ComingSoon got to go hands-on and take part in a four-hour Battlefield 6 multiplayer preview. While we didn’t get to see any of the single-player experience, we still got immersed in its near-future world, which sees NATO clashing with a private military contractor called Pax Armata as the world faces a mighty power struggle. Checking out four of the game’s diverse maps, EA’s latest first-person shooter is arriving highly polished and full of smart gameplay tweaks.
As the developers made clear in a presentation, Battlefield 6 is fully leaning into its character classes and making squads work together. This is great news as it’s always been an aspect that helped separate Battlefield from its competitors, and it helps the game feel wholly unique. Watching a building crumble due to a rocket, allowing you to get a headshot; helping drag a teammate out from gunfire to revive them, and then capturing a key control point; these are the intense Battlefield moments that feel unique to this series and why it has a special place in the hearts of millions. EA is dedicated to making sure players come across more often with its new kinesthetic combat system, which allows you to peek around corners, revive teammates while dragging them, perform combat rolls, and even hang on the back of some vehicles when all the seats are taken.
As for the character classes, Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon types all return with tweaks and are highly customizable (although closed weapon loadouts will be available in playlists). What’s most exciting is the addition of training options, which allow you to unlock additional traits through your own play style and give you bonuses. For example, the Combat Medic Support can regenerate health when reviving teammates and dispense health to other players, while the Sniper Recon is able to fully kill enemies with headshots (making them not able to be revived) and temporarily prevent healing after sniper shots. When paired with each class’s signature gadgets (ranging from motion sensors to adrenaline injectors) and signature traits, it helps create a gameplay system that allows you to feel like you’re having a true impact on the battle, even when there are 63 other players.
Battlefield 6 will launch with nine maps, including a fully remade version of BF3’s Operation Firestorm. I got to check out four of these: Siege of Cairo, the Gibraltar-set Iberian Offensive, an infantry-only map set in Brooklyn appropriately titled Empire State, and Liberation Peak, which is a vast mountainside that is perfect for vehicles. Having checked out several of the maps across modes, it was interesting seeing how the maps changed. The Battlefield dev team has hand-crafted the combat zones so that they best fit each mode, which means you’ll see the same areas, but many factors can be altered, ranging from the destruction to the placement of objects. Getting used to the variations is sure to add plenty of depth over time.
I only got to go hands-on with four of the main multiplayer modes that had been in games before (Conquest, Squad Deathmatch, Breakthrough, and Domination). While I had a great time in all of them, and it’s clear that Domination and Squad Deathmatch will appeal to audiences of competing shooters as well, I had the most fun when getting to see the full scale of the action in Conquest and Breakthrough. I was also shown footage of the new Escalation mode, which has two teams competing for control over an increasingly smaller number of areas. It sounds like an incredibly intense way to enjoy multiplayer action, and I can’t wait to check it out for myself down the line.
However, what I saw that really got me most excited was the revamped Portal, which features an incredible spatial editor and allows creators to create custom maps and play styles. A few clips of these looked totally ridiculous, and you can do everything from horde mode matches to making it play like a top-down shooter. Server browsers will also be easily accessed, so it’s clear that BF6 will be focused on embracing its community. This will really help set EA’s game apart from other shooters, and it looks like a wonderful creation sandbox.
Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Preview: Final Verdict
Whether you’re a newcomer to the franchise or a returning veteran, Battlefield 6 has the right mixture of intense action and modes to be appealing to all. While the game truly reaches its potential when its large-scale battles are taking place, like in Conquest and Breakthrough, the maps are dynamic enough to be fun for smaller, more intimate matches as well. The class-based gameplay returns in full glory in this sequel, which I can’t wait to play more of when it launches on October 10.
Disclosure: EA provided travel and lodging for its Battlefield 6 multiplayer preview event.
