
the Entente attack left trenches unrecognizable,
and mines were detonated to blow gaps in the
German lines.
Yet despite the Battlefield resembling the
surface of the moon, the Germans fiercely
resisted, and some British units took over
90 percent casualties.
The Somme offensive failed to achieve most
of its goals, and lines once again became
static.
The amount of destruction the battle left
in its wake mirrors the title of the final
Battlefield 1 expansion.
A German soldier described the scene “a
ghastly picture!
Not a trace of a trench left; nothing but
shellholes as far as the eye could reach.”
Such a map in Battlefield 1 could draw comparisons
to the exterior of Fort de Vaux, or the no
man’s land of Nivelle Nights.
Like Achi Baba, DICE have also hinted at the
battle with a skin for Auto Revolver.
The Battle of Arras in 1917 produced one of
the biggest initial gains for Entente forces
since trench warfare consumed the Western
Front.
It was also the site of some compelling settings,
including a subterranean city of tunnels and
caves, capable of sheltering over 10-thousand
men, and complete with running water, electrical
lights, hospital and even a tram.
If you’ve been a longtime subscriber of
the channel, you’ll note the similarity
to the battles for the Drachenhoehle in the
Chemin des Dames.
If you’re not familiar with those events
– I’ll leave a link to the video on the
screen and in the description below.
Back on topic, DICE could also set the battle
in the streets of the city, producing a map
similar to the popular Amiens.
The Battle of Arras is actually mentioned
twice in-game through weapon camouflages:
the Arras skin for the Lewis gun, and the
Vimy Ridge skin for the Huot.
Part of the larger Battle of Arras, the battle
of Vimy Ridge is remembered a great victory
for Canadian troops and important to Canada’s
cultural identity.
The Battle of Messines in 1917 began with
a bang – well, several.
19 massive mines underneath German lines were
detonated in the span of 20 seconds, killing
10-thousand German troops.
The event was the largest planned explosion
of the time and was allegedly heard in London.
First-hand reports described the detonations
as “pillars of fire” and it permanently
altered the landscape.
After the mines were detonated, a massive
creeping artillery barrage fell ahead of the
Entente advance.
Infantry, tanks, cavalry, and aircraft all
took part in the battle over the shattered
ground.
How DICE would handle such an offensive in
Battlefield 1 is anyone’s guess, but it
would be nice to see more levelution events
in-game.
A skin for the Lewis Gun remembers the battle.
This potential map also has another compelling
reason to include it in Apocalypse – the
popular film Beneath Hill 60 is set prior
to the battle, making it familiar to many
fans.
The Battle of Passchendaele, or the Third
Battle of Ypres, in 1917 is another great
option for a potential Apocalypse map, and
probably one of the most likely.
The action was designed to seize the Belgian
village of Passchendaele, a vital part of
German supply lines, but ran into a number
of issues and bogged down.
This battlefield was soaked with more than
just blood – the region experienced the
most rainfall in 30 years, turning it into
a morass of mud, rock, wood, and steel.
Photographs of the battlefield remind me of
the prologue in Battlefield 1, Storm of Steel.
Both ANZAC and Canadian armies played significant
roles in the fighting for what was left of
Passchendaele.
We know DICE has studied the battle, since
the cutscenes from Storm of Steel very much
mimic selections from the 2008 Canadian film,
Passchendaele.
The Battle is also referenced with the Ypres
skin for the M1907 SL.
If DICE wanted to add the Canadian Expeditionary
Force, Apocalypse would be an excellent opportunity,
especially if the aforementioned Vimy Ridge
is included.
All of the Battles up to this point in the
video have focused on the Western Front – but
the Dolomites were at the core of fighting
on the Italian Front.
Many battles took place along the mountain
range, but some of the most desperate took
place at its highest point – Mount Marmolada.
Here, Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces
battled in the thin air, fearing not only
bullets, but avalanches.
On White Friday, December 13th 1916, avalanches
killed an estimated 20-thousand Italian and
Austro-Hungarian soldiers on the slopes of
Marmolada.
During the war, Austro-Hungarian soldiers
tunneled into the mountain’s glacier, creating
the Eisstadt, or “city of ice” some 60
meters below the surface.
Like the tunnels below Arras, the Eisenstadt
had electricity, a hospital, barracks and
more.
The Italians and Austro-Hungarians are only
featured in two maps on Battlefield 1: Monte
Grappa and Empire’s Edge.
It’d be nice to see another mountainous
map in-game featuring the two factions.
If you look closely at the weapon skins for
the Bodeo pistol, you’ll spot one named
after Marmolada.
The Battle of Caporetto, or the 12th Battle
of the Isonzo, took place in the fall of 1917
– and was a disaster for the Italian Army.
German and Austro-Hungarian units employed
sturmtruppen tactics to great effect, saturating
Italian lines with gas and artillery, then
attacking with grenades, flamethrowers, and
light machine guns.
The Italians suffered an estimated 300-thousand
casualties, including over a quarter million
soldiers captured.
By contrast the Central Powers lost only 70-thousand
men killed or wounded.
DICE can pick from a wide variety of terrain
for such a map, ranging from the mountainous
and forested Italian countryside to the eastern
plains.
Reference to the battle in Battlefield 1 can
be found in the Caporetto skin for the Frommer
Stop, and the Isonzo skin for the Automatico.
The newly added Charge of Stupizza skin for
the Carcano is also a reference to an Italian
cavalry counterattack at Caporetto.
Lastly, Belleau Wood would be another location
ideal for a map in Apocalypse.
The Battle in the summer of 1918 was the trial
by fire for the U.S. Marine Corps in World
War I – and if DICE wants to add them as
a faction in Battlefield 1, Apocalypse would
be a good opportunity.
After stalling German attacks from the Spring
Offensive, U.S. Marines engaged German troops
around Chateau Thierry.
After booting the Germans off of Hill 142,
the Marines set about capturing Belleau Wood.
It took six separate attempts, but the Marines
finally took Belleau Wood after several days
of grueling combat, much of it hand to hand.
By this time, the wood was now nothing more
than a tangled mess of shattered trees and
bodies.
Belleau Wood is directly referenced with a
skin for the M1903.
The Devil Dog skin for the rifle is also an
indirect reference to Belleau Wood – according
to popular legend, the Marines earned the
nickname “Teufel Hunden” in the fighting
for the forest.
I think many players would appreciate the
addition of the Marines as a faction to Battlefield
1, and there might be opportunities to explore
an operation surrounding the activities at
Chateau Thierry.
Certainly there are a number of other possible
locations for Apocalypse maps, but these are
on my short list.
You might be wondering why I didn’t pick
maps like the Attack of the Dead Men at Osowiec
Fortress, or the Siege of Tsingtao.
Simply put, the Russian faction is part of
the Russian DLC, and I don’t see DICE adding
the Japanese for a single map.
Would I like to see it?
Absolutely, but I don’t expect it in Apocalypse.
Which map idea is your favorite?
Where would you like to go in the new expansion?
Tell me in the comments.
