EA’s multiplayer World War 2 shooter moves away from the muddy northern trenches and onto the sunny Mediterranean this week. In the new Battlefield 5 Mercury map, players will fight it out in the shores and villas of sunny Crete.
Players will be able to download the new map free of charge on May 30. It comes as part of Chapter 3 of Battlefield 5‘s Tides of War update that includes the recently released Firestorm battle royale mode. Mercury however has players playing a more traditional game of Battlefield.
Developers DICE based Mercury on the real life Battle of Crete, also known as Operation Mercury. Here, the British led Allied forces, alongside Cretan civilians, defended the island from German paratroopers. The battle featured the first mainly airborne invasion in military history, with the German’s making heavy using their “Fallschirmjäger” paratroops.
The Battlefield 5 Mercury map reflects the real life battle, featuring in DICE’s own words “verticality, all-out war and asymmetrical vehicle forces.” Here, German forces will have “control of the skies” with more planes than the Allies. The latter on the other hand, will have superior tanks and armor on the ground.
Now, the real life Battle of Crete was eventually won by the Germans. However, things wont necessarily play out the same way in game.
Of course, some players will likely want to try out the map just because of how beautiful it looks. Mercury’s Mediterranean setting will have players fighting through pristine beaches and beautiful villas. All of these and more can be seen in this new trailer from DICE.
DICE has more content planned for Battlefield 5 after Mercury. Next month, the game will debut a new mode called Outpost. Chapter 4 of the Tides of War also arrives in June, and will bring even more new maps and modes for Battlefield 5 players to enjoy. Finally, Chapter 5 will provide even more content in the Fall of 2019.
