Comparisons to Call of Duty and even DOOM abounded when it came to the Battlefield 6 beta, and it seems those complaints have been heard loud and clear by DICE. The developer working on the large-scale shooter has promised some changes for the full release on October 10 that will go a long way toward restoring Battlefield’s reputation as a methodical FPS.
During the beta, clips of absurd playthroughs where players racked up dozens of kills in minutes tore through the community. The consensus among die-hard aficionados who post on forums was that Battlefield 6 was designed to appeal to fans of twitch shooters like Apex Legends due to the sheer speed at which players could move. Between mechanics that allowed for split-second 180-degree turns, strong shotguns, few repercussions for chaining jumps and slides, and a low time-to-kill map design, skilled Battlefield 6 players almost looked like they were bunny hopping their way through the latest Activision release.
In a debrief addressing what it learned from the open beta, publisher EA shares some stats and promised key adjustments for the full release. Unsurprisingly, most players favored the assault class, while the least popular type of soldier was recon, not that you’d know it from all the sniper glints.
Otherwise, EA says it’s looking toward tuning Battlefield 6 to have a more “traditional” movement feel that is “balanced” and in line with the Battlefield experience players were expecting in the first place. The blog post reads:
Momentum, especially horizontal speed, carried from a slide into a jump has been reduced. There is now a greater penalty for consecutive jumps, which lowers jump height when jumps are spammed. Firing while jumping or sliding will result in increased inaccuracy. These changes are designed to make sliding and jumping more situational, so they are no longer ideal options for engaging in gunfights, and will contribute to a gameplay pace that rewards skillful movement without becoming too fast or unpredictable.
Though EA seems receptive to player feedback, these fan complaints won’t lead to changes anytime soon. Specifically, the publisher noted that, while it sees criticisms surrounding player counts in modes like Rush, it will not be adjusting those modes to allow for larger armies. Instead, EA says, players should look to modes like Breakthrough, which allows for up to 64 players. As EA tells it, Battlefield has already experimented with higher player counts of varying sizes, and those experiences did not, in its estimation, allow for the type of ‘tactical’ play Battlefield wants to achieve.
“When a player tries to arm the M-COM while more than 20 opponents are defending, the intended gameplay becomes less tangible,” the blog post says.
The publisher also reiterated that the beta focused on smaller maps, but that fans can look forward to expanded play areas in the full game. Additionally, DICE and co. are still looking at Battlefield 6‘s current time-to-kill, but no specifics were shared on what direction the game may take in that regard.
“Finding the right balance is an ongoing process as everyone gets familiar with map size, lanes, and combat spaces,” the blog post states.
Though fans aren’t getting everything they wanted, folks online are happy to hear that Battlefield 6 might align itself more closely with what longtime fans expect.
“All those clowns jumping round corners and getting melted by BF fans are going to hate these changes,” one commenter on Reddit wrote. “And that’s a great thing.”
“FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, IT’S NOT COD,” another player exclaimed.
