Battlefield 2042 will feature a bevy of new aspects to the gameplay, and some changes to the classic format that may make even veteran fans a bit confused at first. This guide will feature a deep dive on specialists, vehicles and maps in Battlefield 2042, how they work and what you need to know about them.
Guide: How Battlefield 2042 Specialists, Vehicles, And Maps Work
Battlefield 2042 Specialists – What Are They And How Do They Work?
Specialists in Battlefield 2042 are, essentially what you play as. Every Specialist has a unique Specialist Trait and Specialty, but your loadout will be entirely customizable. So the weapons you want to use won’t be limited to the kind of class or Specialist you want to play as, which is a new level of player creativity for the Battlefield franchise.
There will be a total of 10 Specialist at launch, with more to be announced after that. So far, we’ve only heard of four. You may be confused as to how do the player classes we know from Battlefield fit in with the Specialists, (I know I was), but the way it works is that the four main classes we all know are still there, and each Specialist will fall into a specific class which in turn influences their unique traits and and specialties.
While your loadout can be entirely customized, Specialist Traits and Specialty‘s cannot be changed, so if you really enjoy using a specific trait, you’ll need to stick with that specialist to use it. Which we now know unfortunately means that the Wingsuit shown off in trailers is a specialty, unique to only one type of specialist who has yet to be announced.
Related Info – Battlefield 2042 Is Always Online, Including When You’re Playing Solo Against AI Bots
Specialists will be further customizable with multiple different skins for players to acquire, and there is no limitations on how many of each specialist can be in a squad.
One new gameplay feature that was heavily discussed once the trailer released is the new robo-dog you’ll have with you, Ranger. Thankfully, being able to call on Ranger when you need to won’t be something locked to a Specialist, but a mechanic that you can use no matter your chosen class. The only limit is the number of Rangers that are available at any given time.
Battlefield 2042 Maps – What’s New And How Do They Work?
The maps in a first person shooter are likely the only other thing as important as the gunplay, since a solid map and excellent environment can yield to untold amounts of player creativity and fun. In Battlefield 2042, the maps will look and operate different than they have before, mainly for one reason: they’re really, really big.
Not all of them frankly but many of them are quite large, so Ripple Effect has altered somewhat how different areas of the map will be broken up for game modes like Conquest and Breakthrough. For Conquest specifically, the biggest change is clustering, Ripple Effect’s new way of creating deliberate hot zones within these large maps, so you’re not just running around with nothing to do.
Clustering is also part of the new denomination for how a map is divided, which in Battlefield 2042 will be: sectors, clusters, and towns. Control all towns within a cluster to capture it, and control all clusters within a sector to capture it.
This new breakage should, according to Ripple Effect, provide for a more fluid combat experience, where you’ll be able to experience hyper-intense moments and quieter, more strategic moments as well to fully capture the scale of the battle.
Part of why the maps are so large, Ripple Effect has opted to add more intense environmental hazards in Battlefield 2042 with the chance for huge storms and tornadoes to swirl up when the mood catches them. Since the aforementioned Wingsuit is unique to a Specialist, best to avoid these altogether when you can, and make for cover somewhere inside.
Also, it is worth noting that while much of the environment around you will be available for you to interact with, not everything in the level is open to players, for example you won’t be able to just run into any open building and fight on a random floor. There are designated lobby or rooftop areas players will be able to explore and fight in, but each map is not an entirely open world.
The map size also effects how far you’ll be able to fly or travel in vehicles and aircraft, and thankfully you won’t be nearly as cramped in as players sometimes felt they were in previous Battlefield titles.
As previously mentioned, there will be seven maps from launch, but that thankfully will not be the full roster of maps for the entirety of Battlefield 2042‘s life since there will be more to come.
Battlefield 2042 Vehicles – What’s New And How Do They Work?
Battlefield’s signature “all-out warfare” wouldn’t be complete without the lineup of heavily armed and armoured vehicles and aircraft players will be able to operate. Firstly, vehicles now are far more accessible than ever with the new call-in system which allows you to deploy a vehicle wherever you need one on the map. That could be right next to you, across the map to a member of your squad, or better yet, overtop the head an enemy sniper who’s pinned you down.
This mechanic is available to all players, no matter the Specialist, but each side will only have a certain amount of vehicles that they are able to call in at a time, and different maps will dictate which vehicles are available to you in the first place. Also, once you’ve called in a vehicle, there will be a cooldown time during which you cannot call a vehicle.
Some things haven’t changed, such as the fact that vehicles will still be specific to different factions, meaning if you’re fighting a battle between Russia and the US, you’ll use either Russian or US hardware.
One specific thing to note though is while naval vehicles will still be in the game, the developers have stated “there isn’t a focus on naval specific warfare right now”, so at least at launch it is unlikely we’ll see a huge variety of naval vehicle options.
That’s everything you need to know on Battlefield 2042’s specialists, maps, and vehicles, three fundamental aspects of Battlefield 2042 that have changed enough in this new entry in the series that it’s worth being prepared for its release this October.