Some of the many controversies surrounding Battlefield 2042 stemmed from all the ways it strayed from the series’ winning formula, and the most baffling change was the removal of classes in exchange for a Rainbow Six: Siege-style specialist system. The change downplayed the series’ emphasis on team synergy, and replaced it with a popular multiplayer idea that didn’t make sense for the kind of game Battlefield fans enjoy.
Despite how unpopular the changes were, the developers behind the next Battlefield game have announced that they’re not reverting the class structure. In a blog post published this week, the Battlefield team shared its vision for what classes will look like in the next game, and it looks like the first stumble for what’s otherwise been an exciting return to form.
The next Battlefield game will have the Assault, Recon, Engineer, and Support classes for players to choose from, but specific weapon types won’t be locked behind classes as they were in older Battlefield games. Instead, the game will encourage players to pick certain weapons based on their chosen class by granting specific bonuses. For example, while anyone can pick a sniper rifle, Recon players will get the class-specific benefit of increased breath-holding duration when aiming down the scope.
“We envision the future of Battlefield classes to be a series of interconnected systems and fundamentals that shape your role on the field, while granting you the freedom to customize how you execute that role,” the blog post reads. “Through Battlefield Labs play sessions, feedback, and data gathering, we aim to strike a balance between defined roles and player choice.”
While this seems like a happy medium between the simple class structure of old and the emphasis on player choice in more recent games, fans are all too familiar with this system. When Battlefield 2042 launched, players had to pick one of 14 specialists, each of which had exclusive abilities, not dissimilar to a game like Overwatch. After the change was widely panned, DICE released an update retrofitting the specialists into four classes, but leaving the ability to customize loadouts at will.
This opened up easy ways to game the system. For example, a Support character, typically responsible for providing ammo to teammates, could equip a sniper rifle, find a cozy camping spot, and pick people off while endlessly resupplying themselves. Team play was disincentivized, and solo-minded players were rewarded. Letting players pick any weapon also runs the risk of boiling the game’s meta down to a select few weapons that everyone uses regardless of class.
Of all the features to keep from Battlefield 2042, this is a befuddling choice, and hundreds of players left comments on the post begging the developers to rethink the decision.
“This is shaping up to be a great battlefield, but can you please reconsider weapons being tied to classes,’ one user wrote. “This is a staple of the Battlefield franchise. It also encouraged people to try out different classes, to experience those weapons etc.”
“While it’s not the only reason 2042 flopped, it’s gotta be more than coincidental that the first free-for-all weapon choice game is also the worst in the franchise,” another argued.
While DICE has made controversial changes to the class system before, like merging the old Medic class with the Assault class in Battlefield 3, those proved to be carefully considered tweaks. This time, however, players are justified in their skepticism, as it’s one of the main reasons the latest game was poorly received. Less is more if they want to redeem the series, but this seems like another case of creators trying to fix what isn’t broken.
The game is still in the playtesting stage, so there’s still plenty of time to get this right. If DICE and its colleagues are as laser-focused on player feedback as they say they are, they have to be considering a course correction here. Everything else surrounding the yet-to-be-titled game has been met with praise and excitement, and it would be a shame to throw away all that goodwill.
Whatever comes of the next Battlefield, it’s sure to be an interesting turn for the series. Earlier this month, developer Motive Studios gave Inverse exclusive insight into the direction of the game’s campaign, citing Alex Garland’s work and the Paramount Plus show Lioness as inspirations.
“The elements we’re really interested in is the concept of talented but ordinary people put in extraordinary situations,” creative director Roman Campos-Oriola said. “That creates a very interesting dynamic in terms of relationships with other people. These are elements we’re looking to capture in the single player.”
