BATTLEFIELD LABS - THE CLASS SYSTEM - PART TWO

This Community Update outlines the current status of the Class System in Battlefield Labs, featuring insights from early player experiences.

Some systems aren't yet available in Battlefield Labs, but everything discussed here is crucial for defining class identities and achieving our goal of creating the best Class System in Battlefield's history. 

We have seen the suggestions to revert to previous systems and/or closed weapons. We are keeping these in mind in our discussions as we aim to connect new and veteran players to the Battlefield experience, fostering teamwork and creating a universal understanding of our systems for the future.

We've collected extensive player feedback and data to improve the next Battlefield, particularly around classes. Some improvements happen quickly through Battlefield Labs testing, with balancing done via server-side commands. Other changes require new tools or client-side updates that take longer.

Battlefield Labs allows us to respond to feedback and balance gradually with our community. We invite you to share your thoughts in the Community Updates section on our official Battlefield Discord. This is the new frontier of community collaboration for Battlefield, and we welcome you to explore it with us.

Let’s begin!

A RECAP ON THE CLASS SYSTEM

As indicated in Part One, our current focus for classes is to have players recognize and intuitively feel the unique identity that each class brings to their squad on the Battlefield. To have the interconnected systems and fundamentals of each class shape their role, while granting the freedom to customize how to execute that role.

The Class System is defined by two main components: Customizable and Class-defining. 

The customizable components empower players to explore and push the boundaries of their roles within their chosen class, while still adhering to the class's expectations. The class-defining components are designed to enhance "pick-up-and-go" playability and reinforce the expectations of your class identity. 

Throughout this Community Update, we will use Recon as the baseline example and detail its signature elements.

PICK YOUR TRAINING PATH

Customizable: Training

Training is designed to amplify the unique strengths of each Class, ensuring your role on the field is both impactful and strategic. Each Class offers two distinct Training Paths that you can choose from when customizing your loadouts. They provide flat-stat bonuses and benefits that enhance your performance in teamwork scenarios and objectives across various modes.

Training Paths are structured into three levels:

• Level 0: Passive benefit available upon immediate selection of the Training Path.

• Levels 1 and 2: Enhanced benefit aimed at improving your selected role. Only earnable through teamplay progression and score XP.

• Level 3: Is a one-time use ability that you manually activate and either benefits yourself, your team, or your situation in the match.
  • In Recon’s case, it is the ability to call in a damageable UAV to a marked position for passive spotting. Upon activation, you will need to continue working with your team to make sufficient progress to use it again.

As you engage in teamwork or tackle mode-specific objectives, you will passively gain bonuses at each level along your chosen path. Triggering your level 3 ability resets you back to level 2 to re-earn your level 3 ability. Additionally, Training Path progression is reset at the beginning of each round.

Through Battlefield Labs, we are validating the progression rate, impact and balance of each path, allowing us to adjust their relative usefulness and power to perform the desired role.

Recon specializes in long-range shooting and covert gameplay; your Training Path is designed to enhance and encourage certain aspects of that role. If you find yourself being more up close and personal as a Recon player, you would benefit from selecting Pathfinder, which has improvements such as being undetectable by equipment except when sprinting.

Although the Training System has been live in Battlefield Labs for only two play sessions, we have already identified a range of areas that we plan to improve before launch. Role efficiency and teamwork incentives are the priorities of this system, and Battlefield Labs continues to provide us with the space and time to ensure we meet these priorities.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO CLASS IDENTITY

Class-Defining: Signature Weapon

Each Class has a Signature Weapon that is intrinsically connected to their Class Identity, with the role of each Class taken into close consideration, as covered in Part One of this series. 

While each weapon can pack a punch when used in the right combat situations and be a valuable addition to your loadout, choosing to use the proficient weapon category for each Class will provide you with tailored passive benefits for your role.

Assault & Assault Rifles - Assault is the ultimate infantry fighter, responsible for leading the charge and responding to situations as and when they arise. Using an Assault Rifle with this Class will result in faster transitions from sprint to shoot and switching between Assault Rifles and other weapons.

Engineer & Sub Machine Guns - Engineers are positioned for destruction and repair at all costs, which means getting up close and dirty while on the battlefield. You’ll benefit from improved hip-fire control when using SMG’s.

Support & Light Machine Guns - Being used to heavy fire situations and being in the midst of chaos, Support are experienced with heavy gear, and as they lay down fire with Light Machine Guns they will not suffer from sprint speed penalties like other Classes would if they were to use the same weapon.

Recon & Sniper Rifles - Scope sway will be decreased, and the ability to stabilize your aim by holding your breath improves with the use of Sniper Rifles. Being highly proficient with Sniper Rifles will allow for Recon to be faster at rechambering between shots too!

Class-Defining: Signature Trait

With Signature Traits, we aim to create a set of unique bonuses that increase the efficiency of your overall role as that Class.

Assault - Enhanced Mobility. We’re currently looking at providing this class with reduced fall damage and no movement speed penalty that results from a fall. Combined with other Class-defining elements, such as Training, it aims to place emphasis on Assault being the tip of the spear class and utilizes mobility as its key strength.

Engineer - Explosive Damage Resistance. While Assault is all about leading the charge in infantry combat, the Engineer is the only Class capable of repairing and dealing significant damage to vehicles. You’re in highly explosive situations here, and we’re theming this trait around that.

We’re currently providing a reduction to damage from explosions as the Signature Trait, and we’ll be assessing within Battlefield Labs if that difference is felt between the different Classes and what the right level of balance should be for a passive resistance increase (or decrease!)

Support - Faster Revive. Support is designed to be every squad's essential choice for defense and sustained combat. Our focus for this Class was to enhance the importance of reviving, protecting, and supplying teammates, enabling them to rejoin the fight quickly.

Currently, the Signature Trait for Support allows faster reviving when stationary. We’re using the time with our community in Battlefield Labs to monitor your feedback on the Support class and the evolving expectations of Support's role, and identify the best aspects of this role to elevate further.

Recon - Aim Spotting. We currently have Recon’s Signature Trait as the ability to spot enemies while aiming down sight automatically. This is a Signature Trait that we are actively seeking feedback on within Battlefield Labs and are continually improving.

Class-Defining: Signature Gadget

Class definition is central to our future gadget lineup, ensuring each class features unique gadgets with zero overlap in usage. This approach highlights and reinforces the distinct role of each Class, offering gadgets that either enhance your own effectiveness or support your squad.

Assault - Adrenaline Injector. We’re equipping the Assault class with an Adrenaline Injector that grants resistance to flash and stun effects, enhances sprint speed, reduces explosive damage, and amplifies enemy footsteps for a brief period.

Battlefield Labs has already gathered substantial feedback on the Adrenaline Injector, which we’re already taking on board for the future to ensure it’s balanced across classes. For more details, check out the Learnings from the Labs section!

Engineer - Repair Tool. Whereas in the past, the Repair Tool has sometimes been a choice between using it or sacrificing it for something more aggressive. Going forward, the Repair Tool will always be available to you, so there really is no excuse for you not to repair your squad's vehicle, right?

Support - Supply Bag. Whenever you see a Supply Bag on the ground, you will now know that this item is capable of either healing you or providing you with a certain amount of ammo, and Support will be the class responsible for this.

We are currently working through the balance of this gadget through Battlefield Labs, and defining how much health or ammo you should receive, what the optimal range should be, and spam prevention.

Recon - Motion Sensor. Whether you're a Sniper or a Pathfinder in either a defensive or aggressive position, the motion sensor is useful for tracking enemy movement within its limited range. As a Recon, it's essential to have this tool readily available to perform at your best, making it an excellent choice for your Signature Gadget.

LEARNINGS FROM THE LABS

Thousands of players began experiencing Battlefield Labs in March, and it has already resulted in thousands of feedback submissions and bug reports, allowing us to work on rapid iteration of specific gameplay elements like movement and responsiveness, whilst discussing how to improve upon areas that take longer to implement, like destruction, movement, animation and more.

Battlefield Labs is an ongoing process that has laid the foundation for us to collaborate on player-driven changes that will impact the next generation of Battlefield games. While we continue to read through feedback and assess areas to work on, it has already been instrumental in guiding us to meaningful improvements.

CLASS IDENTITY & GAMEPLAY

• Assault - Players have emphasized Assault has a “Lone Wolf” mentality and there is desire to make the class less self reliant and instead enhance team play capabilities. Key areas for improvement include the Weapon Sling, particularly its early pre-alpha functionality, which allowed for carrying two signature weapons. The Adrenaline Injector has also received significant feedback and will undergo improvements, including the removal of the health regeneration component, with further changes to be shared at a later date.
  
  
• Engineer - The Engineer remains in a good place, but we're exploring ways to further enhance its interaction with vehicle play. Players were able to equip dual rocket/missile launchers within earlier play sessions, and while that may have enhanced interaction between this role and destruction capabilities, it provided too much power in a single loadout and we will be limiting this so you can only choose one at a time.
  
  
• Support - Support is frequently played due to its abilities to revive teammates, supply ammo and health, and intercept systems. We're focusing on subtle enhancements rather than significant changes with this class. Feedback indicates that there is an abundance of supply crates taking place, and this can often cause a detrimental effect on combat and create stalemate situations due to excessive healing and ammo. We are investigating adjustments, such as the crate’s duration, how much it can resupply, and more, to ensure we strike a good balance for impact to Support and other classes.
  
  
• Recon - Play sessions and feedback have highlighted room for improvement with Recon, and we agree, more work needs to be done to enhance its role on the Battlefield. One aspect that we continue to assess feedback around is how we want to encourage specific Training Path playstyles for this Class, strengthening disinformation and sabotage aspects of their role, and need to balance spotting capabilities.

GENERAL CHANGES

While the list above is not exhaustive, we continue to enhance various aspects throughout the development process with gradual changes within Battlefield Labs and beyond, guided by player feedback. For example, earlier pre-alpha play sessions received a large response against Ballistic Armor, and this feature is no longer included in our multiplayer modes. Additionally, improvements are ongoing with movement and animation, as well as vehicle handling for ground vehicles and aircraft control.

Our content is currently in alpha development, and some features may take longer to implement than others, depending on their complexity. However, we remain committed to keeping you informed through our community channels and Battlefield Labs as we work together to build Battlefield.

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For those who missed it. What do you guys think or feel about this>?