DICE Details Melee Combat in Battlefield 1

One thing that was very interesting about Battlefield 1 when it was announced was melee combat. Unlike previous Battlefield games melee combat will take a much bigger role in the game. We did not have a whole lot of information about the melee system other than knowing that there will be shovels, sabers, and clubs to choose from. Well Eurogamer sat down with DICE Producer Aleksander Grøndal and he provided some new details regarding the brand new melee system.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

They (the melee weapons) can break through different types of material when you use them. Certain weapons break through doors, but other weapons won’t. Some of them are slower but more deadly. Some of them are faster but less deadly.

That’s the flavour you can play around with. The idea is you’ll find one that matches your personal taste. And of course it’s cool to take people down with a bayonet charge.
Firstly, you’ve got to put the bayonet on your weapon. Basically, you charge up and run. Anyone who gets stuck in your way is probably going to have a hard time. You commit to a charge and off you go.

If you miss, you really miss. That adds another type of flavour when it comes to the close quarters combat. I don’t know what’s going to happen around that corner. I’m going to charge around that corner. That’s something we haven’t had before. The most efficient way would have probably been going around the corner with a shotgun. But now we have a different type of choice to make with these weapons.

[In World War I] They had all kinds of weird, bizarre and really brutal-looking melee weapons they used. Players will be able to choose from all of those.

They made their own and they utilised things that weren’t meant to be a melee weapon. Like most of these weapons, they came to be out of necessity. They created them out of necessity, which I think is cool. It’s a unique flavour.

Another real cool thing about Battlefield 1 will be cavalry. Grøndal was not able to reveal much about this, but he did confirm that mounts will play a central role in the game.

This is the first mount we have ever built in a Battlefield game. So we’re bringing a new dimension to the vehicle selection. This is something quite new for the franchise. That’s as far as I can take that right now! But it’s pretty exciting. You can speculate a lot from what you’ve seen. The answers will become clear. Yes, they will play a central role.

We are super excited about Battlefield 1 and you should be too! We will see a lot more of Battlefield 1 at EA’s E3 2016 showcase next month. The game is scheduled to be released October 21st on all platforms. If you haven’t checked out the reveal trailer it is below!

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