Everything We Know About Battlefield 2042

Following up 2018’s World War II epic, Battlefield V, Dice is abandoning the past and setting its sights on the very near future. Battlefield 2042 will throw players into massive skirmishes set in a tumultuous world ravaged by one of our current greatest existential threats: climate change. What does Dice have in store for Battlefield’s grand return to the modern era? Here’s everything you need to know about this much-anticipated shooter.

What’s changing from previous Battlefield games?

Unlike the last handful of entries in the series, Battlefield 2042 is returning to the franchise’s roots with an entirely multiplayer experience. DICE has forgone the single-player campaign and is opting to deliver all of its narrative threads through the various multiplayer components, like the maps and individual Specialists you’ll play as in battle.

How did Battlefield 2042 come to be?

After a string of disasters, a globe that is already suffering from climate change ends up in times of war. Satellites littering the Earth’s atmosphere fall victim to an event known as a “Kessler Effect,” where the critical mass of machinery collides with one another, creating a cascading torrent of destruction. With more than 70% of the planet’s satellites gone, communication and location systems are largely down. Due to strains in the supply chain, Russia is locked in an increasing skirmish over food and other resources with the US. Increasingly ferocious storms and overall climate conditions have forced displaced individuals called No-Pats to choose a side in the conflict.  

Which multiplayer games are returning?

Dice is bringing back the popular Conquest and Breakthrough multiplayer modes, which together make up the All-Out Warfare pillar of the package. Conquest is a sandbox game where large teams fight for territory. It will be supported by 128 players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The numbers are halved on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Breakthrough will again feature an attacking team pushing through one of 2042’s massive maps while the defensive squad has to hold their line and not let the attackers through.

Which Maps are possible?

Battlefield 2042’s maps and locations can make or break an FPS experience. DICE has prepared 13 maps for launch with seven fresh locales and six returning maps from Battlefield’s past.

Orbital is a French Guiana site that has players fighting for a rocket launch. Discarded is an Indian shipyard. Hourglass in Qatar was ravaged and destroyed by sandstorms.

Returning maps include representatives from across the Battlefield timeline that may only be available in the game’s Portal mode. 1942’s Battle of the Bulge is here along with Bad Company 2’s Arica Harbor, Noshahar Canal from Battlefield 3, and more. Every one of these maps is remastered using new art assets.

Portal is exciting!

The second of the three pillars of the 2042 experience, Portal allows players to create their own Battlefield scenarios using maps, weapons, vehicles, and gear from throughout the series’ history. It is possible to create asymmetrical teams using arsenals from different periods and new win conditions in order to spice up large team skirmishes. Do you want to create a World War II-era squadron and compare them with modern technology? That’s possible! You could give everyone knives and sniper guns on the Bad Company 2 maps. That’s also a choice you can make. Portal offers a logic editor and custom modes. You can also adjust other settings to create unique conflicts that are not possible with standard 2042 matches.

Is there anything happening in the Hazard Zone mode?

The goal of Hazard Zone is to drop in on a map 2042 with four experts, extract valuable data drives and then get out. The other teams in the region are also pursuing the same objective. This creates complications. There are no guaranteed respawns in Hazard Zone, so once you’re down, there’s a good chance your team is down a vital member of the group. If you do manage to extract from the map with the important intel in hand, you’ll earn XP and Dark Market Credits, which will net your team better gear for taking on the subsequent extraction in Hazard Zone. You will reap more rewards for collecting intel. However, the longer you stay on a given map, the greater the risk you won’t make it out alive to reap any of the sweet rewards.

Who are Specialists and do they replace traditional classes?

2042 introduces Specialists instead of traditional loadouts based on class. These are characters you’ll play who resemble the classes you may be familiar with, but each has a unique Specialty and Trait. Maria Falck, who specializes in supporting, has a Specialty that allows her to fire healing syringes at all her allies. The Combat Surgeon Trait, which she possesses, fully heals the players after they are revived.

Each Specialist has a story and motivation to be involved in the conflict. This adds a sense of storytelling and purpose to the online multiplayer game. Returning faces can also be found on the roster, including one of the final performances of the late Michael K. Williams, reprising his role of Battlefield 4’s Kimble “Irish” Graves. His specialty, Fortification System, is what he calls. This includes deployable protection and an APS Shootdown Sentinel, to deal with aerial projectiles. Irish’s Trait, Veteran, is said to provide armor with extra bonuses from downed enemies.

There are 10 total Specialists available to choose from, and all of them can be customized with their own kits.

Do you think there will be “Battlefield” moments?

C’mon. Do you think Dice would release a multiplayer-only Battlefield and leave out all of the cool, memorable, emergent stuff? Of course, you’ll be able to eject from the cockpit of a jet to shoot an RPG at a nearby helicopter and wingsuit into a tornado and land in another vehicle! You can go wild

Because of Earth’s climate collapse in 2042, weather plays a large part in the unpredictable nature of multiplayer matches. In one match, you might only experience a slight drizzle, but in another, a raging thunderstorm complete with one of those twisters mentioned above. Battlefield style, you can use the weather to your advantage for cover or mobility. Or just spin around in a swirling vortex. You do you.

What date does Battlefield 21042 release?

Battlefield 2042 will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Pre-orders of the Ultimate and Gold editions can get early access on November 12, for those who have pre-paid. EA Play subscribers and Xbox Game Pass subscribers can also get a 10-hour trial that day.