Finally, we know when Battlefield 2042 will release Update 3.1 and what it includes. It’s already happening tomorrow, and the improvement of hit registration is sure to please many players. We provide you with an overview of the contents.
When exactly is Update 3.1 coming? Tomorrow, on December 9th, the next major patch for Battlefield 2042 is expected to go live. The update is set to go live at 9:00 AM, and there will be no server downtime.
What’s included? Update 3.1 addresses some of the numerous issues that the game has had since its release. One of the most serious issues is likely the faulty hit registration, where you often couldn’t deal damage despite clearly hitting your opponents.
Additionally, there are some other adjustments:
- Balance changes to projectile spread and recoil
- Further balancing changes to the 30mm, 40mm, and 57mm cannons of ground vehicles to reduce their effectiveness against infantry
- A fix for a rare bug that made players invisible to opponents
- Fixes for various bugs related to grenades and launchers
We summarize the most important changes from the update and what else is included here for you.
Update 3.1 for Battlefield 2042 finally addresses the missed projectiles
What exactly was the problem? Since release, numerous players have complained about a lack of hit registration for bullets fired at enemies. It occasionally happened that entire magazines were emptied into enemies, yet they took no damage.
A video from the community illustrates the problem quite well:
Also, Battlefield expert and YouTuber Jackfrags has already analyzed the issue and tested possible causes.
What caused the problem? Jackfrags could only speculate about the causes. He suspected that it might have something to do with the number of players in a small space. He also considers smoke effects to be a potential culprit.
However, he ruled out the internet connection: not only does he have a very low ping – the match takes place against bots, meaning there shouldn’t be any fluctuations caused by other players.
The developers reacted to his video and even stated that it could be resolved because of it. Unfortunately, this was not the case with Update 3, which did not go down well with the community. Now it seems that it has been accomplished with Update 3.1.
The balance changes to recoil and projectile spread may also contribute to the fact that you can finally reliably hit your opponents. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen until the update is live on the servers.
Battlefield 2042 Update 3.1 Patch Notes Overview
What else is in the patch? In addition to the fix for hit registration, there are also numerous other improvements and bug fixes.
Here are the official patch notes (via ea.com):
General
- Even if you are not the party leader, you can now cancel while waiting in the queue
- Xbox – Crossplay can now be enabled/disabled in the options menu on Xbox
- Your sorting settings will now be correctly recalled when you refresh the Battlefield Portal server browser
- A problem was fixed that caused equipment to sometimes be empty on the spawn screen after joining a server, making weapon selection impossible
- The aim assist is now more consistent during gameplay on consoles
- The effective combat range of the Ranger and its overall health have been reduced
Audio
- Various changes to the overall audio experience improve clarity, distance, and direction perception
- A problem was fixed that caused soldiers not to have the correct footstep sounds indoors
Weapons
- When firing under-barrel grenades at short distances, bouncing has been removed
- 40mm AP grenades now deal damage to vehicles as intended
- Incorrect ammo display for certain magazines in some weapons has been fixed
- The reload animation for the DXR-1 and NTW-50 bolt-action rifles has been extended by 0.2 seconds
- The spread values for most weapons have been adjusted so that they decrease more quickly with fast single shots and short bursts
- For most weapons, the increase in spread has been adjusted. It now takes a bit longer to become inaccurate with sustained fire
- The recoil values have been adjusted to prevent overly aggressive kicks on the AK-24, LCMG, PKP-BP, SFAR-M GL, and PP-29
- The hip-fire accuracy of all SMGs has been increased to help them stand out more from other automatic weapon archetypes
- Spread and recoil for LMGs have been reduced to improve performance during sustained fire
- Further improvements to recoil control for all weapons, especially automatic ones.
- Increased damage at close range and consistency of the MCS-880 with shotgun shells and flechette ammunition
- A bug has been fixed that caused the projectiles from SFAR-M GL and K30 to impact below the intended target point
Vehicles
- A bug was fixed that sometimes caused vehicle weapons to deal no explosive damage on a direct hit
- We have reduced the effectiveness of the 30mm cannon for ground vehicles against infantry. It now overheats faster, cadence and explosive damage have been slightly decreased, and damage fall-off over distance has been increased.
- Cadence 350 -> 330
- Heat generation per shot 0.13 -> 0.14
- Heat fall-off per second 0.5 -> 0.475
- Explosive damage 20 -> 18
- LCAA Hovercraft – 40mm GPL grenade launcher
- Explosive damage decreased: 55 -> 35
- The firing angle of the utility pod for 40mm grenades is now more user-friendly
- EBAA Wildcat – 57mm cannon
- Spread removed
- Ammo 12 -> 8
- Impact damage 85 -> 75
- Explosive damage 70 -> 35
Gadgets
Fragmentation Grenade
- The time until detonation of a fragmentation grenade after the first bounce upon a hard collision has been increased from 1.1 sec. to 1.4 sec.
- Fragmentation grenades deal 120 damage in all game modes and guarantee a kill even against armored players
- Maximum ammo for fragmentation & incendiary grenades reduced from 2 to 1
Environment Sensor
- Visibility radius decreased from 30 to 20 meters
- Operational time reduced from 30 sec. to 14 sec.
- Players can now carry and deploy only one environment sensor (previously 2)
Battlefield Hazard Zone
- A problem was fixed that caused the patrolling LATV4 Recon of the crew troops to spawn at the wrong time or not at all
Breakthrough
- Kaleidoscope – Rooftop capture point has been removed. There are now two capture points below in BT (large) and one below in BT (small)
- Orbital – Rooftop capture point has been removed. There is now one capture point each below in BT (large) and BT (small)
- Hourglass – Rooftop capture point has been removed. There is now one capture point each below in BT (large) and BT (small). Also, a problem has been fixed that caused players to spawn outside the playing area
Soldier
- Improvements in collisions with objects while moving backwards in a prone position
- A rare problem has been fixed that caused players to become invisible when spawning in a full/destroyed vehicle
The update mainly addresses balancing. Aside from hit feedback, few bugs and issues will likely be fixed.
It seems that issues like performance on PC, faulty animations in the helicopter intro, and revives will likely not be addressed in this update.
Many players may also be disappointed that the scoreboard was not improved. Issues like capture points in Breakthrough, which players heavily criticize for their impenetrable positions, will likely remain untouched.
When will the next update come? According to EA, no further updates are expected in 2021. Players will have to wait until next year for any more fixes.
What changes are yet to come in the future is currently unknown. An insider report recently revealed how chaotic the development of Battlefield 2042 has been. However, DICE’s focus is now on gradually addressing the numerous problems of the game. Whether they will succeed remains to be seen.
What do you think of the update? Are you satisfied with the patch notes or do you feel like something important is missing?
