EA announces Battlefield Hardline Premium, DLC packs

Surprising nobody, EA have announced Battlefield Hardline Premium, a membership programme offering – amongst other things – early access to the game’s DLC.

Battlefield Hardline Premium will cost you £39.99 (on top of the cost of the game, which I imagine will be about £39.99) and offers “four super features”. Let’s have a look, shall we?

First up, Premium members get access to new player masks, which offer “unique gameplay benefits tied to the theme of each mask.” Hopefully, those masks will still be in line with the masks everyone else can get. Premium members also get access to the Gun Bench, letting them visually customise their weapons and track their kills per weapon.

Then there’s Competitive Play, with Premium members able to access Premium-only tournaments and ladders, and “Legendary Status” which “provides replayability of the entire progression system.”

So, uh… Premium looks a lot like a bunch of stuff that Call of Duty generally does for free, if I’m understanding this. Visual customisation of weapons and a Prestige Mode equivalent, anyway.

Fortunately, that’s not all: Premium membership also grants two weeks early access to the game’s four DLC expansions, which have also just been detailed. These’ll offer “new multiplayer maps, modes, vehicles, in-game content and a story themed throughout all four.”

First up is Criminal Activity, due summer 2015, which is themed around fast-paced, destructible maps. Robbery will follow soon after, promising cinematic action. Getaway will focus more on high-speed chases in fall, and Betrayal – due in early 2016 – will make you wonder who to trust. Which could actually be quite a good game mode, now that I think about it.

So yeeeeah, it looks like you’ll only want to buy into Battlefield Hardline Premium if you’re really into Battlefield Hardline. The big thing is probably the DLC access; the rest of it is a set of little bonuses, most of which should probably be free.

Battlefield Hardline is due out on 17 March. Completely pointless teaser video offering a swoop-around of a logo below!