In this first part in a series of articles about The Company, we’re exploring how Battlefield™ V gives players unmatched choice, control, and agency on the war front with a new personalized system.

The Company at a Glance

Battlefield V brings you on an unfolding journey through a never-before-seen portrayal of World War 2. The Company is your collection of soldiers, weapons, and vehicles, which grow and change along that journey. Through every multiplayer mode your Company stands with you from the very start of your combat tour, ready for a fight.

With nearly every minute spent on the battlefield, you will earn new abilities and customization options that help calibrate your ability to maneuver, exploit, and turn the ever-changing battlefield in your favor. Each choice you make will impact your overall effectiveness on the front, and nearly every gameplay experience will demand a deeper level of strategy from your Company.

Building Your Company

There will be two multiplayer factions at launch – the British and German armies – that you can build your Company from. You’ll be able to create one personalized Company per faction, each containing a set of soldiers and vehicles to tinker with.

Although armies fight for the same goal, each unit stands on their own.

Your Battlefield V accolades and achievements are forever etched in your Company. From each Chapter in Tides of War to every multiplayer mode, your time spent playing Battlefield V contributes to the growth of your Company. Soldiers, weapons, and vehicles can be unlocked and then advanced through deep feature customization, thanks to the five progression ranks: Career, Class, Weapon, Vehicle and Chapter.

For a better look of the Battlefield V progression system, keep a look out for our upcoming breakdown.

Soldiers Fit for Any Fight

The Company is designed with teamwork at the forefront. Because no one soldier can do it alone, we are bringing more depth to our iconic classes of Recon, Support, Assault, and Medic with the introduction of Combat Roles, previously known as “Archetypes.” Keep reading to learn how to select these specialized roles for each soldier in your Company, then read how to get the gear to match.

Four Classes

The iconic classes of Recon, Support, Assault, and Medic return – each excelling at different battlefield conditions than the other, according to their distinct abilities and loadout. You can switch between classes during matches, so you'll always have the best tools and skills for the fight. Weapons and gadgets are set per Class.

Assault
The Assault class is the infantry backbone, always out front and excelling when it comes to close-quarter battles. This is the class usually found between the enemy and a capture point or kicking down doors to clear a blasted-out Fortification. Medium to long range weapons that require snap decision-making and shotguns are the Assault class' tools of the trade. They also know their way around explosives, a nitroglycerin thumb, so to speak.

Support
The Support class keeps their squad moving at every turn. They close the gap between intense firefights by keeping teammates resupplied and excel at laying down sustained fire to wipe out enemies or cover squad members. Their weaponry is fit for close and medium range and typically has a high rate of fire, letting you lay down a steady stream of bullets. The Support class is also a Fortification expert, able to build them quicker than any other class, as well as able to add mounted guns and other hardware to them.

Medic
The Medic is the difference between life and death, helping the squad survive as long as possible. When fighting, there's nothing more important than protecting your fellow soldiers, and that's where the Medic class shines bright. They hold their own in combat with medium-range weapons, but the medic's true weapon is the syringe, which revives any teammate faster than the new non-medic revive available to everyone in your squad.

Recon
This class is the glint of reflective light the enemy sees in the distance before they're on the ground calling for a Medic. The sniper rifle is the hallmark of the Recon class, where precision, patience, and map knowledge let them neutralize enemies from afar. They’re also instrumental for team play – the Recon class can use its range and Gadgets to call out intelligence to their team.

Combat Roles (Formerly, Archetypes)

Consider the four base classes as a starting point. New to Battlefield V is the introduction of Combat Roles, previously known as “Archetypes.” Each Class gets two Combat Roles at launch to choose from, with one equipped as a default. More Combat Roles will release gradually as part of Tides of War, giving players enough time to master each before providing them with additional options to choose from.

Combat Roles for each class offer a deeper level of customization, which lets you better adapt to the battlefield situation. Think of them as a type of swap-able package of benefits that gives you more flexibility to tackle a specific objective. For example: let's say you are pushing foes back non-stop as an Assault Class, and suddenly the enemy starts rolling in more tanks — you can quickly adjust by switching to a Combat Role that gives you a set of benefits meant to better deal with enemy vehicles.

Your class and Combat Role can then be further refined by equipment loadouts, tuned to best suit your upcoming fight. You can also design the look of your soldiers through cosmetic changes, by applying distinct faces, diverse outfits, and war paint so that the enemy never forgets who fired that last round. Building your own soldiers, customizing their weapons, and selecting their visual design gives you a more personal and tactical experience.

Supplies and Logistics

The more you play Battlefield V, the more abilities and customization options you’ll unlock. Tides of War brings new items to your Company, inspired from the locations you've deployed to on your journey. Our upcoming Battlefield V Progression article will explain playing nearly every mode will level up your Company. With these personalized loadouts, you can easily switch styles during matches and be prepared for any encounter.

Weapons:
Each soldier in your Company will start with a base loadout of weapons, which varies by class. More weapons can be earned or unlocked using in-game currency, as will be discussed in our upcoming game economy article. The more you use your weapon in battle, the more you open additional customization options such as receivers, stocks, barrels, muzzles, and others.

The path you take to upgrading your weapon, both its guts and looks, are tied to the way you play. Weapon visual customizations are distinct, meant to show your defeated enemy the unique designs of the gun that brought him or her down. Add weapon skins to your weapon's body, receiver, stock, barrel, muzzle, and more.

Vehicles:
As previously mentioned, your one personalized Company per faction contains one tank and one aircraft at the start. Like weapons, vehicles can be earned through gameplay or unlocked using in-game currency and are upgraded according to how often they are unleashed in battle. Vehicle visual customization will be available after launch, so start planning to customize your tanks with paint jobs, sand bags, leaf camos, and more to really stand out.

That's all for part one of our series on the Company. Part two is a look at the Company from a developer's perspective, and you can dive in right now. Stay glued to our Battlefield V News page for part three, where we will take a deeper look at equipment progression.

- Jeff Landa (Follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffLanda)

Prepare for deployment – pre-order Battlefield V*

Enter mankind’s greatest conflict on Xbox One, PlayStation®4, and PC. On October 11, play the full game with Origin Access Premier or try it as part of the EA Access and Origin Access Play First Trials**. Or, join the fight on October 16 with Battlefield™ V Deluxe Edition early enlister access, or October 19 with the Battlefield™ V Standard Edition.

Sign up today to receive the latest Battlefield news, updates, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive offers, and more (including other EA news, products, events, and promotions) by email.

Check out the Battlefield Forums, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

*Conditions and restrictions apply. See www.battlefield.com/disclaimers for details.

** CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE ea.com/ea-access/terms AND origin.com/store/origin-access/terms FOR DETAILS.