Vehicle Balance Improvement Proposal

Light Transport

LATV4

• Thermal and zoom options should have separate slots instead of being tied to specific weapons.
• Having a wide range of loadout choices is not a problem in itself, but it's important to note that most players don't use the vehicle as a transport vehicle; instead, they tend to use it as a camper in the rear.
• The point of improvement for weapons like the 20mm Flak is not always reducing splash damage, but rather providing enough impact damage like in Battlefield 5 and having airburst only at the maximum distance. The Bofors 75mm in Battlefield 5 is a good example of this design.
• The LATV4 can be split into two versions: one with heavy firepower like the 20mm Flak, 40mm grenade launcher with added steel plates to resist light infantry weapons, and lower mobility. The other version can be a lightly armored variant with HMG, LMG, minigun, and faster mobility while maintaining the current level of protection.
• Non-combat vehicles like the Polestar should also be deployable in the spawn menu, similar to how it is in the current event.
• The 20mm Flak has no warning for hitting vehicles and is too overpowering, being able to shoot down any aircraft within 200 meters. However, beyond 200 meters, it lacks any threat to aircraft, making it limited in usefulness. A better design approach could be to consider damage falloff, rate of fire, or introduce magazine settings rather than solely limiting the range.

LCAA Hovercraft

• Thermal and zoom options should have separate slots instead of being tied to specific weapons.
• As mentioned earlier, infantry requires a suitable mode of transportation. If the LATV4 is not split, an alternative could be to remove the weaponry from the Hovercraft, making it a dedicated transport vehicle with light firepower, increased speed, and reduced terrain impact. This change may attract more players to choose the Hovercraft.

Armored Transport

MAV

• Thermal and zoom should have separate slots instead of being tied to the weapons.
• The 40mm Incendiary GL can be intercepted by friendly APS (Active Protection System).
• The second passenger seat's 40mm Cannon lacks effective damage against infantry. The MAV often faces groups of infantry. As mentioned earlier, the 40mm Cannon falls under the "anti-vehicle" category, designed to counter vehicles, but it lacks damage against both vehicles and infantry. It could be improved by adding the 40mm Canister Shot or the 40mm GL. Providing options like HMG and LMG for this seat would make a significant difference.
• The third passenger seat should have options similar to the 40mm GL and 30mm Cannon. Choosing between the 40mm GL and 30mm Cannon means sacrificing MAV's anti-armor capabilities, allowing players to choose the appropriate loadout for different situations.
• The effective damage range of the 40mm Canister Shot Pod in the Weapon Pod Seat is too low, and it has a large spread, leading to a poor user experience.
• The 40mm Volley Pod lacks sufficient accuracy and range, making it effective only at very close distances.
• Simply reducing the splash damage of the 60mm Mortar Pod is not a good decision. An alternative approach could be to implement a reload mechanism, like 3/3, which requires time for the gunner to be more selective in choosing targets instead of mindlessly spamming the left mouse button.
• The Driver Seat should have more passive equipment, such as the Tiger Tank's magnetic coating, which prevents C5 from sticking to the vehicle's hull. This should not conflict with the Repair System and can be a separate option in Slot 3 alongside Cyberwarfare Protection System, Threat Detection, and Close Defense System.
• The Commander Seat is often occupied by the Driver in 99% of cases. Its only function is to leave the vehicle for infantry respawn. Should we consider moving the equipment from the Commander Seat to driver seat slot 3 or 4 as a choice?

BOLT

• It's quite peculiar that the BOLT has only two seats in its category. I'm not sure if DICE has any plans to transform the BOLT into a squad support vehicle, but currently, it doesn't have a well-defined role in any category.
• Thermal and zoom functionalities should have separate slots instead of being integrated with the weapons.
• Perhaps the BOLT needs to be better positioned and have a more defined role.
• There's not much to say here, but the BOLT appears to be too powerful compared to the LAVT and too weak when facing heavy armor.
• It could be worth considering adding a new vehicle category, but this would require UI improvements as well.

CAV

• The 25mm APDS in the second passenger seat lacks effective damage against infantry; it is primarily designed for use against vehicles. (This doesn't mean we want DICE to remove the 25mm APDS, but rather, we are suggesting the inclusion of more options.) We need a 25mm HE (High Explosive) option for players to choose from. In the Breakthrough mode, CAV often encounters a significant number of infantry rather than vehicles, making the 25mm HE option more relevant and useful in such scenarios.
• The third passenger seat should have options like 40mm GL or 40mm smoke grenades for supportive roles.
• Modify the 20mm FLAK as suggested earlier for the LATV.
• Smoke Discharger/Smoke Launcher can provide damage reduction for vehicles within the smoke, have a faster cooldown, and be available in the same slot as Active Protection System (APS), serving as an active defense measure category, similar to Battlefield 4.
• Consider moving Threat Detection, Cyberwarfare Protection System, Zimmerit, and Close Defense System to Slot 4.

Light Armor

EBAA WILDCAT

• I'm not sure if DICE intends EBAA to be an IFV or an AA vehicle; this decision needs to be made by DICE. However, allowing players to have the freedom to choose could work, but it would require diverse loadouts, or alternatively, separate EBAA into IFV and AA versions.
• The engine power is severely lacking; it requires coming to a complete stop to switch between forward and reverse.
• Thermal and zoom should have separate slots, not tied to the weapons, and both the driver and gunner should have access to them. Additionally, a 3x zoom should be available (similar to how it was in Battlefield 4).
• The AA missile has no altitude restriction and, in some terrains, tilting the vehicle vertically grants it an unlimited lock-on range.
• The 35mm Dual AA Cannons lack hit feedback when engaging aircraft.
• The 40mm Cannon lacks effective damage against infantry, and the MAV often encounters groups of infantry. As mentioned earlier, the 40mm Cannon falls under the 'armor-piercing' category, designed for vehicles, but it lacks damage against both vehicles and infantry. It needs stronger splash damage and explosion radius as a 'high-explosive' option, or alternatively, increasing projectile velocity and impact damage to enhance its armor-piercing capabilities, or adding an airburst feature for high-damage anti-air capabilities.
• The 60mm Flak Pod suffers from the same issues as the 20mm Flak Pod. It should provide more impact damage and only cause aircraft to explode.
• Secondary weapons should include HMG and LMG options for player choice.
• Smoke Dischargers/Smoke Launchers should reduce damage taken by vehicles inside the smoke, with faster cooldowns, and they should be in the same slot as APS, serving as an active defense measure, just like in Battlefield 4.
• Due to the Sundance and Mackay being able to carry three C5s and having overpowering mobility, the Threat Detection, Cyberwarfare Protection System, Zimmerit, and Close Defense System (with high cooldowns) should be available as Slot 3, serving as close-range protection measures.
• The effective damage range of the 40mm Canister Shot Pod is too low, and it has a wide spread, resulting in an unsatisfactory user experience.

Heavy Armor

M1A5/T28

• The engine power is very poor, requiring a complete stop to switch from forward to reverse, unlike the Tor Tank. MBTs should have the same maneuverability as the Tor Tank.
• Thermal and zoom should have separate slots, not tied to the weapons, and both the driver and gunner should have access to them. A 3x zoom should be available (similar to Battlefield 4), offering unique advantages compared to Thermal.
• Different shell choices should not restrict turret movement speed.
• There is a bug with the black screen animation when zooming, occasionally causing the screen to remain black and not recover.
• The MPAT SHELL, considered the most balanced, has the slowest rate of fire, while HEAT (actually HE) has the fastest. This makes HEAT more versatile, capable of eliminating infantry with splash damage and posing a threat to vehicles with its fast rate of fire and reasonable reload speed.
• MPAT needs to increase its damage against vehicles.
• Tanks should be equipped with vertical stabilizers to improve accuracy while moving.
• STAFF SHELL should be a secondary weapon option, replacing LMGs, as it focuses on anti-vehicle capabilities, just like in Battlefield 4.
• Secondary Weapons should include Canister SHELLs for increased versatility.
• Upgrades Slot should include options like Thermal Camo (reduced spotting time and increased lock-on time for guided weapons), Autoloader (faster reload and resupply speed), and Reactive Armor (reduced damage from direct hits).
• Smoke Discharger/Smoke Launcher should provide reduced damage for vehicles in smoke, with faster cooldowns, and should be in the same slot as APS, serving as active defense measures, as seen in Battlefield 4.
• Due to Sundance and Mackay's ability to carry three C5s and their overpowered mobility, they should have Threat Detection, Cyberwarfare Protection System, Zimmerit, and Close Defense System (long cooldown) as Slot 3 options for close-range protection.

TOR Tank

• To be honest, I don't know what to say about the Tor Tank's existence.
• The Tor Tank benefits greatly from long-range combat, so the balance adjustments should focus on improving its close-range effectiveness and reducing its long-range capabilities to prevent camping behavior.
• Firstly, the OHV-EMG Maul's one-shot-one-kill feature against aircraft must be removed, and distance falloff should be added, making Tor Tank players primarily engage ground targets.
• Thermal and zoom should have separate slots, not tied to the weapons, and both the driver and gunner should have access to them. Additionally, a 3x zoom should be available (similar to how it was in Battlefield 4).
• The HV-EM Canister should be an alternative to the HV-EMG Hammer, charging at a similar rate, dealing low damage to heavy armor vehicles.
• The HV-EM Auto Cannon should serve as an infantry-focused, close-range weapon similar to the Rorsch MK-4, with relatively lower damage.
• Smoke Dischargers/Smoke Launchers should reduce damage taken by vehicles inside the smoke, with faster cooldowns, and they should be in the same slot as APS, just like in Battlefield 4.
• Due to the Sundance and Mackay being able to carry three C5s and having overpowering mobility, the Threat Detection, Cyberwarfare Protection System, Zimmerit, and Close Defense System (with high cooldowns) should be available as Slot 3, serving as close-range protection measures.
• If possible, the HT-95 LEVKOV would be a cool option for chassis selection, offering the ability to slightly turn the turret left and right at a small angle.

EBLC-RAM

• Thermal and zoom should have separate slots, not tied to the weapons, and both the driver and gunner should have access to them. Additionally, a 3x zoom should be available (similar to how it was in Battlefield 4).
• The 40mm Cannon of the RAM and Wildcat share the same issue.
• Perhaps the RAM, as a heavy armored vehicle, should have more powerful firepower.
• The 105mm splash damage area is too small, and the splash damage is insufficient, but the rate of fire is very fast. This setup could trade rate of fire for higher splash damage and a larger radius.
• RAM might be more suitable as an IFV category, alongside BTR, BMP2, and LAV.
• Smoke Dischargers/Smoke Launchers should reduce damage taken by vehicles inside the smoke, with faster cooldowns, and they should be in the same slot as APS, similar to how it was in Battlefield 4.
• Due to the Sundance and Mackay's ability to carry three C5s and their very overpowered maneuverability, Threat Detection, Cyberwarfare Protection System, Zimmerit, and Close Defense System (with high cooldowns) should be available in Slot 3 as close-range defensive options.
• For Weapon Station 2, perhaps the lock-on range for air and ground targets can be removed to exchange for stronger driver firepower. Having too many options on the RAM might not be a good idea, especially since the Wildcat is now separate from the RAM.
• The 40mm Volley Pod, 60mm Flak Pod, and 40mm Canister Shot Pod have the same issues mentioned earlier.

Gunship

Condor/Hind

• I believe we need more powerful weapons to turn them into Gunships.
• Helicopters have a hard time taking off when landing on uneven terrain.
• Thermal and Zoom should have separate slots instead of being integrated with the weapons.
• The Condor's maneuverability is subpar, and a mere 10% health difference doesn't offer significant distinction compared to the Hind.
• Perhaps the Condor could have the option of a 40mm GL Pod in Gunner Seat 2/3.
• The 40mm GL could potentially be replaced with a 40mm Cannon, offering better ballistics and firing range while retaining the 40mm attributes.
• The 50mm Cannon Pod has been discussed earlier, and it serves its purpose well in differentiating ammunition types, particularly for anti-vehicle capabilities.
• Engineers' repair speed in Seat 4/5 should be reduced.
• The minigun needs additional stabilization systems, as its aiming capability relies entirely on the pilot's flying skills.

Attack Heli

Apache/KA520

• The flight speed of all three rockets is too slow, making it extremely difficult to hit enemy aircraft at 300 meters away.
• A reticle for rocket guidance is needed as we have no way of knowing the specific impact point, and the rocket performance should be improved. Currently, all three rockets lack splash damage against vehicles, and when fired too close to a unit's sides, it inflicts no damage.
• The Gunner seat should have the option to choose between Thermal and Zoom.
• If wing-mounted weapons must have convergence, players should be able to select the convergence distance that suits their playstyle.
• Helicopters have a hard time taking off when landing on uneven terrain.
• The 127mm and 70mm rockets need to be differentiated by their armor-piercing/high-explosive capabilities, as well as their anti-personnel/vehicle roles. The 70mm rockets require better explosion radius and impact damage, while the 127mm rockets need higher anti-vehicle damage.
• The Apache should have a diver seat with a 30mm cannon, or it should be balanced against KA520 by improving its flight performance or adding additional TOW Missiles. Currently, the KA520's 30mm cannon is not very powerful, but it is almost always the preferred choice for experienced pilots due to its low skill threshold.
• Tow Missiles have slow flight speed, limited effective range, and their animation disappears at certain distances (or is truly missing).
• AGM's lock-on distance is very limited.
• Perhaps AGM should be available in the Gunner seat.
• Gunner seat should have TV missile.
• The Gunner Seat 30mm Cannon needs to be enhanced for both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle attributes. It currently resembles an anti-vehicle armor-piercing weapon but lacks sufficient impact damage. It could be differentiated as a 30mm AP/30mm HE option.
• There are issues with input delay and insufficient smoothness in the lift curve.
• It is suggested to classify 70mm/127mm/30mm (KA520)/TOW missiles (Apache) in Slot 1 as unguided rocket options.
• Allowing players to equip both air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground missiles in Slot 2 as guided weapons could be an effective countermeasure against the Nightbird. Similar to RAM, these missiles should have a slow recovery speed to limit their effectiveness, but their lock-on distance should not be too short. In reality, Hellfire missiles can destroy any armored vehicle at a distance of 6.5km.

Nightbird

• The minigun's shots do not align with the reticle.
• Helicopters have a hard time taking off when landing on uneven terrain.
• If wing-mounted weapons require convergence, players should have the option to choose their preferred convergence distance to match their playstyle.
• The 20mm Cannon has similar issues as mentioned earlier regarding armor-piercing/high-explosive, making it ineffective against both vehicles and infantry.
• The 70mm rockets lack sufficient flight speed and accuracy.
• The Nightbird's maneuverability can be adjusted to limit its capabilities while compensating with increased health to improve the forgiveness for new players.

HURON/HANNIBAL

• The 30mm Cannon Pods suffer from the same issue as mentioned earlier, with their armor-piercing/high-explosive capabilities being ineffective against both vehicles and infantry.
• Helicopters have a hard time taking off when landing on uneven terrain.
• The Gunner seat should offer a choice between Thermal and Zoom sights.
• The HE Bomb Cluster is limited in its effectiveness against infantry but excels at dealing with vehicles, similar to the armor-piercing/high-explosive problem mentioned earlier.
• Perhaps AP Bomb/Incendiary Bomb options could be added.
• The Tow Missile has a slow flight speed and short effective range.
• The vehicle's health is very low, and players have to choose between Missile Countermeasures and Repair System, which significantly restricts new players while experienced ones can manage the limitations.
• The most overpowering aspect is its ability to efficiently handle both anti-vehicle and anti-infantry roles in single-player mode. Even though it may come at the cost of health, experienced players can manage this. However, there should be a distinction between anti-vehicle and anti-infantry loadouts to avoid being too versatile.

Jets

F35/SU57

• Input delay is severe, especially in pitch and yaw, significantly affecting aiming for jet players. However, it seems that not many jet players have raised this issue, unlike in Portal's A10, where it is not as noticeable.
• The reticle is not centered on the screen and moves with different camera angles during flight, making precise aiming difficult. While infantry players have a reticle projection feature, it does not apply to jets, and fixed camera angles exacerbate the problem.
• We need an auto-throttle feature, as most jet players currently bind throttle and afterburner together in their settings.
• Jets often fly at relatively low altitudes, not exceeding 700m. On some maps, flight ceilings are very low, while the Wildcat's AA missile can lock onto targets at 650m without height restrictions. The cylindrical lock-on range instead of a spherical one allows it to target aircraft at close proximity to the engagement zone. In Battlefield 4, jets had around 3km of maneuvering space in maps like Caspian Border.
• Jets have poor capabilities against the Nightbird due to height similarity between helicopters and jets, jet's inadequate aiming abilities, and Nightbird's exaggerated maneuverability and small size. Improvements are required in control, cannon attributes (not just damage), and flight altitude to address this. In Battlefield 4, jets had an absolute height advantage over helicopters and maintained decent maneuverability at right speeds.
• The flight speed feels very fast from a pilot's perspective but looks very slow to observers. Rockets like M5 and RPG, which are unguided but have high velocities, can effectively take down jets. It's unclear if this is a visual error or due to other reasons that DICE should investigate.
• 25mm/30mm cannons lack splash damage, have slow velocities, and require high precision, which brings up the issue of armor-piercing/high-explosive imbalance. Light infantry weapons can deal damage to tanks, which should not be the case.
• In Battlefield 3, the Little Bird's minigun could also damage tanks.
• In Battlefield 4, 20mm cannons were primarily used against aircraft, with high fire rate, high velocity, almost no splash damage, and low damage per shot; 25mm was used against ground targets, with moderate fire rate, moderate velocity, some splash damage, and moderate damage per shot; 30mm was used against armored targets, with the lowest fire rate and velocity (much faster than 2042's 30mm), good splash damage, and high damage per shot.
• The first-person view sensitivity is too low.
• Fixed camera view's rearview mirrors still use a chase camera perspective.
• 70mm rocket pods have poor spread, very slow velocity, inadequate damage, lack of a fire control reticle, and face the same armor-piercing/high-explosive issue, leading to unclear damage against infantry/vehicles.
• The correct lock-on procedure for AGMs should involve a downward scanning angle, which is not the case for Portal's F18/SU37 AGMs.
• The FOV is strangely small, and it seems that my settings are not being applied.
• Don't be deceived by players like SILK. Very few are at SILK's level of skill; they possess exceptional expertise. Not everyone can perform like SILK.
• The aforementioned points are crucial and can be observed only by experienced jet players. It's not merely about insufficient damage; these details are smaller and require a seasoned player's eye.
• We don't mind the Wildcat's 650m lock-on range, but if that's the case, jet weapon range should be equally or more extended than the Wildcat's, granting jets the ability to counter it and limit camper players. Jets should be the highest skill-cap vehicles in the game.

Regarding the possible improvements to infantry after bolstering vehicles, some changes that might be necessary include

• Increase the Engineer's M5 and RPG ammo count to five each (in Battlefield 4, players could carry up to seven with the right skills), and raise their damage to ensure that the M5 can destroy a tank with four shots when it's unprotected. RPG should also have increased damage when hitting weak points (in Battlefield 4, it could cause 45+ damage and sometimes destroy a tank with two shots).
• Adjust the projectile speed of the M5 and RPG to be more appropriate, as they are rarely used against aircraft.
• Ensure that the M5 and RPG are not affected by the laser guidance of the spotting tool.
• Perhaps increase the number of C5 rockets to six, but only allow three to be active at a time.
• Provide ammo crates in control points on the maps to replenish rocket launchers.
• Consider adding a new auto-tracking launcher to make aiming easier (with a fixed 21 damage, unable to cause component damage).
• Implement mobility impairment for ground vehicles when they are hit in their weak points to reduce their survivability.
• Address the balance issue with LIS having infinite TV missiles compared to other experts who have very limited ammo and require a second player to resupply them.

About the maneuverability of ground vehicles

In Battlefield 4, ground vehicles suffer from a significant vulnerability that severely impacts their maneuverability. When facing TOW missiles, RPGs, Javelin missiles with laser designation, tank main cannons, and other weapons that can hit their weak points at a ninety-degree angle, the vehicles can become immobilized in place for a longer duration, lasting more than five seconds. Additionally, a single hit causing more than 30 damage forces any ground vehicle to lose its high maneuverability. With reactive armor equipped, the threshold for forced mobility reduction increases to a single hit causing 35 damage, which is considerably slower than the Tor Tank's siege mode. Furthermore, ground vehicles cannot automatically regenerate health after catching fire; they require some time to recover.

Despite their high maneuverability and formidable firepower, these ground vehicles also provide an effective means for infantry to destroy tanks. The angle of attack also plays a crucial role when ground vehicles face anti-tank firepower. A 90-degree angle of attack maximizes the damage output for anti-tank weapons. In ideal conditions, an RPG can destroy a tank with just two hits at this angle. Conversely, at smaller angles of attack, the damage may decrease. In other words, under normal circumstances, four hits are needed to destroy a tank, while in disadvantageous situations, it may only require three or even two hits. In advantageous scenarios, the tank's survivability can increase to withstand up to five hits. All of these factors depend on the player's current angle of direct fire. The combination of these negative attributes alongside high maneuverability and powerful firepower makes ground vehicles in Battlefield 4 a complex and challenging element to balance.

In Battlefield 2042, The M5, RPG, Javelin missiles, and TV missiles often struggle to inflict significant damage to camper vehicles due to the presence of the Iris APS. This leads many drivers to choose the Iris APS for their vehicles. As a result, vehicle players who actively advance with their teammates frequently face a high risk of being destroyed by C5 explosives, which becomes an almost inevitable scenario for such players. Therefore, in Battlefield 2042, it is essential to have Close Defense Systems like CAV that can be effectively equipped on most ground vehicles, especially MBTs, to provide protection against close-range threats.

About the issue of aircraft

The significant reduction in splash radius and damage, which emphasizes precision aiming, is causing a growing skill gap between new and experienced players. Additionally, the convergence of weapon fire and reticle position creates challenges for new players, putting them at a disadvantage against experienced ones, especially in vehicle-to-vehicle engagements. In such a situation, it becomes nearly impossible for a new player to defeat an experienced opponent, leaving little room for success.

Ultimately, this environment favors veteran pilots who have honed their aiming skills over numerous updates, making it unwise to further weaken aircraft. Such a move would only strengthen skilled players and hinder new players' learning process. It is important to strike a balance between difficulty and rewards for new players, ensuring a positive experience without deepening conflicts with experienced players. Currently, the skill ceiling for flying vehicles is very high, while the skill floor is quite low due to the emphasis on precision aiming and reduced splash damage. To address this, adjustments could be made to lower the skill ceiling while raising the skill floor. This might involve restricting effective flight altitude, reducing maneuverability, and introducing appropriate splash damage for machine guns. Additionally, reducing vehicle-to-vehicle TTK could provide a balanced experience for both new and experienced players, similar to games like APEX and COD (excluding the influence of SBMM). In APEX Legends, which have a high TTK, it's nearly impossible to secure a kill against a player with significantly higher skill level in a 1v1 scenario. This approach would allow new players to have a chance at surprising experienced players and securing kills, while making vehicle counterplay primarily the responsibility of other vehicles rather than infantry.