Large-scale battles based on Star Wars? Count me in!
Personal bias aside, the idea of the Battlefront games might not sound like much sense. Yet they’re awesome.
Now I’m sure most of you are wondering which Battlefront era we’re going to be covering here. Whether you’re a fan of the original 2005 BF2 release, or have come to enjoy the more recent EA reboot, you’re in luck!
We’ve got mods for both titles.
So in this list I’m giving you ten of the best mods for each title – starting off with the 2005 version of the game.
Seeing as the older of the two games was released 15 years ago, you can’t really expect it to come close graphics-wise.
That doesn’t mean modders haven’t caught up though, as Harrisonfog has come up with a way to make the game look much better than it did back then.
While you still can’t expect 15 years’ worth of technological improvements in a single mod, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 – Remastered updates everything including maps, units, vehicles, and weapons to stunning HD.
Fighting through epic battles across the different places around the galaxy is a large part of what makes this game truly “Star Wars”.
Whether you’re battling in Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine or the Dust Plains of Geonosis, the environments go a long way in bringing the Star Wars universe to life.
Thanks again to Harrisonfog, we’re now even given rezzed and realistic versions of each map to choose from.
Rezzed maps are HD replacements for the original base game maps, while realistic ones have been edited with additional props and models to make the environments much more realistic.
While it’s great to have better options for the stock maps that already come with the game, there are mods that add completely new maps to play on as well.
TORfront is one of those mods, focusing specifically on the Old Republic era of Star Wars lore.
This pack gives you 5 new playable maps to enjoy. Specifically Alderaan: Treefall, Belsavis: Icebound, Makeb: Broken Paradise, Dromund Kaas: Labyrinth, and Coruscant: The Works.
Now the Sol Map Pack is probably the most interesting of the three map mods so far, as it actually provides us new battlefields based on our own solar system.
Instead of taking known locations from the Star Wars universe, The Sol Map Pack adds 5 new maps set on Earth, Luna, Mars, Titan, and Venus.
If you’re looking to fight off foes on the surface of one of Saturn’s moons, this is the way to do it.
It appears The Clone Wars has been a popular topic for mods, at least for the 2005 version of Battlefront II.
Having been covered by many other mods out there, Battlefront: The Clone Wars separates itself by focusing specifically on the version we saw in the popular 2008 animated series.
The series was very popular, running for almost 6 years. So if you’re a fan then you should check this one out for sure.
The mod adds 3 new factions with a total of 17 playable unit classes, 5 unique clone legions, a new custom HUD, and even sound effects and music taken directly from the TV series.
Battlefront is largely considered to be an online multiplayer experience.
But this is mostly because the campaigns for these games were never really anything to rave about.
While that may be the case, modder Maveritchell offers us a new and improved way to enjoy the single player aspects of BF2 with his “Dark Times” mod.
This mod focuses on the era just before and during the Galactic Civil War, adding over 20 new heroes relevant to the time period, along with new maps covering the Star Wars expanded universe.
The mod even improves lightsaber mechanics, adding a whole new depth to the game’s combat system.
Now getting back to Star Wars here, Battlefront III Legacy is probably one of the biggest expansions you can get for more Star Wars content.
The mod adds two new eras – along with content from all eight Star Wars films, as well as from The Force Unleashed and the more recent Battlefront II by EA.
Among the 50+ playable heroes are classics like Luke and Vader, along with the newer generation including Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren.
What’s even better about this mod is that it was just updated last May (as of this writing). And with campaigns for each era in the pipeline, it’s probably a good idea to keep following for updates.
I don’t think anyone would argue that EA’s Battlefront II isn’t the better-looking game ever made, seeing it was released quite a few years back now.
As with any game, the community has found ways to make it look even better.
Sly’s Cinematic Lighting Overhaul is the best place to start on that task.
Through post-processing, bloom, lighting, and shaders, SCLO improves lighting and effects of each and every playable map in the game – with the aim of making everything look much more realistic and much closer to what you see in the films as well as other Star Wars source material.
The highlight of anything Star Wars has always been the lightsabers.
The glowing laser swords have become iconic and easily identifiable with the franchise. And these are one of the first things fans look towards in any Star Wars-related content.
Well with Dulana57’s BetterSabers X mod, Battlefront II’s lightsabers are getting visual upgrades as well.
The mod brings consistency and visual improvements to all lightsabers in the game to make everything appear more like they do in the films.
Visuals aren’t the only factor that affect immersion, as sounds play a huge role as well.
With most of these mods aiming to make everything look more like the films, why not get a sound pack to make the game sound like the films as well?
TheSpartanCV’s Sountrack Replacement Suite does exactly that.
It replaces all continuous soundtracks, alternating hero themes, space battles, and frontend themes with original music from all films. Even including Solo and Rogue One, as well as the recent TV series The Mandalorian.
While Battlefront’s multiplayer modes are meant to be enjoyed online with other people, sometimes it’s still fun to just try things out. Or practice with some bots beforehand.
Starfighter Assault in Arcade brings one of the game’s most exciting modes to offline Arcade, allowing you to enjoy epic ship battles with AI.
Now you’ve got plenty to practice before diving into real competitive BF2 gameplay.
With that said, go ahead and grab this cool Battle Damaged Darth Vader skin. It even comes in 3 variants – helmetless, cracked helmet, and full helmet.
If you prefer the classic Vader look, why not give him an 8K upgrade?
Moose’s 8K Darth Vader is a complete head-to-toe retexture of Lord Vader, based on the official 501st Garrison’s guidelines for Return of the Jedi’s screen-accurate Vader costume.
While EA’s Battlefront II includes some of the newer canon heroes and villains like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, some of the older characters were removed to make way for them.
Unfortunately, this meant that one of our favorite jedi masters had to be cut from the final roster.
Mace Windu was an integral character during Clone Wars, and the game just doesn’t feel complete without him.
Well thanks to modder s0rox, we can replace BF2’s Obi-Wan with a skin of Master Windu instead. Rejoice!
