Battlefield 2042 kicks off with difficulty

No progression

Especially on the progression front, Battlefield 2042 comes across as quite sloppy. Not only is there no universal scoreboard to explore within the jars; personal progress is completely lost. Game statistics cannot be viewed from the game and there is also no question of a Battlelog-like web portal. At most, players can look back on hard-earned weapons and some emblems, but there is no question of a personal war register for the time being. For a statistically strong series like Battlefield, that is a remarkable loss.

The Progression which can be followed, stands out scantly. By playing more and better, players gradually earn weapons and equipment. If you play more or better with select tools, more modifications will be released. It is a simple principle, but this time it is not applied efficiently. For select weapons, players must first grind through a scion of meaningless upgrades before unlocking a useful new sight. From that distance, the carrot doesn’t look particularly appetizing, according to this donkey.

Not all weapons and vehicles get dirty with such practices, but the meta game is not really intriguing either. Dice hopes to keep gamers warm with a handful of customizations for weapons and vehicles; at most an uninspired skin to top it off. The fact that the interface makes it difficult to get an overview — and this one is far from being free of bugs either — completes the feeling of uncertainty.

Specialists are an experiment in itself

Especially that disinterest around the lengthy progression is at odds with how Battlefield is pushing the Specialists. A focus on hero characters gave Overwatch a huge boost; at Battlefield, an attempt to do so does not quite stick. There is a bit of control and a lot of personality missing.

Specialists take the place of traditional classes with some unique skills and tools, but the majority of the soldier figures are painfully uninteresting, both in gameplay and appearance. From the loud bearded Russian to the arrogant European star, some are more boring clichés than others. How are players supposed to warm up to barely interesting characters, with equally meaningless one-liners? Would have at least learned some lessons from the collegiate Apex Legends.

Somewhere it feels like Battlefield 2042 once started as a hip shooter with an emphasis on different heroes, but that those plans have been changed halfway through. Battlefield had to go back to basics anyway – a sentiment that EA’s marketing material also capitalized on. The end product is exactly in between. The whole thing feels ‘pretty Battlefield’, but it comes with a half-hearted try like hero shooter

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Battlefield 2042 feels like it started out as a hip shooter with an emphasis on heroes, but those plans have been changed halfway through

Admittedly, by Specialists freely giving weapons and tools, they do let players enter the battlefield creatively and. After all, it remains somewhat close to the familiar Battlefield. In All-Out Warfare that offers new game dynamics, where it comes into its own during Hazard Zone. Under the guise of exciting survival, the archetypes and skills interact more closely, but this mode also lacks some depth.

Hazard Zone moves into dangerous territory

It Hazard Zone’s concept still shows potential, but for now the mode doesn’t seem to grab the intended momentum. The overarching meta game, where tools have to be bought per round, still stands out sourly. The jars themselves can turn out quite interesting and dragging, but there is not much to desire or work towards right away. Players extract some data from enemy environments, score some points, and that’s it.

The gigantic tornadoes and clusters of computer-controlled enemies give Hazard Zone that dangerous edge, but too many rounds are messy, to the point of annoying. With a fixed squad, the survival component is still a fun outing for some targeted team play; on your own it will be a mess.

The fact that in-game voice communication is still not supported and that the matchmaking is already running smoothly, further kills the persuasion factor. Hazard Zone needs to become a lot smoother and more seductive very quickly if this pillar is to remain upright during Battlefield 2042’s life.

A glass of well-aged Portal

Battlefield Portal has more in that sense survival rate. The mode shows that past Battlefield glory can finally be transferred to the current game environment. Dice gives players the tools to create their own servers and rule sets, but Portal’s strength lies in how it remasters past series highlights.

Currently, Portal consists of the content of Battlefield 2042, six battlefields from three previous games, including a selection of associated tools. Each of the original game modes often comes with select restrictions and nuances that are relevant to that particular part. The result is a special piece of service in nostalgia, which only begs for more content. After all, Caspian Border won’t be fun forever either; carry on with Strike at Karkand.

However, that is also the pitfall of Battlefield 2042: the content to come. Completely contradictory to today’s transparent roadmaps, Dice seems to have no idea how this Battlefield should grow over time. Whether there are even more Portal remasters in the offing, for example, is completely uncertain.

The Most Uncertain Battlefield In The Past 2042 years

Battlefield 2042 can be spread very thin — in a questionable state, moreover — and from there “we’ll see” how that should go on, Dice and EA seem to signal. Even the Year 1 Pass at almost forty euros only promises four new Specialists, but does not mention new battlefields, weapons or game modes. That service element could be a little more tempting.

Dice and EA serve with this Battlefield a lot of uncertainty for the time being. There are a number of interesting concepts in the base, but the whole thing feels far from finished. From the creaky interface to bizarre holes in the game design, there is something wrong with all production levels.

The game can look beautiful and at times gigantic storms are also unprecedentedly epic, but those highlights simply do not outweigh the substandard finish. Battlefield 2042 fails on too many fronts. If it all works well, then it remains to be seen how long the present content will continue to feel refreshing. With barely two weeks of playing you may have seen all the chaos again.

The Above all, the hope is that Battlefield 2042 as a game quickly stabilizes – preferably in line with fans expressing their critical doubts – and expands from there. A purchase is not recommended until Dice has something more to say than “sorry man”, while they hastily keep up with patches.

Battlefield 2042 is available on Xbox One, Xbox SeriesX and S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC (Origin, Steam and Epic Games). A PC copy was provided for this review, which was played on a high-end gaming PC.

Two weeks after our initial findings per review in progress, the Battlefield 2042 launch seems to have hardened. The servers are running at full speed, but the experiences on them are more likely to make you doubt than convince. Basically, the new Battlefield has quite a bit of potential, but the shooter is still being shipped off in a very shaky ship.