Star Wars Battlefront II

The primary focus of the story is on Iden Versio, the commander leading the Imperial Special Forces group known as Inferno Squad. As Versio and her team witness the destruction of the second Death Star, they look to her for guidance. Versio assures her squad that they will avenge the Emperor.

The narrative spans three decades, commencing in the final months of the Galactic Civil War and concluding with the destruction of Starkiller Base.

Certain segments of the campaign allow players to control other characters, including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Kylo Ren, Lando Calrissian, and Princess Leia Organa.

In the vastness of space, a U-wing transport, transporting a valuable prisoner, is escorted by a pair of A-wing interceptors to the Mon Calamari Security Cruiser named Invincible Faith. A rebel officer, having assessed the prisoner, cautions the ship's captain that she is highly skilled in deception, infiltration, and extraction, marking her as special forces. The ship's captain questions her, identifying her as Iden Versio, the commander of Inferno Squad within the Imperial Special Forces. He demands the access code for her droid, but she remains silent. The captain then urges her to join the Rebel Alliance, warning that his technicians will inevitably slice her droid and that the Galactic Empire's reign is ending, to which she responds that he is correct: the Empire's time has come. After he departs, Iden remotely activates her ID10 seeker droid, Dio, via her helmet, surprising the Sullustan rebel technician. Dio navigates through the Invincible Faith's ventilation system, eventually reaching Iden's cell and freeing her. The droid unlocks the door as Iden contacts Agent Gideon Hask, who inquires if the Rebels suspect her intentional capture. Iden sneaks past a briefing involving key Rebel personnel and Admiral Gial Ackbar, who invites the Invincible Faith to join the Alliance Fleet gathering at Sullust for a surprise attack on the second Death Star above Endor, unaware that the Empire is aware of this and planning an ambush. Iden heads towards the ship's communications hub. She shoots the officer deciphering the message and then deletes an intercepted transmission from Moff Derrek Raythe that would have alerted the Rebellion to the Empire's trap. This triggers an alarm, but Iden equips herself with a blaster and reaches an airlock. She is intercepted by the Imperial raider named Corvus, which enters hyperspace before the Invincible Faith can retaliate. Iden reunites with Hask and Agent Del Meeko, and instructs Hask to send a message to Admiral Garrick Versio: the Emperor's plan remains secure. She observes a hologram of the Death Star orbiting Endor and remarks that the Rebellion will meet its end today.

The Emperor's scheme unfolds during the Battle of Endor. Nevertheless, the Rebel fleet under Admiral Ackbar's leadership manages to hold its own. Admiral Versio watches from his Star Destroyer Eviscerator as Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer Executor is downed and crashes onto the Death Star II's surface, prompting the Admiral to call Admiral Firmus Piett a fool. He instructs an Imperial officer to connect him with Inferno Squad, stationed on Endor's surface scouting the Death Star's shield generator. Commander Iden Versio informs her father, the Admiral, that the planetary shield generator is irreparably damaged. The Admiral orders her to eliminate the Rebel troopers present and return to the Corvus to prevent the Emperor's plan from failing. Agent Meeko provides cover for Commander Versio and Agent Hask as they engage the Rebel troopers, but they are too late to capture the saboteurs. After the Rebels are defeated, Inferno discusses potential locations for nearby TIE fighters when the second Death Star suddenly explodes. They are overwhelmed with shock and grief, but Iden quickly regains control and instructs her agents to postpone their grieving and move. Admiral Versio informs Iden that Vice Admiral Rae Sloane, as the highest-ranking surviving commanding officer, has ordered a complete retreat, emphasizing to Iden the importance of Inferno's survival and escape from the forest moon. Inferno reinforces a squad of stormtroopers pinned down by Rebel forces and advances towards Platform 4 alongside them. Rebel forces are deployed across the forest moon to prevent Imperial troops from escaping and to secure their positions. Nevertheless, Inferno escapes aboard three TIE fighters before the Rebels can sabotage them.

Hask reaches the Corvus while Iden and Del navigate through the wreckage of the second Death Star, recalling that Inferno was established by Iden's father, Admiral Versio, following the destruction of the first Death Star to prevent similar occurrences. The Corvus comes under attack from Rebel starfighters and bombers, but Iden and Del fend them off. Iden is privately contacted by her father, who instructs her to meet him on the Eviscerator for her next orders while Del and Hask remain on the Corvus. With the Corvus repaired, they enter hyperspace, fleeing the pursuing Rebel fleet.

The Eviscerator and Corvus rendezvous above Vardos in the Jinata system, the homeworld of the Versio family. On the Eviscerator's bridge, Garrick informs his daughter of the Emperor's death. He presents her with a Messenger droid containing a hologram of the deceased Emperor's final command: to initiate Operation: Cinder immediately. When Iden attempts to inquire about their target, the Messenger attacks her, stating she lacks verification. Garrick leads his daughter away and hands Inferno's next assignments to her, cautioning that her orders are unusual but that they are living in unprecedented times.

The Corvus travels to an Imperial shipyard orbiting Fondor, tasked with providing security for Moff Raythe, who is acquiring satellites crucial for Operation: Cinder aboard his docked Star Destroyer Dauntless. However, the shipyard is unexpectedly attacked by a Rebel fleet. While Del stays on the Corvus, Iden and Hask board their TIE fighters and defend the Dauntless from CR90 corvettes and Rebel U-wing transports. Iden shields Hask from Rebel starfighters before boarding the Rebel Mon Calamari star cruiser to disable its ion cannons targeting the Dauntless. Iden and Hask succeed, though the final explosion nearly throws Iden into space, but she is saved by the cruiser's closing gates. They return to their TIE fighters and are ordered by Moff Raythe to attack the Imperial facility itself to release the Dauntless from the shipyard's jammed clamps. When Iden questions their target, Moff Raythe replies that power is the only path to peace, and Admiral Versio will participate in cleansing the galaxy to remind its inhabitants that the Empire remains in control. The Dauntless is eventually freed and destroys the Rebel cruiser with its turbolasers. Moff Raythe assures Iden that her father will be proud.

Following the defense of Fondor, Inferno gains access to the Emperor's Observatory on Pillio, one of many Observatories established by the Emperor across the galaxy for various classified purposes. Agent Del Meeko is dispatched alone to disable the Mantle defense system and destroy the Observatory, as its contents could be used by the Rebel Alliance against the Empire. Meeko travels to Pillio aboard a single Lambda shuttle with stormtrooper forces, unaware that the new age Jedi Knight and Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker is already there with his astromech R2-D2 on his own mission to the Observatory. Luke is forced to defend himself when the stormtroopers attack, but encounters Meeko trapped in amber by Pillio's native Scritters. Meeko initially doesn't recognize Skywalker until the Jedi uses his lightsaber to free him. He questions why an enemy of the Empire would help him, to which Skywalker responds it's simply because he asked. Facing a common threat and mission, Meeko is forced to collaborate with Skywalker to defend themselves against Pillio's bugs and locate the Observatory. Despite Skywalker's warnings, Meeko throws a thermal detonator at the bugs, creating a chasm beneath them. Nevertheless, they reach the Observatory, where Skywalker protects Meeko from the bugs as he shuts down its security systems.

After the Mantle defense system is deactivated, they are nearly overwhelmed as they approach the Observatory, but the bugs strangely avoid it, allowing Skywalker and Meeko to proceed. Skywalker uses the Force to open the Observatory's doors, leaving Meeko to wonder why the Emperor would create a facility accessible only through the Force. Skywalker says he already knows, leading Meeko to ask in disbelief if Skywalker is suggesting that the man who destroyed the Jedi Order was secretly one of them. Skywalker clarifies, however, that, growing up on Coruscant, he feared the wrong thing. Meeko remarks that the Emperor was only protecting junk, but Skywalker takes interest in a particular compass and asks Meeko if he can keep it. Meeko asks Skywalker why he would allow him to do that since his orders are to destroy the Observatory and Skywalker is an enemy, to which Skywalker replies simply because he asked. Meeko decides to let Skywalker keep the compass. Skywalker then asks Meeko to reconsider his mission, saying that the Empire has already done enough damage to many innocent worlds.

As they depart from the Observatory, Meeko asks Skywalker how they can simply walk away and pretend nothing happened. Meeko admits his growing doubts about the Empire to Skywalker, who tells Meeko that he has a choice. Meeko misinterprets this as a choice between the Empire and the Rebellion, but Skywalker corrects him, stating it's simply a choice to be better. Skywalker wishes Meeko "may the Force be with you" as he departs, with Meeko watching from behind.

Meeko returns to the Corvus with Hask and Iden, who informs them that their next assignment is to extract Protectorate Gleb from Vardos. Gleb is the headmaster of the Future Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School, where Hask and Iden were raised, and also serves as an officer in Jinata Security. Iden is unsure how this relates to Operation: Cinder but asserts that they must trust the Admiral. However, upon arriving at Vardos, they discover that the satellites, which are climate disruption arrays, are being deployed by the Dauntless, as pointed out by Meeko, in orbit of Vardos. Inferno is shocked, and Hask recalls that they were never informed of their target. An angered Iden confronts her father aboard the Eviscerator, pleading with him that Vardos and its people are loyal to the Empire. Her father rationalizes that Operation: Cinder will instill fear throughout the galaxy, enabling the Empire to maintain control through fear and preserve order. Iden continues to appeal to her father that Vardos is their home, to which he responds, raising his voice, that the Empire is their home and that they will obey the Emperor's commands. Iden refuses to take orders from dead men, causing her father to assert his authority, shouting that she takes orders from him before reminding her that her orders are to extract Protectorate Gleb alone. He dismisses her, and Iden walks off with a bitter expression. The Admiral instructs an Imperial officer to connect him with Agent Hask.

The Corvus lands at an Imperial facility on Vardos, where hurricanes and superstorms are forming due to the beams emitted by the satellites. Iden announces that they will find Gleb in the Archive in Kestro. During their journey, they encounter protesting civilians and learn that any aircraft attempting to leave the planet will be shot down. Iden, Del, and Hask discuss these events; Iden points out that the people on Vardos are their people and that their own troopers are in danger, while Hask argues that their fearlessness in the face of the storms demonstrates true discipline and that Operation: Cinder is a test to prove their worthiness. They eventually reach the Archive, where they find Gleb and a Rodian agent among a group of civilians. As Hask escorts Gleb and the agent away, orange lightning strikes a building, causing debris to nearly crush a civilian. With Iden's approval, Del instructs the civilians to run to the Corvus. Hask tries to intervene, but Iden orders him to stand down. Hask reminds Iden and Del that their orders are to extract Protectorate Gleb alone. Del says he no longer recognizes the Empire, and Iden defends him, arguing that the Empire's duty is to protect civilians from events like Operation: Cinder. When Hask asserts that this is the "new Empire," Del declares he wants no part in it and will follow his commanding officer. Hask asks Iden if these are her orders, which constitute treason, and Iden confirms. Hask refuses to lower his weapon and warns that defiance will lead to their deaths before aiming it at Iden, but she shoots Hask in the leg, allowing Iden and Del to escape. Hask contacts Admiral Versio and reports that Commander Versio and Agent Meeko have abandoned the mission and committed treason.

Iden and Del navigate through the city, reluctantly shooting Imperial troops who notice them and learning that the Admiral has ordered their deaths. They manage to steal an AT-AT and use it to destroy the anti-air batteries across the city, eventually destroying a satellite array that disables all anti-air batteries in the sector. Del pilots the AT-AT to the Corvus while Iden shoots at Imperial forces, including AT-STs, demolition troopers, turbolasers, and another AT-AT. She destroys the barricade at the Imperial facility where the Corvus is docked, but a lightning bolt disables the AT-AT. Iden and Del regroup with their crew, who are under fire from Imperial troops, and provide cover as the Imperial raider's ramp is lowered and the refugees board. The lightning storm protects them from an approaching AT-AT walker, and they escape as scout walkers arrive at the facility. They evade the Eviscerator and the Dauntless and enter hyperspace.

Meanwhile, Agent Hask returns to the Eviscerator with Protectorate Gleb and her agent, reporting to Admiral Versio, who congratulates Hask on the "success" of his mission and promotes him to Commander.

In the Vorpal Nebula in the Outer Rim Territories, Iden and Del discuss their next steps. Iden notes that some of their crew remained loyal and are helping protect the refugees, who are frightened but safe, while Del repairs her droid. Del suggests that Iden leave with the Corvus while he stays behind in a TIE fighter, sending a general distress call to the Rebellion, but Iden refuses to abandon him. Ultimately, they decide to surrender to the Rebel Alliance, sending a general distress transmission that is intercepted by Danger Leader Shriv Suurgav. After the Restoration captures the Corvus and its crew, General Lando Calrissian arrives and confronts Iden and Del. He thanks them for the intelligence they provided on Operation: Cinder and offers them two T-65B X-wing starfighters to begin a new life. Calrissian learns that Operation: Cinder is targeting Naboo, the Emperor's homeworld. Iden and Del warn that the Empire is evolving, as are its tactics. Calrissian gives them the choice of fighting against Operation: Cinder or fleeing. Reluctantly, Iden and Del agree to help combat Operation: Cinder.

Calrissian arrives above Naboo with his fleet and Danger Squadron, which Iden and Del have temporarily joined under the call signs Danger Five and Danger Six, reinforcing Princess Leia Organa, who is already there with Rebel troopers and fighting in three N-1 starfighters against Imperial forces led by Captain Lerr Duvat and the climate disruption array satellites. Iden, Del, Shriv, and Danger Squadron help Leia and the Rebel and Naboo Fighter Pilots destroy the climate disruption arrays, then cover their Y-wing bombers as they bomb the Star Destroyer Torment. With the Torment's shields disabled, the Restoration destroys it. Iden and Del notice that Imperial troop transports and TIES are evacuating the Star Destroyer. However, instead of retreating to the nearest safe zone, the transports are headed toward Theed, the capital of Naboo.

Danger Squadron heads towards Theed, where Iden, Del, and Shriv reinforce the Rebel troops fighting against the Imperial forces. They split up to reactivate power relays that can be used to activate Theed's defense system: an ion pulse that spreads across the city from the royal palace, which was installed after the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation. Leia and her troops cover Del as they make their way across the city, wiring the power relays back online. With the power relays online, they head to the central street where Rebel forces are battling stormtroopers and an AT-AT walker. Leia and her troops cover Del as he reactivates the defense system in the palace, falling back as the stormtroopers advance. Del gets the system online, and the Rebel forces retreat inside the palace as the ion pulse is detonated, disabling the Imperial forces' blasters, walkers, and starfighters. Rebel troops rush out, and the Imperial forces surrender.

Princess Leia confronts Iden and Del after the battle in the royal palace, having learned that they are Inferno Squad from General Calrissian. Leia notes that watching them in battle, this fight against the Empire means more to them than just escaping. Iden says that there is no excuse for the damage they've done against the Rebel Alliance, and would like to continue fighting with them if she would allow them to, having realized they have been fighting for the wrong side this whole time. Leia says that people like Iden and Del give the galaxy hope, and that hope is the reason they will triumph over the Empire. She then welcomes them to the New Republic.

Months later, Leia Organa, now serving as a Senator within the Galactic Senate located on Chandrila, gets in touch with Iden Versio. Iden is currently leading Inferno Squad within the ranks of the New Republic Defense Force. Leia informs Iden that she has successfully located a missing general of their forces on Takodana, and requests that Iden undertake a mission to find Han Solo.

Inside Takodana Castle, Han shares with Maz his discovery of an Imperial defector, Ralsius Paldora. This defector possesses vital intelligence for the Republic, particularly concerning the liberation of the Wookiees who are still on Kashyyyk. Solo eventually locates Paldora, a statistician, who has concealed the crucial information within data cubes scattered throughout the forests of Takodana. Paldora reveals to Solo that he gathered this information from a man known as Rax, an Imperial officer who is in the process of consolidating the scattered remnants of the Empire. As they prepare to depart, they notice Imperial forces landing on the planet, which forces Solo and Paldora into a desperate fight through the forests. They manage to reach the Millennium Falcon, where they are joined by Chewbacca, Solo's Wookiee co-pilot. Together, they engage in aerial combat against an Imperial light cruiser and accompanying TIE fighters, with the assistance of Inferno Squad. Solo skillfully destroys the cruiser, sending it to the bottom of Nymeve Lake, and successfully extracts Paldora from the planet. Aboard the Corvus, Solo makes contact with Leia and expresses his gratitude to Inferno Squad for their invaluable assistance.

The information provided by Paldora reveals to Iden that her father has been conducting operations within the Anoat sector, specifically on Bespin and Sullust. This sector is currently under a strict lockdown enforced by Governor Ubrik Adelhard and his faction. Consequently, she and Del reach out to Senator Organa, seeking authorization to sabotage her father's operations and potentially capture him. Leia acknowledges that she is not their direct commanding officer. Del expresses concern that Fleet Command might not approve of a mission perceived as overly personal. Understanding their situation, Leia grants Iden and Del her approval to move forward with their mission. The pair then travels alone to Chinook Station, which is located in the clouds of Bespin and serves as a refueling point for Admiral Versio's Imperial fleet. Their objective is to sabotage the station and capture Gideon Hask, who they have learned is also present. They infiltrate the station disguised in stormtrooper armor. However, upon reaching the platform's summit, they discover that Hask has set a trap for them. Their attempt to pursue him is thwarted as his Star Destroyer escapes, and alarms are activated throughout Chinook Station, which forces them to fight their way out.

Unable to reach their X-wings, Iden reluctantly agrees to hijack a cloud car with Del. They use the cloud car to ignite the fueling sites at Chinook Station. The resulting explosion triggers a chain reaction, which causes three Star Destroyers still docked there to crash. Although Chinook Station is destroyed, severely hampering Admiral Versio's fleet's refueling capabilities, both Hask and the admiral manage to escape.

At a later time, Lando and Shriv, the latter now integrated into Inferno Squad, embark on a mission to an abandoned Imperial weapons depot located on Sullust, with the intention of securing the weapons for the New Republic. However, upon arrival, they discover that Imperial forces have retaken the weapons depot, despite Sullust having been previously liberated (an event in which Shriv participated). The Imperials are now using the depot for arms manufacturing. Lando concludes that their best option is to destroy the weapons depot. Lando makes his way to the control center, while simultaneously directing Shriv to find a means of escape. Lando causes the lava within the weapons depot to overflow. He escapes with Shriv aboard an AT-ST, but they are unable to reach a nearby Imperial shuttle in time. As the lava rises, Shriv remarks sarcastically to Lando that if he dies, he's glad Lando will die with him. However, at the last possible moment, Iden arrives with the Corvus and rescues them from the lava.

Admiral Ackbar has issued orders for all Republic forces to converge on Jakku in the Western Reaches. It is here that the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy have regrouped, having been consolidated from various Imperial fleets by Rax, including the fleet commanded by Iden's father. This anticipated confrontation is believed to potentially mark the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War. The Republic Navy arrives, initiating the Battle of Jakku, while soldiers of the New Republic army are deployed to the desert surface of Jakku. As the Corvus flies through the skies above Jakku, it receives numerous distress calls from their sector. Iden and Shriv board two X-wing starfighters, while Del remains on the Corvus, providing guidance to the sources of the distress calls. They first land at a crashed Star Destroyer, where TIE bombers are being deployed to harass Republic troops in the sector. Iden and Shriv engage the stormtroopers defending the Star Destroyer and eliminate them before returning to the skies. They then provide support to Captain Lindsey and his troops on the ground. Lindsey is advancing towards Carbon Ridge to neutralize a mysterious Imperial research facility, but has been intercepted by two AT-AT walkers and Imperial forces. Iden uses binoculars to relay the coordinates of the AT-AT walkers to the Starhawk Unity, enabling it to launch orbital bombardments. The AT-AT walkers are destroyed, and Inferno Squad assists Lindsey and his troops in defeating the Imperial forces, allowing them to continue their advance to Carbon Ridge.

Iden and Shriv return to their X-wings and head back to the Corvus, but they are attacked by Imperial forces led by Hask, who is piloting a modified TIE interceptor. After a fierce dogfight, Iden shoots him down, seemingly killing him. She then decides to pursue her father after spotting the Eviscerator, and disables communications with Del and the Corvus. She crash lands on top of the Eviscerator and fights her way through Imperial stormtroopers, navigating through a hole in the hull. As she heads towards an elevator to the Star Destroyer's bridge, she overhears an Imperial officer giving the order to retreat to Counselor Rax. Admiral Versio orders for evacuation before being cut off, which makes her realize that her father is still on board. On the bridge, Admiral Versio gives the go for his right hand Imperial officer to leave while Iden confronts her father, pleading with him to abandon the Empire. Garrick declines his daughter's rescue attempt. He tells her that Rax expects him to leave to, but he has also refused him. Garrick explains how he's given his life to the Empire and can scarcely believe that all that's left of it is being destroyed here. An Republic escort frigate crashes near the bridge of the Eviscerator, and Garrick falls into his daughter's hand but ultimately lets go. He tells his daughter that she is strong and urges her to find peace in her life as he resolves to go down with his ship. Realizing she cannot convince her father and seeking to get back to Del, Iden runs off as the Eviscerator begins to plummet to Jakku's sandy plains, the Star Destroyer exploding around her. She makes her way to an escape pod and launches towards Jakku.

Iden awakens to find Del opening her escape pod. He informs her that the battle is over and that they have won. The two embrace and kiss as Shriv arrives with Dio. He then directs Iden and Del over a sandy hill, where they watch over the wreckage of the Imperial fleet.

Thirty years later, an Upsilon-class command shuttle arrives on Pillio, which has now become a dry and arid landscape. The dark warrior Kylo Ren disembarks from his command shuttle accompanied by stormtroopers of the First Order. He meets with Protectorate Gleb and Jinata Security, who have captured the Corvus and imprisoned its crew. On the bridge of the Corvus, Kylo confronts a wounded and collapsed Del Meeko, who sarcastically remarks that Kylo could have simply asked to hire his ship. Kylo interrogates Del about the map to Skywalker, but Del feigns ignorance, prompting Kylo to use the Force to infiltrate his mind. Kylo experiences Del's memories, from his time as a shoretrooper on Scarif to the formation of Inferno Squad, to the Battle of Endor, where Kylo learns that Del and Iden are now married and have a daughter and that it was Iden who turned him into a traitor, to Del's encounter with Skywalker on Pillio, which Kylo notes is where Del found faith, to a fight on Vardos involving Jinata Security troopers and First Order stormtroopers. Kylo notes that Vardos is where their "family" was torn apart as he slices through Iden, Del, and Hask in their Inferno uniforms. Kylo mocks Del as a coward, and continues to press him for where Lor San Tekka of the Church of the Force took the map to Skywalker, the last Jedi, all the while mentally torturing him. Finally, Del tells Kylo that San Tekka took it to Bayora.

Kylo releases Del and leaves him in the care of Gideon Hask, who is now a First Order officer. Hask continues to berate Del as a coward and expresses his "disappointment" in him for abandoning his duty as a soldier in favor of a simple life of fatherhood and cargo hauling on the Corvus. Del retorts that everyone changes, including Hask himself, who "used to be dead." Hask then hints at his intentions to kill Iden. Del pleads with Hask not to go after Iden, calling him by his first name, warning his former friend that it will not end well for him. Hask, however, draws his blaster pistol and repeatedly shoots Del, killing him. Outside the Corvus on Pillio, an angered Hask confronts Gleb over her failure to keep Project Resurrection confidential, reminding her that the First Order helped Jinata Security rebuild Vardos and maintain control over the Jinata system. Gleb claims it was an honest mistake and assures him that they will relocate the Pillio operation and increase efforts on [Athulla](/article/athulla]. Hask states that he will leave some of his men behind to ensure this happens. Before leaving, he turns to Gleb and instructs her to bury the bodies of Del Meeko and his crew, but to leave the Corvus intact. Gleb warns that this will allow Iden to track it and lead her to Pillio, to which Hask replies that he is counting on it.

Iden Versio and her daughter, Zay, are practicing maneuvers in their X-wing starfighters at Kiara's Comet Cluster within the Hartaga system. Iden receives a message from the Corvus, assuming it is from her husband and Zay's father, Del Meeko. However, it is Shriv Suurgav who informs Iden that he needs to see her and will send coordinates for a meeting.

Iden and Zay dock with the Corvus on Pillio. Shriv explains that he was sent by General Organa to investigate rumors of a First Order operation called Project: Resurrection, which the Resistance suspects is responsible for a series of disappearances. Shriv's scanners detected the Corvus on Pillio, where he found the ship abandoned and the planet strip-mined. He found no sign of Del, but checked the ship's logs to find that before Pillio he had visited Athulla, a planet on the edge of the Jinata system.

The Corvus arrives at an asteroid field surrounding Athulla, where they are contacted by an Athullan expecting Del, who was investigating Jinata Security kidnapping families from their planet. The signal is jammed by the J-Sec Nebulon-B frigate Opportunity, captained by Leema Kai. Kai orders the Corvus to surrender, but Iden and Zay destroy all of the frigate's transport and starfighter escorts, then disable its engines. Leema Kai attacks them in his modified N-1 starfighter which can launch seismic charges. Iden destroys Kai's fighter, killing him, and the Opportunity surrenders after Zay threatens to fire a barrage of concussion missiles at the ship as a bluff. The frigate's crew tell Shriv that Project: Resurrection is run by Protectorate Gleb from Jinata Security headquarters on Vardos.

The Corvus arrives at Iden's homeworld of Vardos—once an Imperial utopia, but now an ash-strewn wasteland due to the effects of Operation: Cinder decades earlier. Iden orders Zay to stay aboard the Corvus, while she and Shriv confront Gleb at the Archive building. As they make their way through the ruins of Kestro, they see red lights streaking through the sky—the destruction of the Hosnian system by the First Order's Starkiller Base.

Entering the Archive, Iden finds Gleb dead on the floor. Gideon Hask steps out of the shadows, saying the Protectorate had outlived her usefulness to Project Resurrection and the First Order. Iden accuses them of kidnapping children, but Hask refers to Resurrection as "rescuing" children, and forging them into an army for the First Order. Shriv says the Senate will not allow it, but Hask informs them that the Senate and the Hosnian system have been destroyed. He tells Iden that on this great day, he chose to be with her where it all began—the defection of Inferno Squad from the Empire at the Vardos Archive. Hask gloats that he is at last getting his revenge for Iden's actions that day—first by killing Del, and then her daughter. He gestures outside, where a Star Destroyer opens fire on the Corvus, destroying it. Hask orders his squad of stormtroopers to interrogate Iden and Shriv for information on the Resistance. As they are escorted outside, a Jinata Security officer throws a thermal detonator at the troopers, allowing Iden to disarm and incapacitate them.

With J-Sec and the First Order occupied with fighting each other, Iden orders her droid Dio to slice a relay station to detect the homing beacons from the Corvus's escape pods. They locate two pods but both are empty; however, Dio picks up a third beacon, where they find Zay has set up a sniper's nest to defend herself. After clearing the area of First Order and J-Sec troops, Iden tells Zay that her father is dead—she blames herself for not joining the Resistance earlier, and resolves to board Hask's Star Destroyer, the Retribution, to kill him. Shriv and Zay assure her it isn't her fault, and Shriv welcomes Iden to the Resistance.

Iden, Zay and Shriv steal two TIE fighters and join a squadron in formation around the capital ship. When the Retribution asks why they haven't remained on Vardos as ordered, they open fire on the other TIEs and engage them in a dogfight. Dio's scan picks up a weak spot on a heat sink near the ship's aft engines, which Iden destroys allowing them to fly inside its superstructure. As they fly inside, Retribution jumps into hyperspace, causing their ships to crash. Iden and Zay locate a computer terminal, which Dio slices to reveal details of Project Resurrection: the abduction of thousands of children to train as Stormtroopers, the construction of hundreds of capital ships in the Unknown Regions, and the plans for a First Order Dreadnaught. After Dio has downloaded the plans, Iden resolves to rip the ship out of hyperspace. She sends Shriv to find them a means of escape, then she and Zay plant ion detonators on the Retribution's hyperdrive generators.

As Iden places the last charge on the backup generator, Hask appears and holds Zay at gunpoint. Iden drops her weapon, and as Hask shoots at her, Zay knocks him off balance. Hask throws Zay off the platform, but she is caught by Iden. Zay hands her mother a blaster, and she shoots Hask who falls to his death. Iden and Zay detonate the charges, destroying the hyperdrive and forcing the Retribution to drop out of lightspeed within view of Starkiller Base. Iden collapses and Zay realizes she has been critically wounded. She promises to get help, but Iden is resigned to her fate, telling her daughter as she dies that they fight so that others may live, and that if they die, it had better be for the same reason. As Zay looks sadly out into space, Starkiller Base explodes, creating a new star.

Zay, Dio, and Shriv arrive at the base on D'Qar in a commandeered Special Forces TIE Fighter, where they are nearly shot down by a Resistance patrol. After Shriv confirms their identity, Zay is contacted by General Organa, who tells them the First Order is on its way to D'Qar, and assigns them an urgent mission to seek help and reinforcements from their allies in the Outer Rim. Zay and Shriv accept the mission, and jump to lightspeed...

The game reverts to the classic Battlefront format, implementing a class-based system for infantry troopers. Each class shares a common progression system, but their equipment varies depending on their faction.

The trooper classes available are Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist.

More vehicles are available for each faction, notably the Tauntauns and the AT-RT. Furthermore, space combat makes a comeback, introducing fresh starships. These vehicles will also play a role in a brand new system for progression and customization.

Instead of collecting tokens like in the previous game, players now accumulate Battle Points during matches, which can then be used to acquire vehicles, heroes, and reinforcements.

The roster of playable hero and villain characters from the movies has been expanded, and players now have the option to tailor their skills to suit their playstyle. According to Creative Director Bernd Diemer, the intention was to give the heroes more complexity, moving away from the feeling of them being merely temporary power-ups.

The game also incorporated loot boxes. Initially, these loot crates, which were purchasable with real money, provided abilities that altered gameplay. However, due to significant negative feedback, microtransactions were temporarily taken offline at launch. On March 16, 2018, it was announced that microtransactions would return, but solely for cosmetic items that could be bought directly. Loot boxes would then only include in-game currency and cosmetic items, such as emotes. The progression system is now entirely linear; playing as a specific class allows players to enhance its abilities and unlock new ones.

• Campaign: A completely new canon narrative is present in the game, bridging the story between Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. It primarily explores the aftermath of the Battle of Endor [15] and follows Inferno Squad, an elite Imperial special forces unit.

• Arcade: This mode offers offline single-player gameplay (as well as two-player co-op on consoles) where players can engage in battles against AI-controlled opponents in various scenarios. It also allows players to design their own custom battle scenarios. [15]

• Instant Action: This mode mirrors the ground phase of Capital Supremacy, but replaces human players with AI. Players can engage in battles across several maps from the Clone Wars, Rebel-Empire, and Resistance-First Order eras, including locations like Theed, Kashyyyk, Death Star II, Hoth, Ajan Kloss, and Takodana, playing as any of the available factions. Instant Action also includes an additional mode (called Instant Action Missions) where players either attack or defend command posts to advance or halt an attack. This feature was introduced in the Battle on Scarif update and shares similarities with the online co-op mode.

• Multiplayer: The multiplayer component features a variety of online game modes that can accommodate up to 40 concurrent players. [15] [16] Galactic Assault: This mode features 20v20 battles with distinct objectives across thirteen maps, including locations like Naboo, Geonosis, Kamino, Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Yavin 4, Hoth, Endor, the Second Death Star, Jakku, Takodana, Starkiller Base, and Crait. Players can participate as troopers, heroes, and select vehicles and starships, depending on the map.[16] Starfighter Assault: This mode consists of 12v12 space battles, with an additional 20 AI-controlled ships per team, each with unique objectives for maps set in space and above planets.[16] Some planets, such as Ryloth, D'Qar, and Fondor, are exclusively available in Starfighter Assault due to the absence of ground maps for these locations. Strike: This 8v8 mode involves two teams competing in objective-based scenarios on a smaller scale.[16] Blast: An 8v8 team deathmatch mode.[16] Heroes vs. Villains: This 4v4 mode features hero duels involving characters from all three eras.[16] Ewok Hunt: This mode is similar to a game of tag, where stormtroopers (starting with 18 troopers) face off against Ewoks (starting with 2 Ewoks) in a dark environment.[16] Hero Showdown: This 2v2 mode features hero duels involving characters from all three eras. Extraction: In this mode, teams of up to 8 players participate in a scenario where a Rebel team attempts to transport a valuable shipment through Imperial territory in close-quarters combat.[16] Jetpack Cargo: This mode, which has since been removed, involved two teams attempting to capture a shipment, with the first team to secure three captures winning the match.[16] Hero Starfighter: This mode features 4v4 space battles using hero starfighters. Supremacy (also known as Capital Supremacy): This mode, set across all three eras, features teams of 20 players and AI units battling for control of five command posts. In the Age of the Republic and Age of Resistance eras, the first team to reach 100% attacks the enemy team's capital ship, similar to the conquest mode from Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005). If the attackers fail, both teams return to the ground phase of combat and continue fighting until one capital ship is destroyed. In the Age of Rebellion, the mode is similar, but there is no ship phase. Co-Op Missions: In this mode, a team of 4 players and AI allies choose to either attack or defend against an AI-controlled team.

The musical score for Star Wars Battlefront II was composed and orchestrated by Gordy Haab. The London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices performed the score at Abbey Road Studios, and it received a nomination at the 2017 G.A.N.G. Awards.

The game's development was first mentioned in an interview with an EA executive in 2016. Further details, including the involvement of DICE and Motive Studios in its development, were revealed during EA's Livestream at E3 2016.

The game's development is a collaborative effort between DICE, responsible for the multiplayer component, Motive Studios, responsible for the single-player mode, and Criterion Software, responsible for the vehicle and flight controls. The game incorporates content from all three film trilogies. One of the goals of the game's story is to offer a more humanized perspective of the Empire than previously seen.

On April 12, 2017, a leaked teaser trailer confirmed that the game would feature content from all three main Star Wars eras, a single-player campaign, and heroes like Kylo Ren, Rey, Darth Maul, and Yoda. EA officially premiered this trailer at their panel during 2017's Celebration Orlando the following day. A gameplay trailer for the game was then released on June 10, 2017, during the Battlefront II panel at E3 2017.

The single-player trailer was released in October 2017, with a preview on The Star Wars Show.

During the game's development, the team notably consulted Emil Fortune's reference book Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. Additionally, the team collaborated with Lucasfilm Ltd.'s Story Group on the campaign and characters, ensuring consistency in Luke Skywalker's character arc and aligning the game with other Star Wars visuals, according to Game Director Mark Thompson.

In April 2017, during the presentation at Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed that the game would be released on November 17, 2017, with early access on November 14 for those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Elite Trooper Edition. An open beta was held from October 4 to October 11.

DICE suggested that, unlike the previous game, this one would not have a season pass. Instead, they aimed to find a better alternative to prevent "fragmenting" the player community. During EA Play 2017, it was confirmed that there would be no season pass; instead, all downloadable content would be free for all players and included in events known as Seasons.

The first Season expansion, The Last Jedi Season, was released on December 5 and is based on Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the eighth film in the Star Wars saga, which was released on December 15, 2017. It includes a space map above D'Qar, the new planet Crait, Resistance hero Finn, and First Order villain Captain Phasma.

The Last Jedi Season also featured a campaign expansion released on December 13, titled Battlefront II: Resurrection, which details Commander Iden Versio's journey during the First Order's rise to power and consists of three chapters.

On May 3, EA Star Wars announced on Twitter that the second Season in the game would be based on Han Solo, coinciding with the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The first part of the Han Solo Season was released on May 16 and features the return of the map set in Jabba's Palace, a new game mode (Hero Showdown), new skins for Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian based on their disguises in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and the addition of starfighters to Arcade. The second part of the Han Solo Season was revealed in a trailer on June 6 and its content released on June 12, which included a new map on Kessel, the Millennium Falcon as it appears in Solo: A Star Wars Story, the return of the Extraction game mode, and new skins for Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca as they appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

The game's Design Director, Dennis Brännvall, hinted that content from Star Wars: The Clone Wars would be added to the game in the future. At EA Play, it was announced that a third season focused on the Clone Wars would be released in the fall of 2018. This season would include a map featuring Geonosis, new Clone Trooper skins, and General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku, and Anakin Skywalker as playable characters. General Grievous was released on October 30, 2018, with an alternate "Battle Damaged" appearance. Obi-Wan Kenobi, along with the 212th Battalion skins and a "Shattered" General Grievous skin, followed on November 28, alongside the Geonosis Galactic Assault map. In December, a new appearance of Obi-Wan Kenobi titled "General Kenobi" was released, based on his Star Wars: The Clone Wars armor (prior to the mid-third season).

Count Dooku was released on January 23, 2019, followed by an alternate "Dark Ritual" appearance less than a week later. Anakin Skywalker, along with the 501st and Coruscant Guard skins, and a general update for all Clone trooper skins, including armored clone officers, were released on February 27, 2019.

Also initially scheduled for February but then pushed back to March 26, 2019, was Capital Supremacy: a new, large-scale game mode featuring both capture points and capital ship takedowns, as well as two new Clone Wars Era Reinforcements and lightsaber combat improvements, which included no more stagger to a hero whose attack is blocked, plus the requirement of stamina to attack. It also featured a new appearance for Count Dooku: His sleepwear. On March 12, 2019, two new reinforcement classes were announced: Dual DC-17 pistol-wielding ARC Troopers and BX-series droid commandos, also released on March 26.

On April 2, 2019, three new locations were announced as being in development for Capital Supremacy. The first location, Kashyyyk, was released on April 24, and May and June release date for the next two. On May 10, 2019, the second location was revealed to be Kamino, and released on May 22. The third, Naboo, was revealed on June 7, 2019 - the first day of E3 2019 - and slated for a June 26 release, along with the unveiling of a large amount of upcoming content for the next few months. Among them were droidekas, Anakin Skywalker's Jedi General appearance from the early seasons of The Clone Wars, the TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank, additional clone trooper skins, and another Capital Supremacy location, released on September 25, 2019: Felucia. A new type of enforcer was also released that same day: the Clone commando.

On December 4th 2019, DICE detailed the content coming December 17th, to tie into the release of _The Rise of Skywalker. _These included new appearances for Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren, and a new planet, being the jungle world of Ajan Kloss based on the new movie. Four reinforcements were also added, the Sith trooper and a revamped Jet Trooper for the First Order, and two new ones for the Resistance, an Ovissian Gunner and a Caphex Spy. In January 2020, more content was released, with capital supremacy including the sequel era, as well as two new playable heroes, BB-8 and BB-9E.

Following the release of content from The Rise of Skywalker, a new focus on content from the original trilogy was announced. The first update including this content was released in February 2020, which included a new appearance for Imperial Jet Troopers, as well as playable Ewok and Imperial Security Bureau agent reinforcements. New weapons were also added. Additionally, further content set for release in March 2020 was announced, which included the addition of the original trilogy content to other modes such as Supremacy, as well as the addition of Scarif. Capital Supremacy has been renamed "Supremacy" due to the lack of capital ships in the original trilogy settings of the game mode.

• The campaign's opening scene, featuring a starship in space, mirrors the opening sequences of the Star Wars films.
• During the game's first mission, Admiral Gial Ackbar is seen explaining Operation Yellow Moon from the book Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure to the crew of the Invincible Faith via a hologram transmission. Rebel soldiers can also be heard discussing the upcoming Battle of Endor and mentioning Gold Squadron, Green Squadron, Blade Squadron, a B-wing starfighter squadron that served as the focus of the Blade Squadron short story series, Corona Squadron, which appears in the book Lost Stars, and Red Squadron.
• During the Battle of Endor level, Garrick Versio mentions that Vice Admiral Rae Sloane ordered all Imperial ships to retreat. This order was first introduced in the short story "The Levers of Power."
• Operation: Cinder was first depicted in the second issue of the comic series Star Wars: Shattered Empire.
• The compass that Luke Skywalker retrieves from Emperor Palpatine's vault in the mission "The Observatory" can be seen in Luke's hut on Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
• During the Mission to Bespin, several references to Governor Ubrik Adelhard and the Uprising can be heard. The Uprising was first introduced in the mobile video game Star Wars: Uprising.
• During the Battle of Jakku level, X-wing pilot chatter can be heard. Among these voices, references to Wedge Antilles, Snap Wexley, and Phantom Squadron can be heard. Also, Thane Kyrell, Kendy Idele, and the Inflictor can be heard. Kyrell and Idele were first introduced in the novel Lost Stars.
• Garrick Versio mentions that Gallius Rax expected Versio to flee; this was part of the Contingency. Both Gallius and the Contingency were first introduced in the Aftermath trilogy.
• Han Solo sports a beard during the Takodana level, gathering intelligence for an upcoming raid on Kashyyyk. Solo was depicted as growing a scruffy beard during the Aftermath trilogy.
• Three of the game's achievements are named "Dark Forces," "Force Unleashed," and "Outbound Flight," likely referencing the now- Legends video games and novel Star Wars: Dark Forces, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Outbound Flight.

The game, along with EA itself, faced severe criticism for locking Heroes and requiring players to "grind" extensively, with some estimates suggesting around 40 hours to unlock a single character. This was seen as an incentive to purchase Loot crates for easier unlocking. EA's response to the criticism on Reddit received hundreds of thousands of downvotes, surpassing any other Reddit comment by a significant margin. Due to the massive backlash against the loot crate system, EA and DICE temporarily removed microtransactions from the game at launch to refine the system for a later implementation.

The game was heavily criticized for its economic and progression system, which was tied to microtransactions that allowed players to purchase "crystals," an in-game currency, to then buy loot crates for randomly unlocking and upgrading Star Cards. Furthermore, the high cost of "credits," another in-game currency, to purchase playable hero and villain characters, requiring hundreds of hours of grinding, was also criticized. The microtransactions scandal garnered attention from major news outlets like CNN and The Wall Street Journal. Disney and Lucasfilm also publicly sided with gamers and criticized EA's handling of the game. In addition to potentially harming the game's sales, the incident further damaged EA's public image, with EA's shares on Wall Street dropping by 2.5% on launch day.

In response to the criticism, microtransactions were immediately disabled at launch, though temporarily. The cost to purchase heroes was also reduced by 75%. On March 16, 2018, DICE announced that microtransactions would return in April, but only for cosmetic items. The progression system was redesigned to be linear and was released on March 21.

EA's inclusion of loot boxes in Battlefront II also drew the attention of several governments. On November 15, the Belgian Gaming Commission announced an investigation into whether the loot boxes constituted gambling. EA denied the allegations, claiming the loot boxes were part of a "fun and fair game experience." On November 22, the Belgian Gambling Commission ruled that EA's microtransactions were a form of gambling. The Belgian Minister of Justice, Koen Geens, also expressed concern about the "mixing of gaming and gambling" and its potential harm to children's mental health, calling for a ban on gaming loot boxes throughout the European Union.

Following the Belgian Gambling Commission's investigation, the Dutch Gambling Commission also launched its own investigation into microtransactions in Battlefront II. EA's practices also faced criticism from United States politicians.

Additionally, gambling regulators in South Korea, Singapore, Australia, and the United Kingdom have expressed disapproval of Electronic Arts' use of loot boxes in gaming products, including Battlefront II.

Upon its initial release, the game was available in two editions: the Standard edition and the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition. (The Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition included Rey and Kylo Ren The Last Jedi skins, early access to the game, and game upgrades for weapons and Heroes.) A third edition, the Celebration Edition, which included the complete collection of purchasable customization content, was released on December 5, 2019.