Star Wars: Battlefront II, developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts, is a first/third-person Star Wars shooter with a campaign, large multiplayer battles, hero modes, starfighter combat, Co-Op, Arcade, and Instant Action. This guide covers the 2017 EA/DICE game, not Pandemic Studios’ 2005 Star Wars: Battlefront II.
Content note: EA lists the game with Teen rating information for Violence and Users Interact. This guide keeps combat descriptions non-graphic and focused on class roles, objectives, resources, and practice habits.
This is a beginner fundamentals guide for learning the 2017 game’s class system, Battle Points, Star Cards, Collection tab, lower-pressure practice modes, heroes, and starfighters. It is not a campaign walkthrough, map route, current event tracker, best Star Card tier list, hero matchup chart, or active matchmaking report.
Essential Tips
1. Start Where Mistakes Cost Less
Campaign, Arcade, Co-Op, and Instant Action are better first stops than a blind competitive queue.
Use the campaign for basic movement, shooting, and Star Wars battle pacing. Then use Arcade, Co-Op Missions, Instant Action, and Starfighter Custom Arcade to test classes, heroes, AI opponents, ships, and ability timing before you expect yourself to read a full multiplayer lobby.
2. Pick a Class for the Objective
The four trooper classes are jobs, not just skins.
Assault is the forward pressure class, Heavy is built for holding lanes and absorbing pressure, Officer supports nearby teammates and can help control space, and Specialist brings traps, information, and long-range pressure. If your team is stalled at a chokepoint, defending a zone, or losing sightlines, switch to the role the objective needs.
3. Play for Battle Points, Not Only Eliminations
Useful team actions are part of the match economy.
Battle Points come from contributing to the team, including objectives, eliminations, assists, and support. Treat every objective push, defense, and team save as progress toward a reinforcement, vehicle, starfighter, hero, or villain.
4. Spend Battle Points Before They Rot
Battle Points reset after the match, so unused points have no long-term value.
Do not sit on enough points for a reinforcement or hero while the phase collapses. If a special unit, vehicle, or hero can swing an objective, spend the points while there is still time to matter.
5. Learn One Unit at a Time
Skill Points and Star Cards are tied to the units you actually play.
Pick a trooper class, hero, vehicle, or starfighter you enjoy and give it enough playtime to level. A focused unit with useful Star Cards is easier to improve than a Collection full of half-tested options.
6. Adjust Star Cards to the Job
Star Cards are loadout tools, not decorations.
Boost Cards improve existing strengths, while Ability Cards can change what a default trooper class brings into the fight. Recheck cards when you move from offense to defense, infantry to vehicles, or casual practice to a more demanding mode.
7. Separate Cosmetics From Combat Power
Credits, Crystals, Appearances, emotes, and victory poses are not your damage plan.
The post-launch progression redesign moved gameplay-impacting progression toward play-earned XP and Skill Points. Use the Collection tab to manage Star Cards and Skill Points, and treat cosmetic unlocks as appearance choices instead of combat upgrades.
8. Spawn With a Plan
Respawn is when you fix the team shape.
When the spawn screen opens, check the phase, objective, available Battle Points, class mix, and whether a reinforcement or vehicle would help. Re-entering as the same class after every death is easy, but it often ignores why the last push failed.
9. Practice Heroes Before Hero Modes
A famous character still needs map sense, ability timing, and teamwork.
Use lower-pressure modes to learn hero movement and abilities before Heroes vs. Villains or Hero Showdown. In hero modes, stay close enough to help your teammate, pick heroes you understand, and adapt when winning-round or matchup rules limit your next choice.
10. Practice Ships in Starfighter Custom Arcade
Flying has its own camera, space, and ability rhythm.
Start with easier AI and forgiving Arcade settings, then raise difficulty, enemy count, and recharge pressure as control improves. When you move online, remember that cover, capital-ship geometry, support abilities, and team focus matter as much as chasing the nearest target.
11. Treat Every Mode as Its Own Game
Galactic Assault, Supremacy, Co-Op, Instant Action, Hero modes, and Starfighter modes ask for different habits.
A good decision in one mode can be wasteful in another. Objective pressure matters differently in Galactic Assault and Supremacy, AI practice modes teach patterns without the same human pressure, and hero or starfighter modes punish players who bring ordinary infantry habits into specialized rulesets.
Mode Priorities
| Mode or Area | Beginner Use | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | Basic shooting, movement, story context, and lower-pressure play | It does not replace multiplayer objective timing |
| Arcade | Simple practice and custom scenarios | Settings can make habits too easy if never raised |
| Co-Op Missions | Objective practice against AI with other players | Current map/menu availability can vary |
| Instant Action | Offline AI battles and Co-Op-style solo options | AI settings and map support vary by mode setup |
| Galactic Assault | Large attack/defense battles and Battle Point spending | Ignoring objectives wastes the mode’s main structure |
| Supremacy | Command-post pressure and large battle flow | Splitting from the team can leave posts unsupported |
| Heroes vs. Villains / Hero Showdown | Hero ability timing and teamwork | Solo dueling habits can lose team fights |
| Starfighter Assault / Hero Starfighters | Ship control, cover, and ability timing | Infantry aim habits do not translate directly |
Progression and Collection
- Use the Collection tab: This is where you manage units, Skill Points, Star Cards, and Appearances.
- Level the units you use: Class, hero, vehicle, and starfighter progress is tied to playing those units.
- Spend Skill Points deliberately: Unlock or upgrade Star Cards for the role you are actually learning.
- Equip only what helps your current job: Three good cards for the objective beat three cards chosen only because they are higher rarity.
- Check cards at respawn: Changing from attacking to defending can change which abilities are useful.
- Treat Crystals and Credits carefully: They are relevant to cosmetic Appearances and presentation, not a substitute for learning the unit.
- Do not chase a hero at all costs: Reinforcements and vehicles can be better uses of points when the objective needs them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Do not queue into every mode without practice - Learn basic class, hero, and starfighter controls in lower-pressure modes first.
-
Do not pick one class forever - Swap when the objective needs pressure, defense, support, information, or range.
-
Do not ignore the objective for eliminations - Objective and team actions build Battle Points and win phases.
-
Do not hoard Battle Points until the match ends - Spend them while a reinforcement, vehicle, or hero can still change the fight.
-
Do not spread Skill Points across units you never play - Improve the classes, heroes, and ships you are actually learning.
-
Do not equip Star Cards without reading their role - Pick cards that support your current mode and objective.
-
Do not treat cosmetics as power - Appearances, emotes, and poses do not replace unit progression or good decisions.
-
Do not spawn back in without checking the phase - Respawn is your chance to fix class choice, cards, and Battle Point spending.
-
Do not fly online before learning basic ship control - Use Starfighter Custom Arcade to build comfort first.
-
Do not split from your hero teammate for a solo duel - Hero modes reward ability coordination and staying close enough to help.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| First steps | Use Campaign, Arcade, Co-Op, and Instant Action before harder lobbies |
| Classes | Pick Assault, Heavy, Officer, or Specialist based on the objective |
| Battle Points | Earn them through useful play and spend them before the match ends |
| Progression | Level the units you actually use |
| Star Cards | Equip cards for role and mode, not just rarity |
| Collection | Separate gameplay upgrades from cosmetics |
| Heroes | Practice abilities before specialized hero modes |
| Starfighters | Learn control and cover in Custom Arcade |
| Live Online | Check current online services, events, and matchmaking before queueing |
Did this answer your question?
Your feedback helps keep the useful answers visible.Sources
8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Star Wars: Battlefront II.
Next answers
Community notes0
No community notes yet.
Sign in to contribute