Battlefield 3 expansion maps include Karkand, Wake Island, Oman, Sharqi

BF2 returning in a big way - 'Battlefield 3' Getting Classic Maps In Pre-Order Bonus

                 Click image to enlarge image of 'The popular Wake Island map, 1943-style.'

Along with the debut single player gameplay for Battlefield 3 this week, also confirmed is the Back to Karkand expansion, which includes some of the best content from Battlefield 2, redone in the new Frostbite 2.0 engine. Karkand will be free to all who pre-order, and likely paid DLC for those who don't.

Naturally, fans have been wondering which maps would be included. You can stop that now, as Battlefield global community manager Daniel Matros has confirmed Wake Island, Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula, the first of which should ease the pain for PC players disappointed in the cancelation of 1943. On these maps, Matros says, players have collectively tallied over 25,000 years of playtime.

On the possibility of bringing in more maps from BF2 later on, and whether or not BF2 guns will make it into the main game, he says, "Can't comment on that at the moment."

'Battlefield 3' Getting Classic Maps In Pre-Order Bonus

"Battlefield 3" is out later this year and it is looking super sweet in its newly released trailer. Those who pre-order the Limited Edition version of the game will nab themselves the Rod to Karkand DLC map pack. While there's been no official press release, a DICE rep confirmed the contents of the pack on the game's forums.

Wake Island, Strike at Karkand and Gulf of Oman och Sharqi Peninsula are the map locations, writes forum member zh1nt0, the global community manager for "Battlefield." That's all though, no more comment than that. The pack will also bring in weapons and vehicles from "Battlefield 2," map-specific rewards and the always-enticing exclusive achievements and trophies, as was previously reported.

All three maps come from "Battlefield 2," a PC-only release. Wake Island is originally a "Battlefield 1942" map, updated for "BF2" and locked at 64-player matches. Gulf of Oman is a coastal environment, with lots of open areas and a large body of water for naval engagements. And Strike at Karkand is an urban map, the only one that features no aircraft. There's no word on whether or not the maps will be altered from their "BF2" incarnations beyond the expected visual boost from the game's Frostbite 2 engine. Of course, the destructible environments offered in "BF3" will be new to all of these locations, so even if the layouts are the same they're certainly going to be looking a lot different after each match.

Since you're here, why not gaze at the new trailer one more time? It's nothing substantive, just a bunch of flashes, but those flashes look righteous indeed.