Hello everyone,
As we prepare for Battlefield™ 6’s Early Access Beta starting on Thursday, August 7, followed by the Open Beta on August 9, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our journey so far with Battlefield Labs, how we’ve adapted your feedback, and what you can expect from future play sessions and gameplay iterations as we prepare for launch.
We’ll take a brief pause with Battlefield Labs during the Open Beta period. Once concluded, we’ll resume our commitment to feedback and continuous improvement through this program. We’re proud of the reception that we have seen with Battlefield Labs and we’ll keep monitoring and acting on player feedback and data as we continue our development.
Battlefield Labs Feedback, Changes Made For Open Beta
Closed vs Open Weapons
We recently shared our goal to connect both new and veteran players to the Battlefield experience. There have been ongoing discussions about previous class systems, including interest in reintroducing closed weapons to classes as a playlist option.
To support different playstyles, we’re developing functionality that allows you to choose between closed and open weapon modes, starting with the Open Beta. We’re starting with a Closed Weapon Conquest playlist in Beta. You’ll earn full XP progression in this mode, giving you the freedom to play your way.
With the Open Beta inviting you to our largest play sessions yet, we encourage everyone to try switching between both systems to find out what works best for you.
Maps and Modes
We’ve been closely tracking player behavior and traversal across the different maps played in Battlefield Labs, such as for the below image of Siege of Cairo. Using this and other data, we’ve identified several areas across maps that we’ve zoned in on and changed to better the flow of movement and the pace at which players traverse and fight each other.
Several direct changes have also been made to the layout of objectives, including improved cover, adjusted objective sizes, and tailored designs to support balanced play for both sides. We’ve also updated the visual look of objective boundaries and repositioned turrets across the map to further enhance gameplay.
As we move into the next phase of map testing, our focus will shift even more toward refining these objective layouts and iterating based on player feedback. Expect further adjustments as we approach the final stages of development.
We’ve always loved the fast-paced action of Domination and have been exploring the best way to bring revives into the mode, a core element of Battlefield teamplay that we think really fits. After seeing positive feedback from players, we’re excited to introduce reviving as a new mechanic, adding an extra layer of strategy and teamwork to the experience.
Weapons
Time-to-Kill and Time-to-Death have been frequent topics of community feedback. With your input, we’ve balanced damage across the weapon pool and we’re eager to hear your thoughts on how these changes feel during the Beta.
We’ve also leveled up our weapon customization options. We’ve worked to enhance overall clarity to make the UI more user-friendly so it’s easier to see which weapons synergize best with each class. These improvements are designed to help you make more informed choices when building your loadout, ensuring that you can quickly understand the strengths and intended roles of different weapons.
To further differentiate the classes and provide unique weapon advantages, we’ve introduced signature weapons. Selecting a weapon that aligns with your class now grants exclusive advantages for that weapon that no other classes will benefit from. For example, no other class will be able to utilize a sniper rifle as effectively as a Recon.
The Road To Launch
Adapting and implementing feedback takes time, and while Open Beta will give you an early look at the Class system, it’s not the final adaptation. After the Open Beta has concluded, there will be more opportunities to shape the class experience together before launch through upcoming Battlefield Labs play sessions.
Today, we wanted to give you a glimpse of further changes you can expect beyond Open Beta as we head towards launch.
Assault
While Assault has been recognized as the class for frontline-medics, and a favorite among lone-wolf players, we’re now placing greater emphasis on team play. With reworked traits and gadgets, Assault offers passive squad benefits that encourage teamwork and provide a stronger support for the squad.
The Adrenaline Injector, initially offering a self-healing effect, now clears and boosts resistance to flash and stun effects, enhances tolerance to explosive and incendiary damage, and improves movement speed. We feel that this will reduce their self-sustaining perks and differentiate them further from the support class.
Commanding Presence has replaced Enhanced Mobility as the new Signature Trait. This trait speeds up capturing objectives for nearby squad members and takes you and your team out of combat status faster. With this new ability we’re taking another step to provide the Assault class with more team focused abilities.
We’re also making a substantial change to the gadget pool of the Assault class. We've renamed the Spawn Beacon to Deploy Beacon, and it's now part of the Assault class gadget pool, instead of Recon.
Although the Deploy Beacon has traditionally been a staple of the Recon class, it hasn’t been without its challenges, often being used by solo snipers to redeploy in hard-to-reach places. By moving it to the Assault class, we’re intentionally redefining it as a teamplay tool for frontline flanking and coordinated squad movement.
The Deploy Beacon has a finite number of uses per squad and will self-destruct if the Assault player spawns back on it, making it a tactical and limited resource rather than a persistent advantage. We believe this addresses concerns around Assault being too focused on solo-play.
A completely new gadget is being introduced: the Assault Ladder. This versatile tool provides squads with access to previously unreachable areas, functioning as either a ladder or ramp depending on deployment angle. As a powerful teamplay gadget, it enables Assault players to lead not just their squad, but their entire team over obstacles, gain height advantages, or surprise the enemy in new ways.
Engineer
We're pleased to hear balanced feedback on the Engineer class, especially in terms of their core role in vehicle gameplay and explosives. We're eager to learn more about how well the Engineering gadget pool supports and destroys vehicles, and how effective Engineers feel in direct combat. We'll be closely monitoring their toolkit's performance in large-scale battles and are keen to hear your thoughts on whether playing as an Engineer feels impactful and rewarding.
Support
We've received generally positive feedback regarding Support, and we're actively evaluating a few key areas for improvement. We’re focusing on the refresh rate of supply crates and how well the Support’s signature weapon buffs contribute to the flow of the game. We want to ensure that Support players feel essential to their squads, both in keeping teammates supplied and in boosting overall combat efficiency.
Recon
For Recon, we saw the opportunity to strengthen the disinformation and sabotage component of its role. With that in mind, we set out to redefine one of Recon’s Training Paths by removing “Pathfinder” and replacing it with “Spec Ops”. A nod to the stealthy, explosive-focused class last seen in Battlefield 2.
This is the path for anyone who wants to take on the stealth function of their squad, providing them with insights on troop movement while quietly operating behind enemy lines:
Spec Ops 0: Your base class training, available from the start and allows quieter takedowns, crouch and prone movement.
Spec Ops 1: Spots nearby enemy gadgets (except when sprinting).
Spec Ops 2: Going prone takes you out of combat much faster and removes the spot on self.
In addition, the Recon class features an Active Ability at Level 3 that lets you call in a UAV to a marked position for passive spotting, further enhancing your squad’s situational awareness.
Together with the Recon Signature Trait, Aim Spotting, which automatically spots enemies while you’re aiming down sights, you’ll be fully equipped to play out the intelligence and counterintelligence role to its full potential.
What’s Next?
Open Beta is your chance to jump in, share your feedback, and help shape the future of Battlefield 6. Check out our Open Beta Readiness article for everything you need to know to get started.
We also invite you to join us on the official Battlefield Discord to get the latest updates, hear from our team, find squad mates to play with, and more.
We’ll return after Open Beta with learnings from the play sessions, and an overview of further changes we’re making on the road towards launch.
We’re looking forward to seeing you on the Battlefield alongside us in the Open Beta!
//The Battlefield Team
These game details are subject to change based on community discussions, player data, and feedback from Battlefield Labs and the Open Beta as we continue developing Battlefield 6 and beyond. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.