‘Battlefield 3’ DLC Out Today On PlayStation 3, Next Week On PC, Xbox 360

Battlefield 3‘s fourth map pack, Aftermath, was unleashed earlier today on the PlayStation 3 for Premium subscribers. For those of you on PC or Xbox 360, fret not–you only have a week to go until you get your turn.

If you haven’t been keeping score, Aftermath is an expansion of sorts for Battlefield 3 that adds in four maps set in an earthquake-ravaged Tehran. On top of the new maps, you’ll also get a new weapon (the crossbow), access to three new vehicles, and a new game mode.

DICE is calling said mode Scavenger–it puts players on a “level” playing field with each player only starting with a pistol and a grenade. To find a better weapon, you’ll have to search–or scavenge, if you will–in and around capture points.

Along with the release of the Aftermath expansion, DICE will also be rolling out a new patch that aims to squash a few bugs. On the PlayStation 3 side, DICE is hoping to alleviate the input lag and audio issues that gamers have been noticing since its release last year.

There’s also quite a few weapon balance tweaks included in the patch as well. You can see a list of those tweaks below, or catch two videos worth of Aftermath footage at the bottom of the post.

– M416: First shot and horizontal recoil slightly increased. This should make the choice between M16 and M416 more interesting again.
– L85A2: Slightly reduced horizontal recoil.
– AUG: first shot recoil slightly to increase weapon controllability.
– FAMAS: Slightly reduced horizontal recoil.
– G53: Vertical recoil reduced to make this weapon more controllable.
– QBZ-95B: Slightly reduced horizontal recoil.
– LSAT: Hip accuracy has been increased to highlight the weapon’s role as a highly mobile LMG.
– Type88 LMG: Recoil has been decreased to make it a viable option when compared to the M249.
– M5K: Increased horizontal recoil and decreased vertical recoil to focus this weapon as a high damage, low control PDW.
– UMP45: Decreased fully automatic fire to differentiate this weapon from the PP2000.
– MP412: Increased its accuracy to better distinguish it from the .44 Magnum.
– M26: Increased aimed accuracy to be in line with the other shotguns.