Posting on the official Battlefield Blog, DICE said, "There is something for everyone in Battlefield 3's adaptable array of multiplayer modes, maps, and modifiers. Add our many customization options for vehicles, weapons and classes, and you can see why we call this our biggest and deepest Battlefield yet."
What are all of these multiplayer modes and customization offers DICE speaks of? Find out for yourself below.
Open fire!
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24 (12 vs. 12)
Focus: Team Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
Winning the game: The team that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner
Details from DICE: "Team Deathmatch is of the true classics when it comes to multiplayer game modes, and a game mode that makes its first appearance in a Battlefield game since the original Battlefield 1942. In Team Deathmatch, two teams of 12 players each duke it out on tight knit maps with a distinct infantry focus – there are no vehicles available in Team Deathmatch. For that quick instant action fix, this is the perfect game mode. For players new to Battlefield, this is a good place to start. Once you get the hang of the infantry gameplay, you can move on to deeper modes that include the signature vehicle warfare for which Battlefield is known and loved."
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 16 (4 squads of 4)
Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Eliminate a set number of enemy combatants
Winning the game: The squad that reaches the set kill number first is declared the winner
Details from DICE: "Squad Deathmatch is a larger and more dynamic variety of deathmatch that also features the inclusion of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The IFV can help break a deadlock, as long as you keep it alive with solid Engineer gameplay. The 4 squad setup means that there is a constant battle throughout the game to gain and maintain the lead. Sticking together, keeping your squad healed up, supplied, and repaired are the keys to victory. The squad that can combine the potent Battlefield mix of team play and combat prowess will be proven the winner."
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24/32 (Console/PC)
Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attackers tickets (Attackers/Defenders)
Details from DICE: "First introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company, Rush has now made its way to the heart of the Battlefield series in Battlefield 3. An objective based mode, the attackers have to arm and detonate pairs of M-COM stations in each area of the map to unlock the next area and the next pair of M-COM stations. While defenders have an unlimited amount of spawn tickets, attackers only get new tickets every time they destroy a pair of M-COMs. If all M-COM stations on the entire map are destroyed, the attackers are declared the winning team. If the defenders manage to deplete the attacker's tickets to zero (by killing them), the defenders are declared the winners."
Tweaks/Changes to Rush Mode in BF3:
-- You cannot use explosives or shoot at the M-COM to take it out. Only arm and disarm.
-- If the attacking team arms the M-COM but runs out of tickets, the match will continue until the M-COM detonates or defenders disarm it.
-- If the defenders start disarming an M-COM just before it's about to blow, the explosion is prevented until the disarm is accomplished. If the defender gets killed during the disarm process, the M-COM will instantly blow."
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 8 (4 vs. 4)
Focus: Squad Based Infantry Combat
Goal: Attack/defend M-COM stations
Winning the game: Destroy all M-COM stations/Deplete the attacker's tickets (Attackers/Defenders)
Details from DICE: "Squad Rush is the ultimate test to show which squad is the best of the best. Squad Rush is an extremely tight duel between two squads that borrows the main rules from normal Rush, but in a much more intimate setting. In Squad Rush there are only 2 bases with 1 M-COM station per base, meaning that every M-COM taken or defended in Squad Rush is vital to the victory or defeat of the game. There are no vehicles in Squad Rush, so it's all down to your infantry fighting skills."
Availability: On all 9 maps
Players: 24/32 or 64 (Console/PC)
Focus: Objective Based All-out Warfare
Goal: Capture and Hold Flags
Winning the game: Deplete opposing team's tickets
Details from DICE: "Conquest is without a doubt the most classic of Battlefield game modes. Introduced in Battlefield 1942, Conquest has defined the entire Battlefield series (and influenced a lot of other games out there) and encompasses everything that makes Battlefield great. Set over a series of large-scale maps, Conquest is the game mode best suited for the experience of all-out vehicle warfare. In Conquest, two teams fight for control of a number of flags by being the dominant force in the vicinity of each base. Capture and keep control of a majority of the flags and the enemy team will bleed tickets. Killing enemies will also reduce their ticket count, and the first team to run out of tickets loses."
In addition to the multiplayer game modes detailed above, DICE confirmed that server browser options will allow players to select if they want to play Infantry Only matches or if they would like to up the challenge in Hardcore mode.
Battlefield 3 is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is set for launch on October 25.
Spy Guy says: Special thanks to Battlefield Blog's HBrun for posting all of this info -- be sure to give the blog some love. It's all good stuff, but I have to admit, I'd love the opportunity to jump into a massive 64-player team deathmatch. The tweaks to bomb disarmament in Rush mode are welcome, though. So what do you make of BF3's multiplayer mode offerings. Does DICE really have something here for everyone? 
