Is Battlefield 3 Premium worth getting?

[Lord Garnaat]

Alright, so I bought Battlefield 3 for PC not long after it came out, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought it was a lot of fun and an all around excellent online shooter. However, while I greatly enjoyed the game in the first few months after its release, the first DLC's came out much later, and by then I was in the middle of playing other games. So, I never had a chance to buy the "Premium Edition", which is essentially a big compilation of all of the game's DLC and a few other bonuses.

Well, now I'm bored and in the mood for some shooter fun, but I'm a little intimidated about jumping back in again after so much time gone. I tried just playing the vanilla game a little while ago, but found that it was basically unplayable without it due to so few servers running vanilla. It seems, then, that I must either play with Premium or not at all.

So, tell me Battlefield fans and not-fans alike: is it worth getting? Are the DLC's worth forking over sixty dollars for? Do they add a great deal to the game, or am I better off just avoiding them?

 

[xefaros]

I was once in your boots but little earlier in the game's life(Conquest DLC) but something kept me off buying premium.Now i dont say it isnt worth getting premium cuz it is if you dont have any DLC.But considering Battlefield 4 gets closed beta within this year and they obviously shooting for a close-COD release date i wonder whats the point of getting this time of year the expansion.If you are going to play only BF3 for a long time yea go get it but putting in the side one game policy there are some great games coming on Q1 of 2013 that most of people gonna try out.
If on the other hand the premium gets a discount over the course to the next release of the franchise sure go ahead get it the game still has life on it

 

[Jacco]

I can't speak for PC as I don't know what the community is like there, but on xbox, everytime they roll out an update or DLC, they break the game even more. It's infuriating. I got premium somehow, I never paid for it so i dont know where it came from, but the new maps are more annoying than anything. They add stupid quirks to them like earthquakes and stuff which sucks fucking balls when you are about to do something awesome and then have to abort.

Also, again I dont know about PC, but they added Rent-a-servers and all the regular game ones are gone now so no matter what you have to play by whatever stupid rules the admin has put down. I wouldn't recommend it based on my xbox experiences.

snip

Dude. Your avatar freaked the SHIT out of me. Holy christ. lmao

Capcha: No dice

hahaha, so true.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

This late into a multiplayer game cycle?

You are better off saving up for BF4 Premium.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

I can't speak for PC as I don't know what the community is like there, but on xbox, everytime they roll out an update or DLC, they break the game even more. It's infuriating. I got premium somehow, I never paid for it so i dont know where it came from, but the new maps are more annoying than anything. They add stupid quirks to them like earthquakes and stuff which sucks fucking balls when you are about to do something awesome and then have to abort.

Also, again I dont know about PC, but they added Rent-a-servers and all the regular game ones are gone now so no matter what you have to play by whatever stupid rules the admin has put down. I wouldn't recommend it based on my xbox experiences.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. In retrospect I would've gotten it ages ago if I could, but now it's just not worth it. Like Jacco said, the game breaks with each new update and DLC they roll out.

 

[m19]

I bought a cheaper cd key online. And it's been worth it. Servers I play on (Spain) are still full.

 

[setting_son]

Got it for Xbox for Christmas having previously played the vanilla version on PS3. Servers still busy, DLC is a mixed bag but plenty of unlocks and challenges to keep you amused. I'd say buy it.

 

[fix-the-spade]

If you don't have any of the expansions now it's quite good.

It adds a fairly large number of weapons to your load outs, the Crossbow being particularly satisfying as it adds a silent sniper weapon.

The new maps cover a nice wide range from massive open sprawls to a few that are single floors of buildings, in which carnage ensues. No idea what's going to be in end-game, but Aftermath is quite fun, the Earthquakes are a bit of a damp squib though, your cross hair shakes a little and everything carries on as normal, I was hoping for buildings coming down.

I wouldn't worry about life span, BF3 is going to be around for years on PC. Finding games in all modes isn't a problem, although the server browser on Battlelog is crap, it only shows a few 'selected' servers instead of all the ones available, plus it lets you try to filter impossible combinations. Battlelog is probably the worst thing about the game (even after a year and a bit), but it's a minor annoyance rather than a serious problem.

now so no matter what you have to play by whatever stupid rules the admin has put down..

That's how PC gaming works, period. Also, having used Xbox Live for two years I can confidently say I'll take server admins over Xbox Live's automated system any day!

 

[fix-the-spade]

This late into a multiplayer game cycle?

What the hell are you on about?

Only sports games and Call of Duty conform to annual roll-out cycles.

 

[TheSapphireKnight]

If your a big BF fan like me than it is worth it. Especially if you don't have any DLC because to be quite honest the only good maps in vanilla BF3 for proper conquest are Grand Bazaar and Caspian Border.

Back 2 Karkand is great. Close quarters is a nice change of pace if you want to unlock things quickly without playing the pos Metro. Armored Kill... is a disapointment it feels like it just tried to shove BF3 sandbox into a much larger enviorment and it doesn't really work(the gunship is what ruins a lot of maps) but Armored Shield is pretty good. Aftermath is amazing, the maps are great and show you can design action packed infantry heavy maps without only giving 3 possible directions. I can hardly believe the same developers who created the worst BF map in franchise history(64P Metro) can go back and create some of the best maps in BF.

If Endgame builds off of Aftermath and is just as good than I will be happy as can be.

If you have time to make use out of the purchase before BF4 hits than I would say go for it.

 

[Uriain]

I think it comes down to 2 things.

1) Do you enjoy playing Battlefield 3
2) Do you play a lot of Battlefield 3

If you enjoy the game and play a lot of it, then I say it is definitely worth picking up the premium pack for the DLC. It makes them cheaper, gives you little perks along with the DLC (premium first priority etc) and gives you more things to unlock/work towards to help keep you moving along.

I personally like all of the DLC so far, enjoying Armoured Kill the most (I like tanks)

IF you are not playing it a lot, then it might (as others have said) be good to just wait for BF4, OR pick up one/two of the DLC you think you want.

 

[Windcaler]

I think so. While the stuff DICE has put out outside of the DLCs has been laughably bad I feel like getting all that DLC for a lower price is well worth it. Each DLC released has been alright but the best one IMO was the BF2 maps, followed by the most recent expansion aftermath. There is also one more coming called endgame that we know nothing about. The other two DLCs close quarters and armored kill are ok if you like Close quarters and vehicle focused games

So yeah I think just based on DLC prices its worth it

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

This late into a multiplayer game cycle?

What the hell are you on about?

Only sports games and Call of Duty conform to annual roll-out cycles.

Yes, and Battlefield is a bi-yearly cycle.

Remember there were early beta passes for Battlefield 4 in the Limited Edition Medal of Honor: Warfighter packs.

It is currently planned for a fall 2013 release.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/17/battlefield-4-announced-in-medal-of-honor-warfighter-trailer/

 

[ShinyCharizard]

If you enjoy the game then yes it is worth it. Also if you shop around the web you can usually find it fairly cheap.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Yes, and Battlefield is a bi-yearly cycle.

That only carries any meaning if you're on the consoles.

Bf1942, BF2, 2142, even Vietnam still have healthy numbers of players in PC land, not to mention Bad Company 2 (BC1 never really took off for some reason). A new sequel coming out doesn't carry the same same death knell for player numbers and 'server support' over here so it's still worth buying games that are a few years old.

Speaking of which, Dice are still releasing housekeeping updates (bug fixes mainly) for both Bad Companies and 1943, they kept up on 2142 until recently and BF2 until late 2009, there's plenty of life in Battlefield 3 yet.