Star Wars Battlefront: Death Star expansion goes live next week, so here's a trailer

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As solid plans go, “Let's raid the Death Star” is not what I'd call top-of-the-list stuff. I also have to question the wisdom of putting a mean-spirited Trandoshan bounty hunter in charge of cleaning up the mess. But in spite of all that, I have to admit that the new Star Wars Battlefront: Death Star gameplay trailer looks pretty sweet.

Announced last month, the Death Star expansion features a new, three-stage Battle Station mode that begins with X-Wings and A-Wings attacking an Imperial Star Destroyer, then moves to a ground assault on the Death Star itself, before finally wrapping up in an all-out effort to blow the thing up. All three phases can be seen in the trailer, as are the expansion's new heroes, Bossk and Chewbacca. Why Chewie isn't up there in the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo, I don't really know. I guess he must catch a ride out of there once the fun on the ground wraps up.

Speaking of the new heroes, EA has also posted a “deep dive” into both of them, revealing their basic playstyles, weaponry, traits, and abilities. Chewbacca is “a much-needed Rebel tank” who moves slowly, soaks up damage like a dry sponge on a rainy day, and hits like an angry Wookie. Bossk is no slouch on the tough-guy front either: His health regenerates with enemy kills and his Predatory Instincts ability can be switched on and off at will, with no cooldown. It also leaves him somewhat more prone to shooting at allies as well as enemies, but it's not like he was the galaxy's most discriminating killer in the first place.

The trailer also reveals, at the very end, that the Death Star expansion will be available to Star Wars Battlefront season pass holders on September 20. Given that the pass offers two weeks of early access to each expansion, that means the rest of us can blow this thing and go home on October 4.

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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.