Beyond The Wire News

To celebrate the launch of our biggest update yet we have partnered with Steam to offer our biggest sale yet. From the 14th April till the 21st you'll be able to pick up Beyond the Wire for just £18, $22.75, E19.50, saving 35% off the usual price! With Operation Two being our most extensive update yet, now is the perfect time to head out Beyond The Wire!

Operation Two: For King and Country arrives this week, and storming into mainland Europe comes the British Expeditionary Force. Mobilised after declaring war on Germany in 1914, the British Army that deployed to France was thought to be the best the Empire had sent to war. These men benefited from hard lessons learned during the Boer War and were effective in the use of cover and the ability to deliver rapid, accurate rifle fire.



While other armies for the time were established through conscription, the BEF was made up of professional soldiers with solid foundations of extensive training and high morale. However, catastrophic losses during the start of the campaign forced the recruitment of more men and a restructuring of the military organisation. With more reinforcement, the army was now capable of fighting a war on a continental scale.



Having mustered forces from across the Commonwealth, the BEF will eventually be supported in-game by sub-factions from the various units seen under their command on the Western Front. Entering the fray with an array of iconic weapons from the SMLE MK III* to the Lewis Gun, players will have a new arsenal to learn and familiarise themselves with. British HMG detachments can look forward to deploying the Vickers Mk I with a sandbag bunker, while Artillery detachments will be launching shells from the QF 13-pounder field cannon.



Arguably one of the most impactful and important factions during The Great War, the British Expeditionary Force will play a major part in Beyond The Wire going forward and we're excited to bring their story to our game. Stay posted for a video in the next few days on the new weapons arriving with the BEF!

Operation Two: For King and Country will be introducing the first sub-faction to Beyond the Wire. Mobilised in 1917 by the AEF and deployed in support of the French effort on the Western Front, the 369th Infantry Regiment fought under French Command and were the most active and long-serving American regiment in WW1. Nicknamed Höllenkämpfer by the German Army, they were to be known as the Harlem Hellfighters.



Combining AEF and French equipment, the Harlem Hellfighters were deployed as reinforcement to the French Army who welcomed them with open arms and reissued them with items of their own equipment and weaponry. With demand for reinforcements being so high, the 369th was deployed straight to the front and would see 191 days of active combat duty, more than any other U.S. unit during the war. Thanks to their heroic efforts and courage, they never lost ground or had one member of their unit captured by the enemy.



During the final offensive on the town of Séchault the regiment suffered some of the worst casualties of any American unit during the war. After the town was captured they were relieved from the front lines and the entire regiment awarded the Croix de Guerre medal. But shortly after the Hellfighters were reinstated to active duty in 1918 and became the first unit to reach the banks of the river Rhine as the Entente pushed the retreating Germans back.



Introduced to Beyond the Wire with the lebel rifle as a placeholder, the Harlem Hellfighters will later be equipped with Berthier rifles, the main rifle used by the regiment. Other loadouts include the french Chauchat for machine gunners, m1917 trench gun and captured German Gewehr 1898 rifles. We expect this sub-factions unique arsenal to be one of the favourites and we're excited to hear the feedback on the 369th, as well as the new multiple faction system that they will be premiering.

We are honoured to pay homage to the Harlem Hellfighters with their place in Beyond the Wire. The 369th Infantry Regiment will no doubt be a favourite amongst our players. See you in trenches, Soldier!

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It is with great excitement that we can confirm that Operation Two: For King and Country will be released at 10 AM PDT / 5 PM UTC on Wednesday April 14th! After taking an extra two weeks of polish, tweaking and testing we're ready to deliver our best update yet! With 3 maps, 2 factions, 12 weapons and a whole host of fixes and changes, this update is easily the most extensive amount of work done on the game since launch. We'll be sharing our first ever patch notes video when the update lands so keep an eye out for that as we'll be running through the major items of update V0.10. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on this newest version of the game!

Stay posted early this week Soldier as we share some final details on this upcoming patch.

Our final field of battle to present for Operation Two is Poelcappelle, a battlefield from Flanders where the French and British contended with the German Empire throughout the war. Sitting northeast of Ypres, Poelcappelle was a strongly fortified position for the German Empire that withheld against many attempts before finally being captured by the British in late 1917.


Subject again to heavy shelling, the land surrounding the village makes traversal almost impossible as deep craters turn into rivers, wells and lakes. Thick hedges of barbed wire and building debris protect infantry forces from small arms fire, but the incessant hazards of no-man's land are ever-present.


The rear lines of the German Empire have been established to take advantage of the natural environment. Short routes of trench networks lead to the more established front line, while grassy knolls and rock formations create natural shelters from enemy fire.


A final bastion of bunkers, barbed wire and deep trenches completes the German line. Many years of entrenchment has created an extensive network of dangerous defences that need to be tackled in order to break the line.


The main fields run through Poelcappelle, with many houses and buildings surviving the concentrated barrages. Armies will need to prioritise the standing windmills and main roads if they want to dominate these sectors. With close-knit buildings still standing, infantry sections must flush all corners and pockets where enemies may lie in wait.


Having to descend down into the village, the Entente have dug trench systems that feed down to the front line. Hardcover above ground is sparse, and any soldiers milling outside of the trenches make easy targets. The trench routes provide the only real safe route onto the field.

This third map coming with Operation Two will arrive with gameplay layers for both the British Expeditionary Force and French Republic to try and take on The German Empire. Stay posted for more information next week Soldiers!