What Do You Get in Star Wars Battlefront's Season Pass?

So... Paying for the game twice over lets you pay for the new maps 14 days earlier than anybody with a braincell?

Wish there was an emoji for tumble weed, I'm speechless

Money down the toilet.

101 of how to make a game off putting.

It's poor. Destiny all over again, release a skeleton game, charging double for the full thing and splitting the player base for anyone who doesn't get the expansions. Not cool.
But most of my friends are getting it so I find myself in a difficult position.

@LieutenantFatman just play Fallout 4 or an equally engrossing single player game for the few weeks they'll be enjoying it. Once they've stopped then your last reason to buy has gone

Its not that different from Battlefields 'Premium' option. That gave access to the DLC a few weeks earlier too as well as cosmetic bonuses. As I have said MANY times before, I have NO issues with Season Passes in general. Not only do they give you all the DLC cheaper than the cost of buying all of them separately, they also come with 'extras' - whether that's just cosmetic extras, early access or both. In terms of value, they are much better for the 'gamers' who want all the DLC. Just because it has been announced before a game is released, doesn't mean you have to buy either, you can wait until all the DLC has released and buy then - although in this case you will miss out on the early access. It also doesn't mean that a game is being released with only half of its contents. It can mean that the developers have a longer term plan for the game and 'deadlines' beyond the release to make 'extra' content. With games such as 'Battlefront', we do have a history of Dice shooters to compare contents with. Personally I prefer to have an offer of a Season Pass and know that one is available before the first DLC is released - at least that way I know I can save money over the price of each individual pack. It makes sense to announce it as some editions come with a season pass too. Knowing its cost can also help gamers work out the 'value' of these ltd editions.
For example, BF4 released with 10 maps, BF3 8 maps - both of these shipped with a few game modes that gradually increased with additional DLC. Both shipped with a Campaign too. I can't remember if BF4 had any additional co-op modes or not but I don't think so. I know BF3 had a few co-op missions although not that memorable either but I did play a few to unlock some MP weapons. I know Battlefront isn't shipping with a 'campaign' but has more maps and I believe more game modes too. It also ships with a wave based co-op mode. The Season Pass will more than double the number of playable maps!
Early access to the maps means that they have a fortnight to learn these maps and whilst it does mean the main lobbies are maybe not as full, its not that different to ANY MP Map DLC. It always divides those with and without. The only time this becomes a big issue though is if there isn't a big online community.
MP DLC is a catch 22 for developers in some ways. If they don't offer it, the players get bored of the same 12 maps over and over again, if they do offer it, it splits the community!
I guess its difficult to predict if you are likely to buy all the DLC and still want to play the game by the time the final piece is released. If this game is a success and the community are still playing it (after all it will be very dependent on that - no or very limited players will affect the lobbies far more than the DLC will), the DLC can enhance the experience for you. Its not compulsory either!

not worth it for 2 weeks early access, it's only 2 weeks

At that price, I'd have an easier time getting a date with Daisy Ridley than buying this.

Even if it's cheaper, paying almost the same price as the game is still difficult for anyone to do.

Sounds like this offers great bang for your buck... Said no one ever!!!

I'll wait for the complete edition...

I really don't understand the problem. Would you rather pay more (around £8 I expect) for all the DLC separately and get no 'extras'? If Fallout 4 offered 4 DLC bundles at £12-15 each would you be happy to pay another £48-60 or buy a Season Pass that gave you all of those and some cosmetic and/or early access 'extras' too? No doubt Uncharted 4 will release some DLC as well so what if they offer a Season Pass that more than doubles the number of MP maps, adds more characters and customisation etc or pay more to get the same content individually.
Call of Duty also has a Season Pass. The on-disc content has certainly not shrunk over the years and for its DLC, it more than doubles the MP maps and at least doubles the Zombie maps too as well as gives some cosmetic bonuses, early access to certain parts (like additional weapons).
EVERY Season Pass offers a saving on the price of all the DLC content as well s often given some exclusive content and/or early access. So what if its more expensive than say the Witcher 3's Season Pass but that is only offering 2 pieces of DLC compared to 4.
If you don't buy DLC then a Season Pass is pointless. I am not sure whether I will buy DLC for this game but if I did and wanted all 4, I would certainly buy the Season Pass as it represents the best value. I know £40 is expensive, but its cheaper than paying £12+ each for the 4 packs!
Personally I am happy that publishers offer a Season Pass for multiple DLC packs. It saves me money over the cost of buying them separately and I get 'extras' too. The price of Battlefronts Pass is no different from Battlefields 'Premium' either and offers a very similar content and release pattern.

I don't see a problem, Season pass's all cost around £40 when there's map pack expansion's involved especially with online only game's. It's been like that for year's.

"Rolling out the content in this way seems like a sure way of splitting the community to us, but we'll have to wait and see."

yep 100% agree - was never a purchase for me anyway regardless of how pretty and star warsey it looks.

@benrawr Also you get a discount. If each pack cost $15 then getting all 4 for $50 gets $10 off.

No point in complaining about gaming being an expensive hobby. This gen has season passes as optional add-ons. If you can't justify a purchase, then congrats on your frugality (sincerely!). To me, $50 isn't chump change, but also isn't unachievable with a day's work for example, so I'm not going to deny myself lol

@Ps4all saving $2.50 per map pack still seems like something they should be ashamed to advertise

@benrawr So you would rather they didn't offer a Season Pass, didn't offer any discount at all or any of the other 'extras' for the fans of their games? I find it funny that the Witcher 3 gets praise for offering a Season Pass on its 2 expansions but if a popular game that offers more DLC that more than doubles the on-disc quantity of Maps overall and represents a similar discount per pack, they get criticised.
In games such as this, map packs probably get played for more hours than 'story' content too. With Call of Duty (for example as I can't comment about SW:BF yet) I spend around £80 (game and season pass) and often play around 1,000 hrs if not more over the year. This works out at less than 10p an hour compared to a game like the Witcher 3 which cost me £40 and lasted around 150hrs - around 27p per hour. I am not saying the Witcher 4 is bad value at all - in fact its better than a lot of AAA games but just using it to show how much value can be had from these MP shooters for some.

@BAMozzy you're right that in terms of time spent by gamers map packs are great value, though years back games launched with twice as many maps as they do now and were equally played to death until the sequel was released. Creating a multiplayer map doesn't take much though. They just choose a theme, create the shape, add the textures, play test it, change what doesn't work, then edit and polish it.
The Witcher DLC does deserve its praise as after creating a huge new area, new enemies, new moves, new story, and new characters they're charging two thirds of what most companies do for comparable DLC (DA: Inquisition for example - £8<£12) even after they've released hours of free content and items. After their post launch support, CD Projekt can do no wrong! :neckbeard:

@benrawr As I pointed out, Dices previous Battlefield games (at least 3 and 4 - I can't remember how many maps BFBC2 had and haven't played any others) all have less maps than SW:BF does on disc. Call of Duty games since CoD4 have had a very similar amount of on disc Maps too. CoD is a franchise that I know better and can compare. Over the years the CoD on-disc content has increased and the number of MP maps have remained consistent so never felt that these were pulled from the game for the sole purpose of selling as DLC. Whilst I agree it costs less and is easier to make than additional story content, they can still 'expand and enhance' the experience.
I am not denying that the Witcher 3 has added some good DLC content but over the years, we have seen other companies add good SP content too. Fallout3 had some good expansions as did BioShock 2 and Mass Effect 2 as well. I also felt though that the Witcher 3's post launch free DLC was nothing more than PR and some of it felt like it was removed from the disc content for that sole purpose of PR. I certainly felt that the quests and Wolf Treasure hunt was in the game before it launched but removed purely as a PR stunt! Whilst I am not complaining that we got it back free of charge, I don't think they are that different from other developers - maybe a bit more PR savvy.
As I said before though if the Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 had 4 DLC packs and charged £10-12 each or offered a Season Pass with £5-8 discount over the total cost and gave some other bonuses - like earlier access and/or cosmetic items, would people be complaining as much?
The Witcher 3's 2 additional DLC were quoted as being an additional 30hrs of gameplay for half the cost of the main game which offered up to 200hrs (time quoted from CD Projekt PR) - less than a sixth 'extra' content for around half the cost yet they can do no wrong.... I know its not a direct correlation between time and cost, I know that its DLC requires more than a map does to develop (voice actors, animators, story writers etc etc) but like games themselves DLC also seem to have a set cost regardless of the content/potential hours of gaming etc. The Order - maybe 10hrs worth costs the same as the Witcher 3 - around 200hrs with a much bigger environment and free roaming.
The point is though that Season Passes are still better value for the gamers/fans who want all the content. I can't say that the Witcher 3's DLC is any less important to a fan of that game compared to a map pack for a fan of that shooter. I can't say that the fan of the shooter is being 'short changed' compared to the RPG fan or vice versa. What I can say though that for those fans, the ones that will get the DLC/Expansions, the best value way is via a Season Pass. The amount it costs compared to the original is irrelevant to a degree. The average price of DLC packs is around £10 so if a game had 6+ packs for example, and each pack had significant and worthwhile content, you can't expect a season pass to charge less than the main game just because it can't be more or even the same price.
Its difficult to tell yet if SW:BF will last the distance and therefore the Season Pass, let alone the DLC, is not worth buying yet. However if it turns out to be a good, fun game that I and a lot of others are enjoying and want more maps/modes etc, then I would rather buy the Season Pass than pay 'extra' to buy all the individual packs and get less too...

Hmm... So once you break it down you're paying about $3.12 per map. Not even counting all the other stuff you get in the DLC packs. I guess I don't see why this is horrible, but people jump for joy to pay $5 for a new character in a game like Super Smash Bros.

I'll wait to see if I'm even playing the game in a month, but if so then I don't mind shelling out for more content.

Already pre-ordered. I regret nothing!

@BAMozzy Ah, the marketing reps of publishers who offer the Season Pass are dancing on your greenbacks, grinning and exclaiming, "It worked!" Value is truly in the eyes of the beholder and you've been sold. But those of us that feel big gaming publishers like EA, use their "value marketing" push for Season Passes, actually tend to release "less" in their initial games, and then sell you Season Passes claiming to bring you more of your game. Season Passes are a horrible marketing consumer exploit.
This will split the player base, since it's a multiplayer shooter. Those coming in late will not know the maps and gameplay therefore new players become fodder early. Eventually it turns into epeening and elitism. Which is what they are hoping you believe too, so you'll buy their pass. This is called a marketing trap. "Buy now or be left behind."

@starhops Actually there is no pressure to buy a Season Pass or any DLC if you don't want - its not like you can't play or finish the game without purchasing. The Season Passes and DLC I have bought are in games where I have had great 'value' from them - more than some AAA and 'indie' games that cost the same price.
Obviously I can't comment on EA/Dices's SW:BF because I haven't got it yet or seen the exact contents. Regardless the Season Pass us still the cheapest way to buy ALL the DLC.
As I have stated before, CoD has a lot of games in its franchise to look back on and compare the on-disc content and number of MP Maps. If CoD suddenly dropped its on-disc content and significantly reduced the number of Maps, I could understand the scepticism but overall the amount of on-disc content has not decreased despite the increase in both quantity of DLC and its contents too. Dices previous games all had less maps and modes than SW:BF is shipping with. Whether or not the other content is equivalent to the campaign, time will tell. As far as the MP is concerned though it does seem to have more than Battlefield 3 and 4 shipped with.
Map packs are nothing new to gaming. Regardless of whether you buy a Season Pass individual DLC packs or refuse to buy any, that's your choice. As soon as DLC is released for any MP online game, it will always have a certain split between those that have and those that have not. However it doesn't often affect lobbies that much because often the DLC has its own playlist and if the lobbies are small due to lack of players, these maps don't show up in rotation. It may seem elitist that some get to experience these maps in advance in some cases, but is it any different from players buying the game a few weeks earlier than others? Does that make those SP games that offer DLC more Elitist for those that buy it?
You will always come up against people with better map knowledge, better weapons etc unlocked regardless of DLC!
What most are hoping that you do is like the game and enjoy playing it enough to want to buy DLC. Its no different from those that make additional SP content such as the 'Expansion packs' in the Witcher 3 which incidentally also offered a Season Pass! It would be better for the developers and publishers not to offer a Season Pass as that way they can potentially make more money.
The 'extras' are generally designed as an incentive to buy without knowing exactly what all the contents are. Its difficult to list all the contents exactly if they haven't yet been made. No doubt some Maps were made before release - at least in some form but may not have made the cut but with some revision and after seeing how the community play their game, get released as part of the DLC.
I don't know what games you play and enjoy, whether you buy any DLC or not but a lot of AAA games do offer some.I bet Fallout 4 will too after the success of Fallout 3's DLC. Would you say the same about Bethesda if they offer 4 extra pieces for £40 in a Season Pass or buy them all separately for £50+?

@BAMozzy Good points, though to me, you seem to misunderstand the difference between packaged releases and pre-paying for a Season Pass prior to content release. Again, Season Passes are used by marketers to get you to pay upfront for a product that hasn't been delivered yet. Please, buy one if you like, but it sets a precedent of paying for something before it ships; leaving the companies you buy from with less accountability to delivery a good product (or less content) since they already have made their money.
I will pay for a good product I like and enjoy. But gaming companies shouldn't be rewarded (i.e. giving them your money) before delivering a product.
And no, I don't pre-pay for a car I have never taken for a test drive.

@starhops Yet you pay up front for PS+ with no guarantee it will offer 'quality' free games you want. How is this different? Season ticket holders for football (or other sport) that has no guarantee of quality or even if the team you paid to see will be the one playing.
Buying a Season Pass isn't that different from pre-ordering and getting a few 'extra' bonuses - if anything its slightly better because you end up paying less with the season pass. No-one actually says you have to buy a Season Pass ever to enjoy a game, let alone before a game has been released. Its optional!! So if you do buy DLC and want all of it because you enjoy it, buy it separately - pay more for you game than those that bought a Season Pass and get less for it too! I couldn't care less what you do but for the fans and gamers its still the cheapest way to buy.
Ther is NO misunderstanding at all! The packaged release can be bought up-front too - Pre-ordering! There is NO guarantee with any game or DLC that you will like it - even if you pre-order or buy after release. Pre-orders are NO different using 'bonuses' to encourage you to buy up front and these bonuses extend to digital editions too. Pre-orders and paying up front for items without knowing exactly what you are getting is nothing new and NOT exclusive to the gaming industry either. You can buy season passes to the cinema with NO guarantee that any films you want to watch will be shown either!
In some cases - such as CoD for example, we have a history to compare with, We can look back and see exactly what content has been on-disc so we know if the latest 'feels' cut for the purpose of selling it back as DLC, We have an idea of the contents of its DLC based on previous years too - 4 maps and a co-op map - occasionally weapons too. Now Black Ops 2 is out, we have an idea on how the game plays, what Zombies is like etc so we have an idea on what the new DLC will add - knowing that means I can make an informed decision as to whether or not to buy the DLC and/or Season Pass. If I think I will get the mileage and value from it, then buying a Season Pass ultimately saves me money. There is still accountability, its called trade descriptions! If they promise 4 packs with 4 maps then give 3 map packs or even less maps, that is false advertising and there is action that can be taken.

@BAMozzy Whoosh, right over your head, but that's okay. Your posts are exhausting, so I'm done here. Take care and good playing.