We’re back with another Community Update focused on destruction, and a summary of our initial learnings from previous Battlefield Labs play sessions.
Let’s start with a preview on how we’re designing and testing destruction for the future.
OUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY FOR DESTRUCTION
Our goals for destruction are centered around adding further gameplay depth by allowing you to reshape the environment and transform your surroundings toward a tactical advantage. For example, barging through walls to surprise your enemies, reshaping the battlefield to create new paths into the capture zones, or taking down a building to take out an attacking squad.
We're designing destruction around easily identifiable visual and audio language that lets you understand what can be destroyed, altered, or transformed through gameplay.
We aim to make destruction an integral part of your Battlefield experience to create an intuitive, fun, and rewarding environment where you feel empowered to shape the world around you.
DESTRUCTION AND GAMEPLAY
Let’s take walls as an example of the new destruction language. Once a wall takes enough damage from an explosion, smaller impacts, such as bullets, will also contribute to its destruction, allowing you to shoot your way through the wall. Audio VFX will help you not only see, but also hear whether your attacks are successful.
Different surface types now also visually degrade before breaking down through persistent surface damage. Buildings “apple-core” as they start to break down, leaving their core exposed as destroyed parts create rubble and debris on the ground around it.
New mechanics allow you to create more destruction-related opportunities during gameplay, as well as being able to influence your surroundings through the use of different weapons or vehicle types. For example, rubble caused by destruction now remains on the battlefield, and allows you to create and use new opportunities for cover and protection.
Above is an early pre-alpha example that showcases the ability to destroy a wall to quickly traverse through the building and reach the other side - without this tactical impact, you would have to either run around the block or navigate through staircases to get to the other side.
Be careful in how you use destruction to your advantage, as one advantage to you would also be an advantage to the enemy, and this exposed flooring could now be used by them to counter this new route.
FEEDBACK AND VALIDATION
Insights we’re gathering range from everything between destruction as a tactical element to you as a player being able to differentiate between non-destructible and destructible environments.
At this stage of testing within Battlefield Labs, our main focus points are:
Understanding which environments can or cannot be destroyed and which type of firepower is required for different material types
The impact of collateral damage from debris and destructible elements
Tactical use of destruction to create new pathing or persistent environments
Balancing the ecosystem of damage through firepower and destruction
OUR LEARNINGS SO FAR
Our goals for our initial Battlefield Labs play sessions were to test server performance, gunplay and movement, and for participants to get an initial understanding of what's next for Battlefield. Participants have now played through multiple sessions, and offered up thousands of pieces of feedback. As we start testing other topics such as destruction, we wanted to share some of our initial learnings and next steps coming out of those play sessions.
We encountered some initial issues with server stability and performance, which provided valuable data for us to adjust their configurations. We've already seen that follow-up play sessions offered a smoother gameplay experience for participants, and that we are on the right track to start scaling further testing with more participants in the future.
For gunplay we've learned that while gunplay feels in a good spot, there's further balancing to be done to the different weapon archetypes and their damage values. Feedback on movement suggests that we need to continue iterating on finding the right balance in speed, namely for functionality like crouch sprint, combat rolling, vaulting, and more. Be sure to check out our previous Community Update if you are interested in learning more about our design philosophy and goals for gunplay and movement.
Lastly, as we move our focus back to destruction, we have seen feedback around the balancing of destructible objects across the map and the fine-tuning of damage levels of surfaces. Destruction will be an ongoing topic within our playsessions, and we’ll continue to test these and other areas of destruction throughout upcoming playsessions.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Sign up for Battlefield Labs now if you’re interested in helping us validate the future of Battlefield. Read our FAQ if you’d like to learn more, and join the discussion on Battlefield Discord.
We’ll be back in the future with new Community Updates to keep you informed on ongoing testing and learnings within Battlefield Labs.
We look forward to seeing you in action, hearing your feedback, and chatting Battlefield with you!
// The Battlefield Team
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We are releasing Update 8.6.1 on Tuesday, April 1st (no, we are not kidding!), which will enable the King of the Hill mode for Battlefield 2042, as part of the War Machine time-limited event!
War Machine has been underway since March 18th and will continue to run through to April 15!
//The Battlefield Team
Community Calendar
Discover a wide variety of Community Events, Featured Experiences and Double XP moments taking place on Battlefield 2042 via our frequently updated Community Calendar.
Stay Informed
Follow us on Reddit and @Battlefield to stay informed on the latest news, and on @BattlefieldComm for the rollout of updates and other live service changes. Join the official Battlefield Discord server over at discord.gg/Battlefield.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is a new mode coming on April 1st as part of the War Machine time-limited event. Two teams rush to capture a single objective on the map while also trying to repel the enemy team!
Combined Arms In King of the Hill, you’ll fight 20 versus 20 in an all-out battle for control over the objective! Both Infantry close quarter combat and Vehicle skills are going to be required to win over your enemy.
Vehicles will become unlocked as a team loses tickets, so don’t count your chickens just yet and keep your eyes open for a counterattack by enemy forces. King of the Hill features a single objective that moves to a new location after a set amount of time, opening avenues and opportunities to take back control or further dominate the opponent.
How to grab the crown and become King! Vehicles can turn the tide quickly, so make sure you check the vehicle menu for newly unlocked vehicles and track progress when they unlock at the top of the deploy screen!
The losing team unlocks new vehicle categories before their enemy, so use this advantage to take back control over the objective.
Controlling chokepoints can be more impactful than throwing bodies at the objective.
Control, control, control. Using Spawn Beacons, Irish’s EIDOS system, and other gadgets can swing the match in your favor; use them wisely.
Know your objective and how it rotates. The rotation will pick from two to three different points, so learning which those can be and rotating quickly will give you an advantage over the enemy team.
King of the Hill is available on:
Kaleidoscope
Flashpoint
Renewal
Valparaiso
Missed out on War Machine so far? Catch up with all changes, new modes, the Event Pass, and more in our Patch 8.6.0 blog.
And what’s a wrap for this Update Note, but as one final reminder - hold the objective, deplete the enemy score and win!
This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
Play the War Machine Event Now
We are on the verge of total annihilation. Resources have dwindled, AI has taken control, and death is the only hand being dealt.
Welcome to the end of the world as we know it. This is the War Machine Event. You’ll need to conquer three modes and save humanity from extinction.
Take back control of precious resources by holding a majority of capture points in Domination.
Take up arms against the rogue AOS AI who started this fight and wipe out her relentless horde of AI robots in Override.
Fight and take charge of a single capture point as hell rains down on you – if your squad can handle the onslaught – in King of the Hill, coming in a future update.
The world needs you, No-Pat. Does your squad have what it takes to take down the War Machine?
There’s nothing like seeing the dead come back to life, especially when she’s the leader of your new squad.
I remember 8838—she goes by Eight now, since it’s easier— in the Boreas killing fields, taking out Geists like she was born to do it. Except it was Arkangel tech keeping her up and running; reinforced bones, synthetic eyes, dampened pain tolerance. When the lab was breached, I assumed Eight had been slaughtered in the crossfire. Everyone I worked with certainly was.
But she found her way back to the No-Pats, somehow. Her and the remnants of Unit 86 have a new mission: taking out the CENTRAL army created by A.O.S. through any means necessary. The Anti-Automaton Assault squadron takes anyone who is willing to become a saboteur and die for the cause, even if they used to be the enemy. EMPs, hacked drones, even frying entire power grids if it means destroying one of those bot printers so they can’t get back up.
I’m not a captain anymore. But I’m something better, I think.
–Campbell, A3 “Crash” Squad
Rogue Agents: The Most Dangerous Game
TO: Kimble “Irish” Graves FROM: Navin Rao
Hey Irish,
I know you wanted my analysis of the new automatons we’ve encountered under A.O.S.’s control. This is a quick and dirty summary—I’m having to process so much tactical data that the servers need an ice pack and a raise, so I’ll deliver the hard numbers in a later report.
We know the Geists. Each variant printed out of the lab in Scotland ran off a similar blueprint, and they had limits on how much their behavior could adapt. They were slow, simple, not much different than Rangers assigned to guard a perimeter.
These CENTRAL units… think. They learn. It happens in microseconds, almost too fast to read, but between unloading one clip and the next, their behavior can change, zeroing in on a weakness in the enemy like—
Like us, Irish. They move in teams. They change weapons, they drive, they hack. The only difference is they don’t care if a limb gets blown off the bot next to them. These relentless chimera bastards will give up a hundred bodies, a thousand, if it can force a victory.
Because there’s always more of them. We have to reach the source and stop A.O.S., or eventually we’re going to be overrun.
I wish I had better news. Let’s do a deck walk on the Exodus next time I’m on the ship, yeah? It might almost be like old times.
Battlefield™ 2042 War Machine Accelerated Event Pass*
The world needs you now more than ever, No-Pat. Take power back with the War Machine Accelerated Event Pass and access:
All Premium content
15 instant Tier Skips
Exclusive Legendary Skin for Angel
Secure the goods and take down the big bad – before humanity is history.
Get the War Machine Accelerated Event Pass. Available from Mar 18 - Apr 15.
*Requires Battlefield 2042 (sold separately) & all game updates. Premium and Accelerated Event Pass requires purchase and gameplay to unlock Event Pass content.
Welcome to the 8.6 Update Notes for Battlefield 2042. Launching on Tuesday, March 18th, the update comes with a brand new time-limited event: War Machine.
With War Machine we’re introducing a new experience with Rush Override, a new event pass, the return of the AN-94 and the Domination mode!
//The Battlefield Team
Community Calendar
Discover a wide variety of Community Events, Featured Experiences and Double XP moments taking place on Battlefield 2042 via our frequently updated Community Calendar.
Stay Informed
Follow us on Reddit and @Battlefield to stay informed on the latest news, and on @BattlefieldComm for the rollout of updates and other live service changes. Join the official Battlefield Discord server over at discord.gg/Battlefield.
Time-limited Event: War Machine
With update 8.6.0 players will jump into our new time-limited event War Machine, which comes with a variety of new modes, and a brand new event pass.
Coming March 18:
Rush Override War Machine’s first event mode, Override is a Rush PvE mode that pits humans vs machines in a steely brawl where four players must work together as a squad to overcome AI-controlled robots on:
Redacted
Arica Harbor
Exposure
Noshahr Canals
Domination Coming to Battlefield 2042 for the first time, players will know Domination as a fast-paced, small version of an Infantry only Conquest on:
Arica Harbor
Noshahr Canals
Stadium
Battle of the Bulge
Breakaway
King of the Hill War Machine continues to receive new content as this event unfolds, with King of the Hill, a new time-limited mode, arriving on April 1. Stay tuned to one of our upcoming Update Notes to learn more about what to expect from King of the Hill.
Event Pass
War Machine will bring an all-new event pass to Battlefield 2042 giving you the chance to earn more unlockables, including BFCs, legendary items, and 8 new unique specialist skins. Players can also get access to the Accelerated Event Pass, which offers 30 tiers of unlockable content, 15 Tier Skips, and the legendary CENTRAL Unit India outfit for Angel.
Store bundles
War.exe - 1750 Battlefield Coins
Flesh vs. Steel - 1750 Battlefield Coins
War Machines - Contains War.exe and Flesh vs. Steel bundles, 3000 Battlefield Coins
New Vault Weapon: AN-94
The AN-94 Assault Rifle, well known from Battlefield Bad Company, Battlefield 3, and Battlefield 4, makes its way from Portal to All-Out Warfare with updated handling and damage.
Dev comment: We want the AN-94 to have a strong identity around the hyperburst, to be a great choice when you want precision in the close-to-mid-range combat range.
Attachments:
8 muzzle attachments, a wide variety of choices to go in loud or quiet.
9 scope attachments to choose from.
8 underbarrel attachments, including GP-30 varieties and bipod functionality.
As part of the transition from Battlefield Portal to Battlefield 2042 All-Out-Warfare the AN-94 will also arrive with mastery, progression and unlocks which you have come to expect from vaulted weaponry.
Changelog
Maps:
Fixed a bug where players could access an unintended area via spawn beacon near the C Flag on Redacted.
Vehicles:
Added full auto throttle option for airplanes. Can be toggled on or off.
Fixed inconsistent camera behavior on Portal’s HMMWV.
Fixed a bug where the red vignette indicating your soldier is at low health would not show while sitting inside open seats of vehicles.
Weapons:
Fixed an issue where the AK5C sometimes had doubled handling modifiers from suppressors under certain circumstances.
GP-30 HE now deals consistent damage on direct impact. Previously the lack of feedback could cause confusion when hitting an enemy directly.
Added bullet type icon to the Close Combat magazine for the BSV-M, which was missing before.
Gameplay Flow & Social:
Fixed a bug where the remaining player count would be displayed in the social menu for friends playing Hazard Zone. No telling your friends how many enemies are left, you meanie!
Reintroduced gameplay tips and warcraft on the loading screen but they are now split into the two types.
Added inputs for toggling which type of gameplay tip is displayed and how to cycle to the next tip.
Made some smaller improvements to the main menu UI when there are weekly missions active outside of any event.
UI Ribbon notifications are now no longer visible when the HUD is disabled.
This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.
Battlefield 2042 | War Machine Event Trailer
Welcome to the end of the world as we know it. This is the new War Machine event. You’ll need to conquer three modes and save humanity from extinction.
- Take back control of precious resources by holding a majority of capture points in Domination.
- Take up arms against the rogue AOS AI who started this fight and wipe out her relentless horde of AI robots in Override.
- Fight and take charge of a single capture point as hell rains down on you – if your squad can handle the onslaught – in King of the Hill, coming April 1st.
- Secure event unlockable rewards like Machines vs Humans Cosmetics with 30 tiers of an all-new Event Pass.
The world needs you, No-Pat. Does your squad have what it takes to take down the War Machine?
Play the War Machine event between Mar 18 – Apr 15.
Battlefield Labs - Community Update - Gunplay and Movement Philosophy
This is the first of our regular Community Updates to keep you informed about features we’re testing in Battlefield Labs. Today we’ll focus on elements of gunplay and movement.
OUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY FOR GUNPLAY AND MOVEMENT
We've continually evolved our gunplay and movement mechanics throughout the Battlefield series. Now, within Battlefield Labs, we're focused on refining the best elements from past titles, modernizing them, and validating if they feel fun and rewarding, and have the right balance between intuitive control and dynamic combat.
We're designing the combat experience to ensure players of all skill levels can enjoy our gunplay and movement systems. Our goal is to offer gameplay that rewards skill with precise weapon feedback and movement options for veterans, while providing an intuitive experience for new players to learn and enjoy.
For gunplay we're exploring designs centered on helping you learn and develop skills and muscle memory through action, as weapons naturally signal their recoil direction. This feedback loop allows you to understand and adjust your aim, making it easier to handle different weapons. This system not only adds variety but also enhances each weapon's unique feel and play style.
Movement is also deeply integrated with gunplay, as your actions and targets are all part of the same cohesive combat experience. We aim to make movement both feel intuitive and rewarding to move within the world and during combat, but also when playing against someone using both the gunplay and movement systems to their maximum potential.
WHAT’S NEW AND IMPROVED FOR GUNPLAY AND MOVEMENT
Initially we’ll test select but important areas that create the foundation required to create a fun and rewarding Battlefield combat experience. We’re making focused efforts to create consistent and optimized millisecond-to-millisecond soldier combat, and we’ll share some key examples of changes that will be available during our initial playsessions.
We’ve reduced the time it takes for bullets to appear on your screen from when you press fire. This change decreases input delay, makes shooting feel more responsive, and helps you better track and hit moving targets.
We're optimizing for a 60Hz tick rate, ensuring the game server more frequently updates the positions and actions for all players. This results in responsive gameplay across all platforms and inputs. You'll notice more precise shooting and movement, enhanced damage feedback, and more accurate representation of other players' positions and combat outcomes.
We've adjusted the recoil system to make the different weapon types feel unique when firing them. Through enhancements to gunplay recoil, camera shakes, and firing settles, each shot’s recoil direction now matches its gameplay angle. The weapon visually stabilizes the more accurate your handling is, making you feel like you're actually firing and controlling it.
To evolve the moment system we've revamped animations and reintroduced movement features such as crouch sprint, combat dive and landing roll, and added visual indicators to make it easier to understand when movements such as vaulting or leaning are possible.
FEEDBACK AND VALIDATION
At this stage content within Battlefield Labs is pre-alpha, and playsessions take place within a closed dev environment focused on testing small chunks of a larger array of features. Some gameplay features are placeholder, work-in-progress and with bugs and performance not being representative of the final experience. However, even during this early stage of development you'll get a good sense of our new design approach.
During our first playsession our teams will be validating the systems and stability of Battlefield Labs such as server performance, while participants will be able to familiarise themselves with what’s next for Battlefield through testing the gunplay and movement experience, focused on:
Feel of the different weapon archetypes
Improvements to aim and control
Weapon balance and fun factor
Look and feel of movement
Moving and interacting within the map
Combat pacing.
STAY TUNED
Lastly, a reminder that while our playsession will be within a closed environment, and we can't invite everyone to every session, we'll make sure to keep you informed on ongoing Battlefield Labs playsessions and learnings through these regular Community Updates.
Sign up for Battlefield Labs now if you’re interested in helping us validate the future of Battlefield, and read our FAQ if you’d like to learn more.
We’ll be back in the coming weeks to talk more about our learnings from our first playsessions, as well as another feature focused Community Update.
//The Battlefield Team
Please keep in mind that everything related to EA Playtesting is STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. This means no posting or sharing details of this Playtest, in person, on social media or anywhere else. Acceptance of the Pre-Release Game Program Policy, EA User Agreement, and EA Privacy & Cookie Policy are required to participate.
This is the first of our regular Community Updates to keep you informed about features we’re testing in Battlefield Labs. Today we’ll focus on elements of gunplay and movement.
