Battlefield 2042 – Everything we know

The next Battlefield game has been revealed this week to kick off E3 2021. So far we’ve only seen a trailer, but we have gameplay coming in the next few days. Battlefield 2042 will be set in the near future, plus we have a climate & refugee crisis to deal with. Battlefield is ditching their single-player campaign to focus on multiplayer, and we have to look forward to 64 vs 64 battles to (on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X). There’s plenty to dive into, but let’s round up all the info we have on Battlefield 2042.

Battlefield 2042 may be ditching the single-player campaign, but it looks like they are going to weave story elements into each of the character classes. We take on the role of non-patriots. These aren’t the regular soldiers that you have been used to in previous Battlefield games, these are blue and white-collar workers from many different fields. These soldiers don’t fight for a specific country, they are fighting for their future.

Specialists

A major change in this iteration of the franchise is Specialists. We’ve has classes before in Battlefield like Assault, Medic, Support, and Recon. Here in Battlefield 2042, we’re getting named characters who are going to be fleshed out with backstories. Previously players have been limited by loadouts related to their selected class, but here in 2042, those limits are being removed. For example, in Battlefield V if you chose the Recon class then you’d have a Sniper Rifle. DICE wants to give players a little more freedom to pick and choose the way they want to play. Your special ability is locked to your chosen specialist to give a sense of uniqueness, however, weapons are open to pick and choose and can be done so through the combat wheel. This allows you to mix things up mid-match if you need to.

Multiplayer

Battlefield 2042 is going to focus on the multiplayer experience. The player count is being increased to 128 matches on PC and current-gen consoles, with Xbox One and PlayStation 5 catering to 64 player matches due to technical limitations. DICE has stated though the 64 player maps will be smaller, so as not to feel empty, which is a nice touch. There are going to be three core multiplayer experiences; All-Out Warfare, Hazard Zone, and the final mode is a secret at the moment.

All-Out Warfare is an iteration on Conquest and Breakthrough. Maps are going to be huge, and they’ll need to be to cater for the 128 player action. All-Out Warfare is going to be busy, intense, and chaotic PLUS we have dynamic weather changes to contend with plus rapidly-evolving world events. In the trailer shown off, we see a devastating tornado ripping up the ground, and also a few soldiers too. Tornados aren’t the only thing we’re going to have to contend with, there are also dust storms in the desert-style maps. DICE has said you can either get out of the way of these events or use them to your advantage. Not sure how we’re going to be able to do that, but it sounds awesome and I look forward to all the gameplay clips.

Hazard Zone is up next and this is all about tight comms with your squad. DICE says this is a modern take on the traditional Battlefield experience and very different to All-Out Warfare. I am sure we’ll get more info during the gameplay reveal coming soon, but this sounds like a much more tactical version of team vs team play.

The final mode is being kept under wraps at the moment and it sounds like DICE are going to leave this reveal for the big EA showcase in July.

Battlepass

Much like other similar games, there are going to be a couple of options for the battle pass. There’s the free track and the paid track. No content is going to be locked on the battle pass, which is good news. All players are going to get the same maps, Specialists, weapons etc.

The Premium Battlepass will have cosmetic options for players to unlock as they progress up the ranks of the pass, and currently, we have four seasons mapped out on the roadmap. It’s a good thing that content isn’t locked on the pass because this is a full-priced game, so cosmetics makes a lot of sense. In a freemium game like Apex Legends or Destiny, it makes sense for content to be locked behind the season pass, and that offers an incentive to buy the premium content.

If you are really into cosmetics then you will likely be incentivized to pay for the premium pass. Personally, I’ll give that one a miss given all of the content is accessible without having to pay extra. If Battlefield becomes my main game to play, then I would consider it, but at the moment I’m in a “wait and see” kind of mode. I don’t really invest in skins for characters or weapons in-game, especially when the base game is going to cost around £70. However, it’s there if you really want it and no doubt DICE is going to put out some great-looking skins that will grab your attention.

Open Beta

There is an open beta planned in the months leading up to the launch of Battlefield 2042. There are no specific dates yet but the beta is going to be available on all the platforms the game releases on including PC, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PS4. There will be a separate tech test apart from the open beta. Hopefully, this will ensure a smooth launch, but with all games like this I imagine day one will be a little rocky, so be prepared to temper expectations.

First impressions

We have only see cinematic trailer footage at the moment, but I think there is a lot to get excited about here. 128 players are going to be crazy. I’m fairly new to the Battlefiled franchise and I’ve been impressed with the frantic action, the brutal time to kill, and the variety of gameplay styles. I like the fact this is the near future and not too far in the distant future.

The focus on different specializations looks very cool, and I like the fact they aren’t doing away with the story elements entirely. I think the specialisation is actually a very smart move. They could start out in the game with a handful, and then over time introduce new characters with different backstories. Character-based games like Apex, Genshin Impact clearly make a bucket load of money for the developers and publishers, and I am sure EA has one eye on that significant prize. If they can pull this off in the right way, then EA could be onto another winner here.