Battlefield 3

Presentation

Battlefield 3 is a first-person shooter developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It continues the series' portrayal of modern warfare, combining a scripted military campaign, cooperative missions and large-scale multiplayer battles involving infantry, armored vehicles and aircraft.

The campaign takes place in 2014, amid military tensions in the Middle East. Players primarily assume the role of Sergeant Henry Blackburn, a member of the Misfit 1-3 Marine squad, deployed against the PLR, a paramilitary organization involved in a regional crisis. Questioned by the CIA, Blackburn recounts the operations in which he participated and the circumstances surrounding a threat that gradually extends beyond the original conflict.

The narrative uses a structure based on flashbacks and multiple playable characters. It notably follows Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky, a Russian special forces operative whose investigations intersect with Blackburn's experiences. Missions take players across different theaters of operations, from the Middle East to major Western cities.

The campaign alternates between infantry combat, mechanized operations and aerial sequences. Close-range engagements in streets and buildings are combined with larger military operations, including missions aboard armored vehicles and combat aircraft. This variety supports a cinematic presentation focused on contemporary warfare and coordinated military interventions.

Multiplayer returns to Battlefield's signature all-out warfare formula. On PC, battles can support up to 64 players, compared with 24 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Maps feature urban environments, military installations and expansive open areas, with combat combining soldiers, tanks, light vehicles, helicopters and fighter jets.

The combat system revolves around four classes: Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon. Assault notably provides medical capabilities, Engineer specializes in countering and repairing vehicles, Support supplies ammunition and covering fire, while Recon focuses on reconnaissance and long-range engagements. Squads allow players to coordinate these roles and respawn near their teammates.

Battlefield 3 also expands weapon and vehicle customization. Progression unlocks attachments, equipment and upgrades suited to different combat situations. Suppression fire, which reduces the accuracy of exposed enemies, reinforces the importance of covering fire and positioning.

The main multiplayer modes include Conquest, based on capturing strategic objectives, and Rush, in which attackers must destroy communication stations defended by the opposing team. Variants focused on squad-based engagements and infantry combat complement these experiences.

The game also features six cooperative missions, separate from the main campaign and designed for two players online. They emphasize coordinated movement, complementary actions and the completion of shared military objectives.

Technically, Battlefield 3 introduces the Frostbite 2 engine, bringing improvements to animations, lighting, sound design and environmental destruction. Following its release, five expansions enriched multiplayer with additional maps, weapons, vehicles and game modes, ranging from close-quarters combat to large-scale mechanized warfare.

Key points

• A military FPS set in a modern warfare environment.
• A single-player campaign taking place in 2014, against the backdrop of an international crisis.
• Henry Blackburn and the Misfit 1-3 squad at the center of the story.
• Multiple playable characters, including Dimitri Mayakovsky.
• Missions combining infantry, armored vehicles and aircraft.
• Multiplayer battles supporting up to 64 players on PC.
• Combat involving tanks, helicopters, fighter jets and ground vehicles.
• Four classes: Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon.
• Teamwork built around squads and complementary roles.
• Customizable weapons and vehicles through unlockable upgrades.
• Suppression fire affecting combat effectiveness.
• Modes including Conquest, Rush and Team Deathmatch.
• Six cooperative missions designed for two players online.
• The Frostbite 2 engine, featuring environmental destruction and improved animations.
• Five major expansions introducing additional environments and multiplayer modes.

Conclusion

Battlefield 3 develops the series' modern warfare formula by combining a scripted military campaign with multiplayer battles built around cooperation between infantry, ground vehicles and aircraft.

Its class system, equipment customization and objective-based modes structure team combat, while cooperative missions provide an experience separate from the single-player campaign.

With Frostbite 2, environmental destruction, visual effects and animations also contribute to the identity of this installment. The five expansions extend this approach by covering different scales of combat, from close-range engagements to large mechanized battles.

Good to know

Battlefield 3 was developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts.

The game was released on October 25, 2011, in North America, followed by October 27, 2011, in Europe, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

It uses the Frostbite 2 game engine, which introduced major technical improvements in environmental destruction, character animations, lighting and sound effects.

The single-player campaign takes place in 2014 and primarily follows Sergeant Henry Blackburn. Its narrative revolves around a CIA interrogation and flashbacks recounting previous military operations.

Several characters are playable during the campaign, including Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky, a Russian operative, as well as military personnel involved in armored and aerial operations.

Multiplayer supports up to 64 players on PC, compared with 24 players on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Console versions feature maps adapted to their lower player capacity.

The four classes each have specialized equipment. Battlefield 3 notably assigns medical responsibilities to the Assault class, while Support focuses on ammunition supply and suppressive fire.

Multiplayer modes available at launch include Conquest, Rush, Squad Rush, Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch.

The cooperative mode includes six missions designed for two players online. Progression through these missions also allows players to unlock weapons for use in multiplayer.

Battlelog accompanied the game at launch. This online platform notably allowed players to view statistics, track progression, join servers and follow their friends' activities.

The five major expansions, released between 2011 and 2013, are:

• Back to Karkand: brings back iconic Battlefield 2 maps, alongside new weapons and vehicles.
• Close Quarters: focuses on close-range engagements in indoor environments designed for infantry combat.
• Armored Kill: introduces large maps and mechanized warfare, notably featuring the Tank Superiority mode.
• Aftermath: features battles in an earthquake-devastated area of Tehran, with additional equipment and the Scavenger mode.
• End Game: introduces fast-paced engagements across expansive maps, including dirt bikes and the Capture the Flag mode.

These expansions were included in Battlefield 3 Premium and subsequently in the Premium Edition, which combines the base game with additional content.

Official multiplayer services for Battlefield 3 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were discontinued on November 7, 2024. The single-player campaign remains accessible to players who own the game on these platforms.

This shutdown did not affect the PC version, whose online services remained operational.

Battlefield 3 includes a single-player campaign separate from multiplayer, while cooperative missions and multiplayer matches require a connection to online services.