After over a year of speculation, rumors, and details surrounding DICE's highly anticipated Battlefield sequel, Battlefield 3, we're now privy to an increasingly robust set of information about the game - as the studio seems to pull back the veil a bit more everyday.

Today, of course, is no exception as DICE has revealed an exhaustive guide to the various multiplayer modes that online combatants will get to enjoy in just over a month.

Following on the heels of a string of exciting details and announcements, including Beta access info, new in-game footage, and DLC announcements, DICE has finally provided gamers with a veritable information dump of what to expect in the online ring. The retail version of the game will launch with 9 multiplayer maps - and 5 modes including fan-favorites Rush and Conquest, as well as updated game types for Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, and Squad Rush.

We've pulled-out the most interesting info from the DICE report (which you can read in-full at the official BattleBlog) and detailed them below:

Team Deathmatch

  • Availability: On all 9 maps
  • Players: 24 (12 vs. 12)
  • Focus: Team Based Infantry Combat
  • Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
  • Winning the game: The team that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner

Summary: "In Team Deathmatch, two teams of 12 players each duke it out on tight knit maps with a distinct infantry focus — there are no vehicles available in Team Deathmatch."

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Squad Deathmatch

  • Availability: On all 9 maps
  • Players: 16 (4 squads of 4)
  • Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
  • Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
  • Winning the game: The squad that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner

Summary: "Squad Deathmatch is a larger and more dynamic variety of deathmatch that also features the inclusion of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)."

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Rush

  • Availability: On all 9 maps
  • Players: 24/32 (Console/PC)
  • Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
  • Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
  • Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attacker’s tickets (Attackers/Defenders)

Summary: "An objective based mode, the attackers have to arm and detonate pairs of M-COM stations in each area of the map to unlock the next area and the next pair of M-COM stations. While defenders have an unlimited amount of spawn tickets, attackers only get new tickets every time they destroy a pair of M-COMs. If all M-COM stations on the entire map are destroyed, the attackers are declared the winning team. If the defenders manage to deplete the attacker’s tickets to zero (by killing them), the defenders are declared the winners."

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Squad Rush

  • Availability: On all 9 maps
  • Players: 8 (4 vs. 4)
  • Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
  • Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
  • Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attacker’s tickets (Attackers/Defenders)

Summary: "Squad Rush is an extremely tight duel between two squads that borrows the main rules from normal Rush, but in a much more intimate setting. In Squad Rush there are only 2 bases with 1 M-COM station per base, meaning that every M-COM taken or defended in Squad Rush is vital to the victory or defeat of the game. There are no vehicles in Squad Rush, so it’s all down to your infantry fighting skills."

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Conquest

  • Availability: On all 9 maps
  • Players: 24/32 or 64 (Console/PC)
  • Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
  • Goal: Capture and Hold Flags
  • Winning the game: Deplete opposing team’s tickets

Summary: "Set over a series of large-scale maps, Conquest is the game mode best suited for the experience of all-out vehicle warfare. In Conquest, two teams fight for control of a number of flags by being the dominant force in the vicinity of each base. Capture and keep control of a majority of the flags and the enemy team will bleed tickets. Killing enemies will also reduce their ticket count, and the first team to run out of tickets loses."

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Battlefield 3 Operation Guillotine Teaser

DICE has no doubt put together a competent and all-encompassing set of game types for Battlefield 3 players - no matter their skill level or play-style. Freshman Battlefield players should feel at home in the more traditional Deathmatch modes - with the opportunity to test out some vehicular combat in the squad-based playlist before jumping into the all out war featured in Conquest and Rush.

Veteran players of course will probably jump right into Conquest - to test out the various vehicles (including jets) at their disposal.

We're in the final weeks leading up to the game's release - with a lot of questions waiting to be answered. Hopefully DICE will continue to drop info at a steady pace - no doubt many gamers are waiting on pins and needles.

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Battlefield 3 releases October 25, 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Source: BattleBlog