EA Teases Battlefield 2042 Season 4 and Confirms a Season 5 Without New Operators
EA has hinted at what’s coming in Season 4 of Battlefield 2042, and confirmed that Season 5 is also on the way, though the latter won’t feature any specialists.
According to new information, Season 4 is scheduled to start in early 2023. Blog posted on EA websiteSeasons include a new Recon Specialist and Battle Pass, new hardware, reworked environments, and new maps. One of them heavily references Battlefield 4.
Developer DICE has promised that Season 4’s map will be “smaller, shorter, and more linear” for close-quarters combat. This sounds like a change of pace from the sprawling environments currently on offer.
Season 5 will offer a similar amount of content to previous seasons with the introduction of a different map, new hardware, and a new Battle Pass, but no new Specialists.
Past games also serve as inspiration, as Season 5 leans toward “past games and how they appear in the world of 2042.” It’s changed, but it’s the ‘forgotten battlefield’ of the Battlefield 4 era. The map is decidedly overgrown with vegetation and “encourages a combination of vehicular and infantry combat.”
DICE acknowledged the negative feedback given to Battlefield 2042 at its launch regarding the combat environment, and has steadily improved many of the game’s early maps.
This trend is set to continue in Season 3: Escalation. Manifest and Breakaway maps have been reworked, along with a new Spearhead environment, as players battle over his two high-tech weapons manufacturing facilities in the Swedish wilderness.
The manifesto will be re-released in December as part of Update 3.1. This improves visibility, cover, and line of sight over previous versions of the map. The HQ flag has also been shifted to be “closer to action”.
Breakaway will also be reworked in a later 3.2 update. This update brings the sprawling oil rig structure closer to the center of the map, providing a more “focused play space”. Meanwhile, an improved version of the discarded map will be re-released during Season 4, but the hourglass overhaul has not yet been given his release window.
IGN gave Battlefield 2042 a 7/10 rating when it launched almost a year ago. The game praised the game’s strategic Hazard Zone game mode and portal options, but lamented elements of its chaotic 128-player battle mode.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. With his 8+ years of experience covering the latest developments in multiple scientific fields, he has absolutely no time for cheating. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
