On Battlefield 5, Chapter 6 began on February 4, featuring a new map with several game modes. However, for many players, the new weapons and fresh content are not the highlight of the upcoming chapter. They are waiting for Update 6.2 – What should it improve?
What are BF5 players waiting for? Many players are waiting for the complete or partial reversal of some changes in weapon balance.
Since the Update 5.2.2 on December 16, 2019, Battlefield 5 plays somewhat differently. Many weapons deal significantly less damage, especially at longer distances. For some players, these drastic changes to the Time-to-Kill (TTK), the time it takes to eliminate an opponent, felt completely unnecessary.
Even before the update, many players were upset about the planned changes, and since then, the frustration has hardly subsided. Together with the patch notes for the new Chapter 6, the developers have now announced that the changes will be at least partially reversed with Update 6.2.
Time-to-Kill drives the community crazy even without a jungle
Why is this more important than a big update? Since the announcement of the changes in mid-November, the adjustments to the TTK have been the major topic in the community. There was briefly joy over the well-executed Chapter 5, but with the release of the changes, it was basically only about that.
Why are the players so upset? For many players, the shooter was wonderfully balanced at the time of the changes.
Battlefield 5 played smoothly, Chapter 5 brought plenty of fresh content, and everything seemed alright. But then the developers at DICE changed one of the most important aspects of the game – fundamentally.
At the end of 2018, the developers raised the Time-to-Kill or Time-to-Death with an update, but after significant criticism from players, this change was reversed after only a week. Players are simply angry that this is happening again.
Besides the TTK/TTD, some players have also expressed issues with the spotting system, which was dramatically changed in Chapter 5. However, the developers did not have much to say about this in the official patch notes.
TTK will be changed again, but it won’t be like it used to be
Why is BF5 changing this again? EA repeatedly emphasizes that they want to listen to the players, and it seems they have. The reactions have simply not quieted down.
Almost 2 months after the changes, BF soldiers still cannot adjust to the adjustments, so the comments under the trailer for Chapter 6 are full of demands to revert the TTK to its previous level.
What is going to be changed this time? There have already been some statements from those responsible. On reddit, the BF5 community manager “PartWelsh” even elaborated on the topic.
With Update 6.2, we will release a series of additional changes that are based on your feedback and our gameplay data. All details will be shared after the release of 6.0. You will notice that in close combat, the familiar recoil and rate of fire will return.
We will continue to work with a damage model where weapons designed to be lethal at close range will still deal less damage beyond 30 meters than you know from 5.0. However, we want to adjust the damage curves so that the damage loss does not feel as direct or severe. For weapons that should be more effective at longer ranges, such as semi-automatic rifles or carbines, the damage loss will occur later. This should ensure that these weapons operate more in line with their intended design and perform significantly better at longer ranges.
Similar changes will also be made to the LMGs and assault rifles. I will keep you updated as soon as we have finalized the new design (of the damage models, ed.) and will then bring it into a release state.
BF5 Community Manager PartWelsh on reddit (translated)
What could this mean? This sounds a bit as if the developers are trying to stick to their changes and find a compromise.
It is presented as if the weapons previously had a completely unrealistic damage profile that did not match the weapons. The weapon classes are supposed to gain a stronger character and distinguish themselves more clearly from one another, especially at different ranges.
It will be interesting to see how this compromise will look and whether the community will be satisfied with it.
Hundreds of memes mocked the new TTK
The reactions were intense from the start, and that has not changed to this day. New memes can still be found almost daily on reddit, and players are tireless in reminding the developers: keyword #revert – for “Revert The TTK” (Set the TTK back).
How did the community react to the change? After the announcement of the change in mid-November, complaints began. At that time, players still hoped that they could make a difference with their reactions to Update 5.2.
But DICE then said little about the changes, and many players felt ignored. In the video, a BF5 trailer was humorously annotated with written comments to highlight the problems.
How are the players reacting now? The trust of some players in the developers is shaken, and the reactions reflect that.
The meme draws attention to the fact that while DICE managed to improve Battlefield 4 and Battlefront 2 after initial difficulties, they have not succeeded with BF5 so far.
The community is now waiting for more details on the upcoming changes and is already reloading the meme cannon in case the developers don’t meet expectations.
Chapter 6 with Solomons and requested Bazooka
What does Chapter 6 bring? With the latest chapter, Battlefield takes you to the Solomons, an archipelago northeast of Australia.
The capture of the islands by the Americans as part of the Battle of Guadalcanal is considered a turning point in the Pacific War, as the Americans were able to go on the offensive against the Japanese for the first time.
Battlefield 5 continues the war over the Pacific Islands that began with Chapter 5. In addition to the new map, which comes with several game modes, there are also new weapons and equipment.
- New Map: The Solomons – Available with Conquest, Breakthrough, Squad Conquest, and Team Deathmatch
- New Weapons: Model 37, M2 Carbine (immediately available), and Type 11 LMG (Chapter Rank Reward)
- New Equipment: Stick Mine, M1A1 Bazooka
Should the developers completely revert the TTK?
