ArmA 3 is the fourth main title in the ARMA series.
Overview
The first game in the series to be set in the near-future, ArmA 3 is the fourth main game in Bohemia Interactive's long-running ARMA series.
ArmA 3 was initially released as an Alpha on March 5th, 2013[2], and was later updated to an open Beta on June 25th, 2013[3].
The full version of the game was finally released on September 12th, 2013[4], and was later expanded with additional content in the form of three more campaign episodes titled Survive, Adapt, and Win.[5][6][7][8]
Expansion pack (1)
- Main article: Apex DLC
Released on July 11th, 2016[9], Apex is ArmA 3's primary content expansion pack and adds many new weapons, vehicles, aircraft, boats, and other interactive objects.
It includes a new island terrain in the form of Tanoa, along with the Apex Protocol multiplayer campaign. Several new factions have also been added which feature their own set of usable content.
As of April 14th, 2020[10], the expansion also includes the bonus Old Man mini-campaign/scenario. Unlike ArmA 2's Operation Arrowhead expansion, Apex is not standalone and requires the base game to install.
Expansion pack (2)
- Main article: Contact DLC
Contact is a military science fiction-themed spin-off expansion that adds two new factions, a standalone campaign, the Livonia terrain, several weapons, vehicles, outfits and equipment. The Contact expansion pack was released on July 26th, 2019[11].
It was primarily developed by Bohemia Interactive's Amsterdam team in collaboration with the studios in the Czech Republic and Thailand. A teaser trailer was initially released on May 21st, 2019. The expansion's title and content were finally revealed on May 23rd, 2019[12].
DLCs
Following on from its predecessor's model, ArmA 3 features a multitude of DLCs that further expand the base game's content:
- Karts, released on May 29th, 2014[13]
- Helicopters, released on November 4th, 2014[14]
- Marksmen, released on April 8th, 2015[15]
- Jets, released on May 16th, 2017[16]
- Laws of War, released on September 7th, 2017[17]
- Tac-Ops, released on November 30th, 2017[18]
- Tanks, released on April 11th, 2018[19]
Owners of the Supporter Edition (no longer available for purchase) are automatically granted access to all DLCs and both expansions.
For non-Supporter owners, the DLCs can be obtained individually or through the DLC Essentials bundle which includes Karts, Helicopters, Marksmen, Jets, Laws of War, Tac-Ops and the Tanks DLCs in a single package.
Alternatively, the Apex Edition Bundle, Contact Edition, or Ground Edition can be purchased. These packages combine the expansion pack(s) and additional DLCs depending on the version:
- The Apex Edition Bundle combines the base game with the first expansion pack (Apex) and three DLCs (Karts, Helicopters, Marksmen). It does not contain the Jets, Laws of War, Tac-Ops and Tanks DLCs.
- The Contact Edition only contains the base game and second expansion pack (Contact). It does not contain any of the premium DLCs.
- The Ground Edition contains the base game with both expansion packs (Apex/Contact), the Karts DLC, as well as the game's official soundtrack and digital editions of the Maps and official Tactical Guide.
For new ArmA 3 players looking to gain access to all premium assets, the Ultimate Edition contains both expansion packs (Apex/Contact) along with every official DLC from the Essentials bundle (Creator DLCs are not included).
Existing players who have already purchased all official DLCs aside from Contact can also opt to buy the Ultimate Edition in lieu of the latter at a discount (via the Steam Store). Owned DLCs will be subtracted from the total price without affecting the player's DLC library.
Free content
In addition to premium DLCs, ArmA 3 has been progressively updated with major patches and free DLCs that are available by default to all players:
- Zeus DLC, released on April 10th, 2014[20]
- Bootcamp Update, released on July 14th, 2014[21]
- Nexus Update, released on December 2nd, 2015[22]
- Eden Update, released on February 18th, 2016[23]
- Malden DLC, released on June 22nd, 2017[24]
- Encore Update, released on August 1st, 2018[25]
- Warlords Update, released on December 3rd, 2018[26]
- Old Man Update, released on April 14th, 2020[10]
- Art of War DLC, released on February 23rd, 2021[27]
Creator DLC
Produced by external third-party developers but published by Bohemia Interactive, DLCs released under the Creator DLC programme are intended to provide more original quality content to owners.
Unlike in-house premium releases, DLCs under the Creator DLC programme do not contain platform updates and are completely optional to acquire. They will not be downloaded unless the player owns the DLC and activates it via ArmA 3's Launcher:
- Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany, developed by Vertexmacht and released on April 29th, 2019[28]
- S.O.G. Prairie Fire, developed by Savage Game Group[note 3] and released on May 6th, 2021[29]
- CSLA Iron Curtain, developed by ČSLA Studio and released on June 16th, 2021[30]
- Western Sahara, developed by Rotators Collective and released on November 18th, 2021[31]
- Spearhead 1944, developed by Heavy Ordnance Works and released on July 25th, 2023[32]
- Reaction Forces, developed by Rotators Collective and released on March 26th, 2024[33]
- Expeditionary Forces, developed by Tiny Gecko Studios and released on November 26th, 2024[34]
It should be noted that owners of the Supporter Edition are not granted access to Creator DLCs.
Plot
ArmA 3's campaign takes place in 2035, two decades following the events of Operation Black Gauntlet. It is predominately set on the Republic of Altis and Stratis, an island nation located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Prologue
- Main article: Prologue
Deployed to the island nation of the Republic of Altis and Stratis, NATO peacekeepers and Altian government forces conduct training exercises together and carry out counterinsurgency operations against a growing insurgency movement calling itself the FIA.
Viewed from the perspective of U.S. Army infantryman Sergeant Conway, the peacekeepers will soon find themselves caught between a hammer and an anvil as full-scale civil war threatens to break out once more on the island country.
The East Wind
- Main article: The East Wind
One year after the events of the Prologue, the peacekeepers from the multi-national Task Force Aegis are scheduled to depart the island nation as their peacekeeping mandate comes to a close.
Seen from the view of U.S. Army infantryman Corporal Ben Kerry, one of the few non-combat support personnel left on the island, what follows soon after will set the stage for an escalating global competition of influence between NATO and CSAT, as the island nation teeters on the brink of all-out war.
Altis Requiem
NOTE: Only available with the Tanks DLC.
- Main article: Altis Requiem
As NATO forces launch their retaliatory invasion against the island nation in response to the attack against the peacekeepers of Task Force Aegis, AAF tank commander Captain Kyros Kalogeros is assigned to take charge of his armoured unit in the defence of his country.
Apex Protocol
NOTE: Only available with the Apex expansion pack.
- Main article: Apex Protocol
Following the events of The East Wind and Altis Requiem, Apex Protocol has players assume control of a four-man special operations team as they work to hunt down an elusive warlord commanding the Syndikat, a paramilitary insurgent group on the island nation of the Horizon Islands.
Remnants of War
NOTE: Only available with the Laws of War DLC.
- Main article: Remnants of War
War in the Republic of Altis and Stratis has ended, but the many scars of conflict continue to remain in the island nation.
As all sides work to heal the country's wounds, veteran field consultant Nathan MacDade from the IDAP Non-Government Organisation is deployed to the long-abandoned mountain village of Oreokastro after reports come in of a civilian being killed by a landmine.
During the arduous de-mining process, MacDade recalls the events and stories of the village in the lead up to its destruction to AAN News journalist Katherine Bishop.
Old Man
NOTE: Added as bonus free content but requires the Apex expansion pack to play.
- Main article: Old Man (campaign)
Disaster has once again struck the South Pacific nation of the Horizon Islands. A super-strain of malaria has left much of the Tanoa province quarantined, and local authorities are being overwhelmed by the ensuing humanitarian crisis.
Players assume the role of a retired French Foreign Legionnaire known only by his nickname of "Santiago". Santiago has received a tip-off from an old contact of his that the super-strain is far from natural. As he will soon discover, the outbreak is linked to a much wider conspiracy that could upend the world's balance of power.
First Contact
NOTE: This campaign was included with the release of the Contact expansion pack but is considered to be non-canonical in the official timeline.
- Main article: First Contact
At a time of heightened tensions with the Russian Federation, U.S.-led NATO forces are conducting joint military exercises with their allies in the semi-abandoned region of Nadbór, Livonia. Players will be stepping into the shoes of Specialist Aiden Rudwell, a drone technician attached to the U.S. Army contingent.
Not long after the exercises commence however, one incident will spark a chain of events leading to humanity's first contact with unknown entities...
Gameplay
As the fourth iteration in the series, ArmA 3 continues to use the same standard of gameplay set by its predecessors as a tactical shooter in a sandbox platform.
Combining a third/first person perspective camera, players are able to take command of an infantry squad, drive ground vehicles, boats, as well as pilot various fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. ArmA 3 similarly contains both a single player and online multiplayer mode through the Steam client.
Movement options have been greatly expanded upon in ArmA 3, with the player now gaining the ability to switch between multiple stances and leaning positions. A stamina system that takes into account the player's loadout and its effects upon their fatigue, movement, and inertia has also been introduced. Inventory management has been overhauled to use a numerical weight system as opposed to the traditional slot structure.
Vehicle simulation has been further enhanced with a new armour/component damage system. An optional Advanced Flight Model (AFM) can also be enabled at the player's discretion for rotary-wing aircraft. Small arms and vehicle ordnance alike have also gained several new enhancements; most notably the introduction of weapon resting and the deployment of bipods for handheld weapons, as well as sensors for guided munitions on both infantry and ground vehicle/aircraft weapons.
Unlike previous games in the series, ArmA 3 does not utilise the old 2D-style mission editor and instead features the new Eden editor, which allows creators to develop far more expansive scenarios and campaigns with greater flexibility and a 3D camera.
Terrains
Playable terrains in ArmA 3 | |
---|---|
Official Terrains | Altis (Amsterdam) • Livonia • Malden • Stratis • Tanoa • Virtual Reality |
Third Party Terrains | Cam Lao Nam • Gabreta • Khe Sanh • Mortain • Normandy • Sefrou-Ramal • "The Bra" • Weferlingen |
Official DLC: Apex DLC | Contact DLC Creator DLC: CSLA Iron Curtain | Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany | S.O.G. Prairie Fire | Spearhead 1944 | Western Sahara |
Factions
Factions of ArmA 3 | |
---|---|
BLUFOR | NATO • CTRG • FIA • Gendarmerie |
REDFOR | CSAT • Gendarmerie • Russian Spetsnaz • Viper |
INDFOR | AAF • LDF • Syndikat |
Apex DLC | Contact DLC |
Weapons
Vehicles
Multiplayer scenarios
Multiplayer missions in ArmA 3 | ||
---|---|---|
Firing From Vehicles • Combat Patrol • Tanks • End Game • Escape • Warlords • Support • Vanguard • Zeus • Race on Altis | ||
Headhunters • Combined Arms • Combat Patrol • Escape • Warlords • Support • Zeus • Race on Stratis | ||
Combat Patrol • Escape • Warlords • Vanguard • Zeus | ||
Apex Protocol* • Combat Patrol • End Game • Escape • Warlords • Vanguard • Zeus | ||
Combat Patrol • Warlords • Zeus | ||
Zeus | ||
* is a standalone campaign. Karts DLC | Helicopters DLC | Marksmen DLC | Apex DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC |
Requirements
MINIMUM | RECOMMENDED | |
---|---|---|
OS | Windows 7 SP1 64-bit | Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 10 (64-bit) |
PROCESSOR | Intel Dual-Core 2.4 GHz OR AMD Dual-Core Athlon 2.5 GHz |
Intel Core i5-4460 or faster OR AMD FX 4300 or faster |
GRAPHICS | NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT OR AMD Radeon HD 5670 OR Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 512 MB VRAM |
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 OR AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series with 2 GB VRAM |
GPU MEMORY | 512 MB | 2 GB |
DirectX® | 10 | 11 |
RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
HARD DRIVE | 45 GB free space | 70 GB free space (SSD / Hybrid HDD / SSHD) |
AUDIO | DirectX® compatible on-board | DirectX® compatible soundcard |
OTHER | Internet connection and free Steam account to activate | Internet connection and free Steam account to activate |
Accurate as of July 2021[35]
Screenshots
Video
Trivia
- In the leadup to its announcement, ArmA 3 was teased in an Alternate Reality Game (ARG). On May 2nd, 2011, ArmA 2's official website was briefly "hacked" by a group known only as the "p3R51An 8lacK Hat5 8oy5". Specifically for the event, the "hackers" posted a myriad of propaganda and spam messages teasing the game's original plot.[36]
- As the Alpha release neared, a second ARG would be posted on February 24th, 2013[37], further teasing parts of Stratis and references to characters in the series.
- ArmA 3 was initially slated for release in 2012 but was postponed[38] following an incident involving two of its development leads on the islands of Lemnos and Agios Efstratios, Greece[39][40] (the real-world islands that the in-game Altis and Stratis terrains are inspired by). Its tumultuous development cycle resulted in the main campaign not being included upon its full release[41] and multiple iterations of the storyline being established.[5][42][43] At certain points throughout its rocky development period, the developers had even considered cancelling the game's release altogether.[44][45][46]
- In its initial concept, ArmA 3 was referred to internally as ARMA Futura[42] and was planned to have a vastly different setting compared to its final version.
- Not only was the setting meant to be science-fiction and post-apocalyptic based, but it was also intended to be a Role Playing Game (RPG) instead of a military sandbox.[44]
- Official premium DLCs were initially separated into two DLC Bundle packages that contained Karts, Helicopters and Marksmen (DLC Bundle 1[47]) or Jets, Laws of War, Tac-Ops and Tanks (DLC Bundle 2[48]). They were eventually deprecated from both the Bohemia Interactive Store and Steam Store and were combined together into the DLC Essentials pack.
- ArmA 3 did not feature unlockable Steam achievements at release. The first batch of achievements, initially focused on completion of the main campaign, were only added after Game Update 1.14.[49][50]
- On September 9th, 2022, a Space Invaders-like minigame was added as an easter egg to ArmA 3's main menu.[51] It can be "activated" by pressing the spacebar key once the game has been fully loaded into the main menu.
- The player controls a 2D tank at the bottom of the screen and must attempt to destroy all DLC logos at the top of the screen. They must also avoid getting hit too many times by projectiles fired from the DLC itself and whatever vehicles that it spawns.
- Successful completion of the minigame will unlock an achievement for the player's Steam account, and will also change the main menu logo from its default white colour with a faint glow to that of a golden embossed one instead.
- On June 29th, 2024, it was announced that ArmA 3 had sold the most copies in just one day (98,500 units) since it was first launched back in 2013.[52]
Notes
- ↑ Has limited support and as of writing (24-04-2024) is restricted to Game Update 2.16. Please refer to this official article for instructions on how to access the Mac port.
- ↑ Has limited support and as of writing (24-04-2024) is restricted to Game Update 2.16. Please refer to this official article for instructions on how to access the Linux port via Proton.
- ↑ Formerly known as Savage Game Design.
References
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External links
See also
ARMA series | |
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Main games | • • |
Legacy games | • • |
Expansion packs | • • • |
DLC | • • • • • • • • • |
Spin-off | • |
Entries are listed in order of release dates from left-to-right. |