As you all know the Multiplayer Open Beta for Broken Arrow will begin tomorrow, on January 31.
It will contain four playable specializations (two per faction, USA and Russia) on six multiplayer maps. They will be playable on multiplayer only in 5v5 mode.
As a reminder, the game at launch will contain a plethora of single-player content including a lot more specializations (five per faction for a total of ten) and single-player campaigns, but the scope of this Open Beta is testing the multiplayer only.
We’ve prepared a post to showcase the contents of the Multiplayer Open Beta: both the four playable specializations as well as the six available maps. We hope you enjoy it.
SPECIALIZATIONS DESCRIPTION
Armored Brigade (USA)
The armored brigade gives you access to the heaviest and most powerful ground vehicles of the US army. This fire power comes at the cost of poor mobility and the total absence of air units.
The latest M1A2 SEP v3 is unmatched in tank vs Tank engagement and can be equipped with additional reactive armor and Trophy active protection system to intercept incoming missiles.
M109 Paladin and M270 MLRS open the way for your armored pushes followed by Bradley fighting vehicles carrying small mechanized infantry groups to hold the terrain.
Cavalry scouts equipped with Javelin top attack missiles secure the flanks and prepare a nasty surprise for any enemy vehicle rushed in response to your assault.
Marines Expeditionary Unit (USA)
The United States Marine Corps is a jack of all trades giving you access to a balanced amount of equipment.
The Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) provide a mobile platform for multiple weapon systems: LAV-25 with a bushmaster autocannon, LAV-M with a 82mm mortar, LAV-AD with stinger anti air missiles and a GAU-12 25mm gatling gun, LAV-L transporting small quantities of logistics.
The AAVP-7 have enough room to transport large 13 men strong Marine squads or multiple support squads. They also provide decent firepower with a M2 Browning and a Mk19 grenade launcher.
The M1A1 FEP with its High Explosive Multi-Purpose round is more effective than other Abrams tanks to deal with infantry.
HIMARS can fire up to 6 rockets with unitary or cluster warheads as well as ATACMS and PrSM ballistic missiles.
Cobras, Vipers, Stallions, Ospreys and Venom helicopters provide anything you need in the helicopter department but you have a limited amount of points in the deck for helicopters so you need to make choices.
Harriers, Hornets and F-35 provide good choices of loadouts for airstrikes and air superiority while KC-130J can airdrop troops from low altitude.
Guard Tank Brigade (Russia)
The elite guard tank brigade is equipped with the heaviest and most modern ground vehicles but no helicopters or planes.
Everything is heavy in this specialization from the T-90M Razvedchik in the recon tab to the T-15 Barbaris in the infantry tab: a troop transport based on the chassis of the T-14 Armata tank equipped with a 30mm or 57mm autocannon.
Many vehicles can be equipped with active protection systems (APS) that can intercept incoming rockets and missiles.
The support category provides some of the best anti-aircraft systems available like the M3 Buk and the Pantsir-S1, but also deadly artillery systems like the TOS-1 Buratino or its upgrade the TOS-1A Solntsepek that can unleash a deadly volley of 220mm thermobaric rockets.
VDV Brigade (Russia)
The Russian airborne forces can parachute troops and vehicles to rapidly strike from any direction with light mechanized support.
The small 5 men strong VDV squads are highly specialized and rely on their BMD armored transport to hold their ground against sometimes more than twice larger enemy squads.
Use aircraft equipped with anti-radiation missiles to take control of the skies, drones to identify weaknesses, and Tu-160 heavy bombers to strike groupings.
When enemy tanks start showing up it’s time to call helicopters like the Mi-28N or the Ka-52 and hunt down any vehicle wandering too far away from the air defense.
MAPS DESCRIPTIONS
Baltiysk
The seaport town of Baltiysk is the gateway to Kaliningrad Bay, home to Russia's Baltic fleet. Blocking this passage would trap the Baltic fleet.
This narrow strip of land surrounded by water will be the stage for a merciless battle where flanking possibilities on the ground are limited. But commanders feeling too safe could forget to secure their rear and be surprised by a helicopter assault coming from the sea.
Chernyakhovsk
This city located in the middle of Kaliningrad’s oblast at the confluence of the Instruch and Angrapa rivers is home to an airbase and a missile brigade equipped with nuclear capable Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
The battle will take place at night in the city itself as well as the industrial outskirts and the military bases. This large battlefield with many objectives will force the commanders to make good use of their recon to identify where it is safe to leave the front line empty in order to concentrate their forces for an assault.
Frontiers
The E67 highway is the only ground axis between Poland and the Baltic states with bridges strong enough to support the passage of 70 tons’ tanks. Holding this axis would be absolutely vital to carry reinforcements to the Baltic states in case of invasion.
Each army starts at one end of the highway and the objectives are located along the trench of the highway, leading to a terrifying head-on confrontation. But the hardest-headed commanders are not necessarily the ones who prevail. If the large areas of farmland and forest on each side of the highway are left unchecked, you can bypass the enemy and cut their reinforcements.
Parnu
The coastal city of Parnu in Estonia with its airport, harbor and large beaches would become a very important entry point for supplies and equipment in case of conflict.
The battle will take place in the middle of the city itself, caught between the sea and a large swamp with a river zigzagging in the middle. Taking control of the central bridge will allow you to rapidly move troops from one bank to the other to put the enemy team off balance. Otherwise you must rely on the swampy fords to do so.
Ignalina Power Plant
The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant located in Lithuania less than 2km from the border with Belarus supplies the entire country with electricity which makes this place a very valuable yet vulnerable asset.
The battle will rage in the swampy area surrounding the power plant, including the nearby city of Visaginas with its classic Soviet architecture, the power plant itself and the industrial area located in between.
(note: the powerplant was decommissioned in 2009 in real life but stayed active in Broken Arrow’s lore.)
Central village
The small town of Lazdijai in Lithuania is situated at the key crossroad between national road 135, the second biggest road linking Vilnius to Poland, and national road 134, the shortest axis linking Belarus and Kaliningrad.
The objectives for this battle are all located at key locations inside and around the town but many little farms, groves and fields separated by dense hedgerows surround it and can be used to outflank the enemy. Commanders committing too much into the town could end up surrounded there with their supply line severed.
