Star Wars Battlefront: Piloting Slave I and the Millennium Falcon

“I think everyone that’s ever seen Star Wars has had the dream of entering a fight with the legendary, slick starships of Han Solo or Boba Fett,” says Senior Designer Björn Sundell.

There are many fantasy-fulfilling sides to Star Wars Battlefront, and Sundell has spent the last few years designing one of those aspects. There are plenty of memorable Star Wars vehicles in the game, but in the Fighter Squadron game mode, two particularly iconic ships are waiting to be piloted by you: Slave I and the Millennium Falcon.

You acquire these ships through pickups on the Fighter Squadron maps. Once you’re behind the sticks, you’ve only got one spawn at your disposal before you’re back in a regular Rebel or Imperial starship — but the extra speed and firepower of Slave I and the Millennium Falcon will make you extra deadly.

Boba Fett’s ship Slave I is even more of an arsenal-heavy craft. It’s equipped with Ion Cannons, Proton Torpedoes, and a jammer that can be activated to fly undetected on the mini-map and to avoid missile locks.

Life is naturally easier with these epic vessels, but just because you have firepower equal to that of several regular ships doesn’t mean you’re invincible. In other words: don’t get cocky.

“Don’t be surprised if you suddenly spot multiple foes at your tail when piloting these ships,” Sundell says. “During playtests we’ve noticed how excited players get to be the one taking down the Millennium Falcon or Slave I. You should always keep both offense and defense in mind.”

Should you spot the Millennium Falcon or Slave I as a regular starship pilot, your best bet is to stay behind them and try to team up with other players. Since the Rebel and Imperial standard ships are smaller than the Hero Vehicles, you can also dive against the planetary surface and use crevices to shake off Solo or Fett’s pursuit.

“One crucial thing to nail when designing the Hero Vehicles is to make players feel truly cool, powerful, and heroic when piloting them. This goes for both the visuals and feel. Playing Star Wars Battlefront, you should get the same feeling that you get when you see the Millennium Falcon swooping by and taking out TIE fighters in the movies.”

This is done through an immense attention to detail, something that DICE’s photogrammetry sessions in the Star Wars archives helped ensure. Another detail setting the mood is the short intro sequence when you collect a Hero Vehicle pickup.

“Hearing a line from Han Solo or seeing the missile hatches of Slave I open will hopefully set the mood for a thrilling highlight of the match,” Sundell says.

You’ll be able to experience that mood first-hand when Star Wars Battlefront launches on November 17th.

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