EA/Dice revealed the next installment of Battlefield. Battlefield 2042 arrives on October 22 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, and PlayStation®5 consoles, PC on Steam, Origin, and the Epic Games store. Dice is leaving behind the historical setting and looking to our future. If the trailer is any indication, it’s undoubtedly going to be a chaos-filled, bullet-ridden world unlike any we’ve experienced. However, DICE has made some surprising decisions for the newest title. I’ll go through those in a moment, but here is the reveal trailer below!

There is no Campaign in Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042 does not feature a campaign, which is odd given there is a ‘narrative’ behind the game. On the official Battlefield 2042 website, EA details the events that lead up to 2042. One of the last entries, The Brink of War, says this: “A food and fuel shortage ignites a shadow war between the US and Russia. To maintain plausible deniability, both sides field No-Pat Task Forces as proxies in escalating conflicts over resources – promising the refugees a piece of what’s left.”

As for No-Pats, they are society’s displaced. “They are families, farmers, doctors, engineers, and soldiers…” The media refers to them as the Non-Patriated, but they call themselves No-Pats. That’s us, folks. Without a campaign, how will we dive into the Non-Patriated and 2042’s world?

Speaking to GamesRadar, Oskar Gabrielson, DICE general manager, said, “We really want to push the scale here and deliver on our three key multiplayer experiences. We’ll still be able to deliver a compelling narrative within the world that we’re building and, as you’ll see, the world and the narrative will develop through the live service.”

The focus is on multiplayer

Gabrielson states that “multiplayer is what we do best at DICE, period.” They’ve made improvements in the series over the past but doing away with single-player allows a real focus on the multiplayer experience. So, what exactly does that entail?

The Player Count

Battlefield 2042 will support 128 players on the all-out war mode at the same time. However, the Xbox One and PS4 versions can only support 64 players in total.

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Multiple Modes, as if it needed stating

Thanks to an EA press release, we know a bit about the modes.

All-Out War involves two returning experiences: Conquest and Breakthrough. There are significant changes to Conquest, though. Players still capture multiple points across the map to bleed the enemy’s tickets. DICE has added sectors, areas that can be claimed by capturing all objectives within it. Players will also deal with dynamic weather changes and dangerous environmental hazards, such as tornadoes and sandstorms.

Breakthrough remains unchanged—a team of attackers and defenders battle over large sectors. The defenders have infinite tickets to defend their sector from the attackers who, over time, bleed tickets. If the attackers take a sector, their tickets refresh. Should every sector fall to the attackers, they win. 

Hazard Zone is a new, squad-based mode that DICE has yet to detail. Instead, they reassure fans that it “is distinctly DICE but very different from All-Out Warfare’s Conquest and Breakthrough modes.” They’re more tight-lipped about a third, new game-type that they say “is a love letter to Battlefield fans and one that long-time players will feel right at home with.” 

EA will host EA Play Live on July 22 to reveal the details.

Specialists have entered Battlefield

No, I’m not mistaking this for Call of Duty. Battlefield 2042 will feature Specialists, a new type of soldier inspired by the typical Battlefield classes. While the specialists overview shows ten slots for unique classes, there are only details for the first four: Webster Mackay, Maria Falck, Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky, and Wikus “Casper” Van. Each Specialist has a designated Specialist Trait and Specialty, but may also equip any weapon.

Speaking of weapons, DICE did not provide a breakdown of every piece of weaponry. Instead, they provided this information: “You’ll be able to use a full roster of cutting-edge weapons, vehicles, jets, helis, and all-new equipment inspired by the near-future of 2042. Summon the Ranger, a robotic dog built for battle, use the Syrette Pistol to revive squad members from afar, employ a grappling hook to reach new places, don a wingsuit, deploy a recon drone, and more.”

The Live Service Side of Battlefield 2042

There’s no escaping the evolution of live service games. DICE intends to take a new approach, using “seasons” to expand its narrative and world. Each Season will offer a free and ‘paid’ Battle Pass. Paid Battle Passes provide more content to unlock than the free ones, of course. 

“In our first year of live service, we will deliver four Seasons, with four Battle Passes, four new Specialists, along with more fresh content,” states the 2042 FAQ. 

Welcome back, Battlefield!

Now, we sit back and wait for more news! Are you excited about Battlefield’s return? Tune-in on June 13 when DICE/EA reveals its gameplay to the world!