The Beat: A Neighborhood Battle

On a scorching summer night, things are really starting to heat up in the typically sleepy neighborhood of Balcaceres. Police are gathering in the shadow of a local custom shop, ready to move in. Gang leaders are fortifying their positions and waiting anxiously for an impending raid on their turf. This is the setting of The Beat, one of four new maps featured in Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity.

The Beat is set in the low-slung, urban neighborhoods of East Los Angeles. With a mix of commerce, industry, and public housing all sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a makeshift city parcel, The Beat is the perfect place to wreak some Battlefield-style mayhem. At the heart of the action lies the residential apartments and public housing projects, where up-tempo gun battles can break out without warning, leaving the scene a scarred mess of brick and broken glass. The local gas station is (not surprisingly) primed to explode in an intense fireball of heat and noise that also creates a strategic ramp to higher ground.

Part of The Beat’s unique character comes from the Low Rider, a new vehicle that can only be found in this map. It pops and jumps, giving you and your squad some extra swagger as you patrol the streets. And you’ll want to hit the pavement if you enjoy Conquest or Blood Money modes, as The Beat’s size and layout work perfectly for these Battlefield Hardline favorites. Bounty Hunter mode, new to this expansion pack, has also been extremely popular in team playtests on this map. The variety of spaces and engagement distances really support the map’s goal of playing well with all weapons and combat styles.

This map was designed to give players the fantasy of a good urban crime drama. Whether you explore the setting as cop or criminal, you’ll get the sense of what it looks like when an organized gang rises above the ranks of street crime, and starts getting serious about its business. Check out The Beat when Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity releases, and let us know what you think.

Learn how to get a 2-week head start with Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity