Battlefield 2042's Season 1 updates were, given the game’s rocky launch, largely seen as a success by the community, so all eyes are on DICE now to see just how well Season 2's updates—announced today—are going to go down.
The announcements are headlined by two major updates: a brand new map, and a brand new Specialist. The map is called Stranded, and to be honest looks like a bit of a bummer, since from its damp setting to the huge ship in the middle it looks very similar to the existing Discarded. It does have a much greater emphasis on infantry combat, though, so maybe it’ll play a lot more differently than it looks.
The Specialist, on the other hand, looks hilarious. Hailing from the UK, Crawford has two tricks: he can give ammo when he revives a fallen teammate, and more eye-catchingly, he is also lugging an enormous Vulcan minigun around the map, which he can plant down at any point and just go to town with, ala Master Chief. Once planted, teammates can use the gun too.
Also coming are three new weapons:
NEW WEAPON: AM40
This powerful carbine is designed to offer a midpoint between an assault rifle and a submachine gun.
NEW WEAPON: AVANCYS
A high-tech LMG, designed for maximum mobility and attachment compatibility. Nimble but powerful, this weapon is useful for providing fire support.
NEW WEAPON: PF51
Blurring the lines between an SMG and a pistol, the PF51 boasts a huge magazine and is ideal when fighting groups of enemies. An excellent companion to Recon Specialists.
And two new vehicles:
EBLC-RAM
Traverse the battlefield in a unique, four-seater vehicle capable of extreme manoeuvrability at lower speeds. The EBLC-RAM can protect itself from incoming damage with its AMPs ability and place a spawn beacon on the battlefield.
POLARIS RZR
Fast and fun. Jump into this lightweight buggy witha teammate and zip across the battlefield, surprising enemy infantry or gaining new, tactical positions.
While there will also be some other stuff done around the margins, some of which we’ve already discussed earlier in the week, like a new concussion grenade, reworks of two existing maps, letting players unlock historical weapons for use in 2042's main modes, a new store and a new main menu.
Season 2 kicks off on August 30. Note that some of the new stuff, like Crawford (and Lis, the first new Specialist before him) have to be unlocked through play before you can use them. If you need a visual summary, everything announced is in the graphic below:
