Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: battlefield, battlefield 1, EA, frostbite engine

Battlefield 1 References French Battle Cry And Also Gandalf In The DLC Trailer

Published Fri, 03 Mar 2017 07:45:18 -0600

The first premium DLC for Battlefield 1 got a trailer yesterday showing off the French during the Battle of Verdun in WWI for the upcoming They Shall Not Pass expansion. That reference is designed to hint at the French rallying cry during the battle, but most of us know it as a variation on that line Gandalf pulls while facing off with the Balrog just before his "death" in Fellowship of the Ring. Its worth noting here that J.R.R. Tolkein would have had that rallying cry somewhere in his memory while writing the Lord of the Rings – he'd published The Hobbit in 1937 with the trilogy being published in 1954. Tolkein wasn't the sort of guy to be that sloppy, the reference was intentional. So by using it – even while referencing the Battle of Verdun – Battlefield has opened themselves up to a rather interesting can of worms. Is Tolkien sitting somewhere in England learning about this somewhere in the world of Battlefield? Maybe. Considering that portion of the LoTR films has become a meme, I'm pretty sure the Battlefield devs were aware of it. And likely making a bit of Gandalf reference. Just a bit.

Back to the Battlefield DLC though, which is really what you want to know about. They Shall Not Pass is the first of four planned premium expansion packs. It will finally allow players to fight on the side of the French army, which you've all been dying to do. It's got an updated list of weapons and vehicles as well as an additional game mode called Frontlines. Frontlines will be a cross between the Rush and Conquest modes.

The DLC launches on March 14th to Premium Pass holders who get a nice two-week advance on the content. Everyone else can purchase it a la carte at the end of the month.

So, just under two weeks until you can all tell me I'm crazy and there is definitely not a Lord of the Rings reference in that expansion somewhere. The trailer is below.

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