Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass trailer reveals a mid-March release date

EA announced today that They Shall Not Pass, the first expansion for the First World War shooter Battlefield 1, will be available on March 14 for Premium Pass holders and two weeks later for everyone else. We've also got a new trailer to watch that showcases the fearsome, battle-hardened soldiers of the French Army, who are (finally) joining the fight. 

The expansion adds four new maps, the Char 2C super-heavy tank and St. Chamond assault tank, the Trench Raider Elite Class, and the Siege Howitzer stationary weapon. Also on tap are two new operations, Devil's Anvil and Beyond the Marne, and a new game mode, Frontlines, "a mix of Conquest and Rush as you fight for chained control points in a tug-of-war frontline." 

They Shall Not Pass is the first of Battlefield 1's four-part Premium Pass. The remaining expansions, which will include trips to Belgium, Russia, Turkey, and beyond, were revealed yesterday. Full details are available at battlefield.com.

If you haven't yet given Battlefield 1 a shot, a ten-hour free trial will be available this weekend, beginning at 5 am PT on March 3 and running until 10 am PT on March 6. The trial version will include four multiplayer modes on five maps, and also the first two War Stories of the single-player mode. Details and download links, once it goes live, will be available on Origin.   

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.