Battlefield 5's Chapter 5 launched October 31 and reinvigorated the online multiplayer shooter. The War in the Pacific is a wildly different experience than the style of gameplay of the European theater. The Iwo Jima and Pacific Storm maps were both well-received, but EA DICE has been saving the best for last. The third map of Battlefield 5's Chapter 5, Wake Island, is almost ready to go live. Today DICE confirmed that Wake Island will be launching on December 12.
Wake Island is perhaps the Battlefield franchise's most iconic map, like Blood Gulch in Halo or Nuketown in Call of Duty. The V-shaped island goes all the way back to the original Battlefield 1942. Obviously, there have been some changes. DICE confirmed today that Battlefield 5's Wake Island will be twice the size of the original Wake Island map, so as to improve its pacing and grow it into the epic-scale map fans would want in 2019.
DICE is making other meaningful changes to Wake Island, as well. The much-improved visuals are obvious, but there are gameplay and design improvements being made as well. For example, the terrain across the map is much more rich with foliage, rock formations, and other objects to make for more interesting skirmishes. Wake Island will also allow players to build Fortification structures unique to the map.
Much as things change, they also stay the same. Wake Island is broadly still much the same as the other similar maps from over the years. It still balances air, sea, and land battles. It still prioritizes narrow land corridors that encourage skirmishes. And it's still perfect for both large-scale battles like in Conquest or more fast-paced action like in Breakthrough.
In addition to revealing its plans for Wake Island, DICE also discussed some of its Battlefield 5 plans for later in December. Wake Island will be launching December 12. To follow, DICE will also be adding the new Community Games feature as part of Update 5.2. This will allow players to create their own playlists of maps and modes. DICE will also be adding 4 new weapons through the rest of Chapter 5's War in the Pacific, including the BAR 1918A2, Type 97 MG, Nambu Type 2A, and the M3 Grease Gun. There's always more content in the pipeline with Battlefield 5.
Battlefield 5 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.