Battlefield goes back in time.
Battlefield 2042 debuts Electronic Arts’ next-generation concept for the military shooter, supporting up to 128 players, the largest-ever landscapes, devastatingly destructive weather systems, and more.
Battlefield 2042 is the seventeenth installment in the Battlefield series developed by DICE and published by EA. The game was revealed on June 9th, 2021. The game released on November 12th, 2021 for EA Play members and those who purchased the Gold and Ultimate Edition. It was released worldwide on November 19th, 2021.
I spent approximately 30 hours playing the Battlefield 2042 beta over the course of last week and last weekend. I had a lot of fun with the game so far, and there are a lot of things I like about it, but I also had a few major concerns with the beta. In the end, I’m still eager for the game, but certain aspects of the gameplay leave me concerned about Battlefield 2042‘s arrival.
After giving it some thought over the course of a few days, I decided to compile a quick summary of what I appreciated about the Battlefield 2042 beta, as well as a list of what could have been better. Here are my opinions.
Vehicles were my favorites.
First and foremost, operating Battlefield 2042‘s vehicles, such as tanks, helicopters, jets, and recon vehicles, was my favorite part of the test. I’ve always loved the idea of using vehicles in shooter games, and Battlefield 2042 hasn’t let me down so far.
Tanks have a lot of firepower compared to prior games, and even if the devs made them handle a little less smoothly to compensate, you still feel like you have a big say in how ground encounters turn out. Helicopters, on the other hand, offer far smoother flying controls than Battlefield 3 and 4, and are loaded with miniguns and rockets that are perfect for suppressing infantry targets, blowing up light vehicles, and shooting down enemy pilots. Heavy-armored transport helicopters, in particular, are more useful than they’ve ever been, because their miniguns and grenade launchers allow gunners to saturate an area with lethal ordnance while troops deploy from them. Because of its top-mounted minigun, even recon vehicles can be devastatingly effective when utilized strategically.
The jet, which currently lacks a weapon that can be utilized effectively against ground targets, was the only vehicle I didn’t enjoy playing. Despite this, the jet’s devastating minigun and missiles make it an effective tool for keeping the skies clear. In addition, the jet’s VTOL mode is far more nimble than it was in Battlefield 3 and 4, allowing you to use it to knock down helicopters or suppress soldiers with confidence. Overall, using the vehicles in Battlefield 2042 is a blast.
What I didn’t care for: experts
The Specialists system in Battlefield 2042 is meant to replace the game’s standard class-based sandbox with unique powers that players can employ depending on the specialist they choose. Each Specialist can equip loadouts based on Battlefield’s standard Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon classes, although players can mix and match weapons and gadgets at their leisure.
In principle, the approach sounds nice, because it implies that unique Specialist-only gadgets like Mackay’s grappling hook and Boris’ sentry cannon can offer new twists to Battlefield combat’s normal flow. The difficulty with EA and DICE’s implementation is that any Specialist can spawn with any weapon, which I discovered caused some balancing issues. Countering vehicles becomes far too easy if everyone on the enemy team can spawn with rocket launchers and doesn’t have to contend with the limits of the Engineer class as in prior games. The limits of each class were a big part of what made teamwork so important in the Battlefield experience, and I think the Specialist system has taken away a lot of that.
Another issue with Specialists is that they frequently make players appear identical to one another, especially when a large number of people in the match use the same Specialist. This is a problem that may be resolved as players unlock Specialist cosmetics in the final game, but it was quite distracting during the test.
Plus system and car call-ins, which I loved.
The plus system and the vehicle call-in system in Battlefield 2042 are two new systems that redefine the way players interact with the weapon and vehicle sandbox, and I’ve fallen in love with both after using them extensively during the test. The plus system lets you to quickly shift between different weapon attachments including sights, magazines, and barrels, while the vehicle call-in system allows you to airdrop a recon vehicle, anti-aircraft vehicle, or tank to your location (assuming your team doesn’t already have one).
I much prefer the plus system for weapon attachments to the original Battlefield games’ system of swapping things out between lives because it allows players to be more adaptable in combat. Meanwhile, the vehicle call-in system allows you to summon a vehicle very instantaneously in circumstances where one would be beneficial to you and your teammates, which is fantastic. You may even utilize it to get vehicles into locations they wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach; for example, during the beta, I airdropped an anti-aircraft vehicle on top of Orbital’s big tower, allowing me to easily defend the position from incoming helicopters. These two systems are, in general, a terrific addition to Battlefield.
What I didn’t care for: the gunplay.
Battlefield 2042‘s gunplay, which felt strangely uncomfortable during the test, was something I struggled with a lot. It’s not bad, but it lacks the smoothness and responsiveness of previous Battlefield games, which is frustrating. Weapon recoil was difficult to control, and I frequently felt as though I was about to lose control of my weapon. Surprisingly, I found the LMG to be the most stable and reliable weapon, which is strange considering an LMG without a bipod would seem to be the most difficult weapon to manage.
Speaking of bipods, the lack of a bipod attachment for the LMG was a huge disappointment to me. Without a bipod, the support-style gameplay that Battlefield favors with LMGs is difficult to achieve, therefore I had to use it more like an assault rifle to be effective with it. When using the sniper rifle, you can’t zero distances with your sight, which makes sniping at greater ranges exceedingly annoying and unfun. The ability to zero distances and shoot on targets from a great distance is what makes Battlefield sniping so enjoyable, thus I hope the developers provide this feature before the game’s release.
What I liked: There were 128 players.
By introducing all-out warfare modes like Conquest 64v64 instead of 32v32, Battlefield 2042 twice the match size of prior Battlefield games, resulting in much more action and significantly less downtime overall. I was concerned that this would result in engagements that were far too close together, but because EA and DICE are also offering the largest maps in Battlefield history with 2042, I don’t believe this will be an issue.
After playing the beta, I believe this was a wise decision for the franchise. I liked being able to rapidly engage in combat with my teammates after spawning since it kept the game interesting and high-energy in the moment. Battlefield is ultimately about large-scale action engagements, and 128-player lobbies assist to fulfill that ambition.
What didn’t appeal to me: Orbital
The Orbital map was the final aspect of the Battlefield 2042 beta that I disliked. Orbital didn’t scratch my Battlefield itch for a decent map that supports a multitude of playstyles adequately due to its extremely open and flat landscape, sparse layout, and lack of cover. Because the map left players exposed almost all of the time, snipers and tanks were able to reign supreme without much to challenge them, and it was also far too easy to shoot down helicopters with anti-aircraft missiles because there were few large structures or large pieces of terrain for pilots to take cover in.
Another major flaw with Orbital was the lack of destructible elements, which were few and far between, and what was there was unimpressive in terms of playability. You could only blow off pieces of minor structures; you couldn’t collapse any of the buildings on the area, and while you could destroy the rocket as it took off, the following explosion had little effect on gameplay. The destructible aspects on Orbital are lackluster when compared to maps like Siege of Shanghai from Battlefield 4, which allowed players to destroy entire skyscrapers and cover the battlefield in thick dust.
Last thoughts
Overall, I’m looking forward to Battlefield 2042, and I believe it will be one of the finest Xbox shooters of 2021 when it launches on November 19. I like using the game’s vehicles, as well as the plus and vehicle call-in systems, and the 128-player match size is also fun.
That said, I have reservations about the Specialists system, as well as the game’s overall gunplay and the Orbital map. In the end, we won’t know whether EA and DICE will make any significant adjustments to the game until it is released, but I’m hoping that they will at least make some tweaks to alleviate some of the issues caused by the Specialist system and present shooting mechanics.
Preorders for Battlefield 2042 are now available on all platforms. The next-gen edition of the game costs $70 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, while the last-gen version costs $60 on Xbox One and PS4. Traditional 32v32 matches and lower graphics quality are included in this version of the game.
Battlefield goes back in time.
Battlefield 2042 debuts Electronic Arts’ next-generation concept for the military shooter, supporting up to 128 players, the largest-ever landscapes, devastatingly destructive weather systems, and more.
Battlefield 2042 is the seventeenth installment in the Battlefield series developed by DICE and published by EA. The game was revealed on June 9th, 2021. The game released on November 12th, 2021 for EA Play members and those who purchased the Gold and Ultimate Edition. It was released worldwide on November 19th, 2021.
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