What We Know About Battlefield 2042 so far

Battlefield 2042 has now been revealed as the upcoming Battlefield game. Taking place 21 years in the future, we can expect a more modernistic gameplay experience. Not too futuristic to where people are flying around in exo-suits, but just to the point where we get to see some cool new features.

Battlefield 2042 is set to release on October 22nd 2021. But the main difference with this new entry, is that it will solely be a multiplayer game using the seasonal structure. But we will get to this a bit later on.

We are going to take a look at everything EA has given us upon reveal, and what that could mean for the game.

The Reveal

EA showed off Battlefield 2042 through a high action and epic trailer. Though the trailer was cinematic, it did show off some of the new things we can expect. Like new vehicles, equipment, weapons, maps and so much more.

But what I will say, is though the trailer is good, EA have always been very good at making trailers. This one certainly helped build up some hype and interest, but do take into mind that this is a cinematic and it isn’t the best representation of what the game will be like.

To get a better look at what the game will be like, the gameplay reveal at E3 on Sunday 13th June will help show us what it will be like. But the EA website has also given some good information.

What is it About?

Without a story/campaign within Battlefield 2042, this game is less really about what will happen in the game and more about how has the world become the way it is.

Battlefield 2042 is set within a world plunged into chaos. Over ten years, numerous events have caused worldwide devastation. Events like rising sea levels and collapsing economies have caused disasters to take a heavy toll on the world for years and it only leads to more issues.

As a result of people being displaced by the numerous tragedies that take place, the No Pats (or Non-Patriated) have rose up. This is a massive group of people including soldiers, engineers, doctors, families and more who have come together in order to survive. And with over a billion people behind it, this huge group becomes a major player in all international decision making.

And though the world looked to be getting better thanks to new, revolutionary technology, tensions rise between the USA and Russia. With both looking for more control in this new world. And as more disasters occur, this conflict only gets bigger. And when fuel and food shortages get low, this conflict reaches a breaking point and a war begins to break out.

Multiplayer

I said at the beginning that this game is solely multiplayer. There will be no campaign to play, just a larger multiplayer experience. On that, you can expect the return of iconic game modes like conquest and breakthrough. But also, brand new game modes, like “Hazard Zone” and a redacted mode we are will be waiting to learn about.

EA look to be making these game modes and the multiplayer even bigger. With one of the biggest changes revealed being the maximum number of players who can be in a game. Now being increased to 128. And maps have been made even bigger to accompany this, with bigger areas and dynamic and world events also taking place within your games.

New Maps

Though we have not seen much of Battlefield 2042 just yet, seven new maps have been announced by EA on their website. All being much bigger than any of the maps in the previous Battlefield entries.

The first of the seven is called Orbital. Taking place in Kourou in French Guiana. You will fight against your enemies at the site of an imminent rocket launch. And you can also expect storms to take place on this map, so watch out for that.

The second map is called Hourglass, and it is set within Doha in Qatar. A city that has been engulfed by the desert around it. Shrouded by huge sandstorms that will regularly come in and cause you trouble.

Kaleidoscope is the third map, and it takes place in Songdo in South Korea. Where you can fight through a massive sprawling city that is dominated by huge skyscrapers and futuristic plazas.

Next up is the map Manifest. Which takes place in Brani Island in Singapore. A key trading and cargo location that is at risk of tropical tornadoes.

Fifth on the list is the map Discarded. We move over to the coast of Alang in India, where giant ships lay dormant. Fight within the ships and along the coast while avoiding the deadly storms that approach.

The sixth map is called Breakaway, and this one lets you play on a futuristic oil extraction site at Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. You’ll have to keep an eye on the terrain around you, as the ice provides a danger. But you can use destructible fuel tanks to your advantage.

The final map is named Renewal, and it takes place in a giant piece of land in the Eastern Desert in Egypt. A huge map that divides the desert in half. With a will splitting the sandy desert from man-made agricultural areas. Extreme conditions and access points will attempt to get in your way.

You can engage in all-out combat with a number of different specialists.

Specialists

Anyone who has played Battlefield knows about the class system. Four classes that play different roles within your game. With Battlefield 2042, they’ve changed this system a little bit. Going from classes to specialists.

Though specialists work almost the same as classes, they do offer some more options for gameplay. Instead of only four options, with Battlefield 2042 you will get to choose out of eleven. Though only four have been shown at the moment, they do give some insight into what it will be like.

Webster Mackay is the first specialist, and focuses on straight forward combat. Equipped with a grappling hook to attach to surfaces and ascend building. This specialist has the ability Nimble, that allows you to move faster while aiming down sights and increase overall speed.

Maria Falck is the second specialist and plays the medic role. With a syrette pistol for use that allows you to heal teammates and damage enemies. With the ability Combat Surgeon allowing you to revive downed teammates and restore them to full health.

Pyotr “Boris” Guskovsky plays more of a defensive/sentry role. This specialist allows you to place a sentry turret that will automatically target enemies when spotted. The ability made with this specialist is called Sentry Operator. What this does is when your sentry spots a target, you will also spot the enemy targeted.

The fourth and final specialist that has been revealed so far is Wikus “Casper” Van Daele. A specialist that focuses around recon and identifying enemies. With this specialist you have access to a recon drone that spots targets nearby and then can disorient them using an EMP blast. This drone also acts as a way to make targets for lock on weapons. And the ability with this specialist is Movement Sensor. And this warns you of when enemies are approaching you or your drone.

And you can fully expect that you will be able to use a massive arsenal of weapons, vehicles and equipment with them. But we have not seen anything around this just yet, and will have to wait for the gameplay reveal on the 13th of June.

Live Service

It seems that Battlefield 2042 will be one of the next big games to focus on using seasonal battle pass content. Having both a free season pass or paid pass if you want extra content.

In the first year of Battlefield 2042, there will be four seasons that last around 3 months each. Each season will bring in a new specialists and content to be played. It will also attempt to build the world and its story with each story.

Pre-Order

With the reveal, you can now also pre-order the game for its reveal on the 22nd of October. With standard edition, gold edition and ultimate editions being available. For pre-ordering Battlefield 2042 you will get early access to the open beta. And when the game releases you will get the Baku ACB-90 Epic Melee Takedown Knife, the “Mr Chompy” epic weapon charm and “Landfall” player card background and “Old Guard” tag.

By pre-ordering the standard edition version of the game, you will get the base game when it releases on the 22nd along with the bonuses stated above for pre-ordering.

With the gold edition, not only will you get the base game along with pre-order bonuses, but you will also get early access to the games release. So, you will get to play the game from the 15th of October. But you will also get the year one pass that gives access to all paid seasonal content and battle passes. You will also get a cross-gen bundle, but what this contains is currently not confirmed.

With the ultimate edition, you will get all the pre-order bonuses, all base game content and gold edition bonuses. But it will also give you the “Midnight Ultimate Bundle” along with the official digital artbook and an exclusive digital soundtrack.

And if you have EA Play, you will get a ten-hour free trial of the game from the 15th of October, along with early access to the open beta. Along with exclusive rewards that you will get every month and a 10% off your pre-order of the game.

But that’s most of what we know straight off of the reveal of Battlefield 2042, there will be a lot more to come over the months, especially with a gameplay reveal in E3. So, make sure you keep an eye out. If you want to learn even more, I recommend visiting the EA Battlefield 2042 website