DICE reveals Battlefield 2042 launch day improvements after severe Beta backlash

Just weeks in between Battlefield 2042’s heavily criticized Beta and the full November 19 release date, DICE has addressed the current state of the game, revealing an enormous set of fixes, improvements, and changes all in the pipeline.

When EA opened the floodgates for its first Battlefield title in x years with 2042’s Open Beta, it was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of criticism.

From various missing features to fundamental gameplay flaws, the Beta build even had many pushing for a second delay. 2042 is still charging full steam ahead towards its November 19 launch, however, with early access opening up a week earlier on November 12.

In an effort to alleviate concerns that stemmed from the Beta, DICE addressed just about every point of contention “head-on” in an October 21 blog post.

Gameplay changes locked in for Battlefield 2042

One of the more head-scratching decisions in the Beta came in regard to custom loadouts. Firstly, there weren’t any in the initial test. Players instead had access to a few preset classes which they could then customize. 

On top of that, there was no way to fine-tune weapon builds in the menus, all attachment swaps had to be done in combat with the PLUS system. When the full build arrives, both of these issues will be fixed, DICE confirmed.

Not only can players set custom loadouts and change attachments in the menu, but they’re now confirmed to stick between rounds and respawns.

Next up is a major rework to 2042’s health system. Medics weren’t exactly popular in the Beta, in large part due to how ineffective their healing abilities were. DICE is well aware of this criticism and has already “increased the need to work with Medics.”

Not only have health-regen speeds been reduced and revive speeds been increased, but Medic abilities have been buffed slightly as well. This should have squads relying on their supportive teammates more often than before. Namely, Maria Falck’s Syrette Pistolle now has magnetized syringes to easily heal allies.

Movement was another controversial talking point throughout the Beta, as many took issue with the overall pace of 2042’s combat.  In an attempt to address some of this feedback, DICE has already implemented various “changes to movement.”

Players now have the ability to “vault on moving objects” and can also strafe while sliding. Last but not least, jump spam should be far less noticeable in the full release as well.

• Read More: Every Battlefield 2042 map & mode

Rounding out the gameplay tweaks are a few smaller adjustments. Many were quick to criticize the prevalence of bots during the Beta, for instance. “Bot heavy servers were too prevalent,” DICE admitted. Moving forward, players should be engaging with other real players more frequently.

As a final tidbit, the BF community can rest assured that “elevators have been fixed” for the full release of 2042.

UI improvements coming to Battlefield 2042

Dexerto’s own biggest gripe with the 2042 Beta was none other than the game’s UI. While it had every intention of being helpful, the original UI was the complete opposite in practice, overflowing with irrelevant information and cramming the screen with constant pop-ups.

“Our UI in the Open Beta wasn’t fully representative of the final experience,” DICE assured. “It was missing some essential components.”

Ahead of the full release, everything from objective tracking to the kill log has been touched up to some degree, according to the devs.

Most importantly though, the enormous “critical alert messaging” that would appear over the top of your screen during the Beta, has indeed been scaled back. Not only has its size been reduced, but its frequency has also been toned down.

2042’s Ping system is also being refined ahead of launch as it “wasn’t working as well as [DICE] would have liked in the Beta. You can expect it to function more responsively when you’re pinging locations, assets, and enemy soldiers.”

• Read More: Is Battlefield 2042 cross-platform?

Moreover, squads will have more communication tools in general with the full version of 2042. There’s now a proper communication wheel that players can use to request certain Specialists at certain objectives.

DICE has also showcased a much smoother starting and closing sequence that highlights those on your squad as well.

Finally, grenade indicators have returned. Unbeknownst to the community, this UI feature was pulled from the Beta, meaning grenades could be thrown at your feet without you even knowing. Thankfully, that won’t be the case at launch.

Those are some of the major changes set for the launch window of Battlefield 2042. With DICE evidently well aware of the biggest criticisms from the Beta, they teased this lengthy rundown is just the start of what’s to come.

“Expect more 2042 updates over the next few weeks, that let you get a glimpse on the great progress that the teams have made,” DICE concluded.

• Read More: Will Battlefield 2042 have a Battle Royale mode?

With 22 days left until early access gets underway, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on any further Battlefield 2042 announcements.