Battlefield 2042 looks to give players a lot of new and innovative features, while also calling back to the core of what has made the franchise so beloved. From over-the-top weather-based destruction to gameplay that is more reminiscent of Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, fans of the series are looking forward to having a new game that recognizes the history and success of Battlefield. It already seems to be a welcome change from what the franchise was trying to do with its most recent installment.
Battlefield 5 was a very different game for the franchise. Although it tried to ride the hype of returning to the World War 2 era, that wasn't enough to fix all of the game's faults. Some issues were bigger than others, but some of the most consistent complaints came from gameplay changes that were meant to shake up the pace of play. While this was accomplished, these new features weren't received well by a lot of hardcore fans. Looking forward to Battlefield 2042, it's clear what features from Battlefield 5 should be left in the past.
Scarcity and War of Attrition Features
A lot of the changes that were made to the Battlefield formula in Battlefield 5 were in the name of immersion. The idea was to give players an authentic World War 2 experience like no other, and one of the features that motivated this was scarcity of resources. Players were given much less ammo and general supplies as opposed to previous games, and although it does make for a more realistic experience, that doesn't always make it fun. If Battlefield 2042 is going to keep gameplay smooth and fast-paced, making sure players have enough ammo to last them more than five minutes would greatly improve the experience from BF5.
Fortification Building
Part of BF5's gameplay centered around building fortifications to defend certain areas. Whether it was boarding up windows or creating impromptu cover out of sandbags, players had a decent amount of control over the open maps. However, 2042 probably wouldn't be a good place for this feature. Not only would most fortifications from BF5 not make sense considering players are dealing with skyscrapers made of concrete and steel, the weapons used in 2042 appear significantly more destructive. It just wouldn't make much sense when one player in a helicopter can immediately wipe out most reinforcements.
Operations, Grand Or Otherwise
Battlefield 5 took some cues from Battlefield 1 and its long-form Operations mode. The game mode managed to capture the way battles in World War 1 went on for days at a time by putting players through multiple rounds of one game session, and BF5 upped the scale with Grand Operations. While this was a decent way to make players feel immersed in the scale of WW2, it probably wouldn't be the best fit for 2042. Moving back to a more modern era, the Battlefield franchise has already shown that it can thrive with two massive teams in one game, so it would be best to avoid any unnecessary gimmicks.
Battlefield 2042 has a lot of pressure moving closer to its release. Battlefield 5 was a general disappointment, and there are a lot of expectations now that the franchise is going back to a more modern era. Excitement has been high since the new Battlefield Portal mode was announced, and it already seems like it's going to open up a lot of opportunities for community content. As Battlefield 2042's release date draws closer, hopefully EA will show more of how the game is giving fans a Battlefield experience that showcases the best of the franchise.
Battlefield 2042 releases October 22 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.