Battlefield 3 pre-order DLC gets full release

By Fred Dutton Published 16 June, 2011

Physical Warfare Pack out "later this year".

Battlefield 3's controversial pre-order incentive DLC pack will be available to all players later this year, developer DICE has confirmed.

The Physical Warfare pack, announced back in May as a GAME/Gamestation exclusive, inspired a boycott earlier this week with fans insisting that the extra weapons on offer were "over-powered" and gave users an unfair advantage.

DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson today popped up on the Battlefield blog with clarification that the content will be offered as a free download to all players post launch.

"I always knew our pre-order offers for Battlefield 3 would be open to misunderstandings," he wrote.

"I would like to start by clarifying that the Physical Warfare Pack is a time-based exclusive. If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3 at a retailer carrying the Physical Warfare Pack, don't worry. We will unlock the contents of the Physical Warfare Pack for free to all Battlefield 3 players later this year."

Troedsson also cleared up some confusion surrounding the Back To Karkand DLC map pack, free access to which is also being offered as a pre-order incentive.

"If you pre-order Battlefield 3, you will be able to play Back to Karkand at no extra charge as soon as it is released, but it is not day one DLC and it is not on the base game disc. We think it's a sweet deal, and it's available to everyone everywhere.

"If you do not pre-order Battlefield 3, you can still buy Back to Karkand separately and play it as soon as it is released, the very same date as anyone who pre-ordered. In other words, there is no segmentation of the community when we launch the base game."

Battlefield 3 marches onto PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October.

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 11 months ago

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  • randompanda #1 11 months ago

    If Back To Karkand isn't going to be ready for launch, surely that's not much of a pre-order incentive at all? By the time the DLC's released - the game will have surely dropped in price, making any "saving" through pre-order redundant?

  • dun0790 #2 11 months ago

    who cares itll be amazin either way roll on october

  • EvilZub #3 11 months ago

    I still do not get why people care about bonus weapons/items with a preorder... it has happened in the battlefield series for a while so its nothing new, and its not as if its costing people anymore money on their preorders. People need to stop crying about inbalance before the game is released, accept, adapt, get better at the game....wait its not out! and yet people are already complaining about gameplay!

  • coolbritannia #4 11 months ago

    $$$$$$$

  • Climhazzard #5 11 months ago

    Who are these people that think they know the power of the weapons in this game when they haven't played it? Total planks if you ask me. Free DLC sounds good to me either way i mean how many developers give away DLC at no cost? Not many.

  • DevilsNeverCry #6 11 months ago

    I think he is missing the point.

    It's not that the physical warfare pack is free or not that is bothering fans, it's the fact that this pack will be released when the game releases and will give everyone who has it the shotgun and special ammo from the word go. This obviously means that certain people WILL have an instant advantage with weapons online.

    Not that this bothers me, just extra reasons to pwn the crap outta them!

  • kingz #7 11 months ago

    Also the fact that this stuff is already made for consumers but not included on the disc

  • jablonski #8 11 months ago

    6 months away and it's not ready day 1?
    Do me a fucking favour

    Any dev giving assurances about honest DLC are full of shit pre-release

  • coolbritannia #9 11 months ago

    It's blatantly day 1 dlc they will hold onto to generate maximum revenue.

  • CamoChris #10 11 months ago

    They'll always be people a higher rank than you who've unlocked better stuff anyway, so the argument that this pre-order pack will unbalance anything is a bit weak in my opinion.

  • iTech #11 11 months ago

    Why would a DLC map pack that's already scheduled for release BEFORE the actual game is even out not be ready yet? Bullsnap, extra revenue right there.
    Edited by iTech at 17/06/11 @ 07:03

  • metalangel #12 11 months ago

    @CamoChris: apart from the one guy who has to be the higher than everyone else by definition.

  • Dizzy #13 11 months ago

    The whole pre-order mess and money grabbing has made sure I will not buy this game. Another 50 euro saved.

  • Bigmac1910 #14 11 months ago

    I must admit that this kind of bullshit is starting to drive me away from console gaming, and ever since I bought my iPad I'm gaming on it more and more. Hardly an ideal situation.

  • LastAngryMan #15 11 months ago

    The point is game play in-balances are being introduced in what is primarily an online, competitive shooter so that EA can make more money. In this case, DLC via pre-order is being used to modify the existing multilayer experience rather than extend to it, like a set of maps would. Even though, as someone has pointed out, it acts as a kind of "early unlock" so people will catch up eventually, it's a dangerous precedent - pay more, and you will have an advantage over other players online. It's garbage. It may be trivial in this case, but imagine this becomes the norm in FPS games. Fast forward a couple of years and maybe Activisions Call of Duty Elite now includes extra grenades, or an extra perk. People are right to protest about this.

  • rojjer #16 11 months ago

    some of those pre-order weapons will dominate, and help kick start sniper camp fests (muzzle flash suppressor).

    but to that end, if people are THAT fussed about it, those are the people that should be pre-ordering anyway, right? Just get it from a place that's doing the Physical Warfare Pack pre-order bonus FFS. Getting sick and tired of the moaners and wailers - fucking buy the pre-order version FFS and quit whining.

    I know I have..

  • misinformed #17 11 months ago

    "I always knew our pre-order offers for Battlefield 3 would be open to misunderstandings," he wrote.

    Thats what happens when your vague.

  • LastAngryMan #18 11 months ago

    "but to that end, if people are THAT fussed about it, those are the people that should be pre-ordering anyway, right? Just get it from a place that's doing the Physical Warfare Pack pre-order bonus FFS. Getting sick and tired of the moaners and wailers - fucking buy the pre-order version FFS and quit whining. "

    Ah right fair enough. So to ensure a fair and even playing field we should all buy the game from Game/Gamestation where it's most expensive. And if Activision want to charge £100 of MW3, let's just buy that too. And if EA later release DLC that gives you double health, we should buy that too. Otherwise we're just "moaners and wailers".

    Don't be ridiculous.

  • icematt12 #19 11 months ago

    rojjer - Pre-order £40 for the pack or some places £30/31 and wait for it to be available. I kind of get what you are trying to say but your logic seems flawed.

  • cyber_nicco #20 11 months ago

    For Christ's sake, if you are planning to buy the game on day 1, then preorder it and get the stuff. If not, then you will be facing a much larger firepower disparity than is bestowed by this bonus anyway...
    Edited by cyber_nicco at 17/06/11 @ 17:02