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Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

For the 2005 game, see Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Star Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars Battlefront II cover
Developers
Campaign Motive Studios[1]
Multiplayer DICE[1]
Vehicle mechanics Criterion Games[1]
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Engines
Frostbite 3[Note 1]
Release dates
Windows November 17, 2017
Reception
Metacritic 65
OpenCritic 68
IGDB 72
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Subscription gaming service
Microtransactions Currency
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person, Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Shooter
Vehicles Space flight
Art styles Realistic
Themes Sci-fi, Space
Series Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) on HowLongToBeat
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) on IGDB
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) guide on StrategyWiki
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) on MobyGames
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) on Wikipedia
Star Wars: Battlefront
Subseries of Star Wars
Star Wars: Battlefront 2004
Star Wars: Battlefront II 2005
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 2015
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) 2017
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection 2024

Star Wars Battlefront II is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person and shooter game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series.

The game was released on November 17, 2017, and was heavily criticized by early adopters for its loot box system, calling it a "pay-to-win" system, due to its close tie to multiplayer progression.[2][3] Players who did not want to pay to unlock the game's lootboxes, which contained important items that was crucial to multiplayer progression, was forced to grind for hours to unlock their desired hero characters and multiplayer-specific items.[4] This issue was publicized and led to a government investigation revolving around the game and lootboxes as a whole,[5] forcing DICE to reduce hero costs[6] and disable microtransactions temporarily.[7][8] EA's response regarding the matter was also very controversial and led to more negative press about the game.[9] Lootboxes in Battlefront II would eventually be disabled in a March 2018 update,[10] tying game progression to experience points earned through playing online. In addition, the game's currencies were repurposed so they can only be used to buy in-game appearances.

The game's last major update was an update released on April 29, 2020[11] when DICE thought the current state of the game at the time was greatly improved compared to launch,[12] with a final minor update released on August 26, 2020, which fixed minor bugs.[13] While the game does not receive new updates anymore, it currently has a large and active modding community.

Key points

Vast modding scene (see Mods below)
Celebration Edition requires players to be constantly online with a valid EA account.[14][15]

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Epic Games Store
Epic Games Launcher
Origin
Celebration Edition. Requires Epic Games Launcher DRM.[16]
Windows
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store
Origin
Celebration Edition. Included exclusively with Xbox Game Pass for PC as part of its version of EA Play.
Windows
Origin
Origin
Celebration Edition also available, included with EA Play.
Manual link for EA App purchase.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Origin
Celebration Edition. Included with EA Play (Steam).
Windows
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Origin
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg (unavailable)
Origin
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Origin
Celebration Edition also available.
Windows
All versions require Origin and Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM.[17]

Monetization

Type Notes
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service Available via EA Play.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Celebration Edition Unlocks all customization options in-game, including Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker-inspired skins for Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren, except the pre-order skins and certain customization options (BB-8 and BB-9E's customization options and certain Hero skins which are obtained through milestones). This is the default edition of the game that is provided through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Windows
Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition Unlocks the pre-order skins for Rey and Kylo Ren, weapon and star card upgrades for all four trooper classes and a Yoda star card.[18] No longer available.
Windows
Pre-order skins no longer available (outside of mods)[19] as the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition was discontinued and the Celebration Edition does not provide the skins.

Essential improvements

Unlock Star Card loadouts

Just put GstGameplay.LoadoutPresetsEnabled 1 in your ProfileOptions_profile.[20]
Grants access to the unfinished Star Card Loadouts feature.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\STAR WARS Battlefront II\settings\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1237950/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\STAR WARS Battlefront II\settings\
Microsoft Store
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1237950/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Epic Games Launcher
Origin
All progress for both single- and multiplayer, including your rank and unlocked items, is saved through your Origin account.
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Xbox Cloud

Video

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
HUD is not centered.
Ultra-widescreen
Hor+ gameplay and pillarboxed 16:9 cutscenes.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
47-110° vertical FOV via slider scale.
Windowed
The game window always opens at 1280x720.

To change, create a file titled user.cfg on the game's installation directory and paste the following, modifying the numbers listed below to your desired resolution:

Window.Width 1920
Window.Height 1080
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Not selectable in-game, but setting exists in configuration file.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
TAA Low and High settings. Low turns TAA off
High-fidelity upscaling
No upscaling methods supported, only a simple Dynamic Resolution Scale toggle is available. Also SSAA for static resolution scale (35% to 200%, increments by 5%, you can force lower resolutions through PROFILEOPTIONS_profile)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
In-game option caps it to monitor refresh rate
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Instant Action may have issues at high frame rate. Cap in-game FPS to 30 to fix
High dynamic range display (HDR)
Auto or Off.
Color blind mode
UI only.

Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia options change the HUD and UI elements that would originally appear in yellow. It also changes the team score at the top of the screen.

Tritanopia is the closest to the original, only changing the yellow outlines to blue.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Separate for Soldier, Starfighters and Vehicles. You cannot have more than one key bound to the same function.
Mouse acceleration
It cannot be changed, it comes by default.[citation needed]
Mouse sensitivity
Seperate for Soldier Sensitivity and Zoomed Sensitivity. Starfighters also have Mouse Response and Precision settings.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Presets only.
Controller sensitivity
Separate for Soldier Sensitivity and Zoomed Sensitivity.
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
PlayStation button prompts
Game uses Xbox prompts even if a DualShock 4 is connected. Fan-made PS4 button prompts obtainable through mods
Light bar support
White
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes Wired
As V2[21]
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M
Press any button/key on the desired input method to switch.

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Sound effects cannot be disabled.
Surround sound
Enhanced Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 options
Subtitles
Campaign only.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
No way to turn this option off, as is with most games running on Frostbite 3
EAX support
In ProfileOptions_profile in the Battlefront II settings folder, there is an option for GstAudio.IsAtmos, but if it works and enables Dolby Atmos over HDMI and a compatible receiver is currently unknown.
Royalty free audio
A majority of in-game music directly lifts from the soundtracks of, or uses cues from, John Williams' Star Wars music with some new original pieces.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Traditional Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Copies bought in Poland are region locked to Polish alone. Choosing any other languages is impossible.[22]
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Latin American Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
2 Console-exclusive feature. Can be achieved through mods: 2 Player Splitscreen Moddable
LAN play
Online play
40

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Much like 2015's Battlefront, the game does not use Battlelog's server browser and opts for its own matchmaking system.
Dedicated
Hosted by developers
Self-hosting
Fan-made at kyber.gg.

Issues fixed

Freezing and stuttering on Windows 10

Disable Game mode[citation needed]
  1. Open the Settings menu by clicking the cogwheel icon in the start menu.
  2. Click on game settings
  3. Select the Gaming section of the settings menu.
  4. Navigate to the Game Mode section in the side bar.
  5. Click to toggle Game Mode on or off.
Use DirectX 11[citation needed]

Stuttering issues

Instruction[23]

While this fix is intended for Battlefield 1 and V, this fix may work for Battlefront II as it also uses heavy caching to load maps and characters[citation needed].

Once the free memory is exhausted, performance takes a big hit - games with heavy caching like BF1 suffer horribly. The only way to fix it previously was restarting the computer (thus clearing the memory), which explains why it was only happening after a while and not on a fresh boot.

  1. Download EmptyStandbyList and put it somewhere where you won't move it
  2. Right click > Properties and select Run as Admin under compatibility.
  3. Open Task Scheduler > Create Task on the far right
  4. General Tab (give it a name). Under security options > Change user or group > Advanced > Find Now > go down and choose SYSTEM (important to make it run silently in the background). Tick 'Run with highest privileges' and 'Hidden' at the bottom. Pictures here
  5. Triggers tab > New > On a schedule > One Time. Tick repeat task every 5 minutes (possibly excessive but it causes no issues). Also choose 'for the duration of: indefinitely'
  6. Actions tab > Start A program > Point to the EmptyStandbyList.exe file.
  7. Done! Standby memory is automatically cleared every 5mins.

Unable to move mouse in Main Menu

Disable Discord Overlay[citation needed]
  1. Open Discord user settings by clicking the cog next to your Discord username, on the bottom left.
  2. Click on "Game Activity."
  3. Find "STAR WARS Battlefront II."
  4. Click on the monitor icon to the right of the game entry to toggle the overlay.
  5. Restart the game if it is running.

White artifacting on shiny surfaces with AMD Graphics Cards

Set Post Process Quality to Low[citation needed]
  1. Open up "Options" from either the Escape Menu or from the Main Menu.
  2. Click on "Video."
  3. Scroll to "Advanced Settings" and find "Post Process Quality."
  4. Change setting to "Low."

Long loading times

Limit FPS[citation needed]
  1. Open up Notepad.
  2. Copy and paste "gametime.maxvariablefps 60" with your monitor refresh rate.
  3. Save as user.cfg in game folder.
  4. This caps the FPS and limits excessive CPU usage in loading screens

Excessive Bloom/HDR brightness issues

Disable full-screen optimisation[citation needed]
  1. Open local game files.
  2. Right-click "starwarsbattlefrontii.exe" (game executable).
  3. Go to "Compatability" tab and tick box "Disable full-screen optimisations."
  4. Test in a level which had the issue (such as Yavin 4 temple, transitioning between indoor hanger and outdoors) and you should be able to see more details between high and low light areas without contrast issues.

Lost connection to the EA servers (error 721) on launch

Reconnect to the servers (click "CONNECT" next to social bar, denoted with your Origin profile picture) until you are able to connect. This is a known issue on PC and this fix should take multiple tries until it lets you in.[24]

If you have the Celebration Edition, do not go to Collections as it will reset the chosen skin (tied to the issue where Celebration Edition content is only available when connected to the servers).[14]

VR support

3D modes State Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
See Helix Mod: STAR WARS Battlefront II (DX11).
vorpX
G3D, Z3D, DirectVR
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 11, 12 Change API in video settings
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
DirectX 11 is required for the Nvidia 3D Vision mod (see above).
Since an August 2019 update, DirectX 12 implementation in the game is broken and can actually lead to worse performance than on DX11.[25]

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok [26]
Interface Qt
Anti-cheat FairFight [27]
Nvidia Ansel is supported by this title.
Ansel is supported only in Arcade.

Console commands

Launch console with ~.
You can have these commands run automatically whenever you start the game by entering them in user.cfg in the Battlefront II installation folder (the file won't exist by default, you can create it through a Notepad and save as a .cfg file).[28]
Command Description
PerfOverlay.DrawFPS 1 Show FPS counter
PerfOverlay.DrawGraph 1 Show performance graph
GameTime.MaxVariableFPS # Limit frame rate (where # is a positive number) / '0' unlocks framerate beyond 200FPS
RenderDevice.TripleBufferingEnable 1 Enable Triple-Buffering (only recommended if Vsync is on)
RenderDevice.ForceRenderAheadLimit 1 Force rendering only 1 frame ahead (can remove stutter, default value is 3)
Screenshot.Render Take a screenshot (into %USERPROFILE%\Documents\STAR WARS Battlefront II\Screenshots\)

Mods

Battlefront II continues to have a relatively large modding community with a wide variety of mods ranging from character swaps and cosmetic improvements, both for characters and environments, to granting access to the pre-order skins (should you not have them), bringing new modes to the offline Instant Action mode, and even adding brand-new heroes.
While considered to be safe, playing online with mods of any kind, even cosmetic mods, poses a risk of being banned. Mods that are not multiplayer-safe will be listed in the mod's page; do not use these mods online as they will definitely get you banned. Also, beware of outdated mods that change things like visual effects. It is best to obtain updated mods that are guaranteed working with the newest version of the game.
Modding with Frosty does not natively support the EA app (See #Fixing compatibility with the EA app).
All mods are available from NexusMods and require Frosty Mod Manager, Gameplay Handler and Merger (1.0.6 doesn't require it), this mesh fix, or the Mod Limit Fixer

Battlefront II has multiple mods that improve, change and add to the game experience.

Fixing compatibility with the EA app

The EA app doesn't support Frosty. To fix this, the Platform Launch on Frosty Mod Manager/Frosty Editor must be set to EADesktop.
Other solutions include FrostyFix and DatapathFixPlugin, or simply downgrading to an earlier version of Origin.
Be sure to disable FrostyFix before running any other Frostbite game! It also doesn't support games like Need for Speed Heat, which is where DatapathFixPlugin comes in.

Private servers

Private servers are possible with the kyber.gg fan project, which adds a Battlelog-esque server browser. A guide on how to set it up is located here
First, launch the Kyber client, go to the server browser, then click the server you want to join. Then launch the game. If need be, install any required mods (requires Frosty mod manager alpha 5 or later) then launch game
Playing on private servers with Instant Online Improvements is a necessity for some servers (install with Frosty mod manager).
Anti-cheat and mod support.

Pre-order skins

Unlocks the pre-order skins if you don't have them, replacing Rey's Scavenger and Kylo Ren's Scarred.
Last tested just after the Scarif patch (May 2020 patch) and it is not known if it is safe with the August patch or not.

UI improvements

SmallerHUD

Adds a smaller UI, options to scale the UI and turn off more HUD features.

Aviator's Galactic Spawn Screens/No Holograms Remastered

Overhauls the spawn screens.

GameModeInfo and Improved Starcard Layouts

In addition to showing more info on the spawn screen, it improves on and unlocks the unfinished Star Card Loadouts feature.

Gameplay improvements

Soundtrack Replacement Suite

Replaces the default in-game music with a collection of music taken from all kinds of Star Wars media, including ancillary media like Rogue One, Solo, Rebels, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian.
Many variations exist, all of which replace the game's music.

Related to Instant Action

Expands the Instant Action mode in many ways.
Do not play online with them enabled as they will get you banned.
To prevent access to multiplayer, the options to match into a game are hidden.
Instant Action Overhaul and IA Battlefront Gameplay Rework requires Frosty 1.0.6, Localisation String Merger and Gameplay Handler and Merger (the latter two are included with 1.0.6 stable).
Instant Action Improvements
Brand-new reinforcements, appearances and general improvements.
Instant Action Tweaks
AI overhaul, cross-era heroes and more general improvements.
Excludes the new reinforcements, though they can be downloaded separately.
Instant Action Overhaul
An overhaul to the Instant Action mode, including new game modes, cross-era heroes and an overhaul to the game's implementation of AI.
Excludes the new reinforcements, though they can be downloaded separately.
Requires Frosty 1.0.6.
IA Battlefront Gameplay Rework
Overhaul to trooper loadouts and weapons, including brand-new weapons and abilities for each trooper.
Requires Frosty 1.0.6 and can stack with Instant Action Overhaul.

Camera Tools

Cinematic Tools (Updated)

Cinematic Tools (originally created by Hatti and updated by Magix) provides an extensive virtual photography and virtual filmmaking toolkit. Includes depth of field, timestop, custom lighting, camera tracks, and much more.
Do not play online with them injected on the official servers as they will get you banned.
For an improved bokeh you can use Dyvine57's BetterBokeh mod.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 7 SP1
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i5-6600K
AMD FX-6350
System memory (RAM) 8 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 60 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
AMD Radeon HD 7850
2 GB of VRAM
DirectX 11 compatible
Star Wars Bttlefront II (2017) will end of Support Windows 7 and 8.1 in November 30th 2023,

Notes

  1. Frostbite 3 version 2019-PR5
  2. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/1237950/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (1237950) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.
  3. Current size as of August 2021, may increase if using mods

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Your First Look at STAR WARS Battlefront II Is Coming at STAR WARS Celebration - Star Wars - Official EA Site - last accessed on 2017-04-30
  2. GameSpot: Star Wars Battlefront 2's Microtransactions Are A Real Problem; Here's What $100 Does To Progression - last accessed on May 2023
  3. Kotaku: EA Cuts Star Wars Battlefront II Hero Costs After Widespread Anger
  4. Seriously? I paid 80$ to have Vader locked?: r/StarWarsBattlefront - last accessed on May 2023
  5. Engadget: 'Battlefront II' under investigation in Belgium over loot crates - last accessed on May 2023
  6. Change will be a constant in Star Wars Battlefront II on the Star Wars Battlefront website
  7. An update on Star Wars Battlefront II on the Star Wars Battlefront website]
  8. GameSpot: Shortly Before Star Wars: Battlefront 2's Release, EA Removes Microtransactions For Now - last accessed on May 2023
  9. Kotaku: EA Defense Of Star Wars Battlefront II Becomes Most Downvoted Reddit Comment Ever - last accessed on May 2023
  10. Archived link of the Update 2.0 patch notes on the Battlefront forums - last accessed on May 2023
  11. Battle on Scarif Update - last accessed on May 2023
  12. ea.com - last accessed on May 2023
  13. August 26th Patch notes: r/StarWarsBattlefront - last accessed on May 2023
  14. 14.0 14.1 behavior is "Working as intended" according to EA representative in this Answers HQ post.
  15. Verified by User:Fearfulwarpii on 2021-8-31
    Starting the game offline due to the error 721 bug or by launching Origin in offline mode will make all CE content unavailable. Though emotes will still be present on the emote wheel, they will not play in a match. This also has the side-effect of resetting your chosen skin when going to Collections, so do not go there until you are connected if you have equipped a skin unlocked via Celebration Edition.
  16. Verified by User:SirYodaJedi on 2022-05-31
    Attempting to launch via game executable or Origin results in Epic Games Launcher opening instead.
  17. Verified by User:Fearfulwarpii on 2021-7-30
    Denuvo is present; dbdata.dll is present in the game folder, game executable is padded, and there is a long wait until game window appears.
  18. gamepreorders.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  19. EA Answers community post: "The answer is no. Rey and Kylo Ren's skins won't be obtainable now. They remain exclusive for players who pre-ordered and own the Elite Troopers Deluxe edition." - EA representative. - last accessed on May 2023
  20. https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/gt6ki6/a_friendly_reminder_that_an_early_version_of_a/fsaib60 Star card loadout how to on the Battlefront subreddit.
  21. Verified by User:Fearfulwarpii on 2021-7-30
    tested using V2 controller
  22. Verified by User:Suicide machine on 2021-09-04
    Copy bought on Origin itself. May apply to keys as well, based on experiences from Battlefield: Hardline and Need for Speed Payback.
  23. Reddit - last accessed on May 2023
  24. answers.ea.com - last accessed on May 2023
  25. EA Answers HQ: DX12 mode broken since update - last accessed on May 2023
  26. Battlefront II Licenses as seen in EA Account > Licenses: "Star Wars Battlefront II uses Havok"
  27. Play by the rules in STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ II - EA Help - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  28. Verified by User:Fearfulwarpii on 2021-7-30
    Tested by creating user.cfg with GameTime.MaxVariableFPS 0 and upon launching Battlefront, the game recognizes it. Renaming or removing the file resets the command's variable back to 200.