The Pilot

Lore & Background

In Battlefield 1, the Pilot role is defined by the game's World War I setting, which features bi- and tri-plane aircraft as the primary aerial vehicles. The multiplayer mode supports up to 64 players and includes intense aerial dogfights as a key gameplay element. Maps are based on several fronts of WWI, including the Middle East, the Western Front, Gallipoli, and the Alps, with further expansions introducing the Eastern Front and Russian Civil War, as well as naval battles in the North Sea. The game's world designer, Daniel Berlin, emphasized that playing without joining a squad would make gameplay significantly more difficult, highlighting the importance of teamwork for pilots coordinating with ground units.

In Their Own Story

The single-player mode, titled War Stories, explores the experiences of various soldiers across different theaters of the war, including the Western Front, the Italian Front, Gallipoli, and Arabia. While the Pilot is not a specific character in these stories, the anthology format allows players to experience the war from multiple perspectives, including those involving aerial combat. In the prologue, if the player dies, they take control of another soldier and role instead of reloading from a checkpoint, with roles ranging from tank gunner to rifleman. This mechanic reflects the chaotic nature of WWI, where pilots could be shot down and replaced by another crew member.

Reader's Guide

In Battlefield 1's multiplayer, players can take control of various armored vehicles, including bi- and tri-plane aircraft, as well as armored trains and M-class zeppelins. The game launched with nine maps and six modes, including Conquest, Domination, Operations, Rush, Team Deathmatch, and War Pigeons. In Conquest, if a team is suffering from a major point deficit, a Behemoth-class vehicle such as a Zeppelin L 30, an armoured train, a Dreadnought, or a Char 2C becomes available for their use. The Air Assault mode, added in the Apocalypse DLC, features frantic dogfights and centers on aerial combat, with each opposing vehicle destroyed gaining your team points. On the map Razor's Edge, only single-seat planes are available, while in London Calling, a wide variety of planes and a zeppelin are at each team's disposal. Players must manage fuel and ammunition carefully during intense dogfights, and mastery requires understanding flight physics and enemy anti-air placements.

Did You Know?

• Battlefield 1's Air Assault mode, added in the Apocalypse DLC, features frantic dogfights and centers on aerial combat, with each opposing vehicle destroyed gaining your team points.
• In the Conquest mode, if a team is suffering from a major point deficit, a Behemoth-class vehicle such as a Zeppelin L 30 becomes available for their use.
• The game's multiplayer maps are based on several fronts of WWI, including the Middle East, the Western Front, Gallipoli, and the Alps.
• Players can take control of bi- and tri-plane aircraft, as well as armored trains and M-class zeppelins, in Battlefield 1's multiplayer.
• The game's world designer, Daniel Berlin, said playing without joining a squad would make gameplay significantly more difficult.