Star Wars Battlefront Public Beta Announced

Can't wait to suit up as your favorite member of the Rebel Alliance or slap on that Imperial stormtrooper armor once more? You're in luck, as you'll no longer have to wait until mid-November to do so, at least not in some basic ways.

Star Wars Battlefront, the first game born of the ten-year EA Games and Lucasfilm/Disney agreement for core console development, doesn't hit stores until November 17, 2015, but a public beta will come to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in "early October," according to a press release. The Beta will focus on the two modes that have been shown multiple times to press at events like E3 and Comic-Con.

Walker Assault mode, a 40-player battle taking place on the iconic Hoth from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back will let players join a team of 20 on either side of the battle. In this mode, they'll also have the hero and villain unlocks allowing players who find the right power-up to play as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker and wield the power of the Force (oh, and a lightsaber, of course) against the rank-and-file.

The Tatooine Survival mission is also in the Beta, letting two players (either on the couch or online) team-up to take on waves of Imperial forces in around an 8-10 minute quick battle. Check out our hands-on preview of Survival mode here.

A new third mode will also come to the Beta, called Drop Zone, though they're not telling fans exactly what that mode entails just yet. Missing is the dogfighting mode previewed at Gamescom in Germany, however. The mode was heavily criticized for the way X-wings and TIE-fighters felt too similar in play.

The Star Wars Battlefront Companion will also be available during the Beta, offering a remote, web-based management for your Star Cards (powerups), weapons, and more in the game. The app will come to Android and iOS at the full game's launch.