Today DICE has shared some insights into the work done for implementing classes in Battlefield 2042. It’s not news that replacing these with the introduction of specialists has disappointed the vast majority of the playerbase. In a blog post published today, the team delves into the details of how it has taken player feedback into account in its development plans.
"Previously, we shared our vision for how each Specialist would fit into every Class category for the upcoming Class gameplay return. Since then, we’ve made further adjustments thanks to your feedback and the lessons learned from our gameplay tests. Today, we’ll explain our latest design intent on how each Specialist is classified for Class and how we expect these roles to behave on the battlefield."
As we can see, the 12 total specialists currently present in the game would be inserted into the 4 standard classes of Battlefield:
- Boris, Crawford e Lis would become the Engineers, specialised units designed to disable enemy vehicles and protect allied ones
- Casper, Paik e Rao would instead become Snipers, essentially snipers and marksman, capable of spotting and neutralising enemies from a distance
- Angel, Irish e Falck return to the support category (healing and supply)
- Finally, Dozer, Mackay and Sundance, as Assaulters, would handle the destruction of the first line
To do this, the team has planned modifications to some individual operators, to make them more functional for the future class of affiliation:
CRAWFORD: "For Crawford, we’ve noticed a gameplay behaviour that contrasts the offensive use of his Vulcan with the task of reviving other players. At the moment, this means Crawford isn’t able to fully commit to his support role. Similar to Boris, who also adopts an offensive approach with the SG-36 Sentry Gun, we’re changing Crawford’s class to give him a clearer purpose on the battlefield. In line with feedback received regarding the fact that this would be more suitable, and through further gameplay tests, we’ve found that positioning Crawford as an Engineer provides a smoother gameplay flow, allowing him to focus exclusively on offensive support."
IRISH: For Irish, we recognise that the design of his APS-36 Shootdown Sentinel and DCS Deployable Cover offers greater advantages in aiding infantry, rather than assisting or fighting vehicles. We’re therefore shifting Irish into the support role, where he can focus on helping and protecting his teammates, rather than eliminating enemy vehicles. With this change in place, we’ve witnessed new fantastic moments of gameplay in which Irish protects his team with his Shootdown Sentinel, dropping the cover and reviving fallen comrades.
In summary for Crawford and Irish, these changes mean:
- Crawford becomes an engineer and Irish becomes support
- Crawford obtains the repair tool, while Irish obtains the defibrillator as class equipment
- Irish receives the "Cache Point" trait from Crawford, as Crawford can no longer revive players
- Crawford will receive a new trait that is still in development. Probably to make it more effective in repairing vehicles under certain conditions
RAO: "We have also received feedback regarding the potential adaptation of Rao as an Engineer, since he is currently primarily used in gameplay to destroy vehicles. Our design intent for Rao as a Recon is to act as a disruptor and target designator, so that his team can then destroy the targets he has identified. At the moment, it is not always clear to the team which targets Rao is focusing on, so we are exploring ways to improve his team-based gameplay opportunities.
We’re keeping Rao as Recon. While he can still be effective against vehicles thanks to access to the C5, we’re adding further changes to strengthen his spotting and aiming capabilities. These changes won’t directly affect Rao’s abilities, but rather how they’re communicated to his team when he uses them. For example, when Rao hacks a target, teammates will see a large UI indicator showing that a designated target has been breached and is ready to be taken down.
CLASS-LEVEL LOADOUT:
Based on feedback and further gameplay tests, we are satisfied with the class gear structure and equipment, with a small margin for improvement. The main changes we are making involve balancing available gear. For example, with the current class structure, we know there will be a reduction in available rocket launchers on the battlefield, as not everyone may want to play an engineer. To ensure vehicles don’t become dominant, we will maintain a balanced gameplay flow by pre-adjusting available gear to ensure effective counters remain in place.
Here is then the new overview of the Class Loadout structure:
- Top-tier gear (always available)
- Assault - Ballpoint Pen
- Engineer - Repair Tool
- Support - Defibrillator
- Reconnaissance - Insertion Beacon
- Classy gadget (you can choose 1)
- Assault - Smoke Grenade, IBA Plate, C5 Explosive, M18 Claymore
- Engineer - Anti-tank mine, M5 without recoil, Missile FXM-33 AA, Javelin GM-148, Bot EOD
- Support: ammo box, medikit, smoke grenade, M18 Claymore
- Reconnaissance - T-UGS, tracer dart pistol, M18 Claymore, C5 explosive, proximity sensor, SOFLAM designator
- Throwables (you can choose 1)
- Assault: fragmentation grenade, smoke grenade, concussion grenade, incendiary grenade
- Engineer: fragmentation grenade, smoke grenade, EMP grenade, incendiary grenade
- Support: fragmentation grenade, smoke grenade, EMP grenade, incendiary grenade
- Sensing: fragmentation grenade, smoke grenade, EMP grenade, incendiary grenade
Another contentious point in the feedback we’ve received from you players concerned weapon choice freedom. Currently, Specialists have access to all weapons and there are no restrictions within the selectable equipment. We’ve heard from some of you that you prefer having access to all weapons, while others have noted they’d prefer weapons locked to the class they’re playing, to help reinforce class identity, as in old times.
Although we’re adding more structure to the gameplay through reworking the classes, we believe imposing weapon restrictions wouldn’t be the right change for how we’re currently accustomed to playing Battlefield 2042, alongside the Specialist gameplay. However, we agree that using a weapon suited to your class should be significant. To achieve this feeling, we’re introducing a new system currently called Weapon Skills within classes. Below is an example of this system and the options we’re currently exploring. Recon units are known for using precision rifles in the battlefield, and their proficiency with this type of weapon surpasses, for example, an Assault, which is skilled with assault rifles.
While the Recon units will still have access to all weapons in this new system, they will benefit from using sniper rifles by automatically holding their breath for longer during ADS. Our design intent for this new system is to help you strengthen your role on the battlefield, while simultaneously making you more visible to other players. This leads to better balance and more team play, while preserving the current freedom of choice that many of you are accustomed to and enjoy. We believe this is the right approach to make the use of class-specific weapons meaningful.
What can we expect for the future?
"At the moment, the class overhaul changes are still scheduled to become playable in the second half of Season 3, and we’ll keep you updated on our progress. Today, we’d like to offer another big thank you. You’re all part of this journey to bring back class-based gameplay to Battlefield 2042. You’ve continued to show your dedication by leaving thousands of feedback comments. That means everything to the team, and we can’t wait to keep this journey going together. We also want to thank those who’ve been invited to join our playtests, helping us test further opportunities to stay involved and provide feedback. As we approach the new season, we’ll continue reading your comments and keep our playtests going with you. We’ll keep you updated on the further changes we’re making, and you’ll be informed again as we move closer to the launch of Season 3."
The dedication and commitment of DICE (though far more than posthumous at the game’s release) is certainly commendable, but with the imminent release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which appears to have much clearer ideas about its nature as an FPS, we fear all this work has been done, alas, too late, too late. We hope we’re wrong, but... we’ll see.
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