Battlefield 2042's tumultuous launch has left many players questioning why the online multiplayer FPS was released in such a state. While that question remains unanswered, it's clear EA DICE has been aware of the many issues Battlefield 2042 players are dealing with. A third update is now confirmed to be arriving for Battlefield 2042 on December 2, yet another patch addressing continued frustrations with the game as it approaches its first full month of availability.
EA DICE describes the December 2 update for Battlefield 2042 as "addressing further bugs and feedback areas." That means that there will not only be a significant number of fixes, but also a robust collection of balance changes and quality of life improvements. Expect some content additions, too, with Weekly Missions being introduced the week following Update #3's release and new game mode layouts for Rush's All-Out Warfare maps in Battlefield Portal.
While there are too many fixes to go into detail on more than a handful, there are some key fixes that Battlefield 2042 players will immediately acknowledge as important. First and foremost, EA DICE says it has improved matchmaking reliability and reduced instances of matchmaking failures. Obviously, matchmaking issues have been one of players' most frustrating issues with Battlefield 2042 so far. Another major issue, frame rates and performance, isn't directly addressed, but EA DICE has fixed several rendering issues tied to flickering and stuttering, particularly with regards to joining mid-match and issues tied to in-game water.
Regarding balance, the Breakthrough game mode has been overhauled. Capture times have been "tuned," spawning has been adjusted so players should be safer when jumping back into the action, and a variety of changes have been made to improve the UI. Specialists have also been targeted for improvement, including Angel's Loadout Crate, Dozer's SOB-8 Ballistic Shield, Casper's OV-P Recon Drone, and Boris' SG-36 Sentry Gun which will last until a player has been killed rather than simply downed.
EA DICE's message with this patch is that it's hard at work not only fixing the game's many issues, but also addressing feedback regarding balance and fun. To say that today's patch is aggressive would be an understatement. EA DICE wants players to know it's trying to make the game better, even if it's going to take time to get there. It's just unfortunate that these changes are being made to Battlefield 2042 post-launch instead of before release.
With that said, there are still clearly significant improvements that need to be made to Battlefield 2042. The Battlefield 2042 community continues to talk about performance across all platforms being a significant issue. Hopefully, Battlefield 2042 players can expect those kinds of robust patch updates leading up to or before the game arrives at Season 1, which is planned to arrive in 2022. Update #3 officially launches on December 2.
Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.