Star Wars Battlefront, the much-anticipated shooter from Battlefield studio DICE, is getting a beta. EA announced on Tuesday that the beta will be held in "early October" for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

As part of the beta, you'll get to try out Battlefront's massive-scale 40-player mode, Walker Assault, on the Hoth map. The special Hero characters Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker will also be available to unlock. Check out the image below for a snapshot of what to expect. In addition, the beta will let you try out a Survival Mission on Tatooine where you'll play as Rebels and must push back advancing Imperial forces.

On top of Walker Assault and the Survival Mission, the beta will feature a new mode called Drop Zone. EA said it will talk more about this new mode "in the weeks ahead" before the beta starts in October.

Gameplay progress, achievements, characters, character data, and other value or status indicators will not carry forward from the beta to the full game. In addition, since it's a beta, you may run into some "errors/defects, " EA cautioned.

The beta announcement today doesn't say anything about needing to preorder Battlefront to get in, so this looks like an open beta. EA did not provide a specific start-date for the beta or say how long it will last.

A beta for Battlefront wasn't the only piece of news EA had to share today. The publisher also announced the Battlefront "Companion" experience. One pillar of this is a "strategic card game" called Base Command. When the beta starts, you can play this game on the Battlefront website and earn credits that will unlock things like Star Cards, weapons "and more" in Battlefront itself.

The Battlefront Companion experience also lets players track their in-game stats and progression, customize loadouts and appearance, and catch up with friends and compare stats. In addition to its presence on the website, the Battlefront Companion will be available for iOS and Android devices.

Battlefront launches on November 17, about a month before Disney's Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens hits theaters in December. EA is also releasing tie-in DLC for Battlefront based on the movie.

Source: www.gamespot.com