GAMEPLAY

Similar to its predecessors, Battlefield 2042 is a multiplayer-focused first-person shooter. As the game is set in the near future, it features futuristic weapons and gadgets like deployable turrets and drones, as well as vehicles that players can control. Players can request a vehicle air-drop to any location. The game introduced a "Plus" system which allows players to customize their weapons on the spot. The class system is significantly overhauled and removes the four defined classes from previous games; instead, players can assume control of a specialist who falls under the four traditional Battlefield gameplay classes of Assault, Engineer, Medic, and Recon. These characters can wield any of the weapons and gadgets that a player has unlocked. Each operator has their own unique skills and gadgets. For instance, one of the specialists, Emma "Sundance" Rosier, is equipped with a wingsuit, while another, Maria Falck, is equipped with a healing pistol. Levolution and destructive environments from Battlefield 4 return in Battlefield 2042, and extreme weather effects such as tornadoes and sandstorms which may affect gameplay. The game featured seven maps at launch, including 'Breakaway', the largest map in the history of the Battlefield franchise.

The game has three main gameplay modes. "All-Out Warfare" encompasses "Breakthrough" and "Conquest", two staple modes of the series. In Conquest, two teams combat against each other to capture control points; once all control points in a sector are captured, the team controls said sector. In Breakthrough, one team must try to capture another team's control points, while another team must defend them. Both modes can be played with and against AI-controlled players. The PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S versions support matches with up to 128 players, whereas the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions support up to 64 players. For the first time in the series, Battlefield 2042 features support for cross-platform play with the PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S versions. While the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions also support the feature, it is restricted to only players on the two aforementioned platforms.

The second main mode included in the game is a community-driven platform called "Battlefield Portal". Portal allows players to create customized multiplayer modes and features select maps from past Battlefield games such as Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3. In addition, players can modify core gameplay elements such as health, weapon loadouts, and movement through a web-based scripting application.

The third mode is a cooperative multiplayer mode called "Hazard Zone". In this mode, players are divided into teams, and they must compete with each other to retrieve and extract data drives from the debris of fallen satellites. These data drives are guarded by enemy combatants controlled by AI-controlled players. Players earn "dark market credits" after successfully extracting a data drive. These credits can be spent on purchasing new weapons and upgrades in this mode.

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Battlefield 2042 does not have a single-player campaign. Instead, the story is told through multiplayer gameplay. Decades of devastation caused by collapsing economies, rising sea levels and broken alliances (including the collapse of the European Union due to Germany's bankruptcy and subsequent refugees known as "No-Pats") come to a peak in 2040 when a Kessler syndrome event occurs, causing 70% of orbiting satellites to crash to Earth. The resulting permanent global blackout causes tensions between the United States and Russia to skyrocket, with war breaking out by the year 2042.

Outside of multiplayer gameplay, the story is also told on Electronic Arts' official website for Battlefield 2042. A standalone short film titled Exodus, which depicts events leading up to the 2042 war and features returning Battlefield 4 character Irish, premiered on August 12, 2021, via Battlefield's YouTube channel.

The 10 specialists announced were:

Webster Mackay, a former Canadian soldier who is agile on his feet and uses a grappling hook to traverse the landscape.

Maria Falck, a German medic who has a pistol that shoots healing darts and can revive teammates to full health.

Wikus "Casper" Van Daele, a South African ghillie suit-wearing sniper.

Pyotr "Boris" Guskovsky, a Russian combat engineer who can place down sentry guns.

Kimble "Irish" Graves, a former United States Marine (and recurring character from Battlefield 4) who can defend his teammates with a deployable bulletproof shield or an APS.

Navin Rao, a skilled Indian hacker who can bring down enemy networks.

Santiago "Dozer" Espinoza, a tough Mexican soldier who can tank damage.

Emma "Sundance" Rosier, a French aerial specialist skilled with explosives who uses their wingsuit to fly around.

Ji-Soo Paik, a South Korean whose abilities allow her to spot enemies with ease.

Constantin "Angel" Anghel, a Romanian who can revive his teammates with full ammunition quickly and call in loadout drops.

New specialists were added every season from season 1 onwards, with season 4 introducing the last specialist to the game. Specialists introduced in post-launch patches include:

Ewelina Lis, a Polish special force soldier who is equipped with a rocket launcher that shoots remote-controlled projectiles. She can also highlight the damaged enemy vehicles on the player's screen with a red overlay. (Season 1: Zero Hour)

Charlie Crawford, a former British MI6 agent who also moonlighted as an arms dealer for the Dark Market organization. He can deploy a stationary minigun, as well as refill his squadmates' gadget ammunition when reviving them. (Season 2: Master of Arms)

Rasheed Zain, an Egyptian security expert who can use an airburst launcher to flush out enemies behind cover while recovering health after defeating an enemy. (Season 3: Escalation)

Camila Blasco, a Spanish reconnaissance agent who specializes in ambush and infiltration with a device that can scramble enemy systems. (Season 4: Eleventh Hour)