BF6 Beta Feedback, Concerns & Problems
I recently participated in the Battlefield 6 Beta on PlayStation, and I wanted to share my feedback regarding several gameplay and design aspects. I hope these points will help improve the overall player experience before the final release.
1. Grenade Indicators
Currently, there are no indicators warning players when a grenade is nearby unless they are directly looking at it, in which case it appears as a small red light. If a grenade lands behind or next to you (and you're not looking at it), there's no way of knowing it's there. This makes it extremely difficult to react in time, unlike in previous Battlefield titles where grenade proximity indicators gave players a fair chance to respond.
2. Map Design - "Liberation Peak"
The "Liberation Peak" map feels heavily skewed towards snipers. While long-range engagement can be exciting, the layout encourages excessive camping. This takes away from the team-oriented gameplay Battlefield is known for, as many players prefer to sit back with sniper rifles instead of actively participating (reconnaissance) or participating in objectives and close-to-mid-range combat.
3. Controller Layout - Ping/Marking System
On console, the Left Bumper (LB/L1) is currently used for marking/pinging locations, objectives, and enemies. In Battlefield 2042, the Right Bumper (RB/R1) was used instead, which made it much easier to mark targets, especially while aiming. Most console players aim with the Left Trigger (LT/L2), so switching fingers from Left Trigger to the Left Bumper to ping is uncomfortable and interrupts aiming. The previous layout felt much more intuitive and player-friendly.
4. Footstep Audio
During most of the beta, I could hear friendly footsteps clearly but could not hear enemy footsteps at all. I experimented with multiple audio settings, but nothing resolved the issue. This greatly reduced situational awareness in close-quarter encounters.
5. Concerns Regarding Portal
While I understand the appeal of Portal and its creative freedom, I have concerns based on my experience with the last three Battlefield titles, especially Battlefield 2042:
- In my country, many players create custom servers with unique rules, which fragments the community and reduces the number of active players in core modes.
- Some hosts kick or ban players simply for eliminating them, which creates a frustrating and unfair experience.
- XP farming servers often dominate Portal, leading players to quickly unlock what they want and then lose interest.
- Challenges in Battlefield 2042 often went unfinished because many Portal servers had XP limits, while core game modes outside Portal were unplayable due to low player activity.
- Playing on servers outside my country result in extremely high ping (210+) and packet loss, further hurting the experience.
The matchmaking in the beta, which filled servers with players instead of bots (more PvP than PvE experience), felt much better and kept gameplay active. I believe that Portal, if implemented without changes, could again divide the player base and reduce overall PvP activity.
6. Movement Glitches
At times, my character would "glide" or slide through the air when moving over certain objects or rubble. This happened multiple times and was noticeable enough to impact immersion and giving away position.
I appreciate the work and passion that goes into developing Battlefield, and I hope these points help refine the game further before launch.
