After months of rumours, leaks, and outright lies, we finally have official confirmation of the new Battlefield game - welcome to Battlefield 2042. That's not Battlefield 2142, mind you, neither is it simply Battlefield, as many of the aforementioned rumours would have had us believe.
Battlefield 2042 has been in production for at least three years and has been worked on by EA DICE. Laura Miele, Chief Studios Officer at EA, called it the "most ambitious Battlefield yet," and the "biggest leap" in the franchise's history. Wow, not mincing their words then.
Enough jibber-jabber. Let's check out that reveal trailer:
In a preview event held by EA, we were able to pick up some details about the new title, and it certainly sounds like a Battlefield game. Set in the near future (in the year 2042, funnily enough), the world has been pushed past the brink of collapse. Nations have failed and countries as we know them are in a state of flux, creating millions of refugees. This has given rise to armies and soldiers fighting not for their sovereign lands but for power, and to have a "seat at the table" when the dust finally settles.
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These non-patriated (non-pat) soldiers are who players will take control of in the brand-new, 128-player battles, set across seven maps of varying sizes at launch. Within those maps are some of the biggest ever created in the Battlefield franchise. While that player count sure sounds impressive, it's worth pointing out that these will only be available on new-gen consoles and PC, while PS4 and Xbox One owners will get 64-player maps.
Something else to note, is that there will be no single player campaign in the game, with the story of Battlefield 2042 instead being told through the game's sandbox multiplayer via battlepasses and seasons. Sound familiar? Well it shouldn't, because EA were very keen to stress that the game will not have a Battle Royale mode, despite its obvious similarities to games like Call Of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends and Fortnite.
Battle passes, for what it's worth, will come in two varieties - one free and one paid. Stop me if you've heard this before. All the essential features like maps and new Operat- I mean non-pats, will be available through the free pass, whereas the paid will include things like cosmetic items. There will be at least four seasons, presumably each bringing with it new ways to play, and advancing the story.
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The modes EA have talked about (there are more yet to be announced) include Conquest and Breakthrough. Conquest is the classic Battlefield experience, where two teams must capture control points around the map in order to dominate and deplete the opponent's resources. Breakthrough, is a tug-of-war style battle where one team attacks points, while the other must defend them. Once a defence point has been lost, it is pushed back until one side emerges victorious.
What's unique about both of these game modes, is that they can be played either with other humans, or with AI combatants. So, if you don't want to go online or simply want to sharpen your skills before a fight, you'll be able to mow down waves and waves of computer generated foes to your hearts' content.
Those non-pat Specialists players will be using are a hybrid of the four classic Battlefield classes, and Warzone's Operators or Apex Legend's heroes. More loose than the strict classes, each Specialist will have one gadget unique to them, such as a grappling hook or a medical pistol, and an ability like extra speed or a movement sensor. But players will be able to pick their own weapons and a secondary gadget to make the character more personalised.
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It wouldn't be a Battlefield game if there wasn't an entire military budget's worth of vehicles to jump behind the wheel of, and Battlefield 2042 will be no different. While we don't know exactly how many vehicles will appear in the game, we know that there will be the usual mix of land, sea and air options, each able to fit a differing number of players in them. Interestingly, players will be able to call in vehicle support on their locations, which will make traversing those giant maps and getting back into a firefight much more rapid.
Weapons can also be customised in game, which will be a huge boon to those who like to get right into the meta. Say, for example, you're storming a building and need to switch out a weapon barrel or clip size to be more effective in short range combat. You're now able to do that with a couple of button presses without having to change your entire loadout in a menu.
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Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the all new weather events that will feature in Battlefield 2042. Certain maps will contain the possibility that dramatic weather events will cause cataclysmic changes to the areas, and how players approach them. In the preview we saw a sandstorm that blots out the sun and reduces visibility to mere feet, a tornado that rips through a city, sucking up players and vehicles then spitting them out all over the place, and a lightning storm. Presumably this will have players send up a kite with a key attached to it in order to call down the fury of almighty Zeus himself, for a funny and quick team kill. There's also the ever-popular levelution dynamics, and destructible scenery to look forward to as well.
That's about the extent of what we know about Battlefield 2042 at the moment, but we will be able to give our impressions of what we saw later this week, so be sure to keep an eye out for that. In the meanwhile, Battlefield 2042 will release on October 22nd 2021 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
Featured Image Credit: EATopics: News, Battlefield 6