Those playing the Battlefield 1 open beta this week will choose from one of four classes. Here's our guide to effectively playing as each class in Battlefield 1.

Over the next week, gamers around the globe will have an opportunity to take on their fellow players in the Battlefield 1 open beta. The beta, which features one map and two game modes should give players a taste of what the full game will offer at release in October.

As was the case with previous Battlefield games, Battlefield 1 features four distinct classes for players to choose from for battle. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, with a particular role to play. As players work together to use the classes that work best with their play style and the needs of the team, they can tip the balance in their favor and come out victors.

To help players make the most of their time in the Battlefield 1 beta, here is a quick guide on each of the four core classes, as well as some tips for using the game’s unique Elite classes.

New Classes

The classes in Battlefield 1 are a little different than those in previous Battlefield games, so even veteran Battlefield players will likely need to adjust their play style and focus in order to succeed in the newest iteration to the franchise.

One aspect that’s the same as previous Battlefield games is how players upgrade their weapons and gear in each class. Rather than upgrading based on a players overall level, like in Call of Duty and other shooter games, Battlefield 1 players will upgrade their gear and weapons as they level up each class.

For example, players who spend a lot of time playing as the Assault class will unlock the weapons and gear available with that class. However, leveling up while playing as Assault won’t benefit a player’s Support class. That said, Battlefield 1 players will want to try each of the four core classes – Assault, Medic, Support, and Scout – and see which ones they like most. Additionally, some later unlocks have the potential of changing the way a certain class plays, so players may need to push through earlier levels of a class in order to unlock the goodies available at later levels.

Assault Class

The Assault class is for those players who prefer close-quarter combat and don’t mind taking on enemy tanks. The class' primary weapons are submachine guns that can dominate gun fights close up, but struggle at longer ranges. With that in mind, players who like to stick to towns and avoid open areas will benefit from playing as the Assault class.

Electronic Arts and DICE have updated the tank gameplay for Battlefield 1 to better represent the tanks of World War I. Tanks in Battlefield 1 are agile and can inflict a significant amount of damage. Knowing that, it’s important that when the opposing team comes through town in a tank or two, the Assault players work quickly to take them down.

The Assault class is equipped with some powerful tank-busting equipment, but need to use them wisely to be effective. The most useful item for Assault will be the anti-tank grenade. However, solo Assault players may still struggle to take down tanks using the anti-tank grenades. So the best course of action is for each team to designate a group of Assault players to work together at taking down tanks. Throwing three or four anti-tank grenades at a single tank will obliterate it quickly and keep it from causing damage to the team.

Assault summary: stick to close-quarter combat with other players and work together with other Assault players to quickly dispatch tanks as they roll through the map.

Medic Class

The Medic class in Battlefield 1 has been built for players to settle back behind the front-lines teams of Assault and Support and keep the teams alive and well. Medics use semi-automatic rifles that work well at mid-range, but will lose gunfights at short or long ranges.

As the class name makes clear, the purpose of Medics is to keep team members healthy and alive. It won’t do much good if Medics run into the fray guns blazing. Instead, they should keep their distance from the fighting and focus on reviving downed players and providing health packs to those low on health.

One new feature in Battlefield 1 is the ability for downed players to call out for medics. Doing so sends out a stress call to medics to come help their downed teammates. It’s imperative that Medics look for and react quickly to these calls. Picking up downed players is far better than waiting for teammates to respawn and find their way back to the battle.

Medics also have access to a rifle grenade that works with their semi-automatic rifles. These grenades can be useful at taking down walls, doors, and other obstacles so teammates can get through. It also works well for crowd control when enemy forces are congregating together.

Medic summary: stay out of close quarters and focus more on healing and reviving teammates than going in for kills. Be sure to use the rifle grenade to support teammates.

Support Class

After previous Battlefield games struggled to provide useful Support classes, Battlefield 1 seems to have figured out the right balance for the class. Similar to previous games in the series, Support players use light machine guns to keep enemies suppressed and allow teammates to strategically move against the enemy. Fortunately in Battlefield 1, the light machines guns feel more accurate and useful at longer ranges than they did in Battlefield 4. This allows Support players to be useful at taking down enemies in the open and keeping the flood of bullets moving down range toward the enemy team.

Like Medics, the focus on Support class players should be on helping teammates fulfill their roles. This means dropping ammo crates where teammates congregate, and protecting sniper positions with tripwire bombs. Communication is key for Support players, so having a microphone and headphones can be quite useful.

Support players are especially important for game modes like Rush, where one team is tasked with defending certain points from the enemy. This is where the tripwire bomb and mortar come in handy. Using those two tools effectively can keep enemy players from reaching their objectives. Additionally, keeping enemy players pinned down with light machine gun fire can allow teammates to get into position for protecting the various target points on the map.

Support summary: Focus on suppressing enemies, keeping allies loaded with ammo, and use the tripwire bomb and mortar effectively to stop enemy player advances.

Scout Class

The Scout class is very similar to the sniper class of past Battlefield games. Scout players are given sniper rifles that allow them to pick off enemy players at long distances. With that in mind, Scouts should avoid close combat as much as possible. While they do have a pistol to protect themselves from nearby enemies, the small sidearms won’t do much against submachine guns.

Scout players should focus on taking down enemy snipers and enemies riding on horses or open vehicles. While shooting a horse rider can be difficult, it’s possible to drop a horse fairly quickly with a sniper rifle. Additionally, the machine guns attached to trucks can be devastating to teammates, so quickly dropping machine gun operators can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The Scout class also has a couple helpful gadgets that are useful at helping teammates succeed on the battlefield. The flare gun, for instance, allows Scout players to discover the position of enemy players. This is especially useful around objectives, whether that be in Conquest or Rush game modes. Pointing out the position of enemies is crucial to helping teammates gain the upper hand on the enemy.

Additionally, Scouts can use special K Bullets with the Mauser Rifle to take on heavy vehicles and players clad in Sentry elite class gear.

Scout summary: Focus on long-range fighting and pay special attention to taking down enemies on horses and open vehicles. Don’t forget to use the flare gun and K Bullets to support teammates on the battlefield.

Elite Classes

Battlefield 1 comes with a few unique Elite classes that give players a special ability in the game. These Elite classes have to be found and picked up to use, and only allow one player to use it at a time.

The three known Elite classes are Sentry, Tank Hunter, and Flame Trooper. Each comes with unique abilities, and when used correctly can devastate the enemy.

The Sentry Class provides players with a large machine gun and heavy armor plating. Using this class, players can take on multiple players at a time and mow down anyone in their path. That said, the Sentry class can’t aim down site or put on a gas mask.

When taking on the Sentry class, use gas grenades and work together with teammates to hit the Sentry player from multiple angles. Doing so can take them down quickly with minimal casualties.

The Sentry class can be found near the F capture point on the Battlefield 1 beta Conquest map.

The Tank Hunter Class has a large anti-tank rifle that inflicts significant damage to tanks and other vehicles. To be most effective, Tank Hunter players will want to take on armored vehicles from a distance. The anti-tank rifle fires slowly and can become detrimental in close-quarter battles. Additionally, the rifle can only be used from behind cover or when prone. In its current state, the Tank Hunter class is the least powerful among the three Elite classes.

To take down Tank Hunters, move on them quickly with infantry and drop them while they’re prone or ducking behind cover.

The Tank Hunter class can be found in the middle of the Conquest map near the E capture point.

The Flame Trooper Class is probably the most effective, and most fun, of the three Elite classes in the Battlefield 1 beta. The class is equipped with a dangerous flamethrower and incendiary grenades that can take down hordes of enemies in a flash. However, the class is forced to wear a cumbersome gas mask that limits vision.

To stop the Flame Trooper, players will want to exploit the limited vision by flanking the player and attacking from multiple angles. Without heavy armor and with limited sight, the Flame Trooper can go down quickly.

The Flame Trooper class can be found next to the crumbling building near the B capture point.

Elite summary: When using Elite classes, be sure to use the abilities strategically to give the team a boost. When facing off against Elite classes, be sure to exploit their weaknesses quickly to stop them from causing too much damage.

Have you been playing the Battlefield 1 beta? What’s your favorite class so far?

The Battlefield 1 open beta is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One until September 8th. The full game releases on October 21, 2016.