Battlefield 1 In The Name of The Tsar DLC Adds Female Soldier Class

The In the Name of the Tsar is the upcoming Battlefield 1 DLC. It will add the Eastern Front to the game, including new maps, campaigns, and, of course, the Russian army. As the previous DLC, it introduces a new character – the Russian Scout class, based on the Women’s Battalion of Death.

Battlefield 1 is getting the In the Name of the Tsar DLC this summer. Just like the previous content pack, called They Shall Not Pass, it will add a whole bunch of stuff to the base game. This time around, the game expands upon its World War I setting by adding events and locations from the Eastern Front. Among other things, the DLC will bring a new character to the game – the Russian Scout. In an interesting twist (for Battlefield, anyway), the new soldier is female, based on the real-life Women’s Battalion of Death.

Time for a history lesson for those that started criticizing the developers for historical inaccuracy. The Battalion of Death was just one of several all-female units in the Russian army. Consisting of 300 soldiers, the unit was formed in May 1917 and led by Maria Leontevna “Yashka” Bochkareva. They even led an offensive into German territory, capturing some 200 enemy soldiers. They probably would’ve continued, too, if they didn’t have to retreat due to lack of reinforcements.

This is an interesting move by EA and DICE. Even though the single player campaign in Battlefield 1 did feature a female character, the multiplayer seemed to shy away from that. The reason behind it, of course, was that female characters wouldn’t appeal to their predominantly male audience. That being said, the Battlefield Twitter post has garnered both hate and love for this move. We’ll see what happens once the DLC does come out.