BF3: Back to Karkand Review

The first downloadable content for Battlefield 3 contains four new maps, ten new weapons, several new vehicles and a new feature called assignments. It came out back in early December for consoles and PC and it is free for anyone who owned limited edition of BF3. How does this DLC fare against others? Let's go over it and find out.

Likely the most enticing thing about the Back to Karkand DLC is the four new maps. Three maps are re-imagined versions of Battlefield 2 map and it has the a remastered version of the Wake Island map from Battlefield 1942. The four maps are gorgeous and step up the level of destructible environments from the norm of BF3 maps. The majority of the buildings on the majority of the maps can be almost entirely destroyed and it makes using buildings as cover quite a bit more interesting. Most of the maps don't feel that much different than most of the normal BF3 maps, unfortunately, but Wake Island and Gulf of Oman actually do feel a bit unique, especially Wake Island, and are quite a bit of fun. I was hoping they would stray a bit more from the normal architecture of the majority of BF3 maps but despite that the maps are well done. Wake Island is probably my favorite because it is massive, introduces the F35B fighter jet, and is a tough fight for both teams, plus it has unique feel to it based on its layout.

The second most enticing thing about this DLC is likely the ten new weapons. You don't unlock them through normal means or start with any of the new weapons instead they use the new assignment system unlock them. There are five starting assignments and five advanced ones, each of which unlock a weapon, and they range from things like defibulate ten people or get twenty five kills with a light machine gun, to get two hundred kills with an assault rifle and twenty five kills with the grenade launcher. The weapons will feel at home to anyone who played Battlefield 2 since they are all BF2 weapons but they are varied in their uses, the one's I've tried though felt pretty powerful. With the ten new weapons there are three new vehicles and the only one your likely to notice is F-35 jet, as seen above, and the Skid Loader. The Skid Loader is a useless vehicle but pretty funny because it is a little construction vehicle with no offensive capabilities what so ever. The jet on the other hand is interesting and useful. It acts differently than the normal jets because it uses a engine that allows you to hover in place, making it quiet powerful, or vulnerable, against enemy vehicles and ground troops. It definitely takes a bit to get used to but there are some exciting possibilities with that jet.

Back to Karkand adds on some needed variety to the maps, seeing as how there are fairly few maps from the original release. The new weapons and vehicles they add are nice but certainly not a selling point, nor is the fairly generic assignment system that seems quite similar to challenges from a Call of Duty game, the selling point is the new maps. If you are like me and you felt a little bored of the original maps after playing BF3 for a month then you should definitely pick up Back to Karkand. The DLC certainly isn't perfect and they could have added quite a bit more to make it feel more substantial but it is definitely worthwhile if you play the game on a regular basis. $15 may look like a lot for what is essentially a map pack but unlike many other map packs this one adds weapons and new vehicles on top of four attractive maps. Check out this newest gameplay trailer and there are some links below for more information about the pack and where to get it.

Violent Score: 4 (out of 5)

 Great, but could be better...

For more info head on over to the Battlefield 3 Wiki

DLC Main Page: http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield3/1/back-to-karkand

-Written by Sean Cargle