The open beta for Battlefield 2042 has come and gone, giving fans of the massive military shooter a chance to test out the series' newest entry for themselves ahead of its November release. The beta was of particular interest due to just how many new systems and changes are coming with the new title, including the replacement of classes with specialists, bigger matches, and brand-new gadgets for players to utilize across the battlefield. However, Battlefield 2042's beta was met with some questions and concerns from its community when it comes to the new systems and changes.
Fan concerns following Battlefield 2042's beta were centered around a few different areas including specialists, the game's overbearing yet uninformative UI design, and many smaller tweaks such as missing features from previous games and the seeming overabundance of bots in matches. Following the voicing of thsee concerns, the game's publisher EA and developer DICE have released a thorough look at what exactly players can expect to be different in Battlefield 2042 when it launches, addressing many of the complaints that players had.
Changes to Specialists in Battlefield 2042
The biggest concern regarding specialists in Battlefield 2042 was that they would potentially limit the teamwork of squads in matches. Traditionally, players could choose from one of four classes that each filled a very specific role within their squad, and only had a limited number of guns and pieces of equipment that they could use to build their loadouts. This encouraged players to work with one another to fill all of the roles that could be needed during matches, such as healing, supplying ammunition, and destroying enemy vehicles. In Battlefield 2042, however, players can combine any assortment of weapons and equipment on any specialist, with only unique abilities and gadgets being limited to particular characters. This has led some to worry about balance in Battlefield 2042, as any player can build a loadout more suited to running around a match alone, leaving their squad behind.
However, EA and DICE have doubled down on specialists, saying that the system is the future of the series and that players were unable to get the full scope of what it brings to the game, as only half of the specialists were available in the open beta. The remaining five specialists in Battlefield 2042 have since been revealed, but many fans still have concerns over how the system will impact the team-based gameplay that players have come to love the series for. These concerns have also been compounded by various other complaints that players have regarding the game's UI and features that once again have a negative impact on squad-focused play.
Adjustments to Battlefield 2042's UI
One of the largest missing features was the ping system that allowed players to mark enemies, locations, and objectives to point them out to their fellow squadmates. Luckily, the ping system will be in Battlefield 2042 at launch, as well as the big map that was also missing in the beta. The big map is a feature that lets players see the entire map during a match as well as what team is in control of each objective. This is very important to help squads strategize where they are most needed for staging defenses or offensive assaults, while also letting players see the greater context of their actions.
The ping system will also be accompanied by the Commo Rose feature that lets players open a radial to quickly communicate with squadmates that aren't in the voice channel. This allows players to always communicate what they need to their squadmates, whether it be healing, a vehicle, or a variety of other options as well. For teams who cooperate the best together, the best squad showcase at the end of a round will return, which many fans were frustrated was absent from the Battlefield 2042 beta. Other UI improvements include a grenade indicator, new symbols to help players locate allies that need healing or supplies, and improvements to make the kill log more legible.
Smaller Changes Coming to Battlefield 2042
There are also various smaller changes coming with the game's full release, such as doubling the number of tanks on the Orbital map that was present in the beta, adding strafe input while sliding, allowing players to mantle over moving objects, and putting a cap on how frequently players can jump. The changes don't mention anything regarding the third-person melee kill animations of Battlefield 2042 that fans have voiced their disappointment over, but they do include making entry and exit animations faster as well as completely removing some of them. The developers detailed how the beta also allowed them to gather enough information to make improvements to the title's matchmaking systems.
DICE addressed how it made adjustments to its matchmaking algorithms to help prevent players from getting put into lobbies hosted outside of their region, a problem that caused plenty of laggy connections during the beta. Battlefield 2042's bots were also discussed, detailing how the frequency that they appeared early on in the open beta was unintentional. The developers also explained that, while bots may be used to fill a few empty slots in matches, they are mostly intended to be a resource for players to learn the ropes of Battlefield 2042 or try out different loadouts.
It is great to see such a big game as Battlefield 2042 being so transparent with how it is responding to feedback. Hopefully, the improvements that the developers make will satisfy players when the game is fully released, especially in regards to its experimental specialist system. Leaks and rumors have circulated regarding a troubled development cycle for Battlefield 2042, but hopefully DICE is able to overcome those issues to release a great new entry in the series for fans and newcomers alike.
Battlefield 2042 releases on November 19 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.