In November, the latest installment of the big shooter series, Battlefield 2042, is set to be released. Compared to its predecessors, there will be some innovations. MeinMMO presents you the 5 biggest changes.
What is Battlefield 2042? Battlefield is considered to be one of the biggest shooter series alongside Call of Duty. The latest installment of the series is titled Battlefield 2042 and sets its location right there: in 2042. The setting will be accordingly futuristic, yet the sci-fi elements are limited.
It is more of a modern military shooter, comparable to Battlefield 3 or 4. There are some technical gimmicks like robot dogs, but not many more futuristic elements are to be expected.
For the first time, Battlefield divides its multiplayer into three large segments:
- All-Out Warfare with classic modes like Conquest and 7 new maps
- Battlefield Portal
- Hazard Zone
As is typical for the series, there is destruction, large maps, and massive material battles with vehicles and aircraft. The newest installment of the series also gets some innovations, of which we present you 5 here.
Battlefield 2042 focuses on specialists instead of classes
What are specialists? The specialists in Battlefield 2042 resemble the operators from CoD Warzone. They have “real” names and backstories, but they come with their own skills – unlike the operators from CoD. So far, 5 specialists have been introduced, and there should be 10 at launch.
In principle, they replace the traditional class system of the Battlefield series, in which players took on the role of “ordinary”, nameless soldiers who had a clear role distribution over the class system.
How was it before? In earlier Battlefield games, a class not only determined your gadgets but also the weapon arsenal you could equip. For example, sniper rifles were exclusively reserved for scouts, while only medics had access to LMGs.
Battlefield 2042 completely breaks this principle in All-Out Warfare. Players can choose from different specialists, but their weapons and equipment are not subject to any restrictions. For example, you can select the scout specialist with a ghillie suit while also packing a rocket launcher and medkits. Only the special abilities of the specific specialists are reserved for the individual soldiers – you can choose the specialists as you like.
This change has not been well received by many Battlefield veterans, as they want the classes back. Interestingly, specialists in the new Hazard Zone mode are subject to stricter restrictions, making them practically like the old classes.
New mode Hazard Zone brings PvEvP action in battle royale style
What is Hazard Zone? It is something like Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown from Battlefield 2042. Similar to the mentioned examples, the new mode mixes PvP and PvE elements.
- You will be dropped on a map in a 4-man squad and must search for data drives.
- You then need to extract these.
- While searching for these data drives, you will encounter human and AI enemies that will make your life difficult.
- A round takes place in five different phases, from landing to final extraction.
Hazard Zone can be played on all 7 maps available in All-Out Warfare of Battlefield 2042:
Orbital 
Hourglass 
Kaleidoscope 
Manifest 
Discarded 
Breakaway 
Renewal
In Hazard Zone, you also choose from the new specialists. However, they are subject to stricter limitations and have predefined equipment. Additionally, there can only be one specialist per squad, so you cannot have two medics in a team.
On one map, up to 32 players can be active on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, while on PS4 and Xbox One, a maximum of 24 players will be possible.
By collecting data drives, you earn “Dark Market Credits.” You can then use them to upgrade your character, enhance your equipment, and purchase “Tactical Upgrades” for the next round.
However, dying means losing these upgrades. You can find out what upgrades are available and what else is in Hazard Zone in our relevant special on the new mode.
Here you can watch the introduction trailer for Hazard Zone:
Weapons can be adjusted directly in matches
What is new? In previous Battlefield installments, you could only modify your equipment in the main menu or only before a spawn during a match, but Battlefield 2042 introduces a new plus menu.
This new menu allows you to modify your weapons at any time during a match. You can adapt your sights, attachments, grips, and magazines depending on the situation.
Are you in the open and need to fight at a distance? No problem, quickly attach a scope with higher zoom. Are you fighting in a building? Then you can quickly switch to a magazine for close combat.
This is what it looks like in the game:
Battlefield Portal is an editor mode with content from the classics
What is Battlefield Portal? The mode is being developed by Ripple Effect Studios (formerly DICE LA). Portal is referred to as a community-driven mode where players can access content and maps from three Battlefield classics and create their own game modes. At launch, these will be:
- Battlefield 3 with the maps Noshar Canals and Caspian Border
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with Valparaiso and Arica Harbor
- Battlefield 1942 with Al Alamein and Battle of the Bulge
Battlefield Portal brings some vehicles, weapons, tools, and even factions from these titles into Battlefield 2042.
Through the editor mode, these contents can be absurdly combined. For example, you could have dozens of soldiers from World War II battle against a squad of US troops from Battlefield 3, armed only with knives and defibrillators.
How should the mode work? According to EA, players in the Portal mode will have extensive tools to create custom game modes and make further adjustments.
Tools that were previously only available for developers will apparently also be at your disposal. However, you will not be able to change maps, only restrict their size based on your needs.
An overview of all known info on Battlefield Portal can be found on our site MeinMMO. Here is the trailer for the mode:
Battlefield 2042 features crossplay
This is how crossplay works in Battlefield 2042: For the first time in Battlefield, players can play together via crossplay. Until now, there was a strict separation. Unfortunately, there are also hardware-related restrictions here.
PS4 and Xbox One players will not be able to play with PC, “Xbox Series,” and PS5 players. Therefore, there are two different groups for crossplay:
- 1st group: PS4 and Xbox One
- 2nd group: PC, Xbox Series, and PS5
Why is that? In Battlefield 2042, there are significant differences between the versions for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and the older consoles Xbox One and PS4.
The older generation differs from the newer one as the hardware is significantly weaker. Consequently, players on this platform have to accept some differences. Therefore, the PS4 and Xbox One versions, for example, have significantly lower player counts and smaller maps.
The new consoles can handle battles with up to 128 players, while on Xbox One and PS4, only up to 64 players can compete. Everything you need to know about crossplay in Battlefield 2042 can be found in our summary.
When will Battlefield 2042 be released? The official release date is November 19, 2021. Then Battlefield 2021 is set to launch for PC, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4.
These are 5 of the biggest innovations in Battlefield 2042. Are there other things missing? What do you think about the new features and changes compared to the predecessors? Let us know your opinion.
