Battlefield 2042 - Known Issues
Follow this page for Known Issues and workarounds we are currently tracking for Battlefield 2042. How do I report a bug or issue? Check the Known Issues list below just in case we are already tracking it, while this list may not be the definitive full list, we will keep it updated. If the issue isn't reported below, please visit our Battlefield 2042 bug report section to report it. If you've experienced an account-related issue, please get in touch with us via EA Help. Note: we will continue updating this thread so you know where to go in case you come across an issue. We'll also keep you updated via @BattlefieldComm - be sure to follow this account on Twitter to always stay in the know. Live Service Alerts Anti-Cheat Error: We are seeing some of you being removed from a match with an Anti-Cheat error message. This may be due to having an out-of-date Easy Anticheat Install. Repairing your game installation on PC will resolve this issue. The details listed in this article may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible. NO WEAPON, MILITARY VEHICLE OR GEAR MANUFACTURER IS AFFILIATED WITH OR HAS SPONSORED OR ENDORSED THIS GAME
Battlefield Briefing: Welcome to 2042
Update - September 3: We wanted to give you a heads up on a change we've made to Falck based on findings from our Technical Playtest last month. A big finding was that Falck's S21 Syrette Pistol was causing a significant enough imbalance in gameplay to warrant making some changes. Previously we shared that Falck's Gadget would Revive, and Heal at Range., but going forward the gadget will simply Heal at Range, and not Revive. REPORT FOR BRIEFING Get ready for the next generation of all-out warfare! You’ve learned a lot about Battlefield 2042 over the past few days, through our Reveal Trailer, Gameplay Trailer (which is still just Pre-Alpha footage, by the way) and via our website. We’ll have plenty more to discuss in the months ahead, but first it’s time to recap everything we’ve talked about so far. Battlefield is bigger than ever. Using the power of new generation consoles and latest PC hardware each match will feature up to 128 players on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation® 5 and PC. On Xbox One, and PlayStation® 4, maps and modes will be optimized for a 64-player experience. Three Distinct Multiplayer Experiences Within Battlefield 2042’s All-Out Warfare experience, fan-favorites Conquest and Breakthrough once again make their return. In Conquest, two teams fight to control various points on the map in order to reduce the enemy’s strength to nothing. Breakthrough pits a team of attackers against defenders, with attackers having to capture all sectors on the map to overcome the defenders and win. Conquest is bigger than ever, with multiple Sectors (each Sector containing several control points) ensuring battles are constantly happening all over the map during a match Using Battlefield 2042’s increased map scale, Conquest matches will now contain multiple smaller areas, called Sectors. Each of these Sectors consist of a grouping of control points, filling out each map with even more battles happening concurrently during a match. Expanded vehicle and traversal options have also been added into the mix to make navigating these large spaces fully streamlined. Also new is the introduction of AI Soldiers (Artificial Intelligence) to the series. As a multiplayer-only experience, it’s important for us to let you play Battlefield 2042 when and how you want. Here is what that looks like in the All-Out Warfare experience of Conquest and Breakthrough: Multiplayer – AI soldiers are used for server-filling capabilities, ensuring your matches remain full, no matter your location. Co-Op – Allows you to play together with friends, against AI soldiers. Solo – If you wish to perfect your skills for multiplayer, you can even play alone against AI soldiers. And lastly, a reminder on the two other distinct multiplayer experiences coming to Battlefield 2042. One is being built by our team in LA, which we’ll show you at EA Play Live on July 22nd. And finally, Battlefield 2042 will introduce Hazard Zone, a brand new Battlefield game mode we’re excited to talk more about later this year. Set in the near future, the world has changed. Both the United States and Russia are once again on the brink of war as nations struggle over resources. As entire countries collapse, people find themselves with no nation to call home. These nomads are known as the Non-Patriated (“No-Pats”), a diverse group of people who have bound together in various clusters across the globe in order to survive the new turbulent world. In Battlefield 2042, you’ll play as Non-Patriated soldiers with unique skills who’ve taken up arms to secure dwindling world resources such as food, water and energy. They are known as Specialists, tasked with trafficking intel and supplies, and carrying out military missions that serve No-Pat geopolitical interests. Each of these unique Specialists have their own specialty and trait that you can use to give yourself the advantage in combat. Specialists mark a change from the Loadouts of previous Battlefield games. Every Specialist now has a Specialty and Trait that ties into their class of either Assault, Engineer, Recon, or Support. These Specialties and Traits are unique to their respective Specialist, which for your Loadout means you can now fully customize it to your liking: Primary Weapon Equipment (items anyone can use such as a Medical Crate or Supply Crate) Secondary Weapon Throwable (such as Frag or Incendiary Grenade) Class type will no longer restrict what weapons, equipment or throwable you can equip, offering you more flexibility than ever before in the series when it comes to Loadouts. You can also save these custom Loadouts, and select them for any Specialist you’d like to play with. Similar to personalizing your Loadout, you will also be able to customize the appearance of your Specialist. You’ll have the freedom to choose how you’d like to stand out on the Battlefield. There will be plenty of customization options available to ensure your Specialist doesn’t look the same as other players, and you can expect more details on customization at a later time. "With Specialists, we're excited to offer our players more flexibility than ever before when it comes to customizing their loadouts and adapting to situations on the battlefield," says Daniel Berlin, Design Director on Battlefield 2042. Battlefield 2042’s maps are filled with countless tactical positions for you to use to dominate the battlefield. Just be ready to move at a moment’s notice since storms, powerful weapons, and other dynamic events can tip the scales of war. At launch, you’ll be able to play as 10 unique Specialists. We’ve selected four of them to give you a closer look: Webster MacKay Lone-wolf survivalist MacKay is all about traversal. His Grappling Hook allows him to maneuver around the map more freely, while his Specialist trait (Nimble) prevents a movement penalty when aiming down sights or ziplining. Wikus ‘Casper’ van Daele Technologically savvy and a practitioner of subterfuge, Wikus’ abilities and specialty equipment make him a huge resource to any team. His OV-P Recon Drone can designate targets for lock-on weapons, spot nearby enemies, and detonate EMP blasts. Wikus’ trait (Movement Sensor) alerts him about approaching enemies, both when on the ground or piloting his recon drone. This makes him an absolute master of situational awareness. Maria Falck The true medic of the group, Maria’s S21 Syrette Pistol fires a syringe that can heal or revive friendlies at range and with increased speed, or damage foes. Her Combat Surgeon trait sets her apart from other Specialists by allowing her to revive fallen allies back to full health. Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky A necessity for any squad, Pyotr’s engineering skills allow him to place a SG-36 Sentry Gun to defend locations, while his Sentry Operator trait makes his Sentry Gun even more efficient in combat when he’s standing near it. Additionally, any enemy the Sentry Gun locks onto will be spotted for Pyotr. But that’s just a taste of Battlefield 2042’s roster of capable characters! We’ll have more Specialists to show you in the months to come. Alongside the increase in players, the spaces of these sandboxes are also growing, allowing for more vehicles and battles to be spread out across the entire map. With unprecedented scale and choices in gameplay, each map is specifically designed to provide a unique experience that directly impacts strategy for you and your squad. Battlefields have multiple distinct combat areas housed in a single playspace and this extra space means more variety and more meaningful vehicle gameplay. In Breakaway, you’ll be taking the fight to the ice with hovercrafts, helicopters, and more. Here’s a quick look at Breakaway, which is set on Antarctica. Tread carefully on this dynamic map, where oil extraction has turned the freezing area to a strategic hot spot. Take advantage of destructible fuel tanks and silos that create debris fields and permanent fires when destroyed. At launch, Battlefield 2042 will have seven maps for the All-Out Warfare experience. You can find out more about them by heading to our map overview. Battlefield has built its name on being a chaotic sandbox where you are encouraged to use the massive arsenal of weapons, vehicles and abilities at your disposal on a battleground rife with strategic opportunity and player freedom. Battlefield 2042 brings a host of new enhancements to the series. In Breakaway, you’ll be taking the fight to the ice with hovercrafts, helicopters, and more. Massive events, such as tornadoes capable of whipping Specialists across the map and exploding space rockets, will impact the map before you. Altering safe spaces and forcing you to adapt to the ever-changing battlefield with your gadgets and even use such powerful forces of destruction to put pressure on the enemy. "The enhancement afforded by the new generation of console technology has allowed us to make the world of Battlefield bigger than ever before,” says Daniel Berlin, Design Director. “Dynamic events will constantly encourage players to adapt to situations and create those Battlefield moments we've come to know and love from the franchise." Weapons and Attachments To succeed on the battlefield, every Specialist will need to utilize their entire arsenal, from powerful weapons to useful gadgets and a wide array of vehicles. Battlefield 2042 brings a new level of player agency to Battlefield, giving you access to the weapon modifications and tools you need at any given moment in a match. No matter where you’re at in-round, you can equip your weapons in real-time with modifications that the situation calls for via the Plus Menu. You will be able to wield assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, DMRs, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols and explosive ordnance. Weapons are no longer restricted by loadouts, with every Specialist capable of wielding any weapon. Depending on the weapon used, you have up to four categories for customization: Scopes/sights Muzzles/barrels Ammo types/magazines Underbarrel attachments Gadgets While every Specialist has their own unique specialty, like Mackay and his trusty Grappling Hook, classic Battlefield items will be accessible to every Specialist including the C5 Explosive, Anti-Tank Mine, and Frag Grenade. But a Battlefield game wouldn't be complete without some new hardware. We’d like to introduce you to Ranger, an agile and mechanized companion that can be called in to faithfully follow you into combat. Here’s a quick look at Ranger rushing across Kaleidoscope. Vehicles Vehicular gameplay remains an essential part of the Battlefield experience. And with Battlefield 2042, you will have access to vehicles such as jets, hovercrafts, tanks, troop carriers, armored cars, and the long-awaited return of helicopters. Also new to Battlefield 2042 is the vehicle call-in system, which allows you to airdrop vehicles to wherever you are on the map, instead of spawning into them. This system will allow you more freedom than ever before when it comes to navigating Battlefield’s massive spaces and terrain in search of a tactical advantage. We’re also going back to Battlefield’s roots where you once again can find vehicles on the battlefield, instead of solely activating them from the deploy screen. In Battlefield 2042, you’ll be able to call in any vehicle to where you are on the map, giving you more mobility power than ever. We’re taking a new approach to live service with not only a commitment to new content, but a goal of enhancing the Battlefield experience through Seasons that will continue to build the world of Battlefield 2042. “In Battlefield 2042 we’ll continue our commitment to keep the community together during the live service,” says Ryan McArthur, Senior Producer on Battlefield 2042. “In our first year, we plan to deliver four seasons, each evolving the sandbox, while delivering its own Battle Pass, Specialist, and more great content that you’ve come to expect from a Battlefield game.” We’ll be evolving our world and expanding on the fiction through Seasons, each one lasting for about three months. Every Season will come with a new free and paid-for Battle Pass, delivering new content to chase after. This also means everyone can progress towards earning all content that impacts direct gameplay such as Specialists, through natural play. In our first year of live service, we will deliver four Seasons, with four Battle Passes, four new Specialists, along with more fresh content. In The Next Briefing… And that’s all for today. Battlefield 2042 marks the start of a new journey for Battlefield and all-out warfare, and we’re excited to give you more updates and reveals in the coming weeks and months. We’re also looking forward to seeing you at EA Play Live on July 22nd, where we’ll talk more about the experience being built by our team in LA. Stay safe, No-Pats. END OF BRIEFING REFERENCE TO A PARTICULAR MAKE, MODEL, MANUFACTURER, AND/OR VERSION OF WEAPON, GEAR OR VEHICLE IS FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY ONLY AND DOES NOT INDICATE ANY SPONSORSHIP OR ENDORSEMENT OF ANY TRADEMARK OWNER If you'd like to discuss your thoughts and comments with us, please join us here.Battlefield Briefing: Answering Your Reveal Questions
On June 9 we revealed Battlefield 2042, and gave you an extensive look at All-Out Warfare, one of the game’s three core experiences. Your reactions to our unveiling have been memorable for the entire Battlefield team, and we look forward to sharing even more with you in the near future. We’ve since read your feedback and sat down with Daniel Berlin, Senior Design Director for Battlefield™2042 to answer your questions. In this post, you can expect to learn more about the following topics: A closer look at Specialists, Maps, Vehicles and AI Soldiers Why we’re moving the Technical Playtest to later this summer How we’re building cross-play and cross-progression functionality for Battlefield 2042 And as a bonus, we added an interview about how the much beloved penguins of the map Breakaway came to life. Let’s jump in! In Battlefield 2042 you will step into the boots of Specialists, an all-new type of playable soldier for the franchise. Inspired by the traditional Battlefield Classes, Specialists will be equipped with their own unique Specialist Trait and Specialty, and will have fully customizable Loadouts. At launch there will be a total of 10 Specialists. So far, we’ve shown you 4 of them: Boris, Casper, Falck and Mackay. You can expect further details on the remaining 6 later this year. How do Specialties and Traits work? The Specialty and Trait of each Specialist is unique to them, and can’t be changed. So as an example, we’ve noticed your excitement for a certain Specialist using a Wingsuit to navigate around the battlefield. That Wingsuit is their specific Specialty and cannot be used by any other Specialist. As for Traits, let’s take a closer look at Falck, equipped with the Combat Surgeon Trait. Combat Surgeon allows Falck to revive allies to full health. This gives her an advantage over players using Squad Revive, which we’re bringing back to Battlefield 2042. Squad Revive takes longer and does not bring players back to full health. How do customized Loadouts work? Class no longer restricts which weapons you can bring onto the Battlefield thanks to a fully customizable Loadout. As a Specialist, you’ll be able to customize the following: Primary Weapon Equipment (items anyone can use such as a Medical Crate or Supply Crate) Secondary Weapon Throwable (such as Frag or Incendiary Grenade) Here is what a customized Loadout could look like: Primary Weapon: M5A3 (Assault Rifle) Equipment: Supply Crate Secondary Weapon: G57 (Sidearm) Throwable: Frag Grenade As with all Specialists, Mackay’s Specialty and Trait are unique to him and cannot be changed as part of his Loadout: Specialty: Grappling Hook Trait: Nimble Will all players have RPG’s / SRAWs / SMAWs? All Specialists now have the ability to fully customize their Loadout, which means you have to make a choice about your focus on the battlefield. For example, you could opt for a Carl Gustaf M5, which is a unguided rocket launcher effective against vehicles at mid range. Or would you instead like an anti-air approach via the FIM-33 AA Missile? Choosing a more explosive approach for your Equipment slot would mean you won't be able to carry a Medical Crate, or a Supply Crate, and thus leaves you without health or ammo replenishing options. So choose wisely. Whenever we introduce a feature such as Loadouts, we also think about balancing the individual mechanical elements, such as missile ease of use, or range and effectiveness against vehicles or infantry. We then also introduce counters and scenarios, such as against rocket launchers, where you may have been better off picking something else. Battlefield is all about player choice and freedom to play however you want, and your decisions are vital to your squad and ultimately, team's success. Can Squads use any combination of Specialists? In Battlefield 2042, a Squad will consist of a maximum of 4 players. In Conquest and Breakthrough, squads can contain more than one unique Specialist. How can you differentiate between Specialists on your own and enemy team? The series icons highlighting your team (blue) and squad (green) will make their return and also help you differentiate between a friendly combatant and an enemy. There are also other options and systems we’re still testing that will assist you in distinguishing enemy players on the field. One last note on customization: There will be plenty of options available to you in the form of skins, which can alter your appearance and allow you to choose how you’d like your Specialist to stand out on the battlefield. The same two Specialists can look vastly different when wearing different skins. Is Ranger a Trait or Specialty? We can confirm Ranger is neither a Specialty nor Trait and won’t be unique to any Specialist. Instead, everybody has the opportunity to call-in them when in need of support. However, when you make that choice, you are choosing Ranger over other options available within the call-in system. There is of course also a limitation on the amount of Rangers available at any given time. Once safely on the ground, Ranger will follow and protect you and even put your life above their own! You’ll also be able to issue orders such as scouting a location, having them return to you and follow you. If a situation becomes dire, you can also command Ranger to self-destruct. This gives you several new interesting tactical options, such as do you send Ranger into the line of fire, or maybe as a decoy in order to flank the enemy? Your choices are critical, as Ranger is a light unit designed for anti-infantry combat but can easily be knocked out by enemy fire, explosives or EMP. And yes, before you ask, you can place a C5 Explosive on Ranger and send them into an enemy squad… We’ve shared that you can expect 7 new maps at launch for the All-Out Warfare experience of Battlefield 2042 (be sure to check out our dedicated Maps section if you need a refresher on each individual map). In terms of gameplay opportunities and land mass, this is the biggest and boldest Battlefield we have ever built. So what does that mean for you? Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular questions about maps you’ve asked. How does Clustering and Sectors optimize gameplay in Conquest? For Conquest we’ve made two distinct gameplay changes for Battlefield 2042 that will optimize larger-scale battles while preserving the classic essence of the experience: The first is called Clustering. We’ve introduced this to create deliberate areas of activity and capture areas for players to engage with. We’ve also added Sectors, which changes how players gain control of an area. In order to successfully capture the Sector, teams must seize and maintain control over all flags within a Sector, otherwise it will be treated as a neutral and contested area. Here’s an example of more fluid and targeted combat in a Conquest match. You are attacking a Sector and you capture the first flag. Previously, you and your squad would immediately be on the move towards another flag. But due to the Conquest changes in Battlefield 2042 you’ve now established a foothold in the Sector and can spawn and confront the enemy to take further flags. This creates a higher intensity fight for the full Sector. Only when the full Sector has fallen do you make the decision on where to go next. This reduces the back and forth running between flags and puts focus on the Sector itself. And lastly, different game modes will use different areas of our large maps. For example, when playing Conquest you’ll fight on certain areas of the map that aren’t available in Breakthrough and vice versa. This is one of the strengths of our massive play-spaces where different game modes bring more variety of experiences. Optimizations and differences between the 64 and 128-player experiences On Xbox One and PlayStation®4 you will have access to the same gameplay features that we’ve announced for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5. Weapons, Vehicles, Specialists and Gadgets all remain the same no matter what generation of console you’re playing on. Dynamic Weather events such as tornadoes, or Environmental Hazards like EMP storms will also be experienced by all players. Our intention is to ensure that nothing detracts from the overall experience of playing Battlefield 2042. The main differences between console generations is that we’ve made adjustments to the playable area on the maps to ensure a fluid play experience for Xbox One and PlayStation® 4 consoles. Can you fight on every floor of skyscrapers? You will not be able to play on every level of a skyscraper. But you can expect lobby and rooftop combat, which can be accessed via elevators and ziplines. As fighting on all levels of a skyscraper would be an entire map of its own, this prevents detracting from the rest of the map. How does increased map size impact limits such as going out of bounds? We have taken onboard feedback from past titles where the airspace is considered to be too cramped and expanded upon this to allow for more dogfighting scenarios. With the improvements made towards map scale, you can expect to be running or driving much longer before you hit an out of bounds warning. Will there be more maps? At reveal we talked about the 7 maps for our All-Out Warfare experience, and the addition of further maps through our live service. But that’s not all we have to share about maps! Be sure to tune in to EA Play Live on July 22 as we dive into the experience created by our Ripple Effect team (formerly known as DICE LA). We’re highly excited about this one! Vehicles are more easily available and more squad focused than ever before. We looked at how we can both balance out the scales between vehicle and infantry-play and create an anchor point for conflict. Earlier we mentioned the importance of balancing your Loadout (having a Medical Crate or Ammo Crate vs explosive ordinance for your Equipment slot). As infantry this boils down to how you engage with a vehicle, how you help others to do so more effectively, or how you stop the enemy from destroying too many of your team's tanks. When in a vehicle, the situation is about providing recon for your gunner, triggering defenses or even knowing when to hit the gas and boost off to freedom. How does the vehicle call-in system work? While you can still spawn directly into vehicles from the Deploy screen, one other important change we’ve made to accommodate the increased map scale is to make it possible for you to call-in vehicles when and where you need them. The vehicle call-in system can be accessed via a tablet interface and is available to all players, no matter which Specialist you are playing. There’s some further things to keep in mind: Use of the call-in system is dependent on map, mode and will have a specific budget assigned to each team. You still spawn into Air vehicles such as Aircrafts and Helicopters from the Deploy screen. Once you’ve called-in a vehicle, you will incur a cooldown so everyone has a fair chance to call-in support. Do the Factions have their own vehicles? Yes, the iconic vehicles you’ve come to know and love will still be faction-specific. The No-Pats taskforce that you follow in Battlefield 2042 will team up with either Russia or the US depending on the location in the world. This means that you will get to utilize either the iconic Russian or US hardware as you go into battle. As an example for Tanks, Russia will get to play with the T28 versus the M1A5 on the US side. You can also still expect to encounter vehicles that anyone can play with, such as the MD540 Nightbird Helicopter, or the EBAA Wildcat Heavy Ground vehicle. Will there be naval vehicles and sea warfare? You can expect to see naval oriented vehicles such as the LCAA Hovercraft, however there isn’t a focus on naval specific warfare right now. We’ve seen your comments about how excited you are about naval warfare, so stay in touch with us about what you’d like to see in the future! So far we’ve told you about the three distinct experiences where we’re introducing AI Soldiers, and how you can play with them: Multiplayer – AI soldiers are used for server-filling capabilities, making it easier for you to matchmake when you want to play. Players always have priority over AI when playing multiplayer. Co-Op – Allows you to play together with friends, against AI soldiers. Solo – If you wish to perfect your skills for multiplayer, you can even play alone against AI soldiers. If you’re new to Battlefield, AI soldiers are a great option to learn the mechanics of Battlefield 2042 at your own pace without the pressure and competition that comes with multiplayer. So how will AI Soldiers actually play on the Battlefield? AI Soldiers are intended to play the game like how you would play it yourself. However they are not designed to be Specialists and cannot use Traits and Specialties. You will see them undergoing certain tasks such as using the vehicle call-in system and engaging with vehicles, or capturing objectives. Whilst they can’t use the Wingsuit, they do have the intelligence to decide between engaging with you via enemy fire, flanking, throwing grenades or even reviving a downed squad mate. Can you completely opt-out of using AI Soldiers? In the All-Out Warfare set of experiences of Conquest and Breakthrough, AI Soldiers are used to backfill servers and you cannot opt-out of playing with them. However, there is a cap to how many of them you can encounter in a multiplayer match. In general, you will not experience more AI soldiers than players unless the match is still filling-up, or almost empty. Players will always have matchmaking priority over AI. As an example: if there are 120 players out of 128 players currently playing in a server, 8 AI Soldiers will join the match to help even out the teams. Should a player leave, another AI Soldier will temporarily replace them until a new player joins the game. We’re providing them as a helpful option to ensure you won’t have trouble matchmaking and can fully enjoy the all-out warfare chaos you can expect from a Battlefield match. Since AI Soldiers can be used in Solo mode, does that mean I can play offline? Battlefield 2042 is a multiplayer-only experience. So while you can play Solo against AI Soldiers if you’d like to practice, it will be in an online setting. One of your most frequently asked questions is about cross-play. We can confirm it’s a function we’re looking to build and test for Battlefield 2042. To accommodate that, we’ve made the decision to move the Technical Playtest to later this summer so we’ll have the opportunity to test the cross-play functionality. This means a few thousand participants will join us to help us test some of our new features and functionality that we’re building from the ground up for Battlefield 2042. Do keep in mind that the Technical Playtest is purposefully not intended to be the full experience you will see in the Open Beta, or at launch. It is a development-led environment with only a subset of features, focused on technical performance. How can I join the Technical Playtest? No need to contact us, we’ll contact you! The Technical Playtest will be in a closed environment and under strict NDA. Only a small group of participants will be able to join. If Playtesting is something that interests you, then we recommend you update your EA Playtesting profile. Registering for EA Playtesting will not guarantee you access to this, or other Playtests. Testing cross-play during the Technical Playtest We’ll test a subset of cross-play functionality during the Technical Playtest. This means during this test, PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation® 5 consoles will be able to test playing together. Cross-play in Battlefield 2042 beyond the Technical Playtest We are still building cross-play functionality, and the first opportunity for us to test it with a wider, invite-only group will be within the Technical Playtest. Right now, we’d like to give you an understanding of what we’re looking to achieve as final functionality beyond the Technical Playtest, so here is an overview of what you can expect that to look like: PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®5 system (PC and console can opt-out from playing together) Xbox One and PlayStation®4 systems Cross-progression and cross-commerce Alongside cross-play we’re also building cross-progression and cross-commerce for Battlefield 2042, which will be shared across all platforms and travel with you wherever you go. For example, your unlocked progress and purchases in your PlayStation® copy of the game will carry over onto the Xbox or PC version, and vice versa*. One of our favorite reveal reactions is the surprising popularity of a new set of waddling friends first seen for only a brief moment in the Reveal Trailer. It was definitely love at first sight between you and the penguins in the new Battlefield 2042 map, Breakaway! We’ve since followed your fan art, memes and further penguin related discussion with much enjoyment. We felt this was a perfect moment to recap and sit down with the person who brought these lovely penguins to life. Meet Joel Zakrisson! Can you tell our penguin fans more about your role at DICE? Hi! I’m Joel Zakrisson, a 3D artist at DICE and I’m mainly focusing on environments. We have both level artists and 3D artists here at DICE, so the 3D artists are doing most of the hard surface art, like anything that’s man-made on the map such as the oil rig on Breakaway. The level artists make most of the nature assets, such as rocks and trees as well as the placing of props and sculpting the terrain. How did you get into this role? I first decided I wanted to make games when I was 14 and built Little Big Planet 2 maps in my spare time. I then did a game design orientation program in high school, but was torn between art, design and programming. After testing out each field I ultimately landed on art because of the creative aspect, and 3D in particular since it would give me a better chance to work on the AAA games that I'm a fan of, such as Battlefield. After that I went to university, finished some art projects and published them online. They got quite a bit of attention with even companies like Rockstar contacting me, which was crazy! But I really wanted to work at DICE, so I ended up talking to DICE’s Head of Art about open positions, and that’s how I managed to get in! Can you give us an example of something else you worked on for a map? On Breakaway we have an oil rig for instance, so I’m creating that one. Like building it from scratch, composing it and building the systems that we use to construct it. The building blocks, and the entirety of it pretty much. I’m managing most of the 3D art on the map, which includes an oil port with architecture such as small living quarters for the workers who work there. As well as a research station up on the glacier. Oh, and I also made the huge mountain base you can see in the beginning of the Reveal Trailer. So, let’s talk about how the penguins of Breakaway came to life? When I first started on Breakaway I thought... we’re on Antarctica, I just have to do this! I love adding these little things that add more soul to the game. While resource extraction is still at the core of the map, adding these little fellows and adding more life to the environment was a no brainer for me. Adding something like penguins to the map isn’t easy, though. Once I was done with the models, I handed it over to the VFX artist Tobias Ahlgren, who did the animation and implemented their behaviour in game. In the end, it’s worth it and I love that myself and the team can add personal touches. We hope you get to see our passion when you play! What has your overall reaction been to all the penguin hype? While I’ve added Easter Eggs to games before which received attention through Reddit etc, nothing blew up like the penguins. That was a total surprise to me! So I feel a bit overwhelmed I guess? I love it. I love all of the tweets, and all of the fan art that I’m even getting, that’s just crazy. I love it all. It’s really fun to interact with the community. Anything you’d like to say to the community? So what I’d like to say to the entire community… I hope that you like the penguins and will have fun seeing them when you’re playing Battlefield 2042. It really means a lot to me. We’d love to thank Joel for being here with us today. We’re looking forward to you seeing the penguins in their full glory when Battlefield 2042 launches later this year! Up next… We know there are more questions that you would love us to answer right now. We’ve read them, and we want to thank you for staying in touch with us. We’re still only at the start of our journey unveiling Battlefield 2042 to you, and still hard at work to finalize the exciting features you can expect to see at launch. We’ll check back in with you once we have more details to share with you. At EA Play Live on July 22 we’ll show the next feature we’re ready to talk about and we’re looking forward to seeing you there! Be sure to visit our EA Play Live website to learn more about the upcoming event where we unveil the brand new mode that the Ripple Effect team in LA has been working on! *CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. SEE https://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/battlefield-2042/disclaimers FOR DETAILS. REFERENCE TO A PARTICULAR MAKE, MODEL, MANUFACTURER, AND/OR VERSION OF WEAPON, GEAR OR VEHICLE IS FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY ONLY AND DOES NOT INDICATE ANY SPONSORSHIP OR ENDORSEMENT OF ANY TRADEMARK OWNER.Battlefield Briefing: Development Update, May 2022
If you'd like to join the discussion on this update, please go here. Hey Folks - Over the past few months, we've shared some of the key areas of focus for Battlefield™ 2042. Through our Core Feedback Loop, we've also shown off some of the work we've been doing on those areas. As we’ve been working to get Season 1 into your hands, it’s been a while since we provided you with a better overview of where we are with that work, and the changes and improvements that you can expect to see coming to the game throughout the year. To bring you in on what we’ve been working on I recently sat down with Senior Producer Ryan McArthur, and Creative Director for Battlefield 2042, Lars Gustavsson to talk about the improvements we’re bringing to the game and maybe even give a hint about all the new content and improvements that’s coming down the pipe. Have a watch below, and see for yourself where we’re at as we approach the release of Season 1 next month. What we are focusing on Ahead of the start of our first Season, we have focused on addressing the core issues with our game. It's been essential for us to ensure that as much of the experience that we shipped with is in as best a shape as possible before we started to deliver all new content. We know that this has been a frustrating, and lengthy time getting from there to here, and while we have more to do, we're encouraged that many of you are having a better experience with the game. Ahead of new content arriving in the game, we wanted to assure you that there are still four key focus areas for us right now: Maps Experiences & Modes Core Gameplay New Content These encompass some pretty big areas of our game and have plenty of nuanced changes and additions built within them. In the video above, you get to hear directly from Ryan and Lars on where we are today with our work, but if you’re looking for a recap, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to see updated and changed in the game over the next several months. Maps In this focus area, we’re not just looking at the new maps that we’re planning to bring throughout our upcoming Seasons, but also the improvements that we want to bring to our existing playspaces. We know that our maps play best when the space is being well utilized, and when you feel that you have a good understanding of not only where to go next in our maps, but also the safest ways to traverse that distance. We’ve seen from your feedback that you are enjoying our maps in 128 players on Conquest, but that when it comes to other experiences, we shouldn’t stick so rigidly to those rules. When the first of our new maps arrives in Season 1, we hope you’ll feel that these changes help to create a more fun and tactical experience, and we’re looking forward to you experiencing these changes for yourself next month. We’re also looking to ensure that where we need to, we’re able to bring some of our launch maps up to our revised standard of quality, focusing first on the reintroduction of Kaleidoscope. As shared in our Core Feedback loop last month, we’ve revised the playspace to add more cover, creating new flag positions, and improved the flow across the whole map. Cover has been added not only with the placement of new assets, but also in the raising of terrain to help break sightlines and let infantry move more purposefully around the map. Most importantly, these new assets bring more tactical destruction which help to ensure that the map evolves throughout the duration of each round, and provide both Attackers and Defenders with new options when playing in key areas. We’ve also introduced new areas onto the map, adding a Forward Operating Base into the park, with a second command post added close to the Tower. The Data Center has similarly received multiple passes from the teams to help ensure that there are more cover points, and new war torn looks to certain areas that help make the map more faithful to 2042’s setting. Our work on Renewal is also progressing well, adhering to these same quality improvements. Now scheduled to release some time after Season 1, the changes will help improve much of the infantry experience on the map, helping to eliminate playspaces that stretched the gameplay into quieter spaces (removing sectors A and E from the map), and focusing the action through the map's center. The Solar Station has been revised to include much more cover, new concrete barriers, sandbags, and assets that help to give the space a more occupied and entrenched feeling. The terrain connecting from here to the Security Checkpoint in the center of the map has been raised and modified to provide better cover for players, with a simplification of the layout taking place at the substation to help eliminate the numerous possible angles of attack. Connecting the Security Checkpoint to the Synseco Buildings, there’s now plenty of cover helping to link the playspaces, with the Synseco Buildings themselves featuring more internal points of cover that help to improve our standards of Close Quarters Combat. Experiences and Modes Connecting to the improvements that we’re making to our playspaces, we’ve spent our time over these last few months reviewing the experiences we provide with our game modes and challenged ourselves to ensure that we’re improving the quality of gameplay here too. Here we have two big focuses - the variety and depth of what you play, and the available options of what you can play. As you’ve now experienced in our recent 0.4.1 Update - we have unshackled ourselves from 128 Player Game Modes when it comes to how we develop new modes in our game, and also in the play spaces we use in our maps. 128 Players won’t be going anywhere, we know it's great for some of our experiences. For players on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC, we’ll continue to optimize our Conquest experiences around large player counts, but as we’ve done recently with Breakthrough, we’ve made the decision to keep this mode as a more tactical experience, better suited to 64 players. Conquest experiences will at times feature less Sectors and Capture points as we introduce new content, and update some of our existing content. This is a change that helps us to better control the flow and pacing of combat, making sure that you’re spending more time engaging on the flags, and less time checking your phone while you wait for the capture to confirm. In Breakthrough, the decision that moves us to 64 players universally, helps us to build more focused frontlines for the engagement, and the reduction in player count ensures that squads which look to work more tactically find more opportunities, and less chaotic resistance in the flanks. We’re also looking to expand and bring our official modes together to include Rush, our 32 Player focused experience during Season 1. We’ll have more to share about that when we reveal the Season next month, but we wanted to let you know to expect this expansion to All-Out Warfare, alongside core improvements to the Rush experience following its initial outings via Battlefield Portal. Speaking of which, starting in Season 1, you’ll see more of our existing Battlefield Portal maps joining the rotations in All-Out Warfare to help bring more variety to our Core Modes. One final piece of news for you to take away from today’s video - we’re winding down future development on Hazard Zone. All of us on the team had great ambition and high hopes for this new Battlefield experience throughout our development, but we’re the first to hold our hands up and acknowledge that it hasn’t found the right home in Battlefield 2042 and that we’ll benefit greatly from letting our focus and energy stay on the modes we see you engaging most with. Hazard Zone will stay as part of the experience, we’re not switching it off, but beyond addressing critical errors and odd behaviors that may appear in the future, we’re no longer actively developing new experiences or content for the mode, and you’ll find that maps that we release across our seasons will not be supported in Hazard Zone. Core Gameplay Let’s talk about Specialists. We know this is one of the main topics discussed across Battlefield Communities, and it’s an important priority for us too. In terms of what you can expect to see on this topic, we are actively working to update the style and tone that our Specialists bring to the experience. We’ve started art passes on our Specialists that help to better reflect what we feel their place to be in the world, making them feel grittier, and closer to the more serious tone that we want to come across in our narrative. We’re also in the process of updating the voice lines that you hear from the Specialists, removing ones that we know break your immersion and connection to our characters, and will ensure that cosmetic options you’ll encounter in the future provide you with more grounded and more military-themed content. On the gameplay side of Specialists, we’re still exploring bigger changes to their design and don’t want to commit into temporary decisions while this work is still ongoing. We are continuing to make regular balance changes, such as the recent nerf to Boris’ turret in 0.4.1, and the light overhaul made to Rao’s passive behavior in 0.4.0 just last month. We will continue to help ensure the experience you have with the Specialists is well balanced and able to provide good variety to the gameplay, but we don’t want to rush into any new directions until we’re 100% satisfied that what we do next is the right thing to do. How Specialists fit into the game today can be improved. We’re sensitive to, and grateful for the feedback that we have received so far from all of you, but we recognise that making a sweeping change to Specialists would cause significant delays to our development, more so than we already have in our work to improve the experience ahead of the start of our Seasons. We do intent to make changes, but want to ensure they do not impact the other improvements, fixes and content that we’re bringing to the game. There are initial ideas that we have, and when we’re on sturdier ground with the vision we have for the Core Gameplay of Specialists, we will come to you to share those ideas and solicit that feedback. The Core Feedback Loop for Specialists will come later than planned, but we invite you to continue sharing your thoughts around improvements that we can make here. We’re not walking away from Specialists, they’re a key part of the Battlefield 2042 experience, and we just want to make sure that we get this right. Elsewhere in Core Gameplay improvements, we’re looking to bring new 3rd person animation modeling to the game, giving much better readability to body motion and helping you to better react to enemy movement. With Gunplay, you’ve already seen us bring improvements to our Weapon Attachments in Update 0.4.0. We’re going to continue balancing our weapons to ensure that they each have a unique application within the sandbox, and we’re working on changes to Visual Recoil to help improve the experience of firing our weapons. Beyond this, we have new weapons and gadgets coming with each Season, and we’ve started work on a new initiative that will see us further add to our pool of Weapons and Gadgets, by introducing some of our Classic eral arsenal into the All-Out Warfare experiences. This isn’t a simple or fast change, it’ll take us some time to do. We need to ensure that these weapons are mapped properly to progression, that they’re appropriately balanced to the 2042 model of gunplay, and that they’re supported with appropriate mastery and cosmetics, but we’ve started work on this and we’ll have more to share further down the road. On the Teamplay and Social side of our Core Gameplay loops, we’re making UI improvements during Season 1 that help enable better readability across our systems that let you understand where your friends are playing, finding new modes to play, and understanding what to expect when you jump in. And finally on Performance, we’re continuing to ensure that the game is living up to your expectations of a technically sound experience that performs at the framerates you expect from your hardware. We took a big step towards addressing that with our Minimum Spec players in our 0.4.0 update, and there were positive knock on effects across the board that helped to see many players gain better CPU utilization, improved latency on input, and a smoother experience with less hitching than seen at launch. This is work that we continue to iterate on, and work to find new improvements for, with more for us to do throughout Season 1. New Content Season 1 will launch next month, and will mark the start of a year of new content coming to the game. Four Seasons, four New Specialists, new maps, and new weapons and gadgets that help to expand the sandbox. We’re bringing a Battle Pass to Battlefield for the first time that will give players the chance to earn new gameplay items, all of which are on our free tiers, and new cosmetic items across both the free and premium tiers. Next month with the release of Season 1 we’ll see a big update that will not only bring this new content to the game, but also deliver new Quality of Life enhancements, fixes, and improvements that demonstrate our continued commitment to Battlefield 2042 and our mission of restoring the trust that many of you feel was hurt when we launched back in November of last year. All of us on the team are thankful by your feedback following the release of 0.4.0 update, which allowed us to make swift changes via a Hotfix the following day to address stuttering issues, and incorrect Ticket Counts for our Breakthrough 64P layouts. We are pleased that we now have the opportunity to show you even more of our hard work with the start of Season 1. Internally we’ve enjoyed playing its content for longer than we planned to, but we’re keen to maintain the right cadence of our updates from here, both for new content, and game improvements. To see more of the changes, check out the video linked at the top of this article if you haven’t already and stay tuned to us here on the Battlefield Website, our Social Channels, and the Battlefield Discord. Next month we’ll publish our complete Season 1 Update Notes, and return with a new video where I’ll be joined by members of the Battlefield development team to talk about Season 1, and to look ahead to more of the changes that we’re making to the game. Until then, thank you for giving us the time to play the objective <3 Freeman // @PartWelsh Community Lead, Battlefield This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible. If you'd like to join the discussion on this update, please go here.Battlefield Briefing: The World of 2042
Battlefield™ 2042 is the next generation of the series’ exciting sandbox gameplay, containing three distinct multiplayer experiences. We’ve spoken about All-Out Warfare, and Battlefield Portal already, and we’re still to reveal Battlefield Hazard Zone, an all-new, high-stakes, squad-based game-type for the Battlefield franchise that we can’t wait to tell you about. But before we get to that, we’re going to be talking about the narrative of Battlefield 2042 and how we’re telling the story of that world. Multiplayer is the core of Battlefield, however, we’ll also be telling a compelling narrative through a new lens for the series. The World of 2042 will play a vital role in how we tell the story, and it's one we plan on unraveling over time. You'll learn more about the world through the eyes of the Specialists that you play as. Each one has their own story that connects them to our ongoing narrative, and to the world itself. Discoveries you make in the game will also expand upon the narrative, while stories that exist outside of the game itself will aid you in piecing together the pieces that make up the World of 2042. The world of Battlefield 2042 is chaos. Resources are dwindling as violent climate change takes hold and the United States and Russia are on the verge of war. As entire countries collapse, people find themselves with no nation to call home. These nomads are known as the Non-Patriated (“No-Pats”), a diverse group of people who have bound together in clusters across the globe in order to survive the turbulent new world. In Battlefield 2042, you’ll play as Non-Patriated soldiers with unique skills who’ve taken up arms. They are known as Specialists, tasked with carrying out military operations. In-game, each of these unique Specialists have their own specialty and trait that you can use to give yourself the advantage in combat. The World of 2042 has been ravaged by unpredictable and volatile weather. The city of Doha (AKA the map Hourglass) knows this all too well. Each map in Battlefield 2042 has its own story. For Hourglass, we wanted to tell the story of a city that’s not only been ravaged by sand but one where life has ground to a halt. Extreme conditions have become part of daily life for the citizens of Doha and you’ll see these highlighted throughout the map on advertisements informing citizens what they should do in the event of a storm. Lining the streets are signs detailing evacuation procedures. You’ll notice cars that have been left behind, in the process of being claimed by the sand their inhabitants were once trying to escape. Now they lie still, providing you with potential cover from enemy fire. Throughout your journey across the World of 2042, you may notice signs and logos on buildings and vehicles. Some of the organizations and businesses we’ve created for the world will be present in multiple maps. Within Hourglass you may notice logos of Synseco, an agricultural company based out of Egypt, featuring heavily on Renewal. What are the reasons for Synseco’s presence in Hourglass? Only time will tell. Other organizations you will encounter include Daesong Electronic and Four Sec, a private security company whose growth increased rapidly as the world plunged into turmoil. Some are quick to point out that they have the backing of numerous wealthy private investors, while American media outlets would likely call out their close ties to Russia. These are just a few of the fictional organizations that you will encounter in the World of 2042, with many being specific to various maps and geographical locations. As you make your way through Battlefield 2042’s maps, you may hear broadcasts from the America United News Network or you might hear the same story from the Russians’ point of view. Each of these voices aims to give you something to reflect upon and will help to give context to the events that are unfolding within the world we’re creating. Definitely keep an ear out... With Battlefield 2042, we’re dedicated to building an engaging world for you to experience. All of these in-game elements will help push our story forward, playing a part in building the puzzle that is the World of 2042. Look beyond the boundaries of the game, and you will find even more of those puzzle pieces. You know what the No-Pats are, but just who are they? How did they come to be? Why and how do they fight? This past week we published The Journey of the No-Pats, a multi-chapter narrative piece written by journalist Kayvan Bechir about his experiences while traveling with the No-Pats (as well as several Specialists) while the world’s nations fall to scarce resources, greed, and violent climate change. Alongside answering questions about the No-Pats’ fight for survival and how they operate, this piece takes readers on a journey through a series of locations across Battlefield 2042. Why is Doha drowning in sand? Bechir lays out the hard facts of the city’s failure to fend off desertification and the suffering of its people: bankruptcy, famine, and political strife, all culminating in a cataclysmic sandstorm assaulting an unprepared metropolis at the same time you’re waging war in the city streets. If you want to know more about what Doha and other locations you’ll be fighting across in Battlefield 2042, be sure to read The Journey of the No-Pats. At the conclusion of The Journey of the No-Pats, we released an original cinematic piece called Exodus that explored the final chapter of the story in greater detail and reintroduced an old friend. Battlefield™ 4’s Kimble “Irish” Graves returns in 2042 as one of the prominent leaders of the multi-factioned No-Pats and as a playable Specialist. Michael K. Williams, the original actor for Irish in Battlefield 4, has also returned to help bring the character to life once more. In Battlefield 2042, Irish finds himself at a crossroads with the mysterious Oz, another leader amongst the No-Pats. Irish wishes to tend to his people and keep them out of wars fought by the superpowers of the world. Oz stokes the flames of war, believing that the old world must burn for the new one to be born. Irish, as the leader of one of the groups of No-Pats, gives commands and expects them to be followed without question. He’s a man who’s been hardened by great loss who chooses to pay his respect to the fallen by using his skills to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. Class: Engineer Specialty: Fortification System Trait: Veteran As an Engineer, Irish is a great asset to any team. His specialty is the Fortification System, which allows him to place two separate items into the world – the DCS Deployable Cover and APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel. DCS Deployable cover You can place the cover on nearly any flat surface, creating a small protective barrier that allows your allies to see out through its bulletproof glass. This barrier can protect you and allies from incoming fire until its health pool is depleted. As Irish, you can place multiple covers on a map. Need to revive someone? Protect yourself against a sniper attack in the open? Hold the capture point for just a few more precious seconds? Using multiple covers, you can create your own small outposts to help you buy time. Obtaining some medical and ammo crates and teaming up with Boris and his SG-36 Sentry Gun will allow you to build your own castle-like fort. APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel The APS-36 is a rocket’s worst nightmare. Once placed into the world on nearly any flat surface, it eliminates incoming explosive projectiles within proximity (grenades, rockets, etc), turning a once deadly weapon into a puff of smoke. Placing the APS-36 next to a vehicle will give it automatic protection from incoming missiles while placing it behind cover can force the enemy to reposition in their attack. But beware: an EMP or savvy hack attack can put the system out of action. Veteran Irish’s Veteran trait allows him to dig in and stay alive. He will always spawn with a small amount of body armor that can be replenished whenever he collects dropped ammo packs from defeated foes. To celebrate the return of Irish, we are excited to announce that as an added incentive in pre-ordering Battlefield 2042, you will receive his exclusive Battle Hardened legendary skin. The Battle Hardened skin showcases the outfit he wears in the short film Exodus! In Battlefield 2042, we’ll be telling you stories in a new way for the franchise. We decided to sit down with the Narrative team at DICE to recap (and go a little bit more in-depth) into the World of 2042 and how we’ll be telling its story over time. Grab a drink, sit back and without any further ado - it’s over to the Narrative Team! Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at DICE? Justin Langley: Hello! My name is Justin Langley, I’m a Narrative Designer at DICE. I help develop the narrative for characters and game modes. Michael Hartin: Hi, like Justin, I’m also a Narrative Designer on Battlefield 2042 working on world-building elements. I focus on the physical world - that starts with the maps, but also goes into details like in-game organisations and media outlets. If it’s a map (say for example, a city) then I’m also responsible for what advertisements, and other world building elements, that are displayed there and what they can tell you about that location. Eric Holmes: Hi, I’m Eric Holmes, World Director on the game. I get to work with talented people like Justin, Michael Ben, and the rest of our team, and what we try to do as a group is contextualize everything in-game. So our work is ultimately about establishing and answering questions like Where are we? and What’s going on? And we’re also helping the Battlefield 2042 team at large do what they do. We work together as a narrative team, but we also have to function as a kind of network to the rest of the development team as well. In a lot of ways, narrative is something that helps tie all the different aspects together through context. Ben Walke: I’m a producer and I work closely with Eric, Justin, Mike and the rest of the Narrative team. In terms of what I do: I help solve problems, work on priorities and do my best to ensure we are always hitting the quality targets we set ourselves. There’s also a lot of wrangling and acting as a shepherd at times. In short, I try to make sure that the team has everything they need to deliver on the fantastic work they do. How did you start writing the narrative for Battlefield 2042? Langley: We started with the central theme of adaptation in the face of crisis. Knowing that we wanted it to be in the future it had to feel realistic and grounded, which is why we ended up in 2042.. Once a timeframe was chosen we began to look at the state of the world today. We started looking for things which seemed interesting to us and began to expand upon them. Always asking ourselves, where would that thing be in 10, 15, 20 years time? Once we hit that point, we then started diving into the ideas of certain kinds of events,if they continued, how would that change the world? We explored different avenues of how we wanted to approach that and what kind of things we wanted to do. What we found is that one event in the world, it’s a crisis; you only see it on the news for a few weeks. But when it’s multiple events happening all at once, everything becomes chaotic. It’s that chaos which creates a fun sandbox to play in, and pull from. It gave us a lot of opportunities to make the World of 2042 feel like it was changing — maybe for the better or in some cases, for the worse. One thing that is interesting to us is how one event can seem completely different when filtered through three entirely different perspectives. In the game we have Specialists, and they all come from varying backgrounds. Although they’re all aware of these events, some have different perspectives, and some of those perspectives might differ and there might be some conversation about that in the game as well. I think it’s important you get a lot of different voices on the ideas of these cataclysmic events because it’s so easy to get locked into a singular, superficial perspective. One of these things we’re trying to show here is that a broad spectrum of people are affected by the events in-game. And particularly with the No-Pats and the No-Pat Task Force you’ll be playing as, it’s about bringing those perspectives together and kind of unifying them to do something about it. And I think that’s a powerful message. Hartin: One of the interesting challenges was to go with the idea that the in-game outlets don’t have to tell the truth. There’s obviously a conflict between the United States and Russia but neither side has to tell you the truth about it. If they want you to align with their point of view, they’re definitely going to hide things that they don’t want you to know about. So there’s texture there that I find interesting. Holmes: I think we’re in a world right now where the media has never been more confusing in a global sense. Our sense of reality is diminished and there’s a cacophony of voices, and people finding their own truth. I think the real kind of genius of Michael’s work is that it lets you be in a vivid version of this game world. You can subscribe to different perspectives while you’re sharing a reality with other players because you’re on the ground seeing what’s happening. Langley: Exactly. That’s the most exciting part to me because you’ll hear these outlets talking about something and you’ll be able to look around, see what’s going on and say, “that’s not what’s happening at all.” But that’s the perspective they’re giving the general public, who isn’t there as an eyewitness like the player, which is a good allegory for a lot of military conflicts in the real world. That element just gives this a sort of touchstone of reality. Hartin: For example, we have the perspectives of the Americans, the perspective of the Russians, and then we also have a conspiracy outlet that has their own sort of fun perspective on everything. It’s a really different and fun way of storytelling since it’s all built into the level; you’ll find the narrative if you want to find it. If you’re less inclined to do that, you’ll just shoot the enemy team and move on. We tried to build the story in a discoverable sense. So, if you’re walking around the map… maybe keep your eyes and ears on alert for some visual and audio cues. What goes into building out the lore of a location and infusing it into the map? Langley: That can be determined by what kind of map it is and how big it is. If you’re doing something in a dense city, you really have to start digging for all those little road signs and shops. Everything in a city tells a story. Hartin: Yeah, exactly. The cities are some of the hardest ones. For example, on Hourglass you have the stadium, which has advertisements for events that never happened due to the city’s evacuation, like a soccer tournament coming up, a band performing, and so on. You need that to create a sense of immersion and reality. Walke: It’s definitely a task you don’t finish in one go either. We can’t say “Okay, we start today and within three months we’ve done it all.” A lot of the work continues to evolve over the production timeline of the map. Langley: And when it comes to sculpting characters and their backstories, we want to make sure these characters fit into the wider narrative but also in the minute-to-minute story. Michael and I take the elements and work together to make sure there’s some cross-pollination occurring. The end result is one where characters of the world don’t feel like they’re from a completely different world than the one they’re going to be fighting in. They belong here. It’s a lot of fun. How do you go about building new characters? Langley: Once we have a character design to work with, the next step is to ensure that the character fits into the world. We'll take a look at the timeline of events that we’ve put together and see if there are any natural points that pair up nicely with the new character. Some of these events are the ones you’ll see in-game, others you might not, while some might appear later in the game’s life. Our timeline is a narrative roadmap that we utilise to ensure that things fit authentically. We then start to consider the other characters we already have in the game. It’s also important that not only does any new character fit within the world, but they also need to have a good dynamic with our existing characters. Everyone is different in the world and we want to make sure we represent that aspect with different perspectives and personalities. Some people are aggressive, some people are friendly. Some are optimistic, others pessimistic. We want to create this broad range of characters that can play with one another in a dynamic way. Once these pieces start coming together we then begin to work at a more granular level on the character. What kind of personality do they have? We’ll start diving into their background, their histories, the country they’re from, their age. It ends up being a long time in spreadsheets and documents trying to map everything together. It’s important for us that none of our characters end up feeling like a stereotype. If anything, we try to break that stereotype where we can. We’re just trying to make the strongest character possible, and then presenting that in an interesting way. Walke: As an example, going back to the reactions from players first learning about the Specialist, Navin Rao. Seeing the validation from players from India or with an Indian background letting us know we’ve done this character justice and we’re not just leaning on stereotypes. It validates getting these characters right, and the importance of it. What are you most excited about for players to experience in this world? Langley: One of the things I think is the most fun is that because this takes place in a fictional future, I’m excited to see players explore that idea of What If and that they get to experience that. It was really fun to create that kind of fantasy for them to play in. I really hope they look at the map and wonder about the story behind it, the reality behind it. That What If factor is something I love to invoke in our players. Hartin: There are seven locations at launch but it’s a massive world that we’re in, with possibilities in every single location. My hope is that we capture our players’ imagination and they say “What’s happening at X or Y?” Because obviously we’ve thought a ton about what’s happening inside the world but I’d love to see more requests like “show us what’s happening at this location” and then having the chance to do that is what I’m most excited about. Holmes: It’s about creating a world with possibilities that you haven’t seen before. We have a blank page. We still want to have all the same value of previous Battlefield games: immersion and believability, but as a part of answering what we want on that page, we can surprise people in a new way. This world, this setting, what we’ve got going on in 2042 with our environments and characters lets us do things you haven’t seen before. And that’s exciting. Walke: For me, it’s going to be really exciting to see how players start to pull all our interconnected threads together as they play the game. I’ve always thought the best stories, and at least the best worlds are those that leave a little hidden behind the curtain. I like that we’re not coming out and saying everything. You’re not going to load up the website and see a full wiki breakdown of the world, although I’m confident someone out there in the community is already working on this. As a narrative team, is there anything you’d like to say to the community? Walke: CT When? Or would that be BB When? In all seriousness though, we’ve seen the reactions within the community so far and the entire team has been blown away by them. Launch is getting ever closer and we can’t wait to step onto the battlefield with you all. From a narrative point of view, we’re incredibly excited to be telling the story of our world in 2042, the setting, characters and everything in between, we hope you enjoy it. That’s all for today. These past weeks we’ve given you a closer look into the World of 2042 with Journey of the No-Pats and the Exodus Short Film. The story will continue unfolding as we head into Battlefield 2042’s release and live service, and we can’t wait to see your reactions to the world we’ve built for you. Stay safe, No-Pats. REFERENCE TO A PARTICULAR MAKE, MODEL, MANUFACTURER, AND/OR VERSION OF WEAPON, GEAR OR VEHICLE IS FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY ONLY AND DOES NOT INDICATE ANY SPONSORSHIP OR ENDORSEMENT OF ANY TRADEMARK OWNERBattlefield 2042 - Dark Protocol, Killswitch: Geist Forge Update
We hope you’ve been enjoying Dark Protocol, Battlefield 2042’s new Limited Time Event that’s available for play until November 14. Based on combat data received over the first two days of Dark Protocol, AOS, the Boreas artificial intelligence, has issued itself a firmware update to all Geist Forges to increase their lethality. That means that through your feedback and gameplay we’re dialing up the spook factor with several gameplay improvements that are active immediately to our ongoing Limited Time Mode, Killswitch, and the gameplay behavior of Geists. //The Battlefield Team Stay Informed Follow us on the @BattlefieldComm Twitter account to stay informed on the roll out of our updates. You can also follow along with our tracking of Known Issues. Changelog Geists Geist survivability has been increased, with Damage Taken per bullet reduced from 0.33 -> 0.3. Geist Stun Behavior has been minimized, Stun Behavior refers to the actions they take once they have received substantial damage within a short period of time. Previously, Geists would be stunned when receiving 15% of total health loss in under 1.5 seconds. This will now occur at 50% of total health loss in under 0.5 seconds. Dev Comment: We’ve seen your comments that it was sometimes unclear why Geists would stop moving during combat. Their gameplay behavior as Synthetic Soldiers was intended to have them remain stunned when dealt considerable damage during a short period of time. However, this gameplay behavior didn’t always lead to fun engagements so we are reducing this effect. Forges Forges now spawn 12 Geists per wave, increased from 9. Spawn time between waves has been increased from 15 seconds to 17.5 seconds. The maximum number of Geists available in-game simultaneously has been reduced from 40 to 30. Dev Comment: This adjustment takes into account their increased effectiveness and the potential of Geists lasting longer during encounters. This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.Our Next Update, and this weeks Weekly Mission
Hey Folks, Just a quick note to share that we are now expecting our next game update (Update 3.3) to drop next week. We had intended to release it later this week, but made the decision to hold it back so that we're best positioned to support in case of any issues that might have cropped up over the weekend. Our decision to release the update next week will mean a further suspension of Weekly Missions, and the system will remain inactive this week. Next week's update will provide new content that will allow us to reenable this feature. Update 3.3 will introduce a refreshed Scoreboard, incorporating requests from across the Community to update our format to display Deaths alongside Kills, and a team split to help differentiate leaders per team. Thank you for your feedback and suggestions on this, it's deeply appreciated by us all. Gold Edition, Ultimate Edition, Year 1 Pass Holders, Upgraded edition owners, and EA Play Pro subcribers will also be receiving the Steadfast Exclusive Legendary Bundle as shared last month, when this update goes live. We'll also have a small range of additional fixes live as part of the game update which will be detailed in our Update Notes next week. I will keep you updated on our deployment schedule here, and via @BattlefieldComm on Twitter. Freeman // @PartWelshBattlefield Briefing: Welcome to Battlefield Portal
No-Pats, Earlier this year we shared with you a first look at Battlefield(™) Portal - our love letter to Battlefield fans that allows you to define the experience you’ll have in Battlefield 2042. Alongside classic content from Battlefield(™)3, Battlefield Bad Company (™)2, and Battlefield(™) 1942, you’re able to create new ways to play, whether that's recreating classic experiences on reimagined maps, or combining the world of 2042 with our past. Today we showed you your first look at the Battle of the Bulge, El Alamein, Arica Harbor, Valparaiso, Noshahr Canals, and Caspian Border. Starting at launch, we’ll have default experiences live in-game that allow you to relive these classic maps, alongside their classic factions, equipped with the weapons, gadgets, and classes that brought them to life. Within Battlefield Portal, you’ll be able to jump right into those modes from inside the game, or if you prefer, you can use these experiences as starting points that you can edit to create something more personal. You can make simple edits to weapon loadouts, tag in more maps to the rotation, or you can start to tweak things as finely detailed as bullet velocity, health regen rates, and if a player takes more damage when they’re hit in the head, or to the torso. If you want to go all out, and start to create something truly unique, the Rules Editor will provide you the deepest level of control over the kind of Battlefield experience that you wish to create. Let’s show you how it’s done. The Battlefield Portal experience starts on the web. No matter what device you want to use, your phone, your tablet, your laptop or your PC - you can sign into an EA Account and get started creating your mode. You won’t need to own Battlefield 2042 to access the website. If you have an EA Account that’s in good standing, you’ll be able to login and play around with our tools in full. You can later share the experience you create to friends via a share code, and if they’ve got the game, they can fire up a server to run the experience. From the homepage, you’ll be able to see the experiences that you’ve created, as well as browse a range of pre-made experiences crafted by the teams at Ripple Effect. These modifiable templates provide a great starting point for the modes you wish to create and will allow you to move more quickly through the process of creating an experience. If you’re someone who prefers to start fresh with a blank canvas, you can hit Create Something New, and get to work. Game Mode Your first choice is deciding what Game Mode you want to use as the basis of your experience. At launch, you can choose from: Conquest Large Conquest Rush Free-For-All Team Deathmatch Conquest Large, Conquest, and Rush can each be customized/tweaked using all of our inbuilt modifiers and toggles that you’ll learn about shortly. Free-For-All and Team Deathmatch are adjustable with the same tools, but can also be further built upon with the Rules Editor, our powerful visual programming tool that allows you to visually code something truly unique. The choices you make on this screen inform what you’ll be able to select in our next screen. Map Rotation If you’re picking Conquest Large, you’ll be able to choose from all of our 128 player Maps in Battlefield 2042, and if you’re picking either Conquest or Rush, you’ll be able to also add any of Battlefield Portals classic maps into your rotations. If you’re instead selecting one of our Rules Editor enabled templates of FFA, or TDM, you’ll also have the option to choose from predefined smaller variants of our existing maps, providing you with more variety, and more opportunity to find a map playstyle that best suits your vision. These maps are presented to you with a representation of the available playspace, with our smallest options being derived from existing maps, and helping to provide a more intimate play space for FFA and TDM style experiences, our medium maps being well scaled for a recommended maximum of 64 players (using the layouts otherwise available on PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One), and our largest maps being suited for up to 128 players (only available to players on PC, PlayStation® 5, and Xbox Series X|S). Most importantly, we’re not defining that limit for you. If you want to take the Noshahr Canals: Container Area map, and crank it up to 128 players, have at it. We think you’re mad, but it's your Battlefield, and your rules! Here’s a list of all different layouts of our maps that are accessible via Battlefield Portal at launch: Note: Large Maps are not available on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of Battlefield 2042. Game Mode Details Before you get into applying your modifiers, the Core section of the Builder invites you to change the fundamental rules of your game mode. If you have your mode set on the Conquest ruleset, you can make adjustments to the maximum number of human players you want in your experience and simultaneously determine if you want that to be an asymmetrical experience or not. If you choose to keep that number below 128, you can later decide if you want to add in Bots to your mode up to the overall player limit. What else you see on these screens will otherwise differ depending on your core ruleset. In Rush and Conquest, you’ll be able to modify the Game Time, the Reinforcement Multiplier, the Reinforcements removed per kill, as well as the Per-Squad Character limit (up to a maximum of 4), and the rules for Squad Spawning. In TDM, and FFA - you won’t need to edit all of the same options, so you’ll see a more streamlined set of sliders, toggles, and menus that focus on what makes the most sense for those modes. If you want to mix things up further, the Rules Editor will be the place to go, and you’ll find plenty more to tweak about the experience in the second stage of the Builder. Gameplay If you’re really keen to personalise the core ruleset, there are many options to choose from across the Modifiers section. Starting with Gameplay, you’ll find simple options that enable you to set on or off the following: Friendly Fire Extreme Weather Events (applicable maps only) Stationary Weapon Emplacements Classic Soldier Weapon Tuning Aim Assist Aim Assist Zoom Snap You can then adjust sliders, or type in custom values within our limits that enable you to change Multipliers for Projectile Speed, Global Damage, Headshot Damage, and Body Shot Damage. There’s also a final option that allows you to determine if a player's weapon and ammo drops, ammo only, or if nothing drops on a kill. All of these options can be made asymmetric as well, so if you’re looking to give one faction an advantage over the other, you can start to determine some of those effects here. Soldier With the Core of the Gameplay designed, you can then start to manage the behaviour of Infantry on the servers. There are 9 on/off toggles at play here: Prone Strafe while sprinting Sprint Aim Down Sights Health Regeneration Traversal Sprint Slide Squad Revive These options are great for helping to recreate some of the behaviours of our past titles, as well as allowing you to bring some of the more modern experiences to Battlefield games which never originally had some of these options. Modifiable Multipliers are tweakable in the areas of Fall Damage, Move Speed, Maximum Health, Health Regeneration Rate, and Redeploy Delay. The Man-Down type field will allow you to choose from Downed, Crawl (unique to Hazard Zone), and Instant Death. Vehicle If your mode utilizes vehicles (which you’ll be able to further define later on), you can establish the behaviours of them here. There are On/Off toggles for Vehicle Health Regeneration, and whether or not a player can exit a vehicle once they’ve jumped in, as well as Multipliers for Vehicles Spawn Delay, its Maximum Health, and the Vehicle Health Regeneration Rate. You’ll also have control over how it is that Combat Vehicles are spawned into the game. If you like call-ins in Conquest, and map spawns in Rush, you can leave this modifier alone and let the game mode determine how combat vehicles will spawn, otherwise you can select from: No Combat Vehicles On-Foot Call-ins Only Deploy Menu Only On-Foot Call-ins and Deploy Menu Spawn on Map A special note that if you’re choosing On-Foot Call-ins options from the drop down, this will work across all eras! If you want Battlefield 2042 to have vehicles spawned in the world, go for it. If you want 1942 Soldiers calling in air-dropped vehicles, fill your boots! User Interface If you’re keen to control the amount of information that players have access to on screen, you can decide which teams are able to see which elements of the UI. On/Off Toggles are available for: Compass Minimap (including Big Map) HUD Soldier Weapon Modification Plus Menu Ally Identification You can also make adjustments to the behaviour of our Ping system, using the 2042 default of Pinging Targets, or opting for the classic option of 3D Spotting. Alternatively, you can fully disable this system before leaving this screen. AI Depending on whether or not you maxed out the player count in earlier modes, you have the option here to determine how Bots can be leveraged to enhance the experience of your crafting.* After deciding whether or not you want Bots active in your experience, you can then define if you want to set Bots as PvE, or PvP. Selecting PvE will ensure that the PVE AI Count stays locked in at the designated number, whereas if you set this option to PvP, Human players are able to take these slots away from Bots. If you are using Bots, you’re able to either synchronise your settings with the options you’ve set for Human players previously, or you can separately define the behaviours using many of the same modifiers available for Human players you previously set. *If at any point the gameplay experience goes above a total of 64 Human and AI, your game mode will not be accessible on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of the game. Don’t worry though, we’ll keep track of the maths and flag this to you once you’ve gone beyond that limit. Teams With the Core of your mode established, and your Modifiers set – you can now determine which Eras of Battlefield will compete in your experience. If you’re looking to sustain variety, and have the factions change across your map rotations, you can select Map Defaults by clicking on the Battlefield Portal logo, left of the tile for Battlefield 2042. This means that if you’re playing on El Alamein, the faction will default to 1942, and then rotate to Battlefield 3 if the next map was Caspian Border. If you go for this option, it will prevent you from determining any restrictions to Characters, Weapons, Attachments, Vehicles, or Gadgets. So if you’re looking to fine tune things, make sure to lock in a dedicated era specific team for use across all maps. Characters Depending on what you chose in the previous section, you’ll then be able to deselect which classes (or 2042 Specialists) are playable. You’ll also have the options to denote which factions show up in-game. The UK, US, and German factions are available for 1942, with the game appropriate versions of the USA and Russia available for the rest. Weapons In total, there are over 75 Weapons available across the entire experience of Battlefield Portal at launch. Now that you’ve chosen your factions, you’ll have the ability to manage what weapons are available. If both teams are from the same era, you can also make use of our unlink teams function to customize exactly which weapons each team is gaining access to. To make things easy, there are filters you can use to refine what’s displayed, and global switches that enable quick deselection for each of the classes of Weapon. Disable all of the Weapons, and players will spawn with melee weapons instead.* *Many of Battlefield 2042’s weapons unlock as you progress in rank, with many experiences in Battlefield Portal able to reward you with XP that help you level up, even when you’re not using 2042 Factions. If a player hasn’t unlocked a certain weapon that you’ve selected for use in your mode, you’ll also be required to select at least one default weapon so that new players can spawn with a weapon. All Battlefield Portal Weapons, Gadgets, and Attachments from our classic Battlefield games are otherwise unlocked from the start. Attachments You’ve experienced a selection of Battlefield 2042’s attachments during our Open Beta and had an early glimpse of how many more there are to unlock through progression. If you’re keen to restrict any of those attachments, and keep to a specific style of weaponry, you can choose which attachments can be enabled in gameplay. We’ve also worked to include a huge range of attachments for the weapons that we’ve carried forward from Battlefield 3, Bad Company 2, and 1942. Depending on what you selected in previous menus, the Plus Menu will also be accessible, though if you prefer this to be kept to a strictly classic experience, you can unset this option and ensure that attachments can only be changed on the Deploy Screen, or from Battlefield Portals Collection menu. As with Weapons, we’ve ensured that you can deselect classifications of attachments en masse, and work through our filter system to get through to what you’re looking for, faster. You can also run asymmetric attachments in case you want to force one team to stick with Iron Sights, and have the other team dialed in at range with scopes. Vehicles Unless you’ve previously disabled Vehicles in a prior menu, you’ll now have the option to define which vehicles are restricted from the pre-selected Era’s chosen in the steps before, leveraging the same toolsets available when defining your Weapons, and Attachments. Gadgets Your final set of decisions now lie with deciding which Gadgets are equippable in your mode. Keen to keep it to launchers only? Fancy a Dynamite vs. Claymore face off? How about the David and Goliath setup of Launchers on Team 1, vs. Helicopters on Team 2? Here’s where those dreams come alive. How it works If you have selected a compatible Core ruleset, here’s where you can go wild. Using the toolbar, you can start to build out the scripting that governs the conditions and behaviours of your Battlefield Portal Experience. Not sure what a function is, and can do? Right click on it, and choose Help. We’ll show you details about the behaviour of the function, and share insight on how to use it. Need some inspiration? You can save the experience that you’ve built so far, and load up one of our Experience Templates from the main Hub of The Builder. Using those as a reference, you can Duplicate the templates to make them yours, then tweak or rebuild them to your heart's content. Looking for help? The URL that's active while viewing your experience is reflective of the current state of your Mode. Save your experience, and send the hyperlink to a friend, and they’re able to work on it independently of you. They can view your Experience and give you pointers, or Duplicate it themselves and make their own edits independent of your original Experience. Sharing URLs is very powerful -- it lets other players see your game and make a copy for themselves. When you’re ready to publish your experience, you can create a title and description of the mode and generate an Experience Code. Use this in game, or share it with others so that they can start up servers that run your experience. On publish, we’ll help to validate that the server is good to go, and assign it a selection of appropriate tags. The Experience Code that you create in The Builder is otherwise unique, and more importantly, it’s protected. Experience Codes won’t allow others to make modifications or changes to your mode (they’ll need the dedicated URL for that), so for those that seek it, they can establish themselves as leading creators in Battlefield Portal. The tags that generate for your experience are your source of truth as a player, browsing through Battlefield Portal. If the tags say that an experience is asymmetrical, it's definitely asymmetrical! If you’re confused why that tag has appeared in your own Experience, this is your chance to quickly check back through your settings to see what slider, or toggle you’ve inadvertently set that could cause this. Otherwise as a player, you’re able to use these tags to learn some quick and easy information about the server, outside of its name and description. If after sharing your Experience Code with the world, you start to get feedback that makes you consider updating your experience to a new version, your changes will be loaded up the next time someone uses your Code, so that players can jump right in! Featured Experiences If this all feels a little overwhelming, don’t worry. We’ll be regularly publishing, updating, and rotating featured experiences inside Battlefield Portal that you’ll be able to quickmatch directly into. When you’re looking for something more bespoke, you can tab over to the Server Browser to search for the perfect Battlefield Portal server, and if you’re looking to check your loadouts across the classic Battlefield experiences, a bespoke set of Collection menus will allow you to setup your loadouts, similar to how you can in All-Out Warfare. You can otherwise browse your experiences, or input an Experience Code to start your own server. These servers are free, and spool up relative to your locale. Once loaded, you can manage your server via the Pause Menu, enabling you with the ability to execute the following commands: Broadcast Message Kick Player Ban Player Unban Player Restart Map Next Map Take Down Server Found a bad egg that’s spoiling the experience for others? You can Kick or Ban them from your server. Your banlist is persistent, and travels with you across Battlefield Portal, so if you’re concerned about them showing up when you load up a new server, please know that they won’t be able to join so long as the Ban is active. We want Battlefield Portal to be the best destination for playing in fair and safe environments. If you discover servers that aren’t playing by our rules, make sure to use the available reporting functions to let us know, and we’ll take care of it. The server will remain active so long as there’s one Human Player on the server. Once that’s no longer true, the server will shut down. Be sure to share your experiences to your friends if you’re keen to keep the server active and searchable for friends to join. We hope that you’ve enjoyed this detailed look into the world of Battlefield Portal. We’re beyond excited to open up the experience to every Battlefield fan across the world, and can’t wait to see what you make with it. It’s been a dream of ours to establish this toolbox for you, our fans, and this is just the beginning of this journey. Battlefield Portal will grow with Battlefield 2042, and we look forward to shaping it alongside you. Not long to go now No-Pats. See you real soon. The details listed in this article may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible. NO WEAPON, MILITARY VEHICLE OR GEAR MANUFACTURER IS AFFILIATED WITH OR HAS SPONSORED OR ENDORSED THIS GAMEBattlefield Briefing: Exploring Battlefield Portal
Battlefield Portal - Your Battlefield. Your Rules. Battlefield™ is a rich series that has taken you to many eras of warfare over the past 19 years. And now we’re including an exciting way for you to experience and celebrate that lineage. Battlefield™ Portal is a community-driven platform within Battlefield™ 2042 that will let you create and find fantastic experiences made by the series’ creative and passionate community. The creation suite includes Settings, custom modes, and a Logic Editor so you can build your own signature spin on Battlefield’s sandbox; you’ll be able to change team ratios, tweak victory conditions, restrict weapons, and even put different factions from different eras in Battlefield’s history against one another. Those who want to focus on discovering what others have created will have easy access to an entire world of unexpected battles featuring some of the series’ most famous eras mashed together in distinct, exciting experiences. On top of the content available in Battlefield 2042, Battlefield Portal also lets you play with maps, weapons, vehicles, and more from some of Battlefield’s greatest experiences, all reimagined at modern visuals. We’re excited for you to be able to relive content from Battlefield™ 1942, Battlefield™: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield™ 3. “Battlefield Portal is a love letter to fans and creators,” says Senior Design Director Justin Wiebe of Ripple Effect Studios™ (formerly known as DICE LA) “This creative suite will give the community more opportunity than ever before to create their own spin on the Battlefield experience.” With Battlefield Portal, we are aiming to put as much power as possible in your hands, allowing you to create your own signature Battlefield experiences that you’ve always dreamed of playing. It’s really up to you: discover, create, share. To allow you to do this, Battlefield Portal comes with game-changing Settings that will allow you to build the experience you want. As an example of what you can do with the Settings, here’s a small selection you can use in Battlefield Portal at launch. Factions - for the first time in franchise history you can battle across different Battlefield eras, choosing which soldiers, weapons and vehicles can compete on the battlefield. Want to pit an 1942-era team against foes outfitted with modern weapons and tech? Go for it. Mobility - using Battlefield 2042’s Settings, you can disable/enable players’ ability to Aim Down Sights, go prone, and more. We’re giving you the options that allow you to play these Battlefield experiences as authentically as possible or to instead enjoy them with the conveniences of modern gaming experience. For example: If you want a more authentic Battlefield 1942 experience, you can switch off sprinting and disable health regeneration. Visibility- if you want to create a more Hardcore mode experience for your players, why not disable everyone’s Heads’ Up Display (HUD) and the minimap? Arsenal - Tired of getting dusted by sniper rifles or blown to pieces by tanks? You will be able to restrict weapons, specialists, gear, and vehicles that players have access to in your match. Scale - You can control the max number of players for each team as well as which weapons everyone has access to, creating as much balance or chaos as your heart desires. Why not pit 10 players armed with assault rifles against 50 players armed only with knives? Go wild. And this is just only a tiny portion of the options you’ll be able to adjust with these Settings. There will be some limitations such as not being able to build a Battle Royale mode (yes, we knew you would ask). But we mainly look forward to seeing you discover what’s possible with all these options at your fingertips. From more tactical, realistic simulations to off-the-wall battles, the power is yours to shape Battlefield’s playground. There are many more Settings that will be available at launch and we can’t wait for you to discover them and to see the kind of experiences you can create. In Battlefield Portal, you will be able to create Experiences for other players to join where you can run custom games or preset modes, such as Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Rush, and other fan-favorites available at launch. When creating Experiences, you can also add AI Soldiers as a team or select to use them as backfill, meaning when you launch the experience, AI will fill out that match (though you can opt out of using AI Soldiers entirely in Battlefield Portal). Community Experiences are created when you make a match, and will remain online while the Experience has players active. At launch you can also expect basic Admin Tools usable by creators of Experiences, such as the ability to ban usernames which continue across Experiences you create. If you end up liking another player’s Experience, you can Follow that player to keep track of when they’re running matches. As a creator, you’ll be able to share your own creations and give others permission to build upon them with their Settings and logic edits (more on that below). Some of the most creative and popular player-created Experiences will be featured in official curated playlists, making it convenient for you to find fun and inventive new matches the moment you load into Battlefield Portal. One of our biggest goals with Battlefield Portal is to give you the freedom to explore Battlefield your way by letting you create your own Experiences . For those who wish to go beyond the multitude of Settings, Battlefield Portal will also have a Logic Editor that lets players use streamlined visual scripting logic to have even more control when it comes to creating your experiences. While anyone can use the Logic Editor, it’s aimed at those who have prior knowledge of visual scripting logic. While the Settings will allow you to change many specific conditions with the flick of a switch, the Logic Editor will let you define rules, victory conditions, consequences of specific in-game events (like setting a reward or punishment for a player scoring a kill), and even more to create custom game modes that aren’t possible to create with the Settings alone. Battlefield Portal’s Logic Editor will give you more options than ever when it comes to creating your own Battlefield experience, letting you set victory conditions, team scale, and more. You’ll also have the ability to share your Experiences with the community through an Experience Link (a URL), giving fellow players the power to share that Experience or even remix it with their own additions. “Seeing the flexibility and wide variety of things players can do when they know how to use Battlefield Portal’s builder...it’s just kind of astonishing,” says Senior Game Designer Rob Donovan. We look forward to telling you more about the Logic Editor in the coming months. Battlefield 2042’s progression is synchronized and will allow you to contribute to your experience gains by playing throughout the various available game modes. We’ll be talking lots more on progression later this year, so stay tuned! Alongside the creative suite, Battlefield Portal will also launch with reimagined content from 3 of Battlefield’s most popular entries. This content includes more than just the maps themselves but also brings over weapons, gadgets, vehicles, factions, and classes from each respective game -- all reimagined at the visual standards of Battlefield 2042. Long-time Battlefield fans will once again be able to take up their M1 in a fully reimagined Battle of the Bulge or shoot across the sky in a F/A-18 Hornet at the Caspian Border. Battlefield Portal will allow you to relive some of the series’ best moments in stunning new visual detail or use weapons, gear, factions, and maps from those games to build your own experiences. You will also be able to use Battlefield 2042’s full arsenal of Specialists, vehicles, gadgets and weapons in Battlefield Portal to help you build unique experiences. Here’s the full roster of reimagined maps that will be available at launch: Classic Maps Battle Of The Bulge (Battlefield 1942) El Alamein (Battlefield 1942) Arica Harbor (Battlefield: Bad Company 2) Valparaiso (Battlefield: Bad Company 2) Caspian Border (Battlefield 3) Noshahr Canals (Battlefield 3) In addition to the classic maps, Battlefield Portal’s eras will also feature fan favorite weaponry such as the M1 Garand (Semi-Automatic Rifle) and the M416 (Assault Rifle) weapons. Classic vehicles such as the Spitfire and B17 Bomber will also make their return to the Battlefield franchise. We’ll be including a wide array of gear and soldiers that will be reimagined at Battlefield 2042’s visual fidelity too. Battlefield Portal will allow you to mix eras against one another, letting you create new and wild Battlefield experiences. Ever wanted to see a dogfight between some Spitfires and a helicopter? Making it happen is as easy as tweaking some options in Battlefield Portal’s Settings. It’s your playground: Go wild. Below is a top-level look at what you can expect to use when Battlefield 2042 launches later this year. Within Battlefield Portal, you will be able to use everything listed as tools to craft new modes and experiences using Battlefield Portal’s Settings and Logic Editor. Weapons: 40+ Weapons from 3 Theaters of War; M1 Garand, Panzerschreck, G3, M416 and more Plus the inclusion of Battlefield 2042’s All-Out Warfare Arsenal. Vehicles: 40+ Vehicles from 3 Theaters of War; The Spitfire and B17 Bomber make their return alongside modern hardware such as the Quad Bike and Little Bird. Plus the inclusion of Battlefield 2042’s All-Out Warfare array of vehicles. Gadgets: 30+ Gadgets from 3 Theaters of War; Reconnaissance items such as the MAV and Radio Beacon will be available as gadget selections alongside the Defibrillator and EOD Bot! Plus the inclusion of Battlefield 2042’s Gadgets. Armies: Classic Factions will be making their return in Battlefield Portal as you remember them, allowing you the ability to mix and match between 7 different armies from the Classic titles as well as Battlefield 2042’s Specialists. Armies such as 1942’s UK, US, and Germany as well as Bad Company 2’s US and Russia will feature exclusively in Battlefield Portal. Soldiers: The return of Factions to Battlefield Portal, we will also mean that we are bringing back soldier archetypes as you know them to be within their relevant titles. As an example, Battlefield 3’s Assault, Engineer, Support and Recon roles make their return in Battlefield Portal. Alongside all of this reimagined content, Battlefield 2042’s weapons, vehicles, gadgets, and Specialists will be usable in the creative suite, giving you even more content to build or discover as you explore the many possibilities within Battlefield Portal. “We wanted to modernize these experiences but remain true to the original intent that the level designers had,” says Senior Producer Kristoffer Bergqvist. “What did people love back then? What do they love today? We spent so much time looking at forum posts to see what maps people remembered fondly. We talked to the original designers about what we should bring back. We pretty quickly landed on El Alamein and Battle of the Bulge as something we wanted to not only play, but also experience again.” Bergqvist says the enhancements afforded by the Frostbite engine have made these versions of Battlefield 1942’s maps even more intense and faithful to DICE’s initial ambitions over 20 years ago. “Destruction in Battle of the Bulge is so cool. We are being true to what the original designers had in mind. We’re just able to go further now, and seeing that is awesome.” We envision Battlefield Portal to be a powerful platform driven by the community’s sense of creativity and wonder. Through our live service we intend to continue delivering updates for you to use as tools to build and share your experiences or to discover as you peruse Battlefield Portal. We’re looking forward to seeing the thrilling experiences you’ll be creating! Once it’s in your hands, stay in touch and let us know what’s fun for you and what other features you’d love to see in the future. With continued updates delivered through Battlefield 2042’s live service, such as new Specialists, maps and weapons, we have the intent to make them available in Battlefield Portal. “As we add new updates to Battlefield 2042, they will be available for Battlefield Portal players and creators, giving them even more options to create the kind of the experiences they desire as the game grows,” Bergqvist says. Battlefield Portal launches as part of one of your three core experiences included in Battlefield 2042 on November 19, 2021 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4 and PC. You can find out more about Battlefield 2042 here. Hey folks, welcome to the dev corner! Grab your favorite beverage and pull up a seat while we have a chat with Rob Donovan, Senior Game Designer at Ripple Effect Studios for Battlefield Portal. Let’s dive into just what goes on behind the scenes in game development. Hey Rob. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started making games? Hi! I’m Rob Donovan. I’m a Senior Game Designer at Ripple Effect (formerly known as DICE LA). I’ve been here for almost four years, and now I’m working on Battlefield Portal! When I was a student at The University of Southern California, I started taking as many classes as I could. After that, I bounced around in QA for quite some time, where I spent as much time as I could around developers and learning the lingo. I got my lucky break in New York City with Kaos, working on Homefront. How did you go from QA to Senior Game Designer? After Kaos, I did some level design on Dead Space 3. From there, I worked on Battlefield Hardline. After that shipped, I made a multiplayer map. It was a wild experience and I had a great team around me that was able to shepherd me through my rookie mistakes, and ultimately I was pretty happy with what I had made. I went on to be a Systems Designer on Hardline’s expansion packs, helping with game mode stuff. I eventually ended up at Ripple Effect when it was still DICE LA. What about as a player? I imagine you were a fan before you worked on the series. In multiplayer games, I tend to play support roles. I’m always the medic. I’m always trying to run around behind people and get those revives. In Battlefield there’s so much chaos going around that it's a real riot to play support — to lift someone up and then watch them go knock off a bunch of headshots in a row. For me, that’s what I love to do in games. I want to feel like we’re cooperating as a team. When you get in a good squad that’s calling things out, that’s pinging and spotting, you sort of feel like single-handedly you’re changing the course of the match. In Battlefield it’s never really about individual marksmanship, it’s about squads working together. When it clicks, it’s like nothing else. What feature are you most excited about in Battlefield Portal? I’m excited about the whole dang thing, but if I had to choose, I think I’d say it’s the ability to change gameplay values with the Logic Editor. Classic Battlefield has always been about the interplay between soldiers and vehicles, and of course we have the ability to restrict weapons or gadgets quickly and easily. But when you set up logic in Battlefield Portal, you can make a game that reacts to what the players do during a match, whether it's giving the losing team a boost or making one player the Juggernaut. You can do all sorts of stunts and create game modes that are wildly different from classic Battlefield. We know that there will be ample opportunity to engage in All-Out Warfare, and with Battlefield Portal we’re hoping to give you the tools to create a huge variety of games in addition to that. So I’m really excited to see what people come up with! You’ve been working on Battlefield a while. What interests you most as a developer about the franchise? Whenever a Battlefield game comes out it has a huge passionate fanbase that devours the kinds of things you make as a developer on one of these games. As a developer, it is the absolute top. The opportunity to work on Battlefield means working at the height of your powers with a huge team of incredibly talented people that are pulling off amazing feats. Getting to be a part of this earth-shaking, ground-breaking game is really exciting and I’m really excited about the part we’re making in Ripple Effect as well. With Battlefield Portal, we’re doing something very different — both for the Battlefield franchise and the game industry as a whole. There is a lot of potential here for us to change the landscape, surprise you, and hopefully give you all the tools to make incredible Battlefield-esque experiences. We’re letting you run wild on this one! I can't wait to see what you make. Anything you’d like to say to the community? Thank you for all your support. I hope what we’re doing with Battlefield Portal shocks you...in a good way! Developing a new Battlefield game is a real high-wire act. We know the expectations are high and we’re trying to do our very best to make something that will absolutely blow you away. I hope you enjoy what we've made here, and I hope you come along for the ride and help us establish what the future of Battlefield Portal looks like! And that’s all we have today for Battlefield Portal. We look forward to seeing the wild, unforgettable experiences you will create with this toolset and the materials we’ll be providing in Battlefield 2042. Stay safe, No-Pats. This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.Battlefield Briefing: Exploring Battlefield Hazard Zone
Greetings No-Pats! During the last few months we’ve shown you how Battlefield™ 2042 is enhancing the series’ All-Out-Warfare suite of classic modes and how we’re giving you the tools to build the Battlefield experience of your dreams with Battlefield Portal. Today, we’re excited to dive into Battlefield Hazard Zone, a mode unlike anything we’ve done before, where you and your squad must scavenge for valuable resources as foes and cataclysmic storms close in. So strap in and get ready to deploy. Things are about to get intense. Keep your eyes peeled on the Hazard Zone trailer and you might discover there's more than meets the eye... In the year 2040, a worldwide event known as The Blackout has caused over 70% of satellites in orbit to malfunction and fall into the atmosphere. Communication, navigation, and surveillance were crippled, bringing an already tenuous relationship between the US and Russia to the edge of war. In response, both countries have begun to use satellites equipped with capsules containing radiation-hardened Data Drives to collect important intelligence throughout the world. These capsules are dropped down into US/RUS controlled territories for the Occupying Forces to secure. Such Data Drives are essential to No-Pats around the globe, providing them with valuable information to keep all No-Pats (including non-combatants) safe. And when necessary, the information can be sold to the Dark Market in return for supplies needed for survival. This is where you come in. In Battlefield Hazard Zone, you play as an Elite Task Force assigned to retrieve these critical Data Drives. You and your squad must locate, gather, and extract these drives before a storm overtakes the area in a high-stakes, one-life experience. Every bullet, every skirmish, and every decision counts. In Hazard Zone, you need to get in, get the goods, and get out in one piece. Simple on paper. In execution, far more complicated and dangerous as you’ll contend with other players, Occupying Forces, and deadly storms. To leave the Hazard Zone alive and reap the benefits of the Data Drives you’ve collected, teamwork will be crucial. Strategize & Equip You’ll start each game of Hazard Zone at the Mission Area Briefing screen where you’ll see an overview of the mission area. Here you’ll find out which regions of the map have a higher probability for you to encounter Data Drives, enemies and Uplinks, which are your communication extension to HQ in requesting Call-ins. Venturing into areas where there’s low probability of foes is likely safer but you’ll find less Data Drives. For the big rewards, you’ll have to head into the heart of danger and come out the other side alive. Using that briefing information you and your squad will then select your Specialists and Loadout. Every squad is composed of four unique Specialists, so you and your teammates will need to pick Specialists and Loadouts that complement one another if you’re to extract safely. Using Dark Market Credits (DMC) earned in Hazard Zone, you’ll be able to purchase your favorite weapons and equipment that can get you out of a tight spot. If your pockets are full of DMC, you’ll be able to purchase and equip SMG’s, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and more. You can also buy throwables and equipment that will grant you a tactical advantage, like Medical and Ammo Crates, or Smoke Grenades capable of granting you a cover you can use to escape intense firefights. And let’s not forget the explosive recoilless M5, capable of punching a hole in enemy vehicles. But if you’re hard up for DMC, don’t worry, every Specialist will have access to a free attachment-less Assault Rifle as a starter weapon. Alongside your equipment, you can also buy Tactical Upgrades that can drastically improve your chances of survival. There are 15 Tactical Upgrades available at launch, and here’s a quick glimpse at some of them: Extra Throwable - Carry +1 of your selected throwable Gadget. Insider Information - Show the landing position of crashing capsules 30 seconds before they arrive. Loadout Insurance - Reimburse 25% of upgrades and Loadout cost if you die. Negotiated Bounty - +50% Dark Market Credits bounty when killing Opposing Forces Quickdraw Holster - Swap between weapons 15% faster As for the others, you’ll have to discover them for yourself when you play Hazard Zone. Insert After you deploy on the Landing Zone, you’ll use a scanner unique to Hazard Zone to search for the downed capsules containing the Data Drives. You’ll need to be cautious as multiple deadly obstacles can spring up in your way at any time. In addition to other No-Pat soldiers searching for Data Drives, AI-controlled Occupying Forces will be roaming the map and guarding the Data Drives, so be ready for a fight. But be careful: if you go down, your teammates can only bring you back under special circumstances. Retrieve As you make your way toward the Data Drives from satellite capsules that have fallen already, even more capsules will plunge to the earth as the match goes on. These capsules will contain more Data Drives than the ones that came before, so you and your squad will have to make the call on whether it’s worth the greater risk to pursue richer rewards. At this point the hazards around you also increase as the storm that will overtake the area by the match’s end is growing further and becoming more dangerous by the minute. Luckily, you’ll find several assets on the ground that can help you when enemies are closing in and picking off your squad one by one. Ammo stations are littered across the map and marked on your HUD, so you’ll always know where to go if you’re running low. Uplinks, randomly spawned collectible laptops, can also give you powerful abilities to help you turn the tide or even bring back the fallen squad members. Each Uplink is encoded with a particular Call-in - so keep an eye out for 3 different types available: Support Uplink: Give your squad a Ranger Call-in Vehicle Uplink: Give your squad a LATV4 Recon Call-in Redeploy Uplink: Give your squad a squad redeploy Call-in. Extract The first extraction window opens up shortly after insertion at a random Extraction Zone. Once the location has been determined, you’ll have to hurry, as you will only have a short time to safely get onboard. Squads that are basing their Specialist composition on speed may have the edge when it comes to the first extraction, grabbing Data Drives and making a quick exit. Once you arrive at the EZ (marked with green smoke) your squad will need to defend itself from the Occupying Forces and opposing Task Forces. But remember: you must get on the helicopter to extract. If one of your squadmates fails to board in time, they will miss the window and have to extract during the final extraction window. Once the first extraction is complete, the storm begins to take full effect, making the map more dangerous. To make matters worse, you’ll only have one last attempt to extract. During the final retrieval phase, most of the initial Data Drives have been retrieved by other teams of No-Pats, and you’ll be able to track these with your Data Drive Scanners. But be aware, your foes are tracking you as well. It’s your call. Do you hunt down the remaining squads for more Data Drives or focus on escaping? As the storm approaches its peak, the final extraction window opens. This last extraction zone will force the remaining teams to battle over the last chance to leave. Any team that is left behind effectively loses the round and all Data Drives they have gathered to this point - lost to the storm. Squads that successfully capture Data Drives and extract will be rewarded with DMC as well as a bonus dealt out to members based on their actions taken during the match, such as kills. The more Data Drives you extract, the higher the reward for your squad will be. The more Data Drives you gather in a match of Hazard Zone, the more XP you gain for your overall level and Battle Pass and the more DMC you collect to spend on equipment and upgrades during a future match. If you’re on a hot streak and your Specialist extracts consecutively enough, you’ll earn an Extraction Streak marker tied to the chosen Specialist that will reduce the cost of weapons, equipment, and tactical items for that Specialist while you continue playing with them. However, if you fail to extract, that marker and all its benefits disappear until you earn another streak, so don’t get cocky, No-Pat. It’s a long fall. We’re excited we’ve finally unveiled Hazard Zone to you, and we understand you’ll have some additional questions. Good news: Producer Amo Mostofi and Design Director Daniel Berlin have got you covered. Let’s dive straight in! How long does a match of Hazard Zone take to play? Get in, get the goods, get out. Easier said than done. A Hazard Zone match can take anywhere from around 5 to 20 minutes based on how you play, when you choose to extract, and if you’re successful. What’s the difference between last-gen and next-gen versions of Hazard Zone? Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation® 5 and PC users will be able to play with up to 32 players in a massive playspace, while Xbox One and PlayStation® 4 players will be able to play a version scaled for up to 24 players. How many maps does Hazard Zone have? You’ll be able to experience Hazard Zone on all 7 of Battlefield 2042’s maps. Can I play Hazard Zone to progress my character within Battlefield 2042? Yes! Your Hazard Zone progression is tied into the rest of Battlefield 2042. Any progress you make in Hazard Zone will also grant you XP for your overall player level, weapon unlocks, and so on. Can there be multiple of the same Specialists in the same squad? No. Squads in Hazard Zone are composed of four unique Specialists, so you and your teammates will need to pick Specialists and Loadouts that complement one another if you’re to extract safely. How is XP shared between you and your Squad? Everyone present in your Squad at the end of round will receive XP for the total amount of Data Drives your Squad has extracted. There will also be a bonus for your personal performance during the match. Are Occupying Forces always present in Hazard Zone? Occupying Forces are an ever present and essential part of the Hazard Zone experience, and will pose a dangerous challenge in safely extracting with your recovered Data Drives. How many Occupying Forces can we encounter in a match? The Occupying Forces you’ll find in Hazard Zone are unpredictable. They may be roaming around the map, pursuing you, or protecting valuable resources. How many soldiers you come across varies and will depend on your actions and luck, so explore with caution. What happens when I die? You’ll be able to spectate your squad from the sidelines, hoping they can bring you back by finding a Redeploy Uplink in case no Squad Redeploy Call-in was bought before insertion. Is it possible to redeploy multiple times in a Hazard Zone match? If your entire squad bites the dust, the mission’s a failure and you lose the match. But should one member still be alive and manage to trigger a Redeploy Call-in (found in the world or purchased with DMC before a match starts), they can bring the entire team back to life. Does Hazard Zone have any pay-to-win elements? In Hazard Zone you will use Dark Market Credits which can only be obtained through gameplay, and not via real world currency. You can use them to purchase Tactical Upgrades, weapons and gadgets to give you the advantage over your enemies. And that’s a wrap on your first extended look at Battlefield Hazard Zone! We look forward to hearing about your close calls, pulse-pounding moments, and harrowing victories. Battlefield 2042 is nearly here, and we can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself when the game launches on November 19, 2021. See you on the Battlefield, No-Pats.
