Back to Karkand will be released some time in December, with Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman and Sharqi Peninsula. As well as ten weapons and three vehicles (DPV, BTR990, F-35B jet).

source: http://www.gameinformer.com/games/battlefield_3/b/xbox360/archive/2011/10/28/battlefield-3-39-back-to-karkand-39-hits-in-december.aspx

Good news. 
 
No MEC or Chinese faction, just more Russians. Though they said it's an EP the size of BC2:Vietnam (which had a third faction). Oh well.. 
Also, for those looking forward to these maps, just know that they will be nothing like the classic maps. The flag number has been reduced, the flags have been clustered together in the center of the maps (like the BF3 maps), and the safe base of the enemy is out of bounds. 
Just a headsup for those who might have false hope :)

@AhmadMetallic: You don't know that.

Edit: In other news F-35s! Aw yeaah

@AhmadMetallic: You don't know that.

Facts require sources to back them up, otherwise they are speculation.

@AhmadMetallic: Sounds fucking awesome. Can't wait.

I'm being deadly serious.

@Branthog said:

Back to Karkand will be released some time in December, with Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman and Sharqi Peninsula. As well as ten weapons and three vehicles (DPV, BTR990, F-35B jet). source: http://www.gameinformer.com/games/battlefield_3/b/xbox360/archive/2011/10/28/battlefield-3-39-back-to-karkand-39-hits-in-december.aspx

Awessome, Can't wait for that more Karkand and Wake!

@AhmadMetallic said:

Also, for those looking forward to these maps, just know that they will be nothing like the classic maps. The flag number has been reduced, the flags have been clustered together in the center of the maps (like the BF3 maps), and the safe base of the enemy is out of bounds.

O'rly?

@AhmadMetallic said:

Also, for those looking forward to these maps, just know that they will be nothing like the classic maps. The flag number has been reduced, the flags have been clustered together in the center of the maps (like the BF3 maps), and the safe base of the enemy is out of bounds.

O'rly?

@AhmadMetallic said:

@withateethuh said:

Facts require sources to back them up, otherwise they are speculation.

I will not go through two months worth of threads on the official forums to dig out all the tweets and dev posts that made this a fact, but here's the best single post to summarize it:
http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/battlefield-3/1440234-r2k-will-not-mess-around-main-rules-maps-confirmed-6.html#post20206880

Took me a coupla minutes to find, not a biggie!
Zh1nt0 is the community manager.

He said that they're keeping it the same. Are we reading the same words?

Edit: Nevermind.

I haven't got my copy yet, so how does this know that you pre-ordered the limited edition?

@withateethuh said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@withateethuh said:

Facts require sources to back them up, otherwise they are speculation.

I will not go through two months worth of threads on the official forums to dig out all the tweets and dev posts that made this a fact, but here's the best single post to summarize it:
http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/battlefield-3/1440234-r2k-will-not-mess-around-main-rules-maps-confirmed-6.html#post20206880

Took me a coupla minutes to find, not a biggie!
Zh1nt0 is the community manager.

He said that they're keeping it the same. Are we reading the same words?

I don't know for sure, but I will eat my non-existant hat if they somehow make the Karkand and other classic maps exactly the same as BF2 in terms of flag placement, size and how spawns were handled (albeit with a little re-tweaking just in case). I'll be a betting man that it will still be the reduced 5-flag conquest scenario, which will be a bit of a bummer though it should still be okay for people with lower expectations.

@Daiphyer said:

So you get this free if you pre-ordered the game?

yes, if have the limited edition

@Daiphyer:You get it free if you buy the Limited Edition. That's the first run of the game so as long as you buy within the next week or so you should be good.

I am so happy that they are bringing these maps to Battlefield 3. Can't wait to see how Wake Island looks and plays.

@AhmadMetallic said:

Good news. No MEC or Chinese faction, just more Russians. Though they said it's an EP the size of BC2:Vietnam (which had a third faction). Oh well.. Also, for those looking forward to these maps, just know that they will be nothing like the classic maps. The flag number has been reduced, the flags have been clustered together in the center of the maps (like the BF3 maps), and the safe base of the enemy is out of bounds. Just a headsup for those who might have false hope :)

I hope not, Karkland looked like shit when I last played it.

@AhmadMetallic said:

Because if you have counter information, I'd love for you to prove me wrong, I would pay you money for it. But as it stands, based on this post and DICE's comments about the new Conquest design philosophy, not to mention out-of-bounds safe bases not even being a server-side option in BF3, Yes, rly :)

Is out-of-bounds safe bases a bad thing now? Love that base rape.

@AhmadMetallic said:

P.S. base rape was a totally legitimate gameplay result. This is conquest, we're fighting over conquering the map, and if one of the teams was victorious enough to control the entire map then they sure as hell deserve to invade the enemy in their base as a treat for their hard working keeping 8 flags under their control.

It's about time someone agrees with me on this, I am tired of people bitching about base camping. I mean, so what, allow them to come and take a flag?

I can't wait for this to come out. Karkand was my favorite map in Battlefield 2.

I want a Challenger 2!!!!!

http://bf3blog.com/battlefield-3-maps/

The site isn't official however they pre-launch info on the shipping max is bang on.

Gulf of Oman is a large map with a lot of capture points. The US and Russian forces start at their respective bases and/or at some of the capture points they already control. The Russian side starts with 3 capture points, while the advancing US side starts with 4 capture points. Both teams start out with an wide selection of jets, tanks, APCs andhelicopters.

7 points on Oman with the 2 bases

From the beginning of the round, Wake Island is controlled by the Russian side, and it’s up to the US to advance and capture the island, flag by flag, to the end at the main Russian airbase.

Looks like Wake is remaining as a full cap Attack/Defend Map

Sharqi Peninsula is centered, as the name suggests, on a tightly packed peninsula with a lot of urban environment. The US forces control 5 capture points, while the Russians start from 3 main bases.

Sharqi looks pretty good to.

@amomjc said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

P.S. base rape was a totally legitimate gameplay result. This is conquest, we're fighting over conquering the map, and if one of the teams was victorious enough to control the entire map then they sure as hell deserve to invade the enemy in their base as a treat for their hard working keeping 8 flags under their control.

It's about time someone agrees with me on this, I am tired of people bitching about base camping. I mean, so what, allow them to come and take a flag?

My problem isn't so much camping base when all the flags are captured, it's the dudes who immediately make a bee-line to the enemy base and hide somewhere, killing people as they spawn and not helping their own team at all.

Does anyone know if this is basically a map pack with bonus weapons etc, or is it a Vietnam style expansion that will split the userbase? Do you choose to play BF3 OR BF3: Karkland, or are the Karkland maps just put in the server rotation?

@wh1terav3n: It's split, but the way the browser works on PC you just need to check Karkand too and you'll just get them showing up in the browser along side BF3 vanilla.

Though it'd make sense for them to be able to add them to the rotation.

Negative Ahmad is Negative. You do realize game design is getting better over the years and not worse? Some things missing from BF2 are a good thing. You're also just completely disregarding the devs saying that they aren't changing the way they play.

If the B2K turns out to be the shit,well, good. DICE saved me 60$. B2K is the reason why I'm still holding out on buying BF3, the ''Caspian Border is the largest/best conquest map'' comments are fucking scary.

Oh construction site better be a point in Sharqi, or I will RIOT IN THE STREET.

I used to just spend entire matches, nay, days running around that construction site, hurling grenades at jeeps and using the higher ground to just crush the enemy's existence. It's basically US team's last line, and i held that bitch like nothing else.

The rest I can't care at all how much they change. Especially Wake Island. That map was great fun in the 1942 days, but it has some pretty deep flaws that I come to realize every time they port it over.

Thinking about old school wake makes me miss what they've took out of battlefield. It made me realize just how toned down and insignificant they made the vehicles. In wake island you could drive the fuckin' aircraft carrier around. And they had submarines. Among other things. Remember motorcycles? Those were awesome. Now we get three tanks, couple jeeps, a jet and some helis. Lame.

@Korwin: I'm pretty sure Sharqi had 6 points and three deployments for the MEC or Russians in this case. So they took one out. Looks like it's the 32 player configuration then.

I kind of wish they'd bring back Mashtuur City, that was a great map IMO.

Was there a code for it like the Physical warfare pack when you preordered on Origin?