If you’re a gamer that wants nothing more than to bark orders on a vast battlefield and test your aim with some seriously realistic gunplay, you really can’t go wrong with Arma 3. It’s one of the most expansive, engrossing, and modded war games ever made, and not content with just putting out its own DLC and content for Arma 3, Bohemia Interactive has championed third-party studios and modders to make their own officially published ‘creator DLCs’ too. The latest CDLC has just hit the military FPS, with the US Marines and amphibious vehicles taking centre stage.
Arma 3 – and pretty much anything Arma-related, for that matter – is among the best war games you can play on PC. Despite its huge array of weapons, vehicles, military factions, and its own universe of conflict lore, it’s always getting expanded upon, and the new Expeditionary Forces DLC brings plenty more to the table.
Created by Tiny Gecko Studios, which is a small group of experienced Arma modders, Expeditionary Forces takes place in Arma 3’s 2035 setting, so some near-future gear is required. Enter a new amphibious vehicle: the AAV-9 Mack. It is “capable of ferrying a squad of 13 Marines from ship to shore at high speed.” It’s also equipped with a 30 or 50mm cannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a periscope that the commander can use to scout out the coastline ahead.
The AH-99J Python helicopter is also included, which is an upgraded, naval-spec variant of the AH-99 Blackfoot. Tiny Gecko says that it “trades some of its stealth capabilities for long-range datalink antennas, more powerful radar, and external stores allowing it to carry a wider array of weapons.”
There are also some new sea vessels as well, such as the utilitarian LCC-1 Landing Craft, which is used to transport other vehicles and equipment to the shore, and the Combat Boat, a speedy and versatile ship that can be kitted out with a wide range of weapons. However, there is also a massive new warship, the USS Takmyr, that acts as “a floating barracks” that you can launch many of these new vehicles from.
With the Marine theme, there is of course a new Marine faction added with this DLC: the Marine Joint Task Force. “It is a self-contained expeditionary unit capable of operating independently from amphibious warfare ships and specialized in fighting in littoral areas,” Tiny Gecko says. This new unit comes with some suitably-new equipment too, so you’ll be able to don fresh helmets, uniforms, night vision devices, scuba gear, and more.
While the main focus is on getting all of these new assets into the game for players to use in their battles, there is a small “mini-campaign” called Resolute Cyclone that you can playthrough as well, which is designed to get you using and mastering the new vehicles. “On the eve of the NATO invasion on Altis, Marines from the 29th MEU are tasked with securing the western part of the island. Join the MJTF in this single player mini-campaign, use stealth to infiltrate enemy territory, cut the enemy off from reinforcements, and liberate Kavala from the AAF,” its description reads.
The Expeditionary Forces creator DLC for Arma 3 is available right now and will set you back $7.99 / £6.99. To learn more about it and add it to your Arma experience, head over to its Steam page here.
If you need a bit of a break from Arma 3, you’ll be able to find something new in our guides to the best FPS games and best multiplayer games.
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