‘Battlefield 2042’ update: DICE announces upcoming map changes, admits 128 players may be too many in certain situations

In the months leading to the release of “Battlefield 2042,” DICE has emphasized that the game would feature the biggest maps ever introduced in the series, along with increasing the player count to 128 on PC and current-gen consoles. But after the game was shipped, many players realized bigger is not always better. DICE has recognized that now in a lengthy blog post detailing upcoming changes in the game’s map design.

“While the larger maps offer more playspace and freedom, a side effect is that gameplay is now spread out more, resulting in an overall increase in time to combat when related to playing the objective,” DICE wrote. One solution the developer has determined is to move the Base Spawn and Flags to reduce the time players will have to spend walking instead of engaging in combat.

The level of intensity of “Battlefield 2042” combat is another area DICE is evaluating, and the developer says they believe this is also related to having 128-player game modes. DICE particularly mentioned Breakthrough, where opposing teams have only one main objective. With so many players and vehicles on the map, DICE admitted that it can get “too chaotic.”

DICE has, interestingly, recalled reducing the Breakthrough mode to having just 64 players last year. And while the developer did not make any promises, it seems like one of the “Battlefield 2042” they are considering is reducing the Breakthrough player count from 128 to 64 for good.

The developer also recognized players’ feedback that “Battlefield 2042” maps have too many open spaces and flat grounds, making many of them easy targets of long-range attacks. DICE said they are aiming “to reduce the focus on long-range combat,” along with adding more objects that could provide cover.

Another improvement DICE is aiming to implement is providing more defined paths so “Battlefield 2042” players can experience more focused combat. In a separate point in the blog post, the developer reiterated the need to add more cover across all maps in the game.

“The plans that we’ve outlined to you today will require substantial development time,” DICE said. This could mean that the announced changes will not be available anytime soon. One thing DICE confirmed is that the five main areas of improvement will not go live at the same time on all maps. The developer did not announce a release timeline for these updates. But it was confirmed that DICE is prioritizing to apply these changes to Kaleidoscope on Conquest and Breakthrough game modes, which is aimed to be included in the Season One update in early summer.