Battlefield 6 just had its blowout multiplayer reveal, where we got details on everything from its map count at launch to a teaser for a returning battle royale mode. When the upcoming FPS releases on October 10, which was in and of itself a tactical decision, there’s going to be a lot to sift through, including a bevy of returning and new modes, revamped class and movement systems, and even a full in-game level editor.
Battlefield 6 is easily going to be the biggest game in the series, and luckily we’ve got everything you need to know from the multiplayer reveal right here.
Classic Battlefield classes are back
After the controversial implementation of specialists in the previous game, Battlefield 6 is bringing back the tried-and-true classes of old: Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon. Some of their kits have been mixed up for variety, but the core of their essence is intact.
New and old gadgets are returning
Battlefield 6 is bound to introduce tons of new equipment both at launch and afterwards, but one of the most exciting additions are ladders. Think of the kind of ladders that you often see in scenes of siege warfare in movies like Lord of the Rings. Apparently this is a new gadget that players will get to toy with to reach higher points and potentially go around enemy chokepoints. A sledgehammer also makes a significant appearance in the multiplayer trailer, signaling the return of this piece of equipment from Battlefield Hardline.
New maps bring you from Egypt to Gibraltar to Brooklyn and more
Battlefield has always been a globe-spanning series, and its multiplayer maps have largely kept up with that tradition, transporting its players to the mountains of Iran, the city of Shanghai, and more.
Battlefield 6 will be no different, dropping players into frenetic action in places such as Egypt, Tajikistan, Gibraltar, and even New York City. There will be nine maps at launch, including the return of a Battlefield 3 favorite, Operation Firestorm.
Combat zones will keep map rotations feeling fresher
Given the size of Battlefield’s maps, it’s hardly surprising that you could cut one up into several pieces and have a variety of different, smaller arenas. Well, that’s exactly what Battlefield 6 appears to be doing, dicing up some of its larger locales and introducing them into the rotation of smaller-scale modes, like Team or Squad Deathmatch, alongside maps already designed for close-quarters encounters.
Many staple Battlefield modes are back
Battlefield is renowned for its multiplayer and it wouldn’t be complete without a handful of modes it pioneered over the years. Conquest and Rush are back as part of the All-Out Warfare suite, as well as Breakthrough, Domination, and King of the Hill. Simpler fare, like Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch (where multiple squads of four players duke it out) will also be available at launch alongside a new arrival and a long-awaited return.
Escalation mode teases a climactic final battle
Battlefield 6 is going to have one of the biggest multiplayer suites of the series, thanks to a slew of returning modes (not to mention Battlefield Portal). But the biggest tease of the multiplayer reveal was a new mode called Escalation, that seems like a fun inversion on the formula of the staple Conquest mode.
According to the developers, Escalation will play out a little like the familiar mode where players must capture flags and whittle down enemy lives, but the maps will apparently shrink and consolidate, jamming more players into increasingly tighter quarters until a final, chaotic battle decides the winner at the end.
Battle(field) royale
We’ve been hearing rumors of a return to Battlefield’s take on the battle royale, and it seems like Battlefield 6 will finally be resurrecting the Firestorm mode from Battlefield V. The team at Battlefield Studios have only teased it, but the end of the Battlefield 6 showcase did show off a clip of a bunch of soldiers seemingly running away from something, only for the camera to pan around and show a steadily encroaching wall of fire. Make of that what you will, folks.
Weapon attachments work on a budget now
After the showcase, influencers and members of the press were able to get a significant amount of time with Battlefield 6 and one of the things that stood out was a revamp of loadout customization. In the past, Battlefield has allowed weapon customization, but it was very rigid: you could swap between different elements like grips, sights, barrels, and a magazine.
Now, there are many more factors to the weapon that can be customized, and each of these attachments eats into a budget of about 100 attachment points, allowing players to mix and match a lot more interchangeable parts like underbarrel attachments, muzzles, and even ammo. All of this also comes complete with stats, which can now be viewed in-game rather than assumed from playtests.
There’s a firing range, thankfully
And should you want to try out your newly assembled weapons in Battlefield 6, you can immediately hop into a firing range and put your loadout through its paces.
They’re calling it the kinesthetic combat system now
Battlefield 6 is making some changes to player movement, and it’s wrapping up these changes in what the developers are calling the kinesthetic combat system. I’m never saying that term again, but the system gives the player a wider range of movement, has adjusted animations for things like recoil, and provides more contextual interactions, like mounting cover or leaning around it. Dives and slides are also on the table, but the developers have gotten rid of the tac sprint and reintroduced sprinting while crouched as well as a kind of combat roll when jumping from an elevated point.
You can drag teammates and everyone’s enjoying it
Speaking of fun new things players can do, you can now drag downed teammates out of the action in order to rez them. The showcase made a pretty big deal of showing off this new feature, and from some of the stories I’ve heard and read from the event, it seems to be a new favorite among players. I was relishing the thought of griefing my friends by just dragging them around the map until they forcibly respawn, but then I was informed that you can’t drag a teammate without reviving them.
Battlefield Portal now features a full level editor
Battlefield Portal was an ambitious new addition in Battlefield 2042 that let players customize rulesets from a variety of titles in the franchise and let loose. It was also a fun excuse to bring back some maps from beloved games of the series’ past. Now, Portal has been blown up as the team behind Battlefield 6 seemingly goes all in user-generated content and empowers its community with a full level editor.
Some of the glimpses at Portal in action showed players designing a game mode in Godot where others must run up a slanted road and avoid sliding debris, as well as some rigorous platforming challenges and more.
There’s also a verified mode that will allow players to experiment with “hardcore rulesets with one-shot kills, closed weapons, and more,” according to the developers. These modified game modes will also award experience points for progression, so as to not be mistaken for closed private lobbies.
Vehicles are being retuned
The team behind Battlefield 6 appears to be tuning up the vehicles to be more responsive and easier to control. To that end, they are introducing simplified vehicle controls that lower the skill ceiling a bit, so that the prospect of jumping into a helicopter isn’t so scary anymore.
Hitch a ride
In a neat little addition, more players can now make use of vehicles by hitching a ride on top of them. Players hitching a ride will be limited in what they can do, and it’s really more of a glorified taxi when you need to get back in the action, but it’s a welcome change after hoofing it for years. I don’t imagine you’ll be able to suddenly jump on the wing of a jet though, so don’t dream too big.
Air vehicles go up, debris comes down
Another small but impactful change observed from the trailers, as well as some multiplayer matches after the show: air vehicles now come crashing back down onto the map. Previously, they would explode in the air and then eventually despawn, but now severely damaging something like a helicopter will bring it careening back down to the battlefield, where it then explodes and risks doing structural damage or just killing an opponent or friendly. It’s the immersive touches like this that sometimes make a difference.
Destruction is more tactical and precise
Speaking of destruction, it wouldn’t be a Battlefield game if buildings weren’t getting ripped apart by all kinds of explosions. Destruction in Battlefield 6 seems to have moved away from the grand-standing “levolution” that once defined the series, and instead settled on granular but very detailed destruction.
For example, if you hit a wall in exactly the same place, it will fall apart in the same way. Exploding a building’s wall will knock pieces loose, but it might take a second for parts of it to crumble. This allows players to be more precise about where they swing their grenades, tanks, RPG shots, and even sledgehammers and encourages some creative, not to mention explosive, decision-making.
Get in on the open beta soon
You don’t need to wait long to jump into Battlefield 6. It’ll be out in October and an open beta will be running across two weekends in August. The specific dates to keep in mind are August 9-10 for the first, and August 14-17 for the second.
