Star Wars: Battlefront 2 2.0 update unlocks all hero characters and ships

Electronic Arts unveiled its plans for sweeping changes to Star Wars: Battlefront 2 last week, including an overhaul to the progression system that removes Star Cards from crates, a return of the Crystals currency, and limits on what you can buy with them—which is to say, cosmetic items only. The update went live today, revealing that it's also unlocked all hero characters and ships: No more having to grind your face off for credits before you can start chopping people to bits as Darth Vader.

Under the new system, hero characters and ships will earn experience points and levels through gameplay. Each new level grants a skill point point that can be used to unlock or upgrade character-boosting Star Cards. "With all characters now having a Unit Level, we don’t want to limit anyone’s chance to progress as we change the way you interact with these characters," EA community manager Sledgehammer70 wrote.

All Star Cards and Weapons in the Arcade mode are also being unlocked at the Epic level, "so that Arcade can be more freely used as a sandbox to try out new combinations," Sledgehammer70 explained. "This change also provides more gameplay options for players who aren’t interested in playing multiplayer."

The update will also add Bespin to the game as a location for the Blast, Heroes vs. Villians, Arcade, and Jetpack Cargo for a limited time, and sevearl characters have been tweaked in a variety of ways: Iden Versio has been buffed considerably, for instance, while Han Solo's health has been increased to balance his lack of defensive abilities, and Boba Fett's jetpack speed has been reduced slightly.

The full patch notes are available on the Battlefront forums, and answers to more specific questions about the changes can be had in this FAQ.

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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.