Battlefield 3 has been out for awhile now and most players have done all that they can possibly do with the game. DICE has come to the rescue to breathe even more life and playtime into an already awesome online shooter. The Back to Karkand DLC brings the players more vehicles, weapons and maps to destroy and decimate their enemies. Does Back to Karkand offer enough to be worth your time? Or is it just a mediocre remake of maps that won’t stand out in the playlist? Here are the Hots and Nots of Battlefield 3’s Back to Karkand DLC.
Hot
Free For Buyers of the Limited Edition
The best thing about Back to Karkand is that it’s free for those who bought a new copy of the Limited Edition of Battlefield 3. This is great for people who are strapped for cash and don’t feel like shelling out a ridiculous sum of money for maps. If you bought a new copy of the game then all you have to do is boot up Battlefield 3 and hit download from the in-game store. As easy as 1, 2, 3.
10 New Weapons, 3 New Vehicles, New Dog Tags
As stated in the headline, there are 10 new weapons included with the maps. Each class gets two exclusive weapons and there are 2 for every kit that you can use. These weapons aren’t unlocked from the start however. Players must complete a number of “Assignments” in order to unlock their new weapons. For example: Players who want to unlock the FAMAS for their Medic must perform 10 heals and 10 revives. The first tier weapons are easier to unlock but the second tier weapons require the player to put in a little more time with their class of choice before they can unlock the more powerful weapon.
There are also 3 new vehicles added into the new maps. Players can take control of the new APC, desert buggy and STOVL fighter jet. You can also drive a forklift and have a buddy ride on back if you’re feeling ballsy. My personal favorite of the new vehicles in the STOVL fighter Jet. It feels epic to fly around and seems to fly a little smoother than the standard jets you get to control.
Along with these are a plethora of new dog tags for you to earn for the weapons and vehicles. Each weapon has it’s own set of tags to earn via service stars and each vehicle gets their own set as well. This gives you more to earn if you are someone going for perfection.
4 New Maps
The meat and potatoes of this DLC pack is the 4 new maps that you get, and every single one of them is worth it. Each map offers a diverse set of terrain ranging from close quarters urban battles in streets and buildings of Strike at Karkand to the open beaches of Wake Island. All of the maps offer something for each class to have fun with. Snipers will find plenty of high perches to post up on while Support will find numerous choke point to defend from. These maps are all awesome and offer a little something for everyone.
Not
Price
Those who bought their copy used or for some reason did not get the Limited Edition will be forced to pay $14.99 if they want all of this new stuff. This can be difficult for those who are strapped for cash and may not be able to afford the pack. Others may see this as a turn off and not consider the Back to Karkand pack to be worth that much.
Assignments
While I can Understand that Assignments were put in to make players work for their weapons, some of them seem a bit necessary or even kill the game entirely. The one I found the dumbest was making you kill 1 person with the Engineer’s blowtorch in order to complete one of the challenges. This led to a group of people in a great deal of rooms I was in running around with blowtorches in hand trying to get kills. I didn’t think I would have to jump through hoops just to earn a shiny new weapon.
Verdict
The Back to Karkand DLC offers up more than any Call of Duty map pack ever will. You get 4 awesome maps, 10 new weapons, 3 new vehicles and a plethora of dog tags for the player to mess around with. While the $14.99 price point may be off-putting to those who have to pay for it and the devs make you jump through hoops for weapons, they make the weapons worthwhile so you actually feel somewhat accomplished when you do finally melt a man’s flesh with a blowtorch. The Back to Karkand pack is worth it for anyone who owns the game.
[Editor’s Note: Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand DLC was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 platform.]