It is hard not to notice that the reception to the Battlefield 2042 beta has been heavily mixed. Some are excited for the new generation of the Battlefield series, but among technical problems and hackers, other fans are noticing a distinct lack of depth when compared to the previous games.
The Battlefield series is well known for its massive battles, wide array of strategic depth, and wealth of features to aid such strategies. The upcoming entry, Battlefield 2042, is set in the future. Ironically, though, it appears to some players as a significant step back for the series.
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A video posted to the unofficial Battlefield 2042 subreddit by user GreenyMyMan shows a large amount of features missing from the new Battlefield game's beta, many of them being iconic to the series. The detail in building destruction is reduced heavily, first-person takedown animations are gone, damage information is removed, and fortification is also missing. Fortification allows players to build blockade structures and defense around turrets, making it a massive downgrade from the previous games' defensive mechanics.
Features from older BF games that were removed from BF 2042, hopefully we see some of these features back, like "nearby medics" and the score/ damage feed from battlefield2042
Since Battlefield 2042 is only a beta version at the moment, it is entirely possible that DICE will add many of these mechanics before the final release. However, many players are unimpressed with this first glimpse at the game. The removal of leaning is a top concern in the comments of the video, with many players considering it iconic to the Battlefield series. A common sentiment among commentors is the feeling of being limited by the mechanical changes.
The decision to change the game could be to make it less intimidating for new players, as well as a financial decision; animations that were first-person in previous Battlefield games are changed to third-person in Battlefield 2042's beta, and some commentors believe this could be in service of selling cosmetic skins and melee finishers to players. Some changes are outright confusing, though; large stationary weapons have been removed, which some players have noticed makes taking down aircraft much more difficult. While improvements are already promised for Battlefield 2042's launch, most of them do not seem to address the biggest player concerns.
The beta of Battlefield 2042 removing so many iconic and important features takes the series in a difficult direction that is confusing many longtime players. The point of a beta is to gather feedback, but even disregarding Battlefield 2042's bugs and hackers, some adjustments seem far too fundemental to implement without a greater delay. Some replies to the original video point out that Halo Infinite's delay resulted in its reception turning from negative to highly anticipated, but it remains to be seen whether the same will happen for Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042 releases November 19, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.