Battlefield 2042 was revealed in a big way during E3. The game features a lot of exciting new additions to the series, and there is a lot for fans to look forward to as Battlefield 2042's release comes closer. There are new specialists with crazy equipment like grappling hooks and wing suits, an all-new destructive weather system, and a near future setting. However, it was also revealed that Battlefield 2042 would not feature a campaign mode, instead focusing entirely on its online multiplayer game modes that the Battlefield franchise is known for.
For players who don't always want to be facing enemy teams through Battlfield 2042's skill-based matchmaking, the game will feature a mode that allows players to play against bots instead. This is not an entirely new feature for the Battlefield franchise, but is the first time the series has featured bots since Battlefield 2142 released in 2006. This has led many Battlefield fans to be excited about the return of bots in Battlefield 2042, and they will be a big feature for players who want to play alone or offline.
What Role Bots Will Play in Battlefield 2042
Playing against bots in Battlefield 2042 will likely not be a feature that most players will use very frequently. However, being able to play against bots could fill a very specific role within Battlefield 2042. One part of this role is for players to practice and become familiar with aspects of Battlefield 2042 before going online and potentially facing other live players.
Bot matches could provide a perfect opportunity for players to jump into an offline match and learn the ropes of one of Battlefield 2042's game modes that they are less familiar with. It also will provide a great place for players to experiment with specialists that they are less familiar with and learn the mechanics of the new equipment being added to the game.
Playing bots will also be a great option for player who want to play with friends without the stresses or difficulty of playing in online lobbies. This will likely be the most used aspect of bot matches in Battlefield 2042. Of course, while they do that players will also likely use the opportunity to use guns that they don't use as frequently or even test out different loadouts and possibilities with Battlefield 2042's weapon plus custmoization system.
How Bots Work in Perfect Dark Zero
One game that is well known for nailing bot matches that Battlefield 2042 should draw inspiration from is Perfect Dark Zero. What made Perfect Dark Zero's approach to bots so impactful was the amount of customization that players had over the bots that they faced. Not only did bots come with four different difficulty settings, but a title update for the game after release also added a variety of personalities players could select from to dictate the behavior of the bots in their matches.
In total players could add bots with a mix of seven different personalities from bots being cloaked whenever they aren't firing to bots choosing a random opponent to dogmatically focus on until one they are dead. Perfect Dark Zero also allowed players to put bots into online matches similar to how some modern games do like Destruction AllStars.
Perfect Dark Zero also allowed players to give simple commands to friendly bots on the player's team. While the system was not overly intricate, it did allow players to command bots to follow them around the map while also being able to direct bots to go to different objectives or areas of the map. This allowed players to set up certain situations if they wanted to practice for online matches, or to simply have some more control during bot matches in case their team's bots were underperforming. The ability to command bots helped turn the mode into a learning tool similar to how some modern games like Halo Infinite seem to be approaching bots.
What Battlefield 2042 Should Learn from Perfect Dark Zero's Bots
Battlefield 2042 could take a lot of cues from Perfect Dark Zero in how much control it gives players over the bots in their matches. However, there may be some difficulty in translating some of the features due to Battlefield 2042's massive lobby and map size. To counter this, Battlefield 2042 may have to allow players to adjust settings for bots more broadly rather than allowing players to personalize each bot individually. This could possibly let players set the enemy team to do things like focus on a particular order of objectives, favor certain specialists, or even set the enemy team to favor vehicles.
Battlefield 2042 should also allow players to customize the behavior of the bots that make up their squad or team while also giving them commands during the match. Allowing players to build a bot squad out of Battlefield 2042's selection of specialists would help ensure that the bots in a player's squad are always helpful. Being able to give them commands would also help players learn by playing bot matches by learning the map, how encounters play out in certain areas, and by experimenting with how the different specialists can interact with one another during a match.
Of course, only time will tell how Battlefield 2042 handles its bots and bot matches. It will be very interesting to see how DICE approaches the mode, as well as how fleshed out it is when the game releases later this year. Battlefield 2042 undoubtedly has more to show of itself ahead of its release, and it will be interesting to see what other surprises the game has for its fans. Thankfully, fans should not have too much longer to wait to learn what else is in Battlefield 2042 and its bot matches as it is set to release during this year's holiday season.
Battlefield 2042 releases on October 22, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.