A day one patch has been released for Battlefield 4 that is designed to improve and stabilise the multiplayer experience, DICE has confirmed. The download, which weighs in at 119.21MB, is currently only available through the Xbox Marketplace, though its also expected to appear on PlayStation Network before long. What’s more, players will experience a 6MB title update when the game first launches, which will install automatically.
In a statement, the developer stressed that the “Battlefield 4 update contains improvements to the multiplayer portions of the game. We strongly advise you download it.” This early patch echoes the release of the previous title in the first-person shooter franchise, given that Battlefield 3 also required a mandatory update off the bat in 2011.
On the topic of downloadable content, DICE also updated the Premium schedule for Battlefield 4, which states that the initial add-on will release on December 3rd. Entitled China Rising, the expansion pack will act as part of the five planned DLC bundles, which will release for Premium members first and foremost before becoming available for all users two weeks later. Furthermore, those who have subscribed to the Premium service will receive the DLC at no extra cost.
In terms of limited releases, we also understand that the Xbox One will receive a timed-exclusive batch of downloadable content when the console launches on November 22nd. This expansion in particular —namely Second Assault— will port several maps from Battlefield 3 into the latest title, including Operation Firestorm, Operation Metro, Caspian Border and Gulf of Oman. It’s worth noting, too, that Second Assault does not have a release date for other platforms at this time.
Although Battlefield 4 won’t release in Europe until Friday, November 1st, the fourth iteration in DICE’s FPS franchise is currently available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in North America. Tell us, will you be picking up the China Rising DLC when it releases? Let us know below.